Always blur image

[sinned79]

Sorry I am a noob how do you post a pic with the EXIF? Do you printscreen the picture with the properties or there's a proper way to do?

Anyway for the time being I will post the EXIF manually.

F-Stop - f8
Shutterspeed - 1/13
ISO - 500
Focal length - 28mm

F-Stop - f8
Shutterspeed - 1/400
ISO - 100
Focal length - 100mm

F-Stop - f8
Shutterspeed - 1/40
ISO - 100
Focal length - 120mm

I realised after reading the EXIF that the last pic may be too slow a shutter speed for the focal length. Thank guys and please don't laugh at my pics!!

u are using AV mode to shoot. the shutter speed should be good enough as it is determined by the camera. I guess is your focusing. it is done not correctly.

 

[Diavonex]

Sorry I am a noob how do you post a pic with the EXIF?.........

The pictures you have posted have EXIF files in it

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

Sorry I am a noob how do you post a pic with the EXIF? Do you printscreen the picture with the properties or there's a proper way to do?

Anyway for the time being I will post the EXIF manually.

If the EXIF data is present in the file that you upload to photobucket (your image host), I can view it on my Firefox browser with the appropriate plug-in.
Much more information than just aperture, shutter speed, ISO speed and focal length.

 

[catchlights]

example, pix #3

Camera Maker: Canon
Camera Model: Canon EOS 40D
Image Date: 2011-05-05 12:13:40 (no TZ)
Focal Length: 120mm
Aperture: f/8.0
Exposure Time: 0.025 s (1/40)
ISO equiv: 100
Exposure Bias: none
Metering Mode: Matrix
Exposure: aperture priority (semi-auto)
White Balance: Auto
Flash Fired: No (enforced)
Orientation: Normal
Color Space: sRGB
GPS Coordinate: undefined, undefined

 

[edutilos-]

What lens are you using? If the focal length is 120mm, it can't be the 17-85.

 

[Rashkae]

Looks sharp enough. What do you mean by soft edges? Are you referring to the depth of field?

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

What lens are you using? If the focal length is 120mm, it can't be the 17-85.

refer to post #14

 

[Octarine]

#1 and #3: shutter speed to slow for the focal length. At least #2 should not pose any issue in terms of shutter speed / focal length. JPG compression level 6 is a bit high, try to use maximum quality settings to retain image data. Downsizing can be done later, still.
Next I'd recommend a focus test for the lens. Download a focus test chart, mount the camera on tripod, use bright daylight conditions and follow the instructions.

 

[coolthought]

my observation.
pic 1 and 2 looks ok.

pic 3 look just a bit soft and probably this is the limit of your hand holding ability. probably you can up iso 2 stops to 400 to get a shutterspeed of 1/160. edit: you already know what's wrong with this one.

pic 1 - you are probably thinking of how to get pic with sharpness like in photos taken by better photographers. Most probably will do some sort of sharpening during post processing of the photo. this is just one of the technique. you can google for the rest. http://www.photoshopsupport.com/tutorials/sharpen-an-image/photo-sharpening.html

pic 2 - dog's arse look a lot sharper than the dog's forehead on its right. This is probably the dof didn't really quite reach from its head to its tail. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depth_of_field Usually, what I do is get the focusing point on the dog's head (preferably at the eyes). It is ok for the arse to be little bit out of focus.....or just adjust your aperture for a smaller hole for a larger dof.

 

[willdoang]

i think number 1 & 2 is quite sharp but a bit underexposed maybe that's why u think it's not sharp, number 3 is clearly ur hand movement blur, watch out ur metering, try to put +/- EV to adjust exposure

 

[daredevil123]

Actually #2 looks sharp. #1 looks underexposed but seems ok. #3 is handshake blur.

 

[edutilos-]

refer to post #14

I see.

Well, megazooms aren't known for their sharpness, so you must have reasonable expectations first and foremost.

Next, other than some of the self-observed problems (e.g. shutter speed not reasonable), looks like there are focusing errors. Maybe more than just posting up the photos mechanically, try to think about why people are asking you to post. Obviously the pictures are not to your expectations - how? Why? What's wrong with each picture? It's just like you complain that your car is no good, I say, show it to me... Obviously it's more than just producing the car out of thin air and saying "tada" right?

 

[zaren]

I'm guessing that all the photos are straight out of camera, without any post-processing or sharpening done. All 3 photos lack contrast, which makes them look "unsharp". However, with a bit of post-processing to adjust contrast, as well as sharpening (USM, or unsharp mask), then the photos look crisper.
e.g.

 

[coolthought]

Zaren. Nice work there with the PP. A bit of pp make such a huge difference except for #3 which is soft at the first place and looks like this is the best for it yah?

 

[zaren]

Zaren. Nice work there with the PP. A bit of pp make such a huge difference except for #3 which is soft at the first place and looks like this is the best for it yah?

Yes,the last pic has lost sharpness due to hand-shake due to handholding at low shutter speed. Increaseing the iso and shooting at a wider aperture, at a speed of 1/125s should result in a sharper image.

 

[Jeronleow]

Thanks alot guys really appreciate each and every comment and suggestion. I am not using RAW because I don't know how to edit pictures :embrass: I am mainly a hobbyist wanting to take better pictures.

How to see if the picture is under exposed or not enough contrast? I can only see the difference only after the picture is edited.

Let's say I am using AV mode and at 120mm focal length, however, TV is automatically set at, say, 1/20, which is a tad slow for the focal length. Do I bump up the ISO in this instance?

 

[daredevil123]

Thanks alot guys really appreciate each and every comment and suggestion. I am not using RAW because I don't know how to edit pictures :embrass: I am mainly a hobbyist wanting to take better pictures.

How to see if the picture is under exposed or not enough contrast? I can only see the difference only after the picture is edited.

Let's say I am using AV mode and at 120mm focal length, however, TV is automatically set at, say, 1/20, which is a tad slow for the focal length. Do I bump up the ISO in this instance?

yes, you will have to bump up ISO.

BTW most modern DSLR comes with auto ISO feature now. Maybe read up on your user manual and see if your camera has that feature.

 

[Octarine]

How to see if the picture is under exposed or not enough contrast? I can only see the difference only after the picture is edited.

The histogram helps for basic assessments of the image taken. It's described in your manual.

Let's say I am using AV mode and at 120mm focal length, however, TV is automatically set at, say, 1/20, which is a tad slow for the focal length. Do I bump up the ISO in this instance?

Av and Tv are modes, you can only use one at a time.
If in Av mode, the shutter speed is set to 1/20s then this is the result of the aperture, ISO and metering mode. You can open up the aperture (if still possible) or increase ISO. Alternatively, a tripod helps to steady your camera to use 1/20s or even slower at this focal length. But this might not be possible in all situations (moving objects, space constraints).

 

[sinned79]

BTW most modern DSLR comes with auto ISO feature now. Maybe read up on your user manual and see if your camera has that feature.

i dun really like the auto ISO feature.. cos sometimes it bump up ISO unnecessarily... I prefer to control the ISO myself.

 

[daredevil123]

i dun really like the auto ISO feature.. cos sometimes it bump up ISO unnecessarily... I prefer to control the ISO myself.

Not sure about canon. But in Nikon bodies, you can control how auto iso behaves.