-= T2i / 550D users UNITE! (1) =-

Inchpractice wrote in post #11313508
This is where I'm coming from, any DSLR on Auto is basically a point-and-shoot camera with a better sensor and lens....

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

I have a wild guess about Inch's subject I like to throw into the mix: could those pictures be ridiculously underexposed? Lets say that, for some reason, you have set your camera to Spot metering or have dialed in a -2 EVs in the exposure compensation by error, just as what happened when you changed the focusing point. If the images are completely underexposed and you are 'recovering' from very black images, you would suffer more or less the same results.

Inch, I know this is a tedious thing and you most likely have been sold a defective camera, but, for the sake of pure testing... can you shoot a picture in FULL AUTO (green) where you have absolutely no setting to dial in, and share that picture?

Also... just a dumb question, are the lenses set to Auto Focus on the lens? Isn't there any chance that the switch is not completely pulled into the AF and is expecting you to manual focus?

Rafa.

Marubozo, great image!! I live in a 2 million people city! so lights all but kill the stars. I'm hopping the skies will clear soon enough while my father finishes the time-lapse contraption he is building to go out to the country and hopefully achieve some of those images!

By the way, I assume you guys have seen this, but I just find it absolutely mesmerizing each time:
http://blogs.discoverm​agazine.com …-timelapse-video-rapture/

Rafa.

Rivest, that is a nice looking image! and a very appropriate farewell picture... It's almost like putting flowers on somebody's grave: you have said goodbye to your T2i in a proper manner (hope you gave it a small pat and kiss also ). Hopefully the 60D will bring new joys and the brighter VF will let you fuse with your picture-taking experience even further!

Rafa.

Rivest wrote in post #11313430
Maru, would a 20min exposure had give the same results?

Nope. I tried that the first time and this is what happened:

HTTP response: 404 | MIME changed to 'image/png' | Byte size: ZERO

RTPVid wrote in post #11313762
Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Indeed not.
When I first bought my D40 I used it in Auto/Landscape/Portrai​t for quite a while before someone showed me how to use it in P.

RafaPolit wrote in post #11313895
I have a wild guess about Inch's subject I like to throw into the mix: could those pictures be ridiculously underexposed? Lets say that, for some reason, you have set your camera to Spot metering or have dialed in a -2 EVs in the exposure compensation by error, just as what happened when you changed the focusing point. If the images are completely underexposed and you are 'recovering' from very black images, you would suffer more or less the same results.

I've spent quite a while reading through the exif files on all the shots I've taken to see if I accidentally reduced the EV or switched on spot metering but I hadn't.
I would assume that if they were ridiculously underexposed they'd be darker wouldn't they?

RafaPolit wrote in post #11313895
Inch, I know this is a tedious thing and you most likely have been sold a defective camera, but, for the sake of pure testing... can you shoot a picture in FULL AUTO (green) where you have absolutely no setting to dial in, and share that picture?

Already done that earlier today, see image below.

RafaPolit wrote in post #11313895
Also... just a dumb question, are the lenses set to Auto Focus on the lens? Isn't there any chance that the switch is not completely pulled into the AF and is expecting you to manual focus?

Rafa.

No, I've taken 20 landscape shots at different focal ranges and the lens adjusted itself all the time.

This image is another 100% crop and is one of a few I shot on Auto in order to eliminate any interference from accidental menu adjustments.
I put a variety of objects under a tungsten desk lamp to give it a bit of light and then the flash obviously popped up.
This is the exif:

File Name IMG_0202.CR2
Camera Model Canon EOS 550D
Firmware Firmware Version 1.0.8
Shooting Mode Auto
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/60
Av( Aperture Value ) 5.6
Metering Mode Evaluative Metering
Exposure Compensation 0
ISO Speed 400
Auto ISO Speed ON
Lens EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Focal Length 48.0mm
Image Size 5184x3456
Image Quality RAW
Flash On
Flash Type Built-In Flash
Flash Exposure Compensation 0
Shutter curtain sync 1st-curtain sync
FE lock OFF
White Balance Mode Auto
AF Mode AI Focus AF
AF area select mode Automatic selection
Picture Style Standard
Sharpness 3
Contrast 0
Saturation 0
Color tone 0
Color Space sRGB
Long exposure noise reduction 0:Off
High ISO speed noise reduction 0:Standard
Highlight tone priority 0: Disable
Auto Lighting Optimizer 0: Standard
Peripheral illumination correction Enable
Dust Delete Data No
Drive Mode Single shooting
Live View Shooting OFF

I don't understand your focus point choice Inch. If you center focused on the coin than recompose by putting it at the edge of the picture, it's normal to not be sharp.

