Blurry or soft full body photos when using canon 50mm f1.8 stm

muhdhumamkhan wrote:

scrup wrote:

Best to post a sample image. It could be subject movement, DOF too shallow, miss focus or a number of other things.

50mm f2 ISO500 Flash 1/2

here if you zoom on his face you wil see that is soft focused.

Hi - this is a nice shot - and actually with a little post processing to add some contrast and maybe a gradient to the background to make the subject stand out could be very nice.  Some post processing may just give it the wow look.

As R2 suggests, I'd shoot RAW + JPEG - you can then play with the RAW in post processing.  DXO Deep Prime is excellent for noise, I know it's not cheap but at least is not a subscription - but equally Topaz suite is very good and works not just on RAW plus there is an xmas offer on it still 25% off the apps.   Topaz sharpen AI too is my favourite.   I would actually shoot slightly higher ISO so to get min shutter speed 1/160 to 1/200 with people - they and you move.  Use the  modern noise reduction.  I'd normally turn off all jpeg noise reduction in camera and apply in post.

There's also some fringing including some purple which is inherent with these types of lenses wide open - but software will completely remove the colour, leaving just a little halation which is far less noticeable. Then shiny buttons for example - simple to sort.

Subjects look best with some compression so I think the 50mm focal length on the M50 series - can be OK at 30mm but take care if going wider - I'd say only suitable for groups at 16mm.  You should be able to find 2nd hand dealer lenses - the sigma 56mm is very very nice including at f/1.4 - and in the UK at least can be 2/3rd price for mint used copies. (I almost never buy new kit).

KevinRA wrote:

muhdhumamkhan wrote:

scrup wrote:

Best to post a sample image. It could be subject movement, DOF too shallow, miss focus or a number of other things.

50mm f2 ISO500 Flash 1/2

here if you zoom on his face you wil see that is soft focused.

Hi - this is a nice shot - and actually with a little post processing to add some contrast and maybe a gradient to the background to make the subject stand out could be very nice. Some post processing may just give it the wow look.

Thanks man I really appreciate it.

As R2 suggests, I'd shoot RAW + JPEG - you can then play with the RAW in post processing. DXO Deep Prime is excellent for noise, I know it's not cheap but at least is not a subscription - but equally Topaz suite is very good and works not just on RAW plus there is an xmas offer on it still 25% off the apps. Topaz sharpen AI too is my favourite. I would actually shoot slightly higher ISO so to get min shutter speed 1/160 to 1/200 with people - they and you move. Use the modern noise reduction. I'd normally turn off all jpeg noise reduction in camera and apply in post.

Yes I have set my camera to RAW+ JPEG. I see, I didn't their was a sharpening tool too I will try it.

There's also some fringing including some purple which is inherent with these types of lenses wide open - but software will completely remove the colour, leaving just a little halation which is far less noticeable. Then shiny buttons for example - simple to sort.

Yes.

Subjects look best with some compression so I think the 50mm focal length on the M50 series - can be OK at 30mm but take care if going wider - I'd say only suitable for groups at 16mm. You should be able to find 2nd hand dealer lenses - the sigma 56mm is very very nice including at f/1.4 - and in the UK at least can be 2/3rd price for mint used copies. (I almost never buy new kit).

I only considered 30mm cuz some venues are quit small and it gets difficult to get a full body shot with 50mm specially when their are a lot of people around.

muhdhumamkhan wrote:

Hello,

I am a beginner wedding photographer, its only been couple of months since I started doing wedding as a second shooter with a friend of mine. The kit I am using includes:

Canon M50 Mark II + 15-45kit5

Canon EF 50mm f1.8 stm with viltrox ef-efm adapter

Godox TT560 II Flash.

I know this is very basic setup and I shouldn't expect top notch quality but it should b good enough right?

Now here is my problem if I have to take a full body shot with my 50mm which on m50 becomes 80mm I need to stand away at least 10ft to more from the subject.

where I live most wedding are arranged at night time inside wedding venue where light is not always ideal so i use my flash to bounce off the ceiling (which is always 30ft or more high) the settings I use are:

Aperture f2-f2.8

Shutter Speed 1/125

ISO 500

Flash Power 1/2

Now with all of this combined when I try to take full body shots thay come out blurry or soft, why is that? is my flash not properly balanced with ambient light? is the 50mm lens not good enough? is 24Mp resolution not enough? am I crossing the limit of how far the camera can focus? and will replacing the canon 50mm with sigma 30 f1.4 dc dn for efm will make any difference.

Any help is appreciated.

Thank you.

YehudaKatz wrote:

Say what ?

The photo is very noisy at ISO 500 - how is ISO 1600 going to help ?

I don't think that higher ISO will yield better/sharper/crisper images - it seems likely to have the opposite effect IMO.

