My shots usually are a bit OOF. I've tried everything I can think of. Has anyone heard of problems with the Cannon 20D auto focus.
this pic is very good and is not oof
if you mean the blur of the ball you need a very fast shutter speed to freeze a baseball
what ss,A, and iso did u shoot at ?
Randy,
Thanks for the quick reply. I should not have posted my best shot. Here is another. I have cropped it but did not sharpen. The faces of the people in my shots are often soft. Not just in action shots. Crisp is not a word I know since getting the 20D.
I am using L 70-200 at F9 and various shutter speeds. The baseball in the shot is not the problem. I could have used a faster shutter speed but I am quite sure the softness in my shots is not due to motion.
I am thinking about sending the camera in but would like to know if anyone else has had a problem with AF.
I think your DOF is the problem. Everything is pretty much in focus, to me, but since the background is in good focus, it takes away from the main subject of the shot.
Scott
Canon Rebel XT
Canon 580 EX Speedlight
Canon EF 50mm f1.8
Canon EF IS 28-135mm f/3.2-5.6
Canon EFL 70-200 f/2.8
SanDisk Ultra IIs
that a shallower DOF would be desireable for these kind of shots. Open up the aperture if you can.
Also, if you over expose, you will see some softness. I see this in some of my indoor shots where the player is looking up towards the lights. The face looks softer than the rest of the body.
AF works fine on the 20D. You do, however, need to give AI Servo a chance to lock on (sometimes it takes almost a second). That's why I almost always shoot a RAW burst when using AI Servo. The first or even second shot may be "less crisp". But once AI locks on, crisp you should get
Other than that, keep 1/2 pressing, to give yourself the best chance of staying "locked on" to your subject.
Are you comparing the 20D to another DSLR or film? I find that most images require a bit of sharpening and "brightening" straight out of the camera.
What do you have your parameters set to? Are you using in-camera sharpening? Are other lenses sharper than the 70-200 on the same body? Are all your lenses soft?
I have the 20D and 70-200 f/4L, and it's sharp for baseball.
Thank you all for the help. Shallow DOF has not worked very well me in action shots. It seems as though the focus will be on the glove or some other point other than what I am trying to get. I'll keep working at it. More methodically trying to pinpoint what worked, when and how.
My finger goes numb from 1/2 pressing the shutter.
I was comparing crispness to my old 35mm Minolta.
Maybe I need glasses. I don't see anything in focus in my second shot.
Randy,
Thanks for the quick reply. I should not have posted my best shot. Here is another. I have cropped it but did not sharpen. The faces of the people in my shots are often soft. Not just in action shots. Crisp is not a word I know since getting the 20D.
I am using L 70-200 at F9 and various shutter speeds. The baseball in the shot is not the problem. I could have used a faster shutter speed but I am quite sure the softness in my shots is not due to motion.
I am thinking about sending the camera in but would like to know if anyone else has had a problem with AF.
Glenn
my guess is we all have af probs w/ all cam bodies.
I have it w/ my d50,d70s,d200 and 30d...
When you are moving the cam fast you can't expect the af system to always have enuf time to lock on what you want. And afc makes it even more complicated. Try to wait a few millisecinds more for the focus indicator to light up.
btw, both of the pics u posted look 'in focus' so maybe it's your monitor (or eye :<) )
try looking at the pics at 100% magnification to see what got the sensor's attention and that may help you decide if the cam (or lens) needs a checkup (be sure to compare pics taken w/ more than 1 lens to make sure it's the cam or the lens)
I'll keep working at it. It would suspect my monitor except that the football shots you posted look crisp. As do many other shots I've seen.
Maybe the AF is just not locking on every time. Some of my shots are good but others are not.
Thanks again,
Glenn
my last bb game i tossed almost 50% for various reasons but the biggest was wrong thing in focus.
moving sports with so many other things for the af system to see in the background are the worst
try shhoting one of your kids or the house and make sure af is spot on
Comments
this pic is very good and is not oof
if you mean the blur of the ball you need a very fast shutter speed to freeze a baseball
what ss,A, and iso did u shoot at ?
Randy
http://www.CarolinaSportsPhotography.com/
Randy,
Thanks for the quick reply. I should not have posted my best shot. Here is another. I have cropped it but did not sharpen. The faces of the people in my shots are often soft. Not just in action shots. Crisp is not a word I know since getting the 20D.
I am using L 70-200 at F9 and various shutter speeds. The baseball in the shot is not the problem. I could have used a faster shutter speed but I am quite sure the softness in my shots is not due to motion.
I am thinking about sending the camera in but would like to know if anyone else has had a problem with AF.
Glenn
Canon Rebel XT
Canon 580 EX Speedlight
Canon EF 50mm f1.8
Canon EF IS 28-135mm f/3.2-5.6
Canon EFL 70-200 f/2.8
SanDisk Ultra IIs
Also, if you over expose, you will see some softness. I see this in some of my indoor shots where the player is looking up towards the lights. The face looks softer than the rest of the body.
AF works fine on the 20D. You do, however, need to give AI Servo a chance to lock on (sometimes it takes almost a second). That's why I almost always shoot a RAW burst when using AI Servo. The first or even second shot may be "less crisp". But once AI locks on, crisp you should get
Other than that, keep 1/2 pressing, to give yourself the best chance of staying "locked on" to your subject.
Steve
Steve
What do you have your parameters set to? Are you using in-camera sharpening? Are other lenses sharper than the 70-200 on the same body? Are all your lenses soft?
I have the 20D and 70-200 f/4L, and it's sharp for baseball.
My finger goes numb from 1/2 pressing the shutter.
I was comparing crispness to my old 35mm Minolta.
Maybe I need glasses. I don't see anything in focus in my second shot.
my guess is we all have af probs w/ all cam bodies.
I have it w/ my d50,d70s,d200 and 30d...
When you are moving the cam fast you can't expect the af system to always have enuf time to lock on what you want. And afc makes it even more complicated. Try to wait a few millisecinds more for the focus indicator to light up.
btw, both of the pics u posted look 'in focus' so maybe it's your monitor (or eye :<) )
try looking at the pics at 100% magnification to see what got the sensor's attention and that may help you decide if the cam (or lens) needs a checkup (be sure to compare pics taken w/ more than 1 lens to make sure it's the cam or the lens)
Randy
http://www.CarolinaSportsPhotography.com/
I'll keep working at it. It would suspect my monitor except that the football shots you posted look crisp. As do many other shots I've seen.
Maybe the AF is just not locking on every time. Some of my shots are good but others are not.
Thanks again,
Glenn
my last bb game i tossed almost 50% for various reasons but the biggest was wrong thing in focus.
moving sports with so many other things for the af system to see in the background are the worst
try shhoting one of your kids or the house and make sure af is spot on
Randy
http://www.CarolinaSportsPhotography.com/