Pls help on f1.4 50mm lens. photo quality not good as seen.

[dteoyk]

Hi,

recently, i bought a canon F1.4 50mm. Me using canon 600D

I have issued on the sharpness.

Same object flower. Distance 1 aprox. 1 meter away. AV mode . ISO 100

My photos are in SkyDrive

First photo
I tried on F1.4. Speed 1/1000. Unfortuately not sharp

Second photo
I tired F2 . Speed 1/500 . still not sharp

Third photo
F2.8 . Speed 1 / 250 . Finally sharp.

My question is , is there a problem with me / my camera 600D not compact with F1.4 lens / or the lens has problem.
Thanks.

Pls advise

 

[dteoyk]

sorry. this is the link

https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=a7a5...00E5D482A9!795&sff=1&authkey=!AOoijVvblEXx02A

 

[Rashkae]

Are you sure it was 1m away? Looks to have been closer. Remember, the 50mm f/1.4 has a minimum focusing distance of 45cm.

For your shots though, it looks like you would benefit from using an actual macro lens. Do you have any filters, etc on the lens?

 

[catchlights]

did you shoot with a tripod,
and did you ensure there is no wind causing the flowers moving in and out of focusing?

 

[dteoyk]

hi, thanks for the reply. back from dinner. yes. indeed about 1 meter or more. i m sure. i even try taking signboard with wording. i compared and found the sharpness sucks. yes, got a regular uv lens.

 

[dteoyk]

not, hand held. just took this late afternoon. as u can see the timing on the properties. occassinally there is a breeze. however, the time i took, no wind. thks.

 

[dteoyk]

the box said: ultrasonic EF 50mm f/1.4 USM

 

[Rashkae]

Those flowers are pretty small. Looks a lot closer than 1m. Also, try without the filter.

 

[dteoyk]

ok, will try that. thks. btw, i just uploaded 3 more photos. i took a signboard. using f/1.4, f/2, f/2.8. i found that large wording is sharper on 2.8. distance is about 2m away. pls advise.

 

[dteoyk]

same link to the skydrive. thks

 

[Rashkae]

While the Canon 50mm is not exactly the sharpest lens out there, your sample seems unusually soft. Though yes, this lens is only really sharp from f/2.8 onwards.

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM - Review / Test Report - Analysis

 

[dteoyk]

Er.. the photos indeed looks like closer to 1m is becos i crops the picture. sorry for the misconception i just upload the original size.

 

[Rashkae]

Er.. the photos indeed looks like closer to 1m is becos i crops the picture. sorry for the misconception i just upload the original size.

Ah. Then it looks about right. You have a very narrow DOF on a lens that only really gets sharp from f/2.8 onwards.

 

[dteoyk]

thats suck indeed. spending $$ buying a f/1.4 and could only use 2.8.. .anyway, i will try to take some shots w/o the filter. or is it becos of my camera not compactable to the lens ? i saw ppl uisng semi pro 60D. looks good on them. thank you

 

[Rashkae]

thats suck indeed. spending $$ buying a f/1.4 and could only use 2.8.. .anyway, i will try to take some shots w/o the filter. or is it becos of my camera not compactable to the lens ? i saw ppl uisng semi pro 60D. looks good on them. thank you

No, it is not your camera. It's an old lens. Plus, the people using it on other cameras don't just shoot tiny flowers, and then they also apply post processing like sharpening, etc. If you "saw people" using it on a 60D and you think you have an issue with your camera, you need to test it *properly*. Use a tripod, tame target, etc. If necessary just rent a 60D and another 50mm f/1.4 then you can compare and contrast.

 

[dteoyk]

thanks. yes, i dont usually shoot on tiny flower or i dun really do it. i was testing out the effect. i bought the lens two wks ago at funan it mall. brand new. i did my first try one on some outing shoots with people. dim corridor and outdoor shots. that's when i discovered having problem with sharpness. just yesterday, did another outing shoot with ppl at Chinese Garden. distance was like 2,3, 4 meter away, the facial was not sharp. i gave up and chg to regular 18-55mm. it turn out that the photos are sharper ! that's the reason why i went out today to a nearby little garden to try out again. to make sure it is not my mishandling that the pic is not sharp. and yes, i will heed your advise.

 

[Hinata76]

think i saw ur group too...heh..i was there...im one guy wearing berms and short sleeve shirt..lone ranger here ..

 

[Rashkae]

thanks. yes, i dont usually shoot on tiny flower or i dun really do it. i was testing out the effect. i bought the lens two wks ago at funan it mall. brand new. i did my first try one on some outing shoots with people. dim corridor and outdoor shots. that's when i discovered having problem with sharpness. just yesterday, did another outing shoot with ppl at Chinese Garden. distance was like 2,3, 4 meter away, the facial was not sharp. i gave up and chg to regular 18-55mm. it turn out that the photos are sharper ! that's the reason why i went out today to a nearby little garden to try out again. to make sure it is not my mishandling that the pic is not sharp. and yes, i will heed your advise.

The 18-55 has a much smaller aperture, thus much deeper depth of field, making things look "sharper". As for your "outing shoots", do consider that the slightest shift in distance after the lens has focused can bring your target out of focus when shooting at large apertures.

Oh, and by "old lens" I mean it's an old design. A lot of the older Canon lenses (like even the 24-70 L) are actually quite soft wide open. That's why many people like using the sigma 50mm as well.

 

[Shizuma]

want to swap for a sharp 50 mm of mine ?

hee. 50mm 1.8 is best bang for buck.

if you really want a sharp image for prime - stop down to sweet spot. you may seriously wish to consider acquiring one 50mm f1.8, too (although i am half serious about swapping, too)

 

[ricohflex]

Focus the wrong place and then blame the lens. When stopped down the increased depth of field covered the focusing error.