Dioptre Correction

xarqi wrote in post #11314502
To those who believe the chief issue here is focusing or AF point selection:
To where was the focus misplaced in either image posted? To the front of the subject? To the rear?
Show me one thing that is sharp. Show me a gradation of sharpness from the actual point at which focus was (wrongly) set.


And consider this:
For the second one, at f/9 and 18 mm, with focus set anywhere from about 2 m out, the DoF will extend to infinity. That is exactly what I see - uniformly poor sharpness irrespective of distance.

I was of the opinion that the main problem was motion blur, but a new thought has occurred to me.
If you are using a filter (as a protection placebo), take it off.

Agree. And even though the low shutter-speed will cause blurring of the subject and a cheap filter will degrade the quality of the image, I think there's a lot of blur from camera shake for the posted images.

I am so confused. Everyone is saying different things lol.

I do have a filter on. But it doesnt affect still photos....so why would it affect motion ones? To be honest, I am not willing to take the UV filter off, because when there is flying dirt and stones....I will not have an unprotected lens.

I am going to try taking some pictures tomorrow using Tv mode. And the sport mode, because a friend of mine had really good luck with sport mode.

ShelleyG wrote in post #11315871
I am so confused. Everyone is saying different things lol.

I do have a filter on. But it doesnt affect still photos....so why would it affect motion ones? To be honest, I am not willing to take the UV filter off, because when there is flying dirt and stones....I will not have an unprotected lens.

I am going to try taking some pictures tomorrow using Tv mode. And the sport mode, because a friend of mine had really good luck with sport mode.

If you shoot the same way you've been doing you'll continue to get the same results.

You are shooting in AI Servo at a slow shutter-speed which is resulting in everything being blurry because of:

1. Subject movement.
2. Camera shake.

If you were really good at panning you could take an image of something speeding in front of you and get a blurred background and sharp subject. It would be pretty hard for you to get a good image by panning for a subject that is both moving vertically and horizontally.

To get a sharp image for these kind of shots you need to:

1. Set your camera to Tv and dial in a shutter-speed of 1/500s or faster
2. Change your ISO to get the aperture you want, realizing that as you increase ISO you'll sacrifice perceived sharpness with added noise. If it's sunny with no clouds I'd use something like 1/640s and ISO 100 which would need f/6.3 to get the correct exposure ... or maybe even 1/1250s, ISO 200 and f/6.3. Your images are 1/200s and 1/320s which is fast enough for a panned shot, but not for a shot where you're tracking with AI Servo and moving the camera both up, down and sideways as you track the rider (especially if you're not expert at panning).

And if you have a cheap "protective" filter on your lens, toss it. If you want to use one make sure it's multi-coated from a trusted manufacturer such as Hoya or B+W ($30 to $40 for your 18-55). Personally the only filter I use is a circular polarizer but I always use a lens hood.

"For the second one, at f/9 and 18 mm, with focus set anywhere from about 2 m out, the DoF will extend to infinity. That is exactly what I see - uniformly poor sharpness irrespective of distance".

Thats the problem right enough. My money is on "camera-user blur", ie, he moved, swayed, shook, or maybe poor camera holding technique.

Bob_A wrote in post #11315995
If you shoot the same way you've been doing you'll continue to get the same results.

You are shooting in AI Servo at a slow shutter-speed which is resulting in everything being blurry because of:

1. Subject movement.
2. Camera shake.

If you were really good at panning you could take an image of something speeding in front of you and get a blurred background and sharp subject. It would be pretty hard for you to get a good image by panning for a subject that is both moving vertically and horizontally.

To get a sharp image for these kind of shots you need to:

1. Set your camera to Tv and dial in a shutter-speed of 1/500s or faster
2. Change your ISO to get the aperture you want, realizing that as you increase ISO you'll sacrifice perceived sharpness with added noise. If it's sunny with no clouds I'd use something like 1/640s and ISO 100 which would need f/6.3 to get the correct exposure ... or maybe even 1/1250s, ISO 200 and f/6.3. Your images are 1/200s and 1/320s which is fast enough for a panned shot, but not for a shot where you're tracking with AI Servo and moving the camera both up, down and sideways as you track the rider (especially if you're not expert at panning).

And if you have a cheap "protective" filter on your lens, toss it. If you want to use one make sure it's multi-coated from a trusted manufacturer such as Hoya or B+W ($30 to $40 for your 18-55). Personally the only filter I use is a circular polarizer but I always use a lens hood.

The guys didnt ride on the track today, but I will try to get pics next time they are out and try what you said here.

And my filter is a Hoya

ShelleyG wrote in post #11318942
And my filter is a Hoya

As long as it's multi-coated you should be ok. While you're learning I'd recommend leaving it off to eliminate it as a source of problems.

Also, if you are shooting outdoors use a lens hood (EW-60C for the 18-55), especially if you have a filter installed.

ShelleyG wrote in post #11313944
I am using servo and I do track the subject.

I will try selecting an AF point.

Don't use AF at all....the distance from you to the jump doesn't change, so shift to MF and pre-focus and then shoot away...

It looks like you have the camera in "One Shot" mode. It needs to be in Ai Servo.

Try these settings:

Manual
ISO 400
Shutter speed - 1/1000th sec.
F/8 (You may need to change this setting one way or the other in order to get proper exposure on your meter - "indicater in the middle").
AI Servo
Center focus point - red square in middle of viewfinder - keep it on the subject constantly!
Auto WB or "Sunny" if its really bright outside

.... if that doesnt help, try AV mode @ f/3.5 - ISO @ 400 - AI servo Mode - center focus point

You need at least 1/800th SS or higher for this kind of shot.
Learn how to read the histogram in the manual.

Use Auto focus. The ramp itself doesnt change distance but your subject does .... the subject NEEDS TO BE FOCUSED!!!!!

Mark II wrote in post #11319273
Try these settings:

Manual
ISO 400
Shutter speed - 1/1000th sec.
F/8 (You may need to change this setting one way or the other in order to get proper exposure on your meter).
AI Servo
Center focus point
Auto WB or "Sunny" if its really bright outside

.... if that doesnt help, try AV mode @ f/3.5 - ISO @ 400 - AI servo Mode - center focus point

You need at least 1/800th SS or higher for this kind of shot.
Learn how to read the histogram in the manual.

In other words, just use Tv mode.

With the DoF provided by something like f/8 and 18 mm, focusing is just about irrelevant unless enormous prints or severe cropping are required.

Seriously, OP - ditch the filter, decide if you want to freeze the motion (Tv - fast shutter) or have an "artistic" blur (Tv - slow shutter), and if the latter, decide which you want blurred, the subject (hold still) or background (pan with the action).

Over-and-out.

xarqi wrote in post #11319378
In other words, just use Tv mode.

With the DoF provided by something like f/8 and 18 mm, focusing is just about irrelevant unless enormous prints or severe cropping are required.

Exactly