7D focus problem

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Bobby2

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Becky
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Hi,

I've had my canon 7D for about 3-4 weeks now and I've recently noticed that the images I'm taking are soft and out of focus. I'm using a canon 24-105mm L IS USM lens with it, both the lens and the camera are supposed to really good but in some of my images I'm not getting what I expect to get from pay £2000+. This weekend I have been at a racing event and I've been trying to get photos of cars racing round but all I seem to get are either the speed blurs from the cars or just an out of focus image. I have no idea
Whether it's because I've not been using a tripod or not, but I doubt that would help as I've tries leaning on the grandstand edge.
Any help would be much appreciated!
Thanks

Becky
X
 
Post a pic so we can make a comment otherwise it's hard to help :thumbs:
 
Ok  I'll have to do that in about an hour or so later as I'm on my iPhone at the
Minute but I'll upload them as soon as I can.
Thanks
Becky
X
 
Might be worth giving some details on any previous cameras you have owned or used, i'm sure you will get plenty of help and advise :thumbs:
 
either the speed blurs from the cars or just an out of focus image

Have you successfully photographed using panning high speed objects before?

It sounds like you need some practice at this technique, the 7d is a great sports camera and the 24-105 should be no slouch ( I don't have one). Using rear button focus (ai focus) and smoothly tracking your subject whilst squeezing the shutter should get some good results.
 
Phil V said:
It sounds like you need some practice at this technique
Click to expand...

I get the same impression from the original post. Even the most expensive and fancy camera still needs to be controlled by someone who knows how to use it properly. Photographing moving subjects successfully requires specific techniques.
 
onona said:
I get the same impression from the original post. Even the most expensive and fancy camera still needs to be controlled by someone who knows how to use it properly. Photographing moving subjects successfully requires specific techniques.
Click to expand...

Exactly what I was thinking, highly doubt it's the "£2k+" camera gear that's faulty.
 
Becky - I have just changed systems completely and picked up my new 7D on Tuesday, I had a trial run at the Zoo yesterday and binned every single shot for the same reasons as you, I spent a few hours last night trawling the web looking for help with the multitude of settings that the Canon system has and the two I found most helpful happened to be from Canon themselves:

http://cpn.canon-europe.com/content/education/technical/eos_7D_custom_functions_explained.do

and

http://www.learn.usa.canon.com/galleries/galleries/tutorials/eos_7d_tutorials.shtml

BUT and it's a big but - as the guys have said, you need lot's and lot's of practice and be prepared to change your settings on a regular basis due to light / position etc.

Hope that helps a bit

.DAVID.

Just found this blog which is pretty good as well: http://blog.photoframd.com/2009/12/07/canon-7d-problem-focusing-customize-the-af/
 
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The 7D has a complex focusing system and it is not really a beginners camera, so take time to learn it and you should get something like this. These were my first attempts at motorsport, but I had been shooting a lot of birds prior to this so that was good training.

IMG_5215.jpg
 
do you have skype atall?? i have a 7d and had a similar experiance when i first started, out of all the canon cameras the 7d in my opinion is the hardest to master. Gregg
 
try to take picture of newspaper at f/4 and 105mm at distance about 1-2m. Newpaper should be about angled to line of view. So that you can see if line on autofocus sensor point is really sharp. If you have constant front/back focus it will be easy to see by this test. Better try with middle focusing point only.
Are you sure it is not the motion blur? Or missed focus because of low light condition, or not high contrast in the are there autofocus sensor was pinted at?
 
The 24-105 is a great lens in combination with the 7D. I use that combination a lot when shooting my friend at Goodwood. But shooting cars racing around a circuit isn't easy.

There are two ways of doing it - one easier than the other. Ken's image shows the easier method - you use a very fast shutter speed, a high ISO and you shoot the car on a slow bit of the track. It's the best way of getting a sharp image, but it does tend to produce boring results - it looks as if the car is parked.

The hard way is to use a slow shutter speed and to pan the camera. The idea is to get the car keeping the same position in the frame as it moves past you. This takes a lot of practise. But it does result in images of moving cars

Goodwood_20110820_001.jpg



However, like I said, it does need a lot of practise. My guess is that you haven't had a lot of practise and your shutter speed was too slow. Next time try a shot like Ken's - don't be afraid to increase the ISO so that you can get a shutter speed of around 1/1000s and try to get the cars where they're moving slowly.

As you get a few keepers you can try with ever-slower shutter speeds. My first trip to Goodwood, I got no keepers below 1/125s - now, as in the example, I can get reasonable results at 1/45s.
 
hollis_f said:
The 24-105 is a great lens in combination with the 7D. I use that combination a lot when shooting my friend at Goodwood. But shooting cars racing around a circuit isn't easy.

There are two ways of doing it - one easier than the other. Ken's image shows the easier method - you use a very fast shutter speed, a high ISO and you shoot the car on a slow bit of the track. It's the best way of getting a sharp image, but it does tend to produce boring results - it looks as if the car is parked.

