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How to get more IN FOCUS shots?

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Shad0w

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Hey Everyone,

Im just curious what techniques you guys use to get the most razor sharp focused pics.

Reason I ask, Im shooting with a 30D, mostly a 70-200 F4 IS, long shots of my kids soccer games, (close to or around 200mm) with plenty of shutter speed (

I can get allot of razor sharp pics some days.. .other days the pics look sharp until I get them home and @ 100% zoom, they dont look so sharp.

I usually have IS on, usually leave it in mode 1, use AI, and usually use the center focus point.

SO... What settings do you guys use and is there any technique you could share with me :)

ThnX!
 
I usually shoot stopped down a bit. I have a 100-400L IS lens and when in panning mode, I want to insure I get good DOF.

--
-tim
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.pbase.com/pdqgp
 
Thanks for this post as I am having a similar problem. I noticed a helpful feature in Image Browser - under the "information" menu you can pick up either EXIF or AF data - and see exactly which focus point(s) the camera (30D) is actually relying on in capturing the shot.

It seems to me that only about 10% of my shots actually have a true focus in the plane I intend.....the AF frames often end up in the background!!

My next personal exercise will be to try spot-only metering to see what the difference may be, though many advise against using this mode...(?)

To date, no way my shots are as sharp as y'alls.

I guess trial and triumph is the best teacher.

--
'These are the chocolate years: dark, bittersweet, rich...'
 
I would still hand hold the games with that lens, increase your shutter speed to 1/500, stop it down a few stops, don't be afraid to use ISO 400 or 800 with that camera. Lock your focus using the * buttom when you are sure it is right, learn how to use the focus lock.

PS - Shoot RAW and sharpen.

--

 
Shad0w said:
Hey Everyone,

Im just curious what techniques you guys use to get the most razor
sharp focused pics.

Reason I ask, Im shooting with a 30D, mostly a 70-200 F4 IS, long
shots of my kids soccer games, (close to or around 200mm) with plenty
of shutter speed (

I can get allot of razor sharp pics some days.. .other days the pics
look sharp until I get them home and @ 100% zoom, they dont look so
sharp.

I usually have IS on, usually leave it in mode 1, use AI, and usually
use the center focus point.

SO... What settings do you guys use and is there any technique you
could share with me :)
Click to expand...
Hi Shad0w,

If you are shooting kid's soccer games in the daylight, your shutter speeds should be in the 1/2000 range, not 1/320. Shoot at f/4, ISO400 in Av mode and your shutter speeds should be above 1/2000s in daylight. Use center focus box along with Center Weighted Average metering and Ai Servo AF. Get away from using Evaluative. At these shutter speeds, you don't need to use the IS function of the lens. But in order to get good sharp pics, you need to pan smoothly and keep the center focus box on your moving subject..

Here's a sample from my 30D and 70-200 f/4L IS:
127mm Av mode, f/4, 1/5000s ISO400



127mm Av mode, f/4, 1/6400s ISO400



With a little practice, you'll be getting sharper pics in no time!! :o)
Shad0w said:
ThnX!
Click to expand...
--
Cheers,

Bryan P.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29386469@N00/
http://blplhp.smugmug.com/

The best thing that could poke you in the eye....is your viewfinder.
 
F/11 to F/16 with ISO 400-800 should get you to 1/500th to 1/1000th which is more than sufficient for stopping all movement and getting a sharp image. 1/1500 and up is overkill and used for hummingbirds and F1 Racecars....and even then, some movement in the wheels and wings is good.

--
-tim
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.pbase.com/pdqgp
 
I tend to agree with Bryan, keep the shutter speed up. AI servo is never 100% reliable even in a 1 sereis (check out the controversy with the new 1D mark III)

The most dramatic action shots are done at very low speeds and unfortunately these are also the highest risk for failure. sample below @ 1/160


BryanP said:
Shad0w said:
Hey Everyone,

Im just curious what techniques you guys use to get the most razor
sharp focused pics.

Reason I ask, Im shooting with a 30D, mostly a 70-200 F4 IS, long
shots of my kids soccer games, (close to or around 200mm) with plenty
of shutter speed (

I can get allot of razor sharp pics some days.. .other days the pics
look sharp until I get them home and @ 100% zoom, they dont look so
sharp.

I usually have IS on, usually leave it in mode 1, use AI, and usually
use the center focus point.

SO... What settings do you guys use and is there any technique you
could share with me :)
Click to expand...
Hi Shad0w,

If you are shooting kid's soccer games in the daylight, your shutter
speeds should be in the 1/2000 range, not 1/320. Shoot at f/4, ISO400
in Av mode and your shutter speeds should be above 1/2000s in
daylight. Use center focus box along with Center Weighted Average
metering and Ai Servo AF. Get away from using Evaluative. At these
shutter speeds, you don't need to use the IS function of the lens.
But in order to get good sharp pics, you need to pan smoothly and
keep the center focus box on your moving subject..
Click to expand...
--
Kevin Coppalotti
http://maxhr.zenfolio.com/
http://razorsharp.smugmug.com
 
However, at f/11 to f/16, you get no background blur, which is paramount for isolating and drawing attention to your moving subject, while allowing your background to just fade away. Use f/11 for landscape shots and for shots where you want everything in the frame to be in focus. Use f/4 to f/5.6 for subject isolation and background blur. Anything over f/11 and you start to move the lens into the defraction zone, and you start to lose sharpness. If you don't need shutter speeds over 1/2000s, then just back-off on your ISO. :o)
--
Cheers,

Bryan P.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29386469@N00/
http://blplhp.smugmug.com/

The best thing that could poke you in the eye....is your viewfinder.
 
Thanks Kevin, and you provided an EXCELLENT example of a panning shot at low shutter speed. Very nice!!! Shad0w, use shutter speed for the desired effect you want. Kevin's example of low shutter speed shows the motion of the cyclist's feet as well as the wheels (this effect implies motion), and his panning motion shows a sweeping blur of the background (highlighting the speed of the cyclist). :o)
--
Cheers,

Bryan P.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29386469@N00/
http://blplhp.smugmug.com/

The best thing that could poke you in the eye....is your viewfinder.
 
Just wanted to thank all the posters for sharing their experiences, I've always wondered about the right settings for a typical sports scene.

I intend to shoot the rally sometimes in the future so its nice to build up credible knowledge on the approach.

Sam
 
Tim Lauro said:
F/11 to F/16 with ISO 400-800 should get you to 1/500th to 1/1000th
which is more than sufficient for stopping all movement and getting a
sharp image. 1/1500 and up is overkill and used for hummingbirds and
F1 Racecars....and even then, some movement in the wheels and wings
is good.
Click to expand...
Thanks Tim, that is useful information.

Sam
 
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