(rant) I SUCK with my 1D!

First I must apologize for my ranting. But let me blow of some steam, please. I wont be an ignorant fool and claim it's all the cameras fault, because it's most likely mine (fastest (class) camera in the world and an L w/USM lens? No way).

I CANNOT FOCUS PROPERLY WITH MY 1D! ARGH!

I shot a party last night, thank *GOD* I was not the main photographer... paid or unpaid. It's just a friend really wanted to see my camera, so I brought the 1D, 17-40, 420EX.

Busted it out, ISO1000, M, 1/8th second (I was a @#(*&@#(* moron for such a slow shutter speed), wide open @ f/4. Aimed, hit the rear * button to focus, hit the shutter release.

Camera freezes. Huh? I look down, Error99. I panic. OH MY GOD. Error99. I turn it off. Error99 doesn't go away. I take out the battery, put it back in. Still, Error99. Menu buttons don't work. Nothing works. WHAT?!

I have another battery, I put that one in instead... THANKFULLY... it goes away and I can start shooting.

I shot about 20 of great shots and I look down, 20 shots remaining. WHAT?! I forgot to format the card! ARGH. I format the card, losing those shots... because I don't have any more space and no time to go through my countless other pictures that I don't need.... I'd rather reshoot.

I shotshotshot the whole night, pics looked okay on the screen (which is never a decent measure of performance, especially with a 5 year old LCD panel in the 1D).

I load the photos onto my computer, Motion blur to the MAX. People weren't still, everyone was blurry because of my ridiculously low shutter speed. I shot may 80-100 pictures that night, I can only count maybe 20 or so that came out okay.

Secondly, I KEPT MISSING FOCUS. I don't know what's wrong with me. When I shot with the 17-40L and 420EX with my 300D, I nailed focus every time. And the club I shot in was FAR FAR FAR darker. In this club, I kept missing focus. I had shots where the background was sharp while the subjects were blurry. These really depress me because those *WOULD HAVE* been keepers.

I realized my first mistake after a while and bumped the shutter speed back up to around 1/20th which made it more acceptable. I got better shots after that. It's just the whole misfocussing thing was weird.

I heard something about the 1-series actually being SLOWER to focus than the other bodies in LOW LIGHT conditions, any truth to this? I found it delaying slightly before grabbing focus with my 17-40L. Maybe it's just the f/4 zoom, but I had better luck with my 300D in the pitch black nightclub. Interesting.

Something wrong with my camera? I hope not.... but then again, it's a pretty "battle worn" body with over 70k actuations. Still not even at it's mid-life crisis yet (but getting there... maybe this is it?)

I really hope it's user error vs camera problem.

OH. I just thought of something. I recall hearing that not all 45 focus pts are cross/precision/whatev​er sensors... when you're shooting with f/4. Especially in the dark. Isn't there a custom function to limit the 45 pts to something like 11?

I'll let others handle the technical aspects of this but I am curious as to why, if you were using a flash, you used such slow shutter speeds and even after realizing the speed was low you say you bumped it up to 1/20. That is way too slow to shoot people. Since you had the flash why didn't you just up the shutter to 1/200 or 1/250 (not sure of the max sync speed with s 1D)?

Well nothing will be in focus at 1/8th shutter in a club. Why ISO 1000? Whoa. Try iso 200, 1/60th f4 in M mode.

Af for reformatting, that was not needed. The lock icon on the back can lock each pic you want to save, just by scrolling thru and hitting it. then go to menu and hit erase. Locked pics will not be destroyed.

You crappy shots were definitely user error.

Oh yes in CFn, you can limit FP but this is not why you missed focus. People move naturally a bit even when standing for a pic. You add to it by moving a bit and @ 1/8th TV, OOF to the max.

1/8s? 1/20s? That's far too slow in any lighting condition. Going to a dimly lit party I would seldom photograph with an aperture less than f/2 and seldom, if ever, below 1/50s. Your flash would have certainly helped, too. I think you would have been much better off using any of your primes. I think it is just a case of the wrong lens for the wrong situation.

