What am I doing wrong?

[vettechick99]

That could be the title of all the pictures I take.

I have the XT and used the 1.8 50mm lens last night. Based on the other thread I started about my camera re-focusing too often, I changed the settings to One Shot and kept my focus dot still to the middle.

Well I took these two pictures last night. I focused my dot to DD's face and started snapping. In the span of a few milliseconds, it decided to focus on something else. Or so it seems. The first shot looks great, the second shot is out of focus for DMIL and especially DD.

Here is the exif:
Ap-Pri AE
1/160
2.8
ISO 1600

Same exif as above, except:
1/125

Is the problem that it went from 160 to 125? I took some shots that were slower than that and they still came out clear.

But if that's the issue, how do you take pictures on the fly, without taking a light reading and setting it to M? That takes up so much time and I'm likely to miss a good shot that way.

Also, when the light is low and you don't want to use a flash, how can you get sharp pictures when your shutter speed is slow?

And I'm still having trouble with my camera re-focusing. Any more ideas?

Thanks for all your expertise!

 

[seashoreCM]

>>> ... on the fly ...

I think there is no solution. I used to be quite good at twisting the lens of a manual film camera for sunny, cloudy, etc. in advance and then shot away. Automatic cameras were meant to help do this but you have to live with the settings they choose for you.

>>> ... sharp pictures when your shutter is slow ...

Use a tripod or other firm support. No other solution. This is the bane of point and shoots.

>>> ... refocusing

Are you sure that the camera is supposed to focus right on the dot as opposed to averaging an area around the dot? Are you sure you chose spot focusing as opposed to entire scene average focusing? Maybe the camera is defective, focusing on an as of yet secret spot to one side of the dot. If this is the case, taking some test pictures using a series of 8-1/2 x 11 cards with grids on them could help find where the magic spot is.

Disney hints: http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[boBQuincy]

Shifting from 1/160 to 1/125 is normal. the "correct" exposure might have been 1/140 and the camera just went to the next closest available speed. Going to "M" won't give a better exposure.

Getting steady images with a 50 at those speeds should not be a problem if you are fairly steady. My guess is the problem is other than camera shake. The ribbing on DMIL's sleeve is about as sharp in both images, my guess is that the camera decided to focus on the closer part of the scene. The lights on the tree are more blurred in the 2nd image, indicating a closer focus.

Is your camera set for all focus points? This can lead to some strange focus decisions, not always the ones you might want. I like to lock it on the center focus point most of the time.

 

[Lizziejane]

I'm not nearly as knowledgeable as others here, but I'll throw in a possibility...

If you're snapping away quickly, are you sure the lens has had time to finish focusing properly? Do you allow it to "beep" before you finish pressing the shutter button? Are you allowing the camera to move, even if only slightly, during the focusing process?

 

[Anewman]

If the exposure settings(Ie Shutter speed) change from shot to shot, it is because of metering not focus issues. Aiming at the babys face might give you a different setting as when you aim at the blue sweater. Small fluctuation is normal under most metering modes. The solution for too slow a shutter speed would be add more light and/or open up the aperture.

 

[ukcatfan]

Do you have it set to continuous AF mode? That would cause it to constantly adjust the focus based on what it thinks you want.

Kevin

 

[vettechick99]

If you're snapping away quickly, are you sure the lens has had time to finish focusing properly? Do you allow it to "beep" before you finish pressing the shutter button? Are you allowing the camera to move, even if only slightly, during the focusing process?

There should have been enough time - I wasn't in burst mode or anything. And I was just standing as still as I could...well, and you know how that goes.

Is your camera set for all focus points? This can lead to some strange focus decisions, not always the ones you might want. I like to lock it on the center focus point most of the time.

It's set to the center one, which is why I can't understand its decisions. Like this picture. I had it focused on her and even though I kept the button halfway down to lock it, I end up with a more focused picture of the clown. Nice.

Which reminds me of another annoyance. When I focus on an object, it's gonna use that object for a meter reading. But if it's not the right reading, then my picture comes out under/over-exposed. Or if I go find a better reading, I'll lose my focus. What is the solution there?

I am still a newbie even though I've had a SLR since '01. I need to learn more about the focus points (and everything else my camera can do!).

Thanks again!

 

[vettechick99]

The solution for too slow a shutter speed would be add more light and/or open up the aperture.

Well I can't get any wider than 1.8 (my other lens is 3.5) and I don't like the look of artificial light. It makes DD (who I am usually taking pics of) look yellow.

Do you have it set to continuous AF mode? That would cause it to constantly adjust the focus based on what it thinks you want.

I did but I changed it to One Shot based on another thread. I think it solved part of my problem but not all of it.



Thanks again...

