Focusing problems in 10D

I just purchased my 10D and have been disappointed with the lack of sharpness my images have! I have the camera set in the large/fine mode for jpg, and I usually shoot 100 ASA, 1/125, f 11 or f16, on a tripod, with studio flash! Every portrait I take still is soft, esp in the eyes! I've been trying to use the different focusing squares to see if one works better than another (back focusing etc). I use a Canon zoom L series lens. I get excellent results on film with this lens. Does any one use the sharpening in camera or do I have to sharpen every image in PS? Do the 10Ds all have this problem or is it just me? Any tips on how to improve or correct the sharpness? I may just return the 10D and go for something else!

if I were you , since the camera is still new, go for some tests to determine if it's not front or back focusing then decide to return it....
although I don't think it would be the case taking in consideration the aperture you shoot at.
for sa professional result (as you expect it to be), most of digital photographers post improve their pictures in darkroom.
I'm a beginner in Digital myself, I have to admit that photoshop CS dramatically improves the pictures quality at ALL times.
hope this helps
regards
Khalid

SHow us examples....
a 100% crop or two on the area of the image you focused on would be ideal. THen we can advise you if you have a problem or not.

Also what lens are you using?

Thanks for the quick reply! I did try to do some crude tests to see if there is a back/front focusing problem. I shot a test target in auto focus and then manually turned my focus ring to the left a bit and shot. I then auto refocused and then manually turned my focus ring to the right a bit and shot. I then compared the 3 images and of course the autofocus one was dead on. However when I tried to shoot people in my studio, I cant seem to tell what the camera is focusing on! Nothing to me seems dead sharp. Only when I go into PS and unsharp mask. I didnt want to buy a camera where every image needs post sharpening! Have you seen any links for doing a good focus test procedure esp for the 10D? Im still considering tossing this camera! But I will keep trying different things...

Richard, I am using the canon EF 50-200mm L zoom lens. Its an older lens but I used to love it! Here is a link to two cropped test images (not sure how to bring them into the forum). I didnt do any alterations to the imgs except the crop:

http://www.marcyherman​sonphoto.com/test/IMG_​1668_crop.jpg
http://www.marcyherman​sonphoto.com/test/IMG_​1669_crop.jpg

I hope this works...what do you think? Is it the lens, camera, or is this as good as it gets??

I've got to admit my forst impression there is it looks soft - and not out of focus soft either...
What does anyone else think?

Marcy, did you try to play with another lens ? You may try to borrow a lens from a friend or to try another one in your local photo store.

All EOS digital cameras require post processing. If you shoot JPEG you define a certain amount of sharpening in camera, and then sharpen again in Photoshop if needed. If you shoot RAW, you set RAW converter to sharpen the output, or set sharpening to zero and then sharpen in Photoshop. RAW converters like Capture One have very fluent workflow for processing vast number of images easily. In Photoshop you can create actions for batch jobs.

Also note that with digital EOS you view your images on large screen, which is equivalent of viewing you photos with a loupe or a large enlargement very close. To get tack sharp results you need to get more shutter speed.

Using f16 (or even f11) means you are not using your lense's sharpest aperture and this contributes also to softness.

With digital you are lab. For some this feels like total freedom and for some total annoyance. I'm in the first group

I think the photos look like all, ok most, of mine. My camera is in NJ now. I hope it comes back better!

Jackie

pekka wrote
:Using f16 (or even f11) means you are not using your lense's sharpest aperture and this contributes also to softness.

I'm suprised to hear this, according to this, how can someone then have a DOF and sharp image at the same time, which we've seen quite often? I mean other than aritificial DOF in PS CS.
what is then in your opinion the shapest aperture for a lens? its max?
regards
Khalid

I see the same problems with my 10D.
If you shoot in program mode you can set the parameters to sharpen the image in the camera.
Also what I have learned is that you have to be very concious of shutter speed, especially with long lenses. The temptation to zoom in on a subject tends to create the need for the faster shutter speed.
A tripod helps quite a bit.
I have not been very impressed with the unsharp mask function of my Photo Impact software to rectify these problems.

MarcyH, I took the liberty of copying your image and applying some sharpening in Photoshop Elements. Here's the original:

HTTP response: NOT FOUND | MIME changed to 'text/html'

The default Canon 10d setting will give you a soft image. The reason is that you want a "pure" unaltered digital negative with good exposure. Also, you might need different stages of sharpening. (i.e. for Web, Prints etc.) Details of the all digital images are blurred by the camera's low-pass filter and sharpening in camera or during post-processing is a must! Your PC is your darkroom! If you hate PS work then you should consider switch back to Point & Shoot cameras.

Check out this article:

http://www.microsoft.c​om …more/fixit/shar​pening.asp

Thanks for all of your input. I will try to shoot with different lenses and different shutter/aperture combos to see if I get better results. It sounds like the camera is probably ok and post processing is a must. I probably want to keep my camera sharpness setting at 0 and do it in PS. The link for the sharpening tips is great! Has anyone discovered a great portrait lens that really makes a difference when shooting with the 10D (something affordable)??? How about those image stabilization lenses- do they help?

I use the 50.mm 1.8 mark1 it equals about 85.mm with the 1.6 mag factor on the 10D