Here are a few pics I took today of some random stuff, including my son. Thanks for taking a look and letting me know how I did.
Hey Jeff: I like the composition of them. #1 may have better being less in the center and more to the right, but that's just me. But on #4 - which 300mm zoom to do you have? And how old is it?
When I got the camera it came with a "package" from Best buy. It included both the EFS 18-55mm, as well as the EF 75-300mm 1:4-5.6 III. I had also gotten the UV filter which is on the 18-55mm lens and the circular polarizer which is currently on the 75-300mm lens. I got it in May of this year. Why do you ask?
The shot of the seagull looks OOF to me (out of focus). Without pixel peeping (zooming in to the pixel level of the original file, and then going on dpreview and claiming that the lens is defective, etc.), I can't be sure, but at f/8 and 1/500 sec it doesn't seem like operator error. But at 300mm (480mm equiv. to 35mm), the range of in-focus depth (depth of field) on the image isn't that big to begin with. My 70-200/2.8L IS is one of Canon's premier zooms and it was ALWAYS backfocusing with my 30D. I think it was the lens, not the camera, but I wasn't sure. Since you can't microadjust the focus your self, you can send it to...hey Canon Service New Jersey for calibration to your camera. (example, the bird was let's say 50 feet away, but your camera is focusing on 50.25 feet away would be backfocus). But you would lose your camera and lens for a few days/weeks while they calibrate the both together. This *SHOULD* be covered under Canon's warranty. There is a way you can check this for yourself - Put the camera on a tripod, use Av mode set at 5.6, 300 mm. Find a ruler or yard stick and place it about 5 feet away (as close as you can to the closest focusing distance on the camera) Either move the tripod to a 45 degree angle to the yard stick or vice versa. Make sure that one of the digits on the ruler/yard stick is in the center focusing point. Make sure the camera has autofocus on, lighting is good, and then take a picture. Open the picture up and zoom in to the center area. Now if the lens is perfectly in calibration, (according the the DOFMaster online calculator), every thing 1/100 ft in front of the center and 1/100 ft behind the center should be in focus. (I guess about 1/8 inch). Now if it's out of sync - you will notice that either the digits closer to the camera are in focus, or the digits farther seem to be. That's the quickest way to describe what is out on the 'net for endless debates, discussions, etc.
ok, is it at all possible that I moved slightly when taking that picture? Would this still cause the same problem? What if I had a setting wrong? The picture in the Canon Zoom Browser software says that the settings for that pic were: Code: Shooting Mode Landscape Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/500 Av( Aperture Value ) 8.0 Metering Mode Evaluative Metering Exposure Compensation 0 ISO Speed 100 Lens 75.0 - 300.0 mm Focal Length 300.0 mm Image Size 3456x2304 Image Quality Fine Flash Off White Balance Mode Auto AF Mode One-Shot AF Parameters Settings Contrast Mid. High Sharpness Mid. High Color saturation Mid. High Color tone 0 Color Space sRGB Noise Reduction Off Are these settings ok? I think that I was using the "simple" side of the dial when I took this.
Settings were fine, and at 1/500 second, movement shouldn't have been a factor, since the general rule of thumb is 1/(lens focal length), which would have been 1/480, and 1/500 is faster. Granted it could be, so that's why I suggest testing it with a tripod. Oh and use a 10 sec timer if you can. 2 seconds still has movement, and it is VERY noticeable with live view - and I never thought of the amount of vibration a mirror slap can cause until I saw it with my own eyes....
i don't think the seagull is out of focus. i have used that same lens before and it just simply isn't as sharp as L glass at 300mm, but it costs oodles less as well. in my opinion, i don't think you have anything to worry about, mechanically.
Thanks Tim. I want to get the image stabilizing lenses that canon makes for the camera but the big thing holding me back at this point is of course the financial end of that.
i don't think the stabilization would help with the seagull pic because it seems the lack of sharpness is due to the glass itself and not camera shake. perhaps using a bit of sharpening in photoshop or similar program would help. stabilization helps you to get sharper pics and slower shutter speed. 1/500 is plenty fast enough to make stabilization a moot point. if your shutter had been down around 1/100 or so it would certainly have helped.
I still think that he should double check the focusing though; I mean - f/8, center part of the glass (1.6 sensor)...it shouldn't be that bad.
