Focusing problem w/ 50mm 1.4 on Drebel (DOF misunderstanding?)

The easiest solution for shooting at 1/6 second is to use a tripod.

Also, and this is less important, mirror slap is a factor at this speed, so Mirror Lockup is smart, if your camera can do it.

---Bob Gross---

The other problem with lower shutter speeds is if your subject moves it will blur.

markubig wrote:
Thanks all . . . looks like I got a LOT more practicing to do!!! Good thing I'm on vacation until after the New Year . . .

I didn't realize how shallow the DOF is at large apertures and close distances until I worked with the lens for a while. For example, I used my 50mm at f1.8 for pictures of my cat from 0.5-0.75 m. It's pretty common for the eyes to be in focus and the nose out of focus. The DOF can be just that shallow.

Well you have to remember. When you are shooting in Av mode you have to keep your eye on the shutter speeds, you have to remember that if you are indoors and you are shooting with a 50mm lens then you want your shutter speeds to safley be atleast 1/60th of a second. Even though you can shoot at 1/50th, lets just give that extra 10th.

So if you set your camera to P mode, the camera will automatically set the shutter and the aperature for you. However, you can adjust this by turning the dial next to the shutter, when you do this you can use different A-values and the shutter speed will adjust by itself accordingly. (please excuse my spelling)

If you use Av mode, then you have to keep a close eye on your shutter speed. You will have to adjust the Aperature so that you get the DOF that you want and yet have the right shutter speed to effectivly reduce camera blur.

If you use Tv Then you can set the camera to any shutter speed you want. Then the camera will choose the proper Aperature to go along with it. If the shutter speed is not feasible, then you will see the numbers start to blink. Then you have to either turn the shutter speed down or up accordingly.

I learned this the expensive way, with my film EOS.. But after paying for the prints/learning, I never forgot it.

Remember in P mode the camera calculates this for you.

At family gatherings, I usually just leave my camera in P mode. No time to sit there and fidel with Tv and Av mode. Expressions from kids move way to quickly for me to be switching knobs. Grown ups is a little better though, but even still, they get ansy after a while.

Also remember that when you review a image on the lcd screen, zoom in on it and pay close attention to the eye's and the eyebrows. Doing this has saved so many of my images, because I would stop everyone in their tracks and say "Hey we need to take that one again". Way to save the day huh.. lol...

Oh yeah, I forgot to say,

I usually use Av for landscapes and car photo's and things of the sort. You can use it for portraits to also... among other things.

I usually use Tv for sports, and anything moving. I also use it occasionally for night shots if for unforsaken reason I can't get the aperature to close up to f22 or so. You can also use it to get to Bulb.

I have never used ADEP yet, I know it is supposed to give you the best reasonable DOF. Which would bring everything into focus.

I read the manual every chance I get.
We are responsible for knowing everything we can about our camera's. There are a lot of good explanations in that manual for the basic settings, and their usage.

Later
MP

The difference between 1/50th and 1/60th is not an extra tenth.

---Bob Gross---

Just to throw that cat amongst the pigeons - why not consider using the Manual mode on the camera - a quick zap of a grey card, a reading with a handheld meter or even just taking a peek at the histogram and you can set the aperture/shutter speed combination you need for a given situation, without relying on the camera's (possibly unreliable) metering.

Just a thought.

What is it .10 th of a second? If I used the wrong measurment, just correct me.

Oh man . . . that goes back a few years for me . . . I believe the difference is 1/30 or .03 s.

Anyhow, I understand what you meant . . . thanks for the help, Mr. Photodude!!!

You know what's killing me? The photos looked great on the camera LCD when I was taking the pictures, but it's not until I got home and looked at them on the computer that I realized all the blur. I could tell the bad ones immediately on the LCD, but the ones that had very slight blur looked fine on the LCD.

I guess I need to pay more attention to my exposure paramters before releasing the shutter

Nit, nit. 1/300th, or .00333... sec. 1/60=5/300, 1/50=6/300.

Did you zoom in on the LCD on their eye or wherever you initially focused?

I usually focus on one of the eye's and then take the photo and then review and zoom in to make sure the eye came out sharp. If it didn't I will take the photo over again with adjustments. I realized (learned) this from watching people on this and other forum take photo's of their cats, and they keep saying, "Put the Focus dot on the eye".

Here is an example of me...
http://www.pbase.com/b​rucescott/image/375475​10
(focus was on my left eye)
(huge pic)
Another
http://www.pbase.com/b​rucescott/image/374242​44
that's Fat Cat..
(focus was on her eye)

Thanks for clearing that up for me.

btw: Turn your pm's on.
Do you have a site that goes into detail about this.

About which?

oops . . . told u it's been a while for me . . .