40D soft on people sharp on objects

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Archive 2008 · 40D soft on people sharp on objects

AGeoJO
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p.2 #1 · 40D soft on people sharp on objects

MC Mullins wrote:
I really don't think I was shaking that bad................

Mary C

Mary,
I am not saying that you were shaking, let alone shaking terribly. It seems my remarks were taken out of context

. A barely perceptible and ever so slight movement could be enough to cause that. I couldn't help it but I believe that had you used a tripod the image would have benefitted from that, well, the insufficient DOF will remain, of course. Again, people use tripod, sometimes combined with the mirror lockup feature, and a remote shutter release for critical shots to prevent exactly that regardless of the shutter speed. If you want to get the most out of your system...., well, you get my drift.

Joshua

Dec 18, 2008 at 05:02 PM

MC Mullins
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p.2 #2 · 40D soft on people sharp on objects

Thanks Joshua, I get it

Mary C

Dec 18, 2008 at 05:19 PM

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p.2 #3 · 40D soft on people sharp on objects

Yes, I think it's true that the DOF beyond the subject is always greater than the DOF in front of the subject. Some people say that 1/3 of the DOF is in front and 2/3 behind but I think that's only true generally and not as a set rule. I'm sure it depends on subject distance and the hyperfocal distance.

Is this an issue with all people shots? It seems very strange to even consider that AF could treat inanimate objects differently than human faces. All other things considered I can't think of any reason all people shots would be soft.....

Dec 18, 2008 at 05:44 PM

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p.2 #4 · 40D soft on people sharp on objects

Yakim Peled wrote:
EltonTeng wrote:
Yakim

I think you have a black splotch problem in the BG. Your highlights are also blowing out badly.

1. It was meant to be a joke.
2. What exactly is a splotch? A blend of spot and blotch?
3. Where do you see the problem?
4. I know the highlights are blown but considering all aspects of the frame, I think it is exposed well.

Happy shooting,
Yakim.

Yes, it was a joke. I forgot the smileys. The black splotch (instead of the spots) and the blown highlights (instead of white spots) have been a running joke in other threads. There is also another member of the board who questions "samples" as "bad images".

My bad.

Dec 18, 2008 at 06:19 PM

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p.2 #5 · 40D soft on people sharp on objects

Got it. I wasn't aware of that.

Happy shooting,
Yakim.

Dec 18, 2008 at 08:14 PM

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p.2 #6 · 40D soft on people sharp on objects

Mary, it just occurred to me. Apart from the DoF issue, which lens did you use? Could it be the kit lens? If so, stopping it to f/8 or f/11 may improve sharpness. Generally speaking, when you suspect a problem exists, you need to do controlled tests in order to isolate the cause.

Happy shooting,
Yakim.

Dec 18, 2008 at 08:21 PM

Ernie Aubert
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p.2 #7 · 40D soft on people sharp on objects

I also wonder what lens you used...

Dec 19, 2008 at 12:38 AM

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p.2 #8 · 40D soft on people sharp on objects

EltonTeng wrote:
Yes, it was a joke. I forgot the smileys. The black splotch (instead of the spots) and the blown highlights (instead of white spots) have been a running joke in other threads. There is also another member of the board who questions "samples" as "bad images".

My bad.

OTOH, maybe the problem is that this was not shot with a 1 series, eh? Only such a camera is appropriate for shooting children.

Dec 19, 2008 at 06:48 PM

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p.2 #9 · 40D soft on people sharp on objects

Mary, you may also benefit by manually picking your focus point ( I use center point vast majority of time).
Focus on the eye of your subject, keep holding shutter 'half-way', recompose, and snap.
Disclaimer: There are times this can lead to trouble.
1. Do not dramatically recompose as your exposure locks at the same time.
2. Does not help with multiple subjects. In the case of your pic, I would of used f8, focus on the girl's eye. Babies are so smooth, a little bit of OOF wouldn't hurt, but you want to get the girl nice and sharp.

Dec 20, 2008 at 02:24 AM

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p.2 #10 · 40D soft on people sharp on objects

jvarszegi wrote:
EltonTeng wrote:
Yes, it was a joke. I forgot the smileys. The black splotch (instead of the spots) and the blown highlights (instead of white spots) have been a running joke in other threads. There is also another member of the board who questions "samples" as "bad images".

My bad.

OTOH, maybe the problem is that this was not shot with a 1 series, eh? Only such a camera is appropriate for shooting children.

1-series do have the best AF, Jeff. Then again, you wouldn't know.

Dec 20, 2008 at 03:27 AM

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p.2 #11 · 40D soft on people sharp on objects

MC Mullins wrote:
Here I go again!!!! I sent my camera back to Canon a few months back for this issue, but they sent it back in the same condition. I don't think they understood what the problem was, so I am sending it back.

The issue is that the images are nice and sharp if I am shooting non-moving objects. When I shoot people, they are mostly soft and need lots of PS processing.

If you own a 40D and do not have this problem, could you please post a photo prior to any editing? I would like to compare.

