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Photo too noisy for ISO and soft focus
No idea what is going on put I am getting more and more photos with soft focus issues as well as what I would consider too noisy relative to the ISO. Any ideas ? Thanks
400 ISO, 1/2000, f 2.8, 70-200 2.8, not cropped
400 ISO, 1/2000, f 2.8, 70-200 2.8, not cropped
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A former sports shooter
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Sorry, but I completely disagree. You are not "too close" - if anything, you've framed the shot too loosely. You want shallow DOF for subject isolation.
Figure out why focus is off - don't substitute bad technique (loose framing, deep dof) to compensate for the problem - then all your photos will suffer.
A former sports shooter
Follow me at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bjurasz/
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Obviously John you had enough DOF for this shot. I was just pointing out that you can get your DOF too narrow.
The answer is: it depends on the camera. With your 60d you should use a single point. There are two major issues with using all focus points:
1) the camera can switch focus to another subject
2) it takes more processing power which can slow things down
Higher end cameras provide more options. I do like the idea of helper points with the Canon 1-series (and 5dIII) cameras though - nikon cameras have different options - but for your camera, the best option is to use a single focus point - and for the 60d that's the center point - confirm this, but I believe it's the only high precision point in the AF point matrix.
You could also under expose the background (low ISO manual) and spot meter on the player.
If you prefer group shots use f4. You'll get bokeh separation at that f stop because the background is far away
Good luck
I have found that using AF point expansion yields a modest reduction in shots that are completely out of focus, but a much larger reduction in the number of shots that are perfectly focused. I never use AF expansion for this reason.
Regarding DOF, this can be tricky. I almost always shoot sports wide open just to get good isolation. However, for a lens like a 400/2.8 it is possible--I would venture to say common--that a player running towards the camera and leaning forward will not entirely fit within the focal plane. When a player gets close, I bump the AF point to the upper middle area and try to keep it on the face. I have quite a number of shots in which the midpoint of the body is perfectly focused, but the face is in front of the focal plane.
That's obviously not what's going on here, but it is clear that the focal plane is behind the players by a few feet. This could be due to using AF expansion, the wrong AF point, too many AF points, or just plain blowing the focus. It happens...
One exercise that really helps me to hone my focusing skills is to shoot birds in flight using just one AF point. I've spent many many hours doing this, just for practice. I will even keep the camera in my lap, then practice putting it to my eye and getting the shot as quickly as possible. This demand often happens in sports, so being able to draw, aim and shoot very quickly is a good skill. And it's a skill anyone can learn with a bit of practice.
That's fine except it you're shooting for a tabloid format paper where things have to be horizontal or square to use the optimum space on the page.