The OP just needs more light, lower ISO, slightly faster shutter speed, using the RAW (instead of JPEG files), and better processing.

Andy01 wrote:

YehudaKatz wrote:

Say what ?

The photo is very noisy at ISO 500 - how is ISO 1600 going to help ?

I don't think that higher ISO will yield better/sharper/crisper images - it seems likely to have the opposite effect IMO.

will eliminate motion blur

The OP just needs more light, lower ISO, slightly faster shutter speed,

Unless piling in flash - won’t happen in a dimly lit venue and may kill off the ambience

using the RAW (instead of JPEG files), and better processing.

Hence use deep prime or topaz ai - can get very nice iso 1600 images

R2D2 wrote:

muhdhumamkhan wrote:

Hello,

I am a beginner wedding photographer, its only been couple of months since I started doing wedding as a second shooter with a friend of mine. The kit I am using includes:

Canon M50 Mark II + 15-45kit5

Canon EF 50mm f1.8 stm with viltrox ef-efm adapter

Welcome to the Forum! Weddings are manic alright!

I've owned a handful of the various "Thrifty Fifties," and two of the 15-45 kit lenses. They've all been fairly decent and quite useful.

Godox TT560 II Flash.

I have the (larger) V860 III. Nice flash.

The 560 is pretty marginal as far as power is concerned (but balances on the M50ii better than a larger flash). OK for the reception, but underpowered for large spaces.

I know this is very basic setup and I shouldn't expect top notch quality but it should b good enough right?

I would consider it serviceable at least.

Now here is my problem if I have to take a full body shot with my 50mm which on m50 becomes 80mm I need to stand away at least 10ft to more from the subject.

Yup. Typical wedding shots range from 10 - 20 feet or more.

where I live most wedding are arranged at night time inside wedding venue where light is not always ideal so i use my flash to bounce off the ceiling (which is always 30ft or more high) the settings I use are:

Ouch! That's asking a lot of any on-camera flash!

Aperture f2-f2.8

Shutter Speed 1/125

ISO 500

Flash Power 1/2

I'd suggest practicing a LOT with your flash in various situations.

Now with all of this combined when I try to take full body shots thay come out blurry or soft, why is that?

In the shot you posted, the flash contributed next to nothing. Therefore you need to treat this shot like any other (low) ambient light shot.

There is subject movement evident in your example (maybe a little camera shake too?). The focal plane is also slightly behind the subject (his face and hands look OOF). What were your autofocus settings? Did he perhaps walk through your depth of field by the time the shot was taken?

is my flash not properly balanced with ambient light?

Right. However even a properly balanced exposure will exhibit issues if you don't take into consideration the effects of the low ambient light level. My first suggestion would be to increase your shutter speed to max sync. Bring the ambient light level up with your ISO setting.

Speaking of ISO, the blur you are getting isn't due to over-zealous noise reduction.

However, going forward you will need to be raising your ISO's above what you're currently using, and therefore will need better noise reduction than what either the camera or Adobe can provide. I highly recommend investing in DxO's Photolab 6 for processing your RAWs. DxO Deep Prime and Deep Prime XD are the best out there.

is the 50mm lens not good enough?

How does it do with the same aperture in good light? Is the IQ high enough?

is 24Mp resolution not enough?

The MP isn't your problem.

am I crossing the limit of how far the camera can focus?

You haven't included any details of your AF settings or technique.

and will replacing the canon 50mm with sigma 30 f1.4 dc dn for efm will make any difference.

It'll change your perspective. Do you want a wider angle lens? The Sigma is recommended. The Canon 32 is more popular.

If you can deal with a little longer focal length, then the Sigma 56 is excellent.

Any help is appreciated.

50mm f2 ISO500 Flash 1/2

Nice shot. You could also crop this into a square (IMHO).

here if you zoom on his face you wil see that is soft focused.

Yup, focus is off, and shutter speed is too low. Flash is ineffective.

Your equipment is likely fine. But your settings need a lot of work.

A different camera or a different lens will not address what's fundamentally at fault.

Holler back with questions!

R2

I've retired from wedding photography, here are my recommendations

for sharpness, don't use the 50 unless you shoot at f2.8 or narrower

without IS or IBIS, get your shutter speed up to 1/125 or preferably 1/160 to account for inadvertent hand-shake

the m32 f1.4 @ f1.4 shot at 1/125 or 1/160 with DXO PL6 would make a huge difference here

I used Odin's and 60 inch umbrella but these days you can make it work with f1.4 lenses and DXO PL6

get the M32 F1.4 and the siggy 16 f1.4 and siggy 56 f1.4 -- you need light and sharpness, and these bring you light and sharpness

work two bodies constantly since you don't have dual card slots

best wishes

muhdhumamkhan wrote:

R2D2 wrote:

Yes I actually bought a Godox S-Bracket couple of months ago

The recent S-Brackets fit the AD200PRO without having to do any surgery on it.

and I am also considering getting a good light stand

The basic light stand I like a lot is this one…

Heavy Duty light stand

and Godox UB-130D,

For a lone umbrella, I’d probably start with a conventional white-lined umbrella instead of a shoot-through.  I do use a couple of shoot-through (translucent) units on occasion, but they’re not as versatile.

