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For Canon Folks


MikeMc

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A buddy has a Canon 400D standard kit short zoom. He wanted to get a new lens that would take sharp pictures....Long story results...

Shoots in RAW, largest file size, sent me the picture and I will be darned I can't find much sharp either. I read online that this camera does have a sharpen function built in.

All the pictures I have seen share very long exposures, ISO 100 , lens stopped way down, no flash. Camera IS tripod mounted, release thru self timer

Picture files are CR2 9 and 10 megs in size

I can send them but I am stumped, camera shake is what my head says...
 
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ALB68

Dear Departed Guru and PSG Staff Member
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Camera shake? On a tripod ? Maybe the lens is bad or damaged?
 

MrToM

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Does the 400D have 'Mirror lock up'?

It makes a big difference.
Even on a tripod the mirror movement will induce enough shake to blur an image.

Just a thought.

Regards.
MrTom.
 

ALB68

Dear Departed Guru and PSG Staff Member
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Makes sense, especially with long exposures.

Does the 400D have 'Mirror lock up'?

It makes a big difference.
Even on a tripod the mirror movement will induce enough shake to blur an image.

Just a thought.

Regards.
MrTom.
 

Steve

Retired Administrator
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He needs to determine if he has a lens / camera problem or a technique problem.

Have him hang a piece of newspaper on the wall in a very well lit area.
Use a low ISO (100-200), set a middle aperture (f8 +/-) and use a shutter speed much higher than the focal length.
For example if he's set at 100mm. use a shutter speed of 1/100 or higher, preferable much higher, 1/500. 1/1000, 1/2000

If that image is not super sharp he needs to get his stuff cleaned and recalibrated.

Another question, you said
lens stopped way down
.
Do you mean down to f22, f32, like that?

That will give you the best depth of field but that's not where the lens is sharpest.
It is sharpest some place in the middle and every lens is different.
Using the test I explained above you can find the sharpest aperture for a particular lens by shooting, step by step, through all the apertures and comparing them.
 

MikeMc

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He needs to determine if he has a lens / camera problem or a technique problem.

Have him hang a piece of newspaper on the wall in a very well lit area.
Use a low ISO (100-200), set a middle aperture (f8 +/-) and use a shutter speed much higher than the focal length.
For example if he's set at 100mm. use a shutter speed of 1/100 or higher, preferable much higher, 1/500. 1/1000, 1/2000

If that image is not super sharp he needs to get his stuff cleaned and recalibrated.

Another question, you said .
Do you mean down to f22, f32, like that?

That will give you the best depth of field but that's not where the lens is sharpest.
It is sharpest some place in the middle and every lens is different.
Using the test I explained above you can find the sharpest aperture for a particular lens by shooting, step by step, through all the apertures and comparing them.


Great minds think alike! Well at least we had the same ideas for testing, I also told him to shoot at f8 or 11 and try to use his flash for fill. I am bothered by his long (toward 1 second) and vibration thru tripod and camera...

Another issue is I do not know what his camera is set to sharpness wise, or where he is even focusing. I was going to post the tiff copy of his image with the data in it, but the software is fighting me tonight...
 

Steve

Retired Administrator
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Great minds think alike! Well at least we had the same ideas for testing, I also told him to shoot at f8 or 11 and try to use his flash for fill. I am bothered by his long (toward 1 second) and vibration thru tripod and camera... Another issue is I do not know what his camera is set to sharpness wise, or where he is even focusing. I was going to post the tiff copy of his image with the data in it, but the software is fighting me tonight...
Which is why you want to test the equipment, make sure the camera and lens are accurate.
If they are, he can refine his technique and find the right settings to make his shots properly.

If he's shooting RAW, most camera settings like sharpness, saturation, white balance and to a much lesser degree exposure, are irrelevant.
Sharpness, contrast, saturation settings are irrelevant if you shoot Raw.
 

Steve

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Let me explain the exposure comment.
Proper exposure is very important and not irrelevant.

What I meant is you have a larger dynamic range shooting raw and a slight over or under exposure can be compensated for when shooting RAW.
Not so with JPG's
 

MikeMc

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Thanks Steve.

I just got the original photos from my buddy...I think as you said a cleaning is where he needs to start, judging by the huge number of spots I see.

He "Is A PHOTOGRAPHER!".......you know, the guy that shoots everything, but never has anything to show to you when asked. I couldn't figure out why he was shooting 1 second exposures of a model.....Because he knows more than the camera does....here you can see the spots!

dirtspots.jpg
 

MikeMc

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Which is why you want to test the equipment, make sure the camera and lens are accurate.
If they are, he can refine his technique and find the right settings to make his shots properly.

If he's shooting RAW, most camera settings like sharpness, saturation, white balance and to a much lesser degree exposure, are irrelevant.
Sharpness, contrast, saturation settings are irrelevant if you shoot Raw
.

I concur, I have learned he "corrects" his images in Photobucket....yea I said Photobucket!

I have not gotten back his replies yet but I have no idea of what he is using to process his RAW shots, Canon software produced .jpegs?

I am trying to help a buddy...I suspect he is in way too deep. :eek::eek:
 

Steve

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Canon supplies a Raw editor and that's where he needs to analyze the image for sharpness.
He must be saving it as a JPG to upload and edit although I wasn't aware they had that feature.

Have him join PSG and we'll help him out.
 

MikeMc

McGuru
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Canon supplies a Raw editor and that's where he needs to analyze the image for sharpness.
He must be saving it as a JPG to upload and edit although I wasn't aware they had that feature.

Have him join PSG and we'll help him out.

I do not think he can figure PS out...he is using the jpeg images and doesn't want any techie stuff!
 

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