Need ADVICE on FOCUS

[919956g]

Regarading My PORTRAIT SHOOT

I find that the pix I took are 30% off focus......Dispite putting much patience doing
composition and holding it very still while shooting, I still find quite a number of the shoot is blur.

Its not result of shakes..... cos I found that its always focused somewhere +/- 2~3 cm from my subject .


QUESTION1: Any Idea? or it is just poor eyesight or estimation. It happens mostly at dim lights where the Auto focus cant seem to focus properly and I end up using Manual FOCUS

Question2:Any Software can do gentle Sharpening of Photos??

 

[dreamtheatre]

if you have confirmed all other factors on yourself, then it is likely to be your camera and/or lens. Does it happens on only one of your lens or all? Have you tried other's lenses on your body? How's the result?

If all the lenses gives you OOF intermittently, it could be that your AF sensor could be faulty.

You could try to re-confirm AF serveral times before shooting. If your lens keeps adjusting focus, then I think your body could be the cause. A good unit should stop AF adjustment on the first AF ...at most twice. This is provided you AF in bright condition.

Sometimes , I have this problem ( Sigma 24-70 with EOS 30 ). but after trying the multiple AF confirmation 'technique' (if you can call it that al all ) , I have 100% hit rate in terms of focus.


Hope it helps

DT

 

[waileong]

The key word is the "dim lights"... If it happens only when it's dim, it's likely that your camera's AF is not tok kong enough...

What to do?

a. Get a better camera (pro SLR's can focus down to EV -1?) or one with more focusing points, make sure you point the AF correctly.

b. Use the focus light on your camera, if you have it. Some cameras (like the EOS 30) don't have a light, but they can make use of such lights on a compatible flash-- so get a flash unit that provides a confirmation light.

c. Light up the subject when focusing (eg. get a friend to shine a torch). It's cheap.

d. Use a manual focus screen-- there's an MO for focusing screens for Canon DSLRs going out right now. A real manual focusing screen has grids and aids to show you what's really in focus. Focusing manually through an AF system is not good enough, esp. when your lens is not very bright (eg F4 lens) to begin with.

e. Get the focus right, then set the distance manually and stick with it. This prevents the AF hunting for the wrong subject, and also increase shooting speed and battery life. Eg. if the right distance is 2 metres, then set the lens to 2 metres and leave it there. At f4 and above, DOF might help to cover up your errors.

If all else fails, get your camera/lens checked-- but I think that unless you have dropped your equipment before, that's not necessary.

Last, Photoshop is wonderful, but it cannot make a blur picture sharp.


Wai Leong
===

Regarading My PORTRAIT SHOOT

I find that the pix I took are 30% off focus......Dispite putting much patience doing
composition and holding it very still while shooting, I still find quite a number of the shoot is blur.

Its not result of shakes..... cos I found that its always focused somewhere +/- 2~3 cm from my subject .


QUESTION1: Any Idea? or it is just poor eyesight or estimation. It happens mostly at dim lights where the Auto focus cant seem to focus properly and I end up using Manual FOCUS

Question2:Any Software can do gentle Sharpening of Photos??

 

[sammy888]

Regarading My PORTRAIT SHOOT

I find that the pix I took are 30% off focus......Dispite putting much patience doing
composition and holding it very still while shooting, I still find quite a number of the shoot is blur.

Its not result of shakes..... cos I found that its always focused somewhere +/- 2~3 cm from my subject .


QUESTION1: Any Idea? or it is just poor eyesight or estimation. It happens mostly at dim lights where the Auto focus cant seem to focus properly and I end up using Manual FOCUS

Question2:Any Software can do gentle Sharpening of Photos??

What lens? What apeture setting? What speed? How dim?

 

[919956g]

The key word is the "dim lights"... If it happens only when it's dim, it's likely that your camera's AF is not tok kong enough...

What to do?

a. Get a better camera (pro SLR's can focus down to EV -1?) or one with more focusing points, make sure you point the AF correctly.

b. Use the focus light on your camera, if you have it. Some cameras (like the EOS 30) don't have a light, but they can make use of such lights on a compatible flash-- so get a flash unit that provides a confirmation light.

c. Light up the subject when focusing (eg. get a friend to shine a torch). It's cheap.

d. Use a manual focus screen-- there's an MO for focusing screens for Canon DSLRs going out right now. A real manual focusing screen has grids and aids to show you what's really in focus. Focusing manually through an AF system is not good enough, esp. when your lens is not very bright (eg F4 lens) to begin with.

e. Get the focus right, then set the distance manually and stick with it. This prevents the AF hunting for the wrong subject, and also increase shooting speed and battery life. Eg. if the right distance is 2 metres, then set the lens to 2 metres and leave it there. At f4 and above, DOF might help to cover up your errors.

If all else fails, get your camera/lens checked-- but I think that unless you have dropped your equipment before, that's not necessary.

Last, Photoshop is wonderful, but it cannot make a blur picture sharp.


Wai Leong
===

YES!! the key word is DIM...it happens under dim lights when even using MANUAL focus wont help, cos its dim to he level that i can only do AGARATION....
I prefer lighting up the subject to get my focus......but i need to do it fast....
regarding the focus ..does EOS300D has it??


currently, i have to pop up my flash using it to lit up the subject so that i can get the focus

 

[sweat100]

What focusing point do you set to? Usually set it to the middle one as it is a cross type sensor which can detect both vertical and horizontal contrast. Also try to find focus on hight contrast subject then recompose and shoot. It works for me. From my experience in wedding, if i focus on the white gown or black suit in low light, the camera hunts alot and cant focus. So usually i focus on the face and lock the focus before i shoot. Or use a EX-flash as they have LED that aids focusing in low light.

 

[maritimus831]

how to know if your camera has front-focusing?

 

[user111]

check the dioptre setting..this part usually easy to mislook

 

[user111]

or get the STE2 infrared transmitter to help AF so that no need to use flash

 

[Leumas]

Perhaps the focus point u set is wrong.
If you,ve set it wrongly, of course the camera doesnot
focus where you tot it should be.

Canon300D is not bad a camera, should not be so LAU Ya LA.

u SEE THE RED DOTS SHINNING WHEN U SHOOT? IS IT LANDING WHERE
U INTEND TO POINT N focus, if ur answer is no .....then set it preferebly to the centre.

keep shootin.