T3i udgrade lens

Was he running? Obviously at 1/100 and f/8 something is wrong. I would also try the camera at ISO 400 and higher shutter speed just to see if there is not motion blur. Take a picture of something static. My 55-250 stm IS is very very sharp

Looks like you are using One Shot focus... You probably had focus lock, but your son moved and therefore you went out of focus. 1/100 is also kind of slow but you have the aperture at F8. You probably would have nailed this with a faster shutter and/or AI Servo.

Not like it has anything to do with sharpness, but why the spot metering?

Perhaps others can provide more insight on your EXIF

Is this any better

Why f16?

DreDaze wrote in post #17672115
Why f16?

Well glad you asked.
I was playing around with an app called Set My Camera Pro, I had my 50 mm lens already on my camera so I set the app to 50 mm, in the bed photo I knew the bed was around 6 feet to get that much of the bed in the photo I had to back up maybe 2 ft, so I entered which made it 8 ft, I entered that in the app and moved the f/stop until I got a DOF that was around 6 ft I then focused just above the pillow, took the picture and everything is in focus.

f16 is certainly not the way to go for the sharpest photos...i'd say for your other photos to bump up the ISO a bit at least...get some faster shutter speeds than 1/100 when shooting kids

Don, your pics show some blurriness, but they are basically snapshots. Nothing wrong with snapshots, they are one of the joys of digital photography. But often we don't expect technical greatness from casual shots.

If you think there is a problem with the camera or lens, then do some controlled tests. Select static subjects in bright outdoor light, so you can shoot at a shutter speed of 1/250 or faster, and use a tripod if you have one. That eliminates motion as a cause of blurriness. Then shoot using only the central AF point (not spot) with a wide open aperture - wide open because that's where focusing is the most critical.

If the body and lens(es) are working properly, you should get very sharp results this way. If you don't, then you might have defective gear - and if your stuff is defective, then it should be repaired or replaced.

Having done all this, you will now be making sharp pictures under the ideal good light conditions referred to before. As you go to less ideal conditions (like dark and dingy and moving subjects), you will see the effects of technique and the limitations of the subject. And such results are not the fault of the gear.

DreDaze wrote in post #17672115
Why f16?

My thoughts also. Diffraction limits sharpness on a T3i somewhere past f/6.7 IIRC. By f/16 things will be soft even with perfect focus and a still camera.

I have a feeling your lens is fine and its your technique. Bump up that iso to 400 minimum even 800 if you need it
Shutter speed from 250 to higher don't go past F/8
I shoot 1/1250-1/2000 all the time

Archibald wrote in post #17671449
Definitely a sharpness problem here. We need the EXIF.

There are three possibilities (at least): misfocusing, defective lens, or motion blur.

Have you noticed front- or back-focusing? I mean, you focus on something but something else ends up being in focus instead? Pictures with lots of stuff in front of and behind the subject at the right distances will show that.

The design of the kit lens is not at fault here, but it is possibly defective.

The EXIF data should be in the out-of-the-camera file, and LR should display that.

I am going to go through some photos this morning and look real close at them for front- or back-focusing, best way I can explain it is, if you have ever seen that Clairitin commercial where they are talking about Clairitin Clear and it like somebody pulled a protective film of the camera lens and every thing is crystal clear, well it seems like there is a factory protective film in the camera covering the lens, sensor or something. If there is then fill in the blank for the award I should receive __________ of the ________ Award
Thanks for your help
Don

gqllc007 wrote in post #17672047
Was he running? Obviously at 1/100 and f/8 something is wrong. I would also try the camera at ISO 400 and higher shutter speed just to see if there is not motion blur. Take a picture of something static. My 55-250 stm IS is very very sharp

I always try to catching him standing still, in that photo he may have been walking. I know better than to take a picture of him while he is running, I will try the higher SS and ISO next time.
Thanks for the info
Don

Moonshiner wrote in post #17672048
Looks like you are using One Shot focus... You probably had focus lock, but your son moved and therefore you went out of focus. 1/100 is also kind of slow but you have the aperture at F8. You probably would have nailed this with a faster shutter and/or AI Servo.

Not like it has anything to do with sharpness, but why the spot metering?

Perhaps others can provide more insight on your EXIF

That makes sense, locked and moved.

why the spot metering?
Don't know, For metering a specific small area of the subject is what the camera help screen says and maybe that could be a problem, also I read somewhere spot metering is not a good choice for amateurs, Going set it to center weighted average.
Thanks for your help

I think a EF 85mm 1.8 lens might help.

DreDaze wrote in post #17672145
f16 is certainly not the way to go for the sharpest photos...i'd say for your other photos to bump up the ISO a bit at least...get some faster shutter speeds than 1/100 when shooting kids

Is f8 the max? It seems to be, this is the f stop I hear the most about .
Thanks