Focus Issue

please look at my picture and tell me what I am doing wrong: I used a tripod Canonrebelxt, lens 70-300(fl-120), f 4.5, ISO 200,, SS 1/500...I am starting to understand that the FL most of the time needs to be less than the SS..thanks..janis (This is my 79 year yound dad)

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First off, welcome to POTN!!!

Is this cropped from the original, or just sized way down? It's hard to tell from such a small photo, but is the fence the focus point and not your main subject, or maybe somewhere in between? If you use the Canon software to view the image there is an option to show you which focus points were used, overlayed on top of your image. I found that to be a great aid when I first started with the 20D, and now I find myself almost always selecting one particular focus point because I constant found the camera selecting the wrong focus points.

Is this the Canon 70-300 DO IS lens you were using?

pcasciola wrote in post #2505317
First off, welcome to POTN!!!

Is this cropped from the original, or just sized way down? It's hard to tell from such a small photo, but is the fence the focus point and not your main subject, or maybe somewhere in between? If you use the Canon software to view the image there is an option to show you which focus points were used, overlayed on top of your image. I found that to be a great aid when I first started with the 20D, and now I find myself almost always selecting one particular focus point because I constant found the camera selecting the wrong focus points.

Is this the Canon 70-300 DO IS lens you were using?

No it is not an IS..Think I cropped this but I will send another one..I tryed to focus on the subject...when you shot action shots should the AF be on AI Servo and how many focual points should be used?..thanks janis

I typically use AI Servo, center focus point for shots like yours.

Is this the 75-300 f/4.5-5.6 lens (the roughly $200 Canon one)?

pcasciola wrote in post #2505593
I typically use AI Servo, center focus point for shots like yours.

Is this the 75-300 f/4.5-5.6 lens (the roughly $200 Canon one)?

WHAT IS THIS CANON SOFTWARE THAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT I NEVER GOT IT WITH MY CAMERA? HOPE TO HEAR...JANIS...I REALLY NEED HELP WITH MY FOCUS ISSUE

No need to yell ... It seems to me that it is more an issue of softness in the lens than a focus issue. As for the software, there should have been a couple cds that came with your camera and one of this has a photo editing software that came from canon try that to do a bit of light sharpening on your image and see if you like what you see.. I could be off and your camera could have mis-focused tho it doesn't look like what I see I get a mis-focus on my shots. Just my two cents
Riley

Oops forgot to mention try stopping down the lens a little bit even to f/5.6 and you may see better results if it is just softness.

That's why I asked if this was the 75-300 f/4.5-5.6. If so, this lens will be softer than most at it's maximum aperture (f/4.5 at lower focal lengths, f/5.6 when zoomed in), and needs to be stopped down to produce sharp images. I figured we would get the potential focus issue out of the way first.

pcasciola wrote in post #2505856
That's why I asked if this was the 75-300 f/4.5-5.6. If so, this lens will be softer than most at it's maximum aperture (f/4.5 at lower focal lengths, f/5.6 when zoomed in), and needs to be stopped down to produce sharp images. I figured we would get the potential focus issue out of the way first.

Let me ask this question if I may...When taking action shots what should the focus point be? You know the 7-9 points that are there...should it be on all or just one?..I hope that I am making sense. If I am not please tell me .If say I tryed as I focused on the face as I tryed do you just keep the focus lock on
Hope to hear...janis widget