18-55 Help! Is it me, or the lens?

Hello POTN,

My name is Chris and ive had this EF-S 18-55 IS lens for a few months now as i bought it in a kit with my 20D.

Anywho, lately my 'keeper' ratio of photos has been greatly decreased with this lens. I thought it may be my 20D getting old so i used it on a 50D this past weekend and the pictures came out with the same results.

Photos are very soft, takes longer than normal to focus, and the colors are just so 'blah' w/o lots of post processing. What im wondering is if i've just been shooting with my setting off, or if the lens needs to be recalibrate? Could this lens possibly look good to me when i first started out and now that ive been shooting for a half year or so im much more picky and now dislike this lens? Im thinking of replacing this lens with a Tamron 17-50 F/2.8, does that sound like a decent upgrade?

Keep in mind im a full time college student who doesnt have the most money to play with. Any other lens purchases i make will more than likely be used too.

Anywho, here are some pictures from this lens this past weekend all on a 50D:


A couple 'keepers' from this weekend:

HTTP response: NOT FOUND | MIME changed to 'image/gif' | Redirected to error image by FLICKR

HTTP response: NOT FOUND | MIME changed to 'image/gif' | Redirected to error image by FLICKR

Are you shooting RAW or JPEG...?
what are your in-camera settings?
Do you resharpen AFTER resizing? if so...
What method of sharpening do you use...
Canon recommends using Unsharpen mask (USM) settings of 300/.3/0 as a starting point...
Good luck...

kitacanon wrote in post #8320069
Are you shooting RAW or JPEG...?
what are your in-camera settings?
Do you resharpen AFTER resizing? if so...
What method of sharpening do you use...
Canon recommends using Unsharpen mask (USM) settings of 300/.3/0 as a starting point...
Good luck...

As of now im currently shooting JPEG. Im a staff photographer for a college paper and they ask that i shoot in JPEG.

My in camera settings are.... Contrast: All the way to the +, Sharpness: In between the 0 and the +, Saturation: all the way to the +, Color tone: On the 0.

I sharpen my photos in Photoshop but they usually get rezised when i upload them to Flickr. Is this a problem too?

Im using unsharp mask in photoshop but my settings were 151/.3/0. I didnt like that so sometimes i just play around with the setting until i do. I will try the 300/.3/0.


Thanks!


.Chris.

Could you just be outgrowing your lens?

cbacarella wrote in post #8320414
As of now im currently shooting JPEG. Im a staff photographer for a college paper and they ask that i shoot in JPEG.

My in camera settings are.... Contrast: All the way to the +, Sharpness: In between the 0 and the +, Saturation: all the way to the +, Color tone: On the 0.

I sharpen my photos in Photoshop but they usually get rezised when i upload them to Flickr. Is this a problem too?

Im using unsharp mask in photoshop but my settings were 151/.3/0. I didnt like that so sometimes i just play around with the setting until i do. I will try the 300/.3/0.


Thanks!


.Chris.

To me the contrast and saturation are rather overdone. Other than that I don't see anything "wrong" with the lens. Re-calibrating it won't change tonal qualities, it would only adjust it's AF accuracy and your images don't appear to be OOF. If that's how you like them to look, I guess that's OK but it does look rather strange.

That isn't the normal "kit" lens with that camera, I believe the 18-55 IS first came on the Rebel XSi. Not that it matters, it shouldn't be a problem. I have a Rebel XTi that I put that same lens on and I have no complaints about it's performance, keeping in mind that it's basically a $100 "kit" lens and not an "L" model.

I'd see if you can either borrow or rent the Tamron you're considering and see how you like it. I'd suggest setting your camera back to it's default parameters and maybe easing up on the PP a bit.

I agree with Dennis...full blown saturation PLUS higher contrast will reduce sharpness and also increase chromatic abberation (purple fringing) that increase blur between tones....
I don't know which version of PS you are using but I see no difference in increasing "amount" in USM between 100 increments....I.E. In PS6 I have to go from 100 to 200 to 300 to see any difference....same in radius.... .1 to .2 to .3 etc...
increasing amount will cause "coarse" sharpening...increasin​g radius is a more refined sharpening gradiant.
Keep in touch...I don't know about Flikr but on Imageshack.us my pix are not resized...they load as I've sized them....but I size them to fit most screens...1100pixl max width, 800 max depth...

lonelyjew wrote in post #8320439
Could you just be outgrowing your lens?

I think that could be it....

DennisW1 wrote in post #8320459
To me the contrast and saturation are rather overdone. Other than that I don't see anything "wrong" with the lens. Re-calibrating it won't change tonal qualities, it would only adjust it's AF accuracy and your images don't appear to be OOF. If that's how you like them to look, I guess that's OK but it does look rather strange.

That isn't the normal "kit" lens with that camera, I believe the 18-55 IS first came on the Rebel XSi. Not that it matters, it shouldn't be a problem. I have a Rebel XTi that I put that same lens on and I have no complaints about it's performance, keeping in mind that it's basically a $100 "kit" lens and not an "L" model.

I'd see if you can either borrow or rent the Tamron you're considering and see how you like it. I'd suggest setting your camera back to it's default parameters and maybe easing up on the PP a bit.

Thanks for the info i appreciate it lots! I will defiantly set my camera back to its original settings and see how pictures turn out and will keep in mind my PP techniques. I think ive been looking at "L" threads and so many other much higher end glass threads that when i look back at my 18-55 it just isn't what im after anymore.

kitacanon wrote in post #8320873
I agree with Dennis...full blown saturation PLUS higher contrast will reduce sharpness and also increase chromatic abberation (purple fringing) that increase blur between tones....
I don't know which version of PS you are using but I see no difference in increasing "amount" in USM between 100 increments....I.E. In PS6 I have to go from 100 to 200 to 300 to see any difference....same in radius.... .1 to .2 to .3 etc...
increasing amount will cause "coarse" sharpening...increasin​g radius is a more refined sharpening gradiant.
Keep in touch...I don't know about Flikr but on Imageshack.us my pix are not resized...they load as I've sized them....but I size them to fit most screens...1100pixl max width, 800 max depth...

Im using PS7 btw. As for Flickr i believe it uploads my pictures in their full size but shows a smaller size for display. You can select between small, medium, and full size for your pictures. I usually just post the smaller ones because they are easier to see.

Thanks again all for the feedback! I think its time to step up to some nicer glass as well as keep practicing my photography techniques.

cbacarella wrote in post #8322071
Thanks for the info i appreciate it lots! I will defiantly set my camera back to its original settings and see how pictures turn out and will keep in mind my PP techniques. I think ive been looking at "L" threads and so many other much higher end glass threads that when i look back at my 18-55 it just isn't what im after anymore.

Remember, right out of the camera your images will need a bit of sharpening, but go easy.

I somehow doubt you're "outgrowing" you lens. While it's not "L" glass the latest IS version of the 18-55 kit lens is much better than the earlier releases. It won't do much good for you under very low light conditions as it's not a very fast lens, but in good light it should give you some very respectable images.

couldn't you shoot raw, make changes and export jpeg? thats what I do using aperture 2.