I wanted to go with UB-130W but its not available where I live and then save up some money and buy a good flash I have 4 flashes in mind TT685ii, V860ii, AD100 pro and AD200 pro.

Definitely think about each flash’s use cases.  You may want a nice on-camera unit like the V860iii first, and then a strobe like the AD200PRO.

you are absolutely right about godox value, for the price of one canon 600 ex rt one can get a full kit from godox with better recycle time.

+1

Yes, once i recoup the money I used to buy M50 and save some more I am thinking of upgrading to FF

You can actually do a heck of a lot with the M Series and some of the great primes (just like MAC recommends).

and it will be dream come true if I could get my hand on sony a7iv or canon R5 with 85 1.2 and 28-70 f2...🤤🤤🤤

Yes, full frame does add possibilities.  That 28-70 f/2 is indeed without peer.  It’s my most used event lens!

I tried it today I actually just got back from an event and the light their was utterly disgusting and was quit darkish

Know what you mean!

but the good thing was that the ceiling were lower about 10 feet tall so what I did was set my SS to 1/160 aperture to f2.8

Nice.  That faster SS will help.

ISO 800 or 1600 (cuz I read somewhere that canon does a good job of handling ISO if you increase it by a full stops instead of 1/3 or 1/2 incriminates)

Right.

and my flash power to full and then when I took a photo guess what they better then the sample in this thread.

Excellent!

Now I have to just test it in bright venues with an umbrella pointing at the subject.

That’ll help a lot.

Best of luck. Get out there with someone and practice your butt off!

R2

Thank You for the help man its was great talking you.

Likewise.  Remember, experience is the best teacher.  🙂

R2

Andy01 wrote:

YehudaKatz wrote:

Say what ?

The photo is very noisy at ISO 500 - how is ISO 1600 going to help ?

I don't think that higher ISO will yield better/sharper/crisper images - it seems likely to have the opposite effect IMO.

The OP just needs more light, lower ISO, slightly faster shutter speed, using the RAW (instead of JPEG files), and better processing.

Here's a cropped photo from today' ISO 1600. Check the noise, found it?

Happy new year.

YehudaKatz wrote:

Andy01 wrote:

YehudaKatz wrote:

Say what ?

The photo is very noisy at ISO 500 - how is ISO 1600 going to help ?

I don't think that higher ISO will yield better/sharper/crisper images - it seems likely to have the opposite effect IMO.

The OP just needs more light, lower ISO, slightly faster shutter speed, using the RAW (instead of JPEG files), and better processing.

Here's a cropped photo from today' ISO 1600. Check the noise, found it?

Happy new year.

I didn't say it wasn't possible, but rather suggested that with the OP's current settings and processing there was very noticeable noise at ISO 500 which was affecting IQ, so moving to ISO 1600 was not likely to improve things.

Given the correct settings, lighting, use of RAW (instead of OOC JPEG) and advanced processing & noise reduction, I am sure that a relatively noise free image is possible - but the OP possibly has a number of other things to get a handle on before whacking the ISO up.

YehudaKatz wrote:

Here's a cropped photo from today' ISO 1600. Check the noise, found it?

Happy new year.

How is this practice, the only thing the same here is the camera used. At least try and use the same variables as the OP if you are going to prove a point.

Andy01 wrote:

YehudaKatz wrote:

Andy01 wrote:

YehudaKatz wrote:

Say what ?

The photo is very noisy at ISO 500 - how is ISO 1600 going to help ?

I don't think that higher ISO will yield better/sharper/crisper images - it seems likely to have the opposite effect IMO.

The OP just needs more light, lower ISO, slightly faster shutter speed, using the RAW (instead of JPEG files), and better processing.

Here's a cropped photo from today' ISO 1600. Check the noise, found it?

Happy new year.

I didn't say it wasn't possible, but rather suggested that with the OP's current settings and processing there was very noticeable noise at ISO 500 which was affecting IQ, so moving to ISO 1600 was not likely to improve things.

Given the correct settings, lighting, use of RAW (instead of OOC JPEG) and advanced processing & noise reduction, I am sure that a relatively noise free image is possible - but the OP possibly has a number of other things to get a handle on before whacking the ISO up.