1/8th of a second worked for me in the dark club with my rebel. I wanted to suck in the ambient light, and the subjects held relatively still therefore the flash froze their motion.

1/20th was fine for the night, I was just having a brain-fart and didn't know why I left it at such a slow shutter speed. I was having a bad week in general, and wasn't prepared to shoot the party. I just wanted to go there to unwind and have fun.

As for primes, I actually bought my 28/1.8 specifically for this purpose. I don't know why I didn't bust it out. I think I was too scared and wanted the flexibility of the zoom. Another stupid thinking on me. I was shooting groups of people though, so that's why I didn't want to shoot too narrow a DOF.

As for the focus issue, I can definitely tell the difference between misfocus and motionblur/camerashake​. A lot of the shots were DEFINITELY missed focus, even though the shutter speed was slow (missed focus *and* camerashake/motionblur​). That is why I'm still concerned.

Dragging the shutter shouldn't have presented any problems, I regularly use 1/10 sec with a flash and have no problems, the only time longer exposures cause a problem with the flash is when there is a light source behind and the subject moves in to the already exposed area of the sensor.
I'm taking a guess from the info you have given here but if you had no problems with this style of shooting maybe it's the body, I have no experience with the 1D but I'm sure it's a very different bit kitcompared to the 300. You might not have got the knack of using it efficiently, maybe some of the 1D users know it's idiosyncrasies.

Hi Kev

Im a new 1D owner too and am also finding the learning curve a bit on the tough side. I spent some time yesterday and today trying to photograph my 10 month old boy indoors sometimes with a flash sometime not. Most of my pics came out blurry, tried different ISO settings, modes TV etc and even resorted to using my 50mm @f1.8. My boy wouldnt stay still but i guess he is good practice. Noise above 800 was awful, i messed around with 3200 and could see an obvious banding streak so its not myth it is inherent with the 1D. I didnt recieve a firewire cable with my 1d but ordered one and waiting for delivery, this should help me download some custom curves and sync DPP picture styles to get rid of the green pic. But obviously this wont cure my blurry pics, i know its user error on my side and have only had the camera for a few days but it is a hell of a lot different from the consumer 350D i have. Spent some of last night watching tv and holding the 1D, my god i think im in love with its body just have to work out which buttons to press to let me work it will keep trying. The best things in life come dont come straight away and require TLC and a lot of attention

Join the "I Suck Club With My Camera" no matter what model it is.

After getting my camera, I went outside with my daughter who was playing i puddles after a huge rainstorm. All the pictures sucked. Was it camera error? Nope; user error all the way.

Don't feel that bad. It's an honor to be in the club, at least for a while. As long as you learn, you'll graduate to the I suck once in a while club.

me

You should of taken your 28/1.8 prime

MDJAK wrote in post #2348661
Join the "I Suck Club With My Camera" no matter what model it is.

I'm a card carrying member!

RgB wrote in post #2348686
You should of taken your 28/1.8 prime

Should have, didn't. I actually brought it along, but as I said... having a bad day, and didn't feel like shooting much... just brought it along because I was asked.

Anyway, I'll get that focus issue checked out.... just some personal testing before pointing fingers. And from now on, never shooting below 1/20th of a second Shutter.

However, my camera deals quite well with noise. Even at ISO1000.

Don't be too hard on yourself. Sometimes it's not a shooting day.

plus - if just brought the camera to show the friend, there was no reason to take the pictures in the first place.

peatoire wrote in post #2348436
I regularly use 1/10 sec with a flash and have no problems...

And nor should you...because the burst of the front curtain flash is short enough that your camera freezes the image and 1/10s is just long enough that if you're holding your camera relatively still you still wouldn't see much blur in your photos. However, if you were to use your camera at 1/10s and without a flash, if my brief experience is correct, you would then be much more likely to experience the blurring of your photographs.

The original poster, however, did not seem to use his flash.

Why not post some examples of the problems you experience at both 1/8s and 1/20s.

Did you say you were using your flash?