I don't know what's going on. When ever I take a family portrait and it's from a distance away, say 50 or more feet, I go to work on them in CS2 and they are totatlly out of focus. I am using a tripod, a light meter, and an ISO of 400. I usually end up shooting at F11 @ 1/250s. Why is this happening then? I'm using the auto focus on my camera, Canon 20D...It's the focus that has only 1 red dot...and when I do it, I focus on someones nose, so these should be sharp. Anyother time I shoot, like a senior for example, things usually come out sharp. any help would be great

hi larann and welcome to RetouchPRO.

i think we've seen this canon 20d problem before with autofocus turned on. your settings seem ok and the only thing i can think of would be the distance you're taking the shot at and autofocus. have you tried turning it off in situations like this?

also, if you're shooting outdoors (yeah, i know, 50 foot...of course i'm taking it outdoors, but there are gymnasiums, so i have toask), even when using a tripod you can get an unsteady shot. are you using an extension switch to click the shutter with or doing it by hand? i've even seen windy days mess with a tripod on rare occaisions.

and what is the lens type being used with this camera?

also, have you tried posting this on the canon forums?

oh, and one last question, does this normally happen only on very bright days?

craig

I am using a Canon 28-135 lens is/usm
This happens whenever I take an image that isn't a close up. Doesn't matter if it's cloudy or bright or dimly lit...whenever it's from a distance, it look like crap. i would use manual focus, but from that far away, I just don't trust myself. Looks like I shouldn't be trusting my camera either, huh?
I don't have any sort of cable release for my canon yet. This whole thing is making me think about upgrading to a different camera. Any suggestions? I have heard Nikon is great

well, i'll be the first to say, dont go trading your camera based on what little i know of that camera. i'm going only from memory of another post here and have no experience with the camera first hand.

but, a 135mm zoom shld be able to focus at 50 foot. so, i think what i'd do is set up some tests using autofocus on and autofocus off at various distances and with various settings and see what i come up with. if the autofocus is having trouble it will probably be at a certain distance and more. i think i'd then go to the canon site and ask their tech support what's going on. the reason for the tests is so that you can tell them specifically what's going on.

if it's a known problem, they might have a fix for it or they might just ask you to send it in or even just swap yours for another. and if it isnt a problem with the camera then at least you know and can act accordingly.

craig

Larann, I am not too familiar with the Canon 20D but have seen your phenomenon occur under the following situations. Many DSLRs have multipoint targeting systems for the Autofocus. In all of my Nikons, there are actually 5 targeting areas which are selectable via a navigation button on the rear of the camera. This allows the photographer for example to center the camera on a scene however he may want the camera to autofocus at an object in the top left of the screen and does not want to move the camera to focus. Often what happens is people forget to lock the targeting array (or don't have a lock button) so that they think they are focused in the center but the camera AF may be locked an a far distant or up close object.

The other question I would have is: does this bluriness occur when the lense is at wide angle or at 135 or does it matter? I would expect that at 35mm, the depth of field should be infinite at a distance of less than 50 ft where as that should not be the case at 135MM. So the problem should be worse as your focal point increases.

Regards, Murray

Hallo Larann,
when you use tripod and lenses with Image Stabilisator - be sure, that Stabilisator is disabled
if not - it can cause blurs.
and btw - Canon cameras are OK :thumbsup:

Most cameras use contrast as a way to focus. With that distance its probably better to focus on the line between the hair and forehead or something else on the model with a clear contrast.

You say you're using spot on someones nose, but do you move the camera afterwards (e.g. to get everything in the right position).
If so you need to keep the button pressed halfways to keep the focus setting stored.

Also check if you're using AI focus or AI servo. If it's on servo switch to AI focus or it won't work.

Maybe you should also try to turn off spot measuring and check if that works better for that situation.

Hope that helps..

Photoshop. Canon Cams are great, mkay? ;)

Hallo Larann,
when you use tripod and lenses with Image Stabilisator - be sure, that Stabilisator is disabled
if not - it can cause blurs.
and btw - Canon cameras are OK :thumbsup:

This can be an issue. The image stabalizer is for hand holding not tri pod use! But at f 11 250sec 135mm lens you shoulld be able to hand hold and get very sharp images.
I was wondering if you may know if this is camera shake issue or a dialing of focus issue?
Is any thing in your distance images in focus?
Try shooting down a picket fence.

If you don't have the cable remote yet, then use the self timer Instead. You can also use MLU (mirror lock up) and you MUST turn off IS if tripod mounted.

At F11 1/250s, with that lens, at that distance, focus shouldn't be an issue as the DOF (depth of field) is fairly large. Therefore it is more likely to be shooting with image stabilisation on or camera shake caused by poor technique.