Is this a 100% crop perhaps?

Rivest wrote in post #11314159
I don't understand your focus point choice Inch. If you center focused on the coin than recompose by putting it at the edge of the picture, it's normal to not be sharp.

Is this a 100% crop perhaps?

Inchpractice wrote in post #11314140
This image is another 100% crop .....

Yes!

My bad.

marubozo wrote in post #11314132
Nope. I tried that the first time and this is what happened:

Marubozo,

by any chance, do you own any ND filters? I can clearly see that a 30sec. correctly exposed image would yield such a light blast on a 20 min. exposure... but: what if you set the ISO to 100 (turning off D+), that would yield same exposure at 1min., what f where you using? If it was around f5.6 go with f11... same exposure at 4 minutes now. Now use a ND filter with three fstops, you get 32 minute exposures with the same amount of light each for the static subjects. My only concern would remain if the stars lose brightness at this point and, instead of bright and shining, they get dull and indistinct, because they are not bright enough for the light to penetrate all the new exposure settings.

It's one hell of a gamble... but, for testing you could do a 30 sec exposure with all the above settings (to avoid wasting 30 minutes!!!)... if the starts come out bright (expect the house and sky to be pitch black!) then this technique might work.

I'll try all this as soon as I have some stars in the sky! Also... if you point towards the northern star, instead of a uniform arch, the stars will pivot around the northern star!!!

Thanks for sharing,
Rafa.

Inch, I believe we all here are always looking for the man error in the problems as 95% of the time that's what it is! On your case though, I am now ready to concede that you have a bad camera or lens, but you say this reproduces on all your lenses, so, it's safe to assume camera.

The strange thing is this is a combination of strange focus with strange noise, and your camera seems to yield the same type of image no matter what ISO you have set, so, as a last final idea... since all your ISO settings and lens combos yield the same results, is there ANY chance that you have overridden the default settings for the ACR so that it is doing this to your pictures? Have you tried DPP to process a RAW file and see if it produces the same dull and noisy results?

My only concern is that you would go to the process of changing the camera just to find out the problem was elsewhere... I'm not trying to be annoying or 'find the fifth leg to the cat' as we say in spanish.

Rafa.

RafaPolit wrote in post #11314334
Inch, I believe we all here are always looking for the man error in the problems as 95% of the time that's what it is! On your case though, I am now ready to concede that you have a bad camera or lens, but you say this reproduces on all your lenses, so, it's safe to assume camera.

The strange thing is this is a combination of strange focus with strange noise, and your camera seems to yield the same type of image no matter what ISO you have set, so, as a last final idea... since all your ISO settings and lens combos yield the same results, is there ANY chance that you have overridden the default settings for the ACR so that it is doing this to your pictures? Have you tried DPP to process a RAW file and see if it produces the same dull and noisy results?

My only concern is that you would go to the process of changing the camera just to find out the problem was elsewhere... I'm not trying to be annoying or 'find the fifth leg to the cat' as we say in spanish.

Rafa.

For the last 40 or so pictures I've ignored Photoshop altogether and simply viewed everything in DPP, sadly it makes no difference.

I know you're not trying to be annoying, just trying to exhaust every avenue and I appreciate that.

Like the cat expression by the way.

So Inch, are you taking it back soon?

I want to see you post nice pictures instead of grainy/oof/blurry ones

Rivest wrote in post #11314390
So Inch, are you taking it back soon?

I want to see you post nice pictures instead of grainy/oof/blurry ones

I'm taking it back tomorrow afternoon - and so do I man so do I!!

This whole experience has been really frustrating!!

You will only appreciate it more after you get a correctly working one.

Waiting on a nice picture from a new T2i tomorrow Inch!