doubts on photo taking using 500D, 18-200mm lense

[ehotzc]

Dear all,
I am a newbie on DSLR... Played with my 500D for more than half a year already..

However, i always find that there are two problems with the picture i took.

1. During my outdoor shooting (under hot sun), I tried to set the exposure to center (0), however, i always get photo which looks whitise, and i need to use photoshop to darken the color of the photo so that it looks more natural. Is it i shouldn't set the exposure to center if i am shooting under hot sun? How should i improve this?

2. I am using 18-200mm lense. I always find that the photo i take is not sharp enough. Is it my skill problem, or the lense problem, or the camera problem, or setting problem? How should i improve it?

Please help.. .Thanks.

regards,
Tee

 

[yc2005]

1. During my outdoor shooting (under hot sun), I tried to set the exposure to center (0), however, i always get photo which looks whitise, and i need to use photoshop to darken the color of the photo so that it looks more natural. Is it i shouldn't set the exposure to center if i am shooting under hot sun? How should i improve this?

2. I am using 18-200mm lense. I always find that the photo i take is not sharp enough. Is it my skill problem, or the lense problem, or the camera problem, or setting problem? How should i improve it?

Firstly, its lens (singular) and lenses (plural). Next, to your qn...

1) I am using a 500D as well. Mine tends to over expose pictures by 1/3 - 2/3 EV, especially when under bright lights/midday sun or tricky lighting. I think it is a inherent metering problem with this model. When this happens I will just underexpose by 1/3-2/3 EV depending. There's nth to worry about.

2) Photos being not sharp can be due to many problems. Better for you to post a picture here with EXIF so we can help analyse. Try shooting at F9, ISO 100 with tripod, IS turned off, mirror lock up and remote. I'm sure it will be very sharp.

 

[icelava]

i have a 450D with a tendency to over-expose. It is usually configured at -2/3 EV which appears to have better consistent highlight results. Play with the EV adjustment of your camera to determine what is a good average value for various phototaking conditions.

 

[mimik07]

Firstly, its lens (singular) and lenses (plural). Next, to your qn...

2) Photos being not sharp can be due to many problems. Better for you to post a picture here with EXIF so we can help analyse. Try shooting at F9, ISO 100 with tripod, IS turned off, mirror lock up and remote. I'm sure it will be very sharp.

Pardon me, but why is there a need to turn IS off? :think:

 

[catchlights]

Dear all,
I am a newbie on DSLR... Played with my 500D for more than half a year already..

However, i always find that there are two problems with the picture i took.

1. During my outdoor shooting (under hot sun), I tried to set the exposure to center (0), however, i always get photo which looks whitise, and i need to use photoshop to darken the color of the photo so that it looks more natural. Is it i shouldn't set the exposure to center if i am shooting under hot sun? How should i improve this?

2. I am using 18-200mm lense. I always find that the photo i take is not sharp enough. Is it my skill problem, or the lense problem, or the camera problem, or setting problem? How should i improve it?

Please help.. .Thanks.

regards,
Tee

there is not much information provided, you can help us by posting some sample photos with exif intact, so people can understand better and give you the answers.

 

[catchlights]

Pardon me, but why is there a need to turn IS off? :think:

you don't need IS or VR on when camera is mounted on tripod.

Firstly, its lens (singular) and lenses (plural). Next, to your qn...

1) I am using a 500D as well. Mine tends to over expose pictures by 1/3 - 2/3 EV, especially when under bright lights/midday sun or tricky lighting. I think it is a inherent metering problem with this model. When this happens I will just underexpose by 1/3-2/3 EV depending. There's nth to worry about.

2) Photos being not sharp can be due to many problems. Better for you to post a picture here with EXIF so we can help analyse. Try shooting at F9, ISO 100 with tripod, IS turned off, mirror lock up and remote. I'm sure it will be very sharp.

 

[takengo2003]

yc2005,

i know when mount on tripod no need IS, but any disadavantage if leave it on?

secondly, how to do a mirror lock up and for what purposes?

 

[egnaro]

Ask ourself a simple question.

Why need tripod?
becuz we want stability

Why have IS in the lens or body?
to provide more stable shots

when use tripod + IS = shaky
reason = IS in the lens or body tend to move to stable the shot but however, it on tripod which is very stable, the moving part of IS will cost shaky pic.

however, IS usually only kick in if shutter is too slow, like 1/2(something like that)... If shutter is at 1/250, usually IS doesnt kick in or does not affect the pic image much.

 

[egnaro]

yc2005,

i know when mount on tripod no need IS, but any disadavantage if leave it on?

secondly, how to do a mirror lock up and for what purposes?

Mirror lock up can minimise the movement of the shutter window. Becuz shutter window will also cost some vibration.

 

[qwerty628]

yc2005,

i know when mount on tripod no need IS, but any disadavantage if leave it on?

secondly, how to do a mirror lock up and for what purposes?

Go to your main menu, then look for custom functions(second from right i think, might be different). Go to custom functions and browse through. Its inside somewhere. Once you find 'mirror lock up', change to on then after that press shutter to instantly jump bak to shooting mode

 

[dingaroo]

Pardon me, but why is there a need to turn IS off? :think:

Many people who attended my landscape outings always turned to look at me with a puzzle look ... but why IS/VR turn off?

First and foremost, I would always say, my sifu Kit told me this many many years ago (hehehehe) to turn it off.

Since you are already on a stable platform (hopefully you tripod is a stable one, not a wobbly one), with IS turned on may sometimes result on the lens hunting for a focal point. I also like to use Manual Focus and use the LCD view and zoom in on a certain area to make sure I get a sharp image. This way, I know I have ensured to remove most factors to cause blurring in my images. Also, I would stop down my aperture to F8 to F13.