 

[jann1033]

i hate my 50 f1.8 as it never focuses on what i think it is focusing on, no matter what dot i have in the viewfinder..i think it might be the nature of some of those lenses...also mine is soft unless it is f 2+ and best around 5-8 ( not a whole lot of help in low light which is what i bought it for..) however since you are having issues with a couple lenses, if you have a dodd/ritz local type camera place, maybe take it in and see what they think? i'd hate to send the body to canon just cause you never know how it will come back. but that way you could have someone see if it appears to be focusing right...since you have been using the camera for a while, i kind of doubt you suddenly forgot how to use it unless you started using settings you haven't used before...but still, that probably wouldn't effect the af.

if you want to use something else for exposure,after you focus on whatever you use, push the exposure lock button ( the little button on the top left back, * ) then you should be able to recompose your photo. you'll see the * in the viewfinder....i think the lock stays on till you change something or take a shot( forget which now) but i know it will stay on if you don't keep depressing the shutter. i also find i need to have my xt one line left of center in the exposure meter in the viewfinder in order to not constantly blow out highlights...not sure if it is just my camera but my other rebel was the same way.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

There should have been enough time - I wasn't in burst mode or anything. And I was just standing as still as I could...well, and you know how that goes.



It's set to the center one, which is why I can't understand its decisions. Like this picture. I had it focused on her and even though I kept the button halfway down to lock it, I end up with a more focused picture of the clown. Nice.

Which reminds me of another annoyance. When I focus on an object, it's gonna use that object for a meter reading. But if it's not the right reading, then my picture comes out under/over-exposed. Or if I go find a better reading, I'll lose my focus. What is the solution there?

I am still a newbie even though I've had a SLR since '01. I need to learn more about the focus points (and everything else my camera can do!).

Thanks again!

Set custom function 4 to 2. That switches auto-focus from the shutter button to * button. Hold down the * button to achieve focus and then release it. Hold down the shutter button half way to set the exposure. Compose your shot and press the shutter the rest of the way.

Alternatively, you could leave custom function 4 on 1 (AF on the shutter button, exposure lock on *). Press the * button to set the exposure. Press the shutter half way to lock the focus. Compose and press the shutter the rest of the way to shoot.

The problem with a wide aperture like f/2.8 (or even more so with f/1.8) is that the depth of field is very shallow. Small errors in focusing become more obvious. Trying the old focus lock and recompose trick often fails because when you shift the camera, the distance to the subject shifts enough to screw up your focus. If you need to shoot really wide, I recommend not moving the camera at all after achieving focus lock. Rather than shift the camera, try shifting your AF point.

 

[MICKEY88]

Well I can't get any wider than 1.8 (my other lens is 3.5) and I don't like the look of artificial light. It makes DD (who I am usually taking pics of) look yellow.







Thanks again...

flash would help with sharpness and eliminating yellow cast

 

[handicap18]

It's set to the center one, which is why I can't understand its decisions. Like this picture. I had it focused on her and even though I kept the button halfway down to lock it, I end up with a more focused picture of the clown. Nice.

Do you have this problem with any of your other lenses? If not then I would think that maybe you think you have it on center focus but its actually not. If you focused on the baby and the clown is what actually came out the subject in focus then the camera is in closest subject focus mode. The clown and the baby's fingers are the closest subjects to you in this photo. Or your not using the center point box (I believe the XT has 7 or 9) maybe you accidently chose one of the other ones. ?? Or maybe there is an issue with the camera body. The body is what tells the lens where to focus. I would double check your menu settings and be sure your adjusting the correct item. I don't have a Canon so I don't know their settings and terms they use. How many boxes are lighting up (I think Canon uses red dots inside the box?) when you get a locked focus? And in which box is the red light that shows focus is ready showing up? Is there more than 1 box being lit up each time? If you've chosen the center box then it should always show up only in the center box.

Just asking questions based on the photo you posted and the info you gave about the photo. If we could see all the EXIF data that might help, but I can't find your account on shutterfly to see the full picture and get the EXIF.

Which reminds me of another annoyance. When I focus on an object, it's gonna use that object for a meter reading. But if it's not the right reading, then my picture comes out under/over-exposed. Or if I go find a better reading, I'll lose my focus. What is the solution there?

I am still a newbie even though I've had a SLR since '01. I need to learn more about the focus points (and everything else my camera can do!).

Thanks again!

The focus subject and meter subject are not necessarily always connected. If your in single area focus mode but are in evaluative meter mode then they are not connected, Also if you are in single focus area mode and use say the far left focus box and you are also in spot metering it may not necessarily line up the metering with the focus point.

Or you could take the meter reading you want, take a mental note of the readings, then switch to manual and put those settings in then take the picture. Or you could use the AE lock button.