Thanks,

Mary

well it might be motion blur quite likely then but if not:

otherwise i have noticed that with the in cam jpgs, starting with the 40D series, canon seemed to tend to do a little NR on certain types of surfaces and often this hits faces, especially if they are not directly lit by sun or slightly darker than some other major portions of the scene and they can look a touch soft compared to other objects at times, doesn't happen if you do raw and process yourself.

edit: seeing the photos now it could also be DOF issues in many cases

Edited on Dec 23, 2008 at 08:32 PM · View previous versions

Dec 20, 2008 at 03:34 AM

keithreeder
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p.2 #12 · 40D soft on people sharp on objects

Mary,

the Exif says you were using "multi point AF" - if so, it's likely that an AF point is locking onto something outside of your intended plane of focus.

As others suggest, manually pick an AF point, close the aperture to increase DOF, and raise the ISO as necessary to maintain a decent shutter speed.

Dec 20, 2008 at 12:29 PM

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p.2 #13 · 40D soft on people sharp on objects

What AF mode are you in? You should be on "One Shot." If it is on either of the AI focus modes, the camera will re-focus as you move the lens.

While AF should work and work well, its behavior on different lenses, particularly those with worse than f/2.8 max aperture, is not always perfect. If your lens has a full time manual focus option, make sure that your viewfinder diopter is properly calibrated to your vision, and then double check the AF "suggestion" in the viewfinder before fully depressing the shutter button.

Cheers,
Jim

Dec 20, 2008 at 03:05 PM

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p.2 #14 · 40D soft on people sharp on objects

Grenache wrote:
What AF mode are you in? You should be on "One Shot."
Not really...

I use AF Focus only, ever, and have no problem whatsoever getting plenty-sharp, in focus images from stationary - or moving - subjects with my 40D...

This image is copyrighted by the owner

(This is with the 100-400 handheld at 310mm).

Edited on Dec 20, 2008 at 03:16 PM · View previous versions

Dec 20, 2008 at 03:15 PM

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p.2 #15 · 40D soft on people sharp on objects

Also be wary of looking at heavy crops like that to get an ideal of sharpness. In a real print with heads that size I'd guess you'd printing around 30" wide... which is pretty big... and fairly demanding on technique.

Dec 20, 2008 at 03:15 PM

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p.2 #16 · 40D soft on people sharp on objects

Agree that the OP should use single point AF and one-shot mode for best results for this type of shooting.

Dec 20, 2008 at 04:02 PM

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p.2 #17 · 40D soft on people sharp on objects

keithreeder wrote:
Grenache wrote:
What AF mode are you in? You should be on "One Shot."
Not really...

I use AF Focus only, ever, and have no problem whatsoever getting plenty-sharp, in focus images from stationary - or moving - subjects with my 40D...

(This is with the 100-400 handheld at 310mm).

When a person is having what appear to be user issues, it is always good to return to basics. "First learn stand...then learn fly." As long as one is aware of what the camera is or is not doing, then any focus mode can work. I mostly manually focus...only one thing to blame when that fails...

Jim

Dec 20, 2008 at 04:39 PM

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p.2 #18 · 40D soft on people sharp on objects

EltonTeng wrote:
1-series do have the best AF, Jeff. Then again, you wouldn't know.

Yes... in fact, someone on this board claims that one cannot shoot decent pictures of children without one.

Dec 20, 2008 at 04:48 PM

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p.2 #19 · 40D soft on people sharp on objects

I understand your point Jim, but by any definition, older babies and toddlers are not static objects, and One Shot is simply not likely to be an appropriate AF choice for such subjects.

To follow your own logic, and trying to eliminate potential problems, suggesting an AF mode specifically not intended for moving (twitching, fidgeting, wriggling, squirming) obects instead of recommending a mode that is, strikes me as being a backward step.

Manually selected single Point AF and AI Servo is the way to go here.

Dec 20, 2008 at 11:33 PM

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p.2 #20 · 40D soft on people sharp on objects

keithreeder wrote:
I understand your point Jim, but by any definition, older babies and toddlers are not static objects, and One Shot is simply not likely to be an appropriate AF choice for such subjects.

To follow your own logic, and trying to eliminate potential problems, suggesting an AF mode specifically not intended for moving (twitching, fidgeting, wriggling, squirming) obects instead of recommending a mode that is, strikes me as being a backward step.

Manually selected single Point AF and AI Servo is the way to go here.

I disagree strongly. You cannot use focus-and-recompose with AI Servo, unless you disengage the tracking-- and if you do that, you might as well use one-shot. I believe the OP will get more accurate focus using one-shot in this sort of setting. Otherwise, she will be at the mercy of every single twitch of one of the two subjects here, possibly at the detriment of the DOF she's carefully chosen. I have shot a great deal of toddler shots now successfully without AI Servo.

I really think most people would use one-shot here, and do so successfully, and this is in agreement with the 40D manual, which states that one-shot is optimal for portraits... although I know at least one person that would agree with you, and would say only 1-series AI Servo will do the trick.

Dec 21, 2008 at 01:18 AM

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