In the case of your images not being sharp, MAYBE (without a picture to help) you have not chosen the appropriate focus point. This is only true if you are not in Auto mode, but Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Speed Priority or Manual modes.

DO post a picture so we can help troubleshoot.

Also, I always tend to set my EV to -1/3 to -1 depending on the situation, but most of the time, I just leave it at -1/3. That way, I can always use PP to increase the brightness. Maybe it could be a sensor algorithm issue?

There have been examples in Clubsnap of someone showing off the sharpness of 18-200 lens.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Jonathan Ang]

Dear all,
I am a newbie on DSLR... Played with my 500D for more than half a year already..

However, i always find that there are two problems with the picture i took.

1. During my outdoor shooting (under hot sun), I tried to set the exposure to center (0), however, i always get photo which looks whitise, and i need to use photoshop to darken the color of the photo so that it looks more natural. Is it i shouldn't set the exposure to center if i am shooting under hot sun? How should i improve this?

2. I am using 18-200mm lense. I always find that the photo i take is not sharp enough. Is it my skill problem, or the lense problem, or the camera problem, or setting problem? How should i improve it?

Please help.. .Thanks.

regards,
Tee

First point: You must understand what kind of metering mode you are using and the conditions you are in. Evaluative, Partial, Center-weighted Avg or Spot. Because the camera will always try to find the average grey, or exposure, if u will, what appears in your frame and what your metering mode is will affect what is 0 EV to the cam.

That said, the evaluative mode IMO can suffice for a number of scenarios because it's designed to be as such...and...ever improving of course. So if you find your cam overexposing...why not try using exposure compensation to anything about 1-stop less like the others said? (assuming you are not using M mode). Else just manually set it.

Second point: 18-200mm is not the sharpest lens around if you've been lurking in the forums and drooling at pictures...like me. That's 1.
Secondly...sharpness is subjective. Are you pixel peeping, or looking at a normal sized picture like those posted on the web?
Thirdly, are you shooting in raw? Raw needs to have some sharpening PP done...otherwise it is softer than jpg straight out-of-cam.
Fourthly...I would do sharpening on jpeg even...most digital images benefit...but don't over do it until halos appear.
Fifth...

sell your 500D, buy a 5DMKII !!! HAHA!

 

[qwerty628]

Eh lens will affect metering not? Cos i find metering wif 18-55 tend to overexpose while with 15-85 more accurate but edge towards under exposure at times. Like 1/3 stop. Or is it just me?

 

[Jonathan Ang]

Eh lens will affect metering not? Cos i find metering wif 18-55 tend to overexpose while with 15-85 more accurate but edge towards under exposure at times. Like 1/3 stop. Or is it just me?

It shouldn't..but..well. ..
Honestly, I don't know. It could be due to lens construction. Possible. But nay, can't give a definitive answer. You could search around but I doubt it's serious with 1/3 stop. And just at times. Anyhow 1/3stop is rather subjective i think.



http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=380434&page=2

 

[qwerty628]

It shouldn't..but..well. ..
Honestly, I don't know. It could be due to lens construction. Possible. But nay, can't give a definitive answer. You could search around but I doubt it's serious with 1/3 stop. And just at times. Anyhow 1/3stop is rather subjective i think.

Sometimes more than that...like one entire stop like that... As in got quite big diff at times...

 

[Anson]

sell your 500D, buy a 5DMKII !!! HAHA!

I have a 5DMII, but I am still keeping a crop for the Canon 18-200IS lens... http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=481860

 

[Soundaholic]

your IS in the lens will cause vibration instead of reduce when you put your lens on a stable platform (ironic, I know), so it should be turned off. That's why higher-end lenses have IS with tripod-sensing function. But still, IS consumes power, so you're saving energy by turning it off when you don't need it.

haha I thought I was the only one having my exposure bias constantly at -1/3EV haha. It seems this model has a tendency to overexpose a little. But then unless you're blowing out the highlight, it's better to shoot to the right of the histogram curve (nevermind if you dont' understand this). As long as you're using spot metering and meter for your subject, exposure bias should solve the problem. If that fails, then you can still fix it in pp

if you find your images not sharp enough, it's probably because you're shooting at wide open aperture all the time. Lenses get sharper when they are stopped down (until around f8 or f9, depending.), and most cheaper zoom lenses are not very sharp at wide open aperture. I always stop down at least one stop, unless my lighting condition doesn't allow me or when a want a thin DoF.

 

[gymak90]

Eh lens will affect metering not? Cos i find metering wif 18-55 tend to overexpose while with 15-85 more accurate but edge towards under exposure at times. Like 1/3 stop. Or is it just me?

No, the lens should not affect your metering. Unless your lens is dirty, faulty etc..

18-200 is not the sharpest lens around, but it is sharp for everyday normal use. TS, you can post a photo for us to analyse and so can help you more.

 

[qwerty628]

No, the lens should not affect your metering. Unless your lens is dirty, faulty etc..

18-200 is not the sharpest lens around, but it is sharp for everyday normal use. TS, you can post a photo for us to analyse and so can help you more.

Should be my 18-55. My 15-85 gives better results

 

[Sivakis]

Not sure if the 18-200 is at risk, but I read there were some lenses that could get damaged due to having IS on while on a tripod. Any truth to that? Well, put it this way:

1. Do you want to risk damaging your lens due to that?
2. On a tripod, the IS is redundant anyway.

Higher-end and newer lenses appear to have something like a "tripod sending IS" feature which negates the need to turn IS off, but still, you do save a small amount of battery life by turning it off when its not required.

Good habit to cultivate.