The hard way is to use a slow shutter speed and to pan the camera. The idea is to get the car keeping the same position in the frame as it moves past you. This takes a lot of practise. But it does result in images of moving cars

Goodwood_20110820_001.jpg



However, like I said, it does need a lot of practise. My guess is that you haven't had a lot of practise and your shutter speed was too slow. Next time try a shot like Ken's - don't be afraid to increase the ISO so that you can get a shutter speed of around 1/1000s and try to get the cars where they're moving slowly.

As you get a few keepers you can try with ever-slower shutter speeds. My first trip to Goodwood, I got no keepers below 1/125s - now, as in the example, I can get reasonable results at 1/45s.
Click to expand...

:thinking:
The OP wanted help with her blurred images, yours is just another blurred image, can't see that helping much.
 
Well, this thread has lasted a whole 15 posts before descending into bickering...

Looks as if the OP has been frightened away - nice going, children!
 
I did shoot some at slower speeds, I was experimenting as this was my first motorsport shoot, best slower speeds were around 1/320, I would perhaps suggest 1/250 for first attempts at panning technique, which may also depend on the focal length of your lens as well, I was using 500mm

http://SPAM/c3whur/mar/IMG_4577.jpg
 
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Hi Becky

As others have said, a couple of shots would help...

A few quick questions, in your signature you say 400D & 7D - have you shot any cars previously with the 400D or was this your first try ?

Leaning on the grandstand is fine if you are head on, but not if your trying to pan (as per some of the above photos).

What app / shutter speed were you using - a slow shutter speed gives a great sense of speed, but also makes it more difficult to get that nice pin sharp image, whereas a fast shutter speed makes it easier to obtain, but 'freezes' the car


Another good area to look is in the motorsport section, if you see a shot simialr to what you were trying to obtain, ask the question on the thread re settings etc.

Hope this is of some help...
 
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Hi,
i havent posted in a while because my internet has been down so i couldnt upload any pictures. I have shot cars racing with my 400D and that didnt seem to be a problem as i got some good shots from it in the past, so im not a beginner at this sort of thing neither am i a pro haha.

After a while i started to experiment a bit more with my shutter speeds and app but i didnt want to put my iso up too much so i only went as high as 250. I know i got some shots with blur from the speed of the car but others were just generally out of focus even though i was experimenting with the what focus points i was using etc.

David i have also read that there has been alot of issues with the 7Ds focusing and some people have had to send them off to be repaired, thats why i posted on here becuase i was hoping that it wasnt that.

When i was sat in the grandstand i wasnt too keen on the angle i was shooting from because i wanted to get a few head on shots at a slower spot so that i could test it a bit more.

just a little question..im new on here any help with adding the photos please?
 
It would be good to see the pics.

What focusing mode were you using? I know the 7d has a complex AF system but you can still set it up in the same way as the 400d (ie, I trust you were using AI servo?).

I find just putting the camera in AV mode and setting the aperture for the freeze frame shots (with suitable ISO, normally around 400) gives good 'freeze' shots, such as this. As long as you keep it below f/5.6 you should get a decent shutter speed. Alternatively set ISO to something like 400 then set the shutter speed accordingly;


Ferrari Massa copy by Odd Jim, on Flickr

For panning, set the camera up with TV mode. For a fast car such as an F1 car. Simply set your shutter speed up to about 1/160 and let the camera do the rest (this was with an x2 TC handheld so not as sharp as I'd like!)


Lotus Trulli by Odd Jim, on Flickr

Again, 1/160;


Ferrari Alonso 2 by Odd Jim, on Flickr

Something a bit slower? This Porsche at Goodwood was travelling at half the speed but I only reduced the shutter speed slightly, this was 1/125 which was enough to blur the wheels and the background (excuse the heavy processing, I was going for a particular look for the owner);


cup by Odd Jim, on Flickr

You should never need to go above ISO 100 for panning shots unless the conditions are really poor.

NEVER use a tripod unless you dont want to move the camera! You simply cant keep up with anything decent. Use a monopod, 100 times better for motorsport! Always use centre point AF unless you purposefully need to use one off centre for a particular shot, and certainly only have 1 AF point (even on the 7d) active to avoid the potential for it to lock onto the background.

As a side note, I would have thought, as good as it is, the 24-105 is a little short for motorsport?
 
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Thanks for the advice and very good photos by the way!

I used to use the 400D with a sigma 18-200 which wasnt bad at all, so when i used the 7D with the 24-105 i was dissapointed with the lack of range i had. But im not wanting to just shoot sport so it wasnt really my main concern.

How do i upload photos on to here?
 
There's a guide somewhere on here, but if you use Flickr just copy and paste the BB code (under 'share') or Photobucket copy the IMG link.

Not sure on the other photo hosting sites.
 
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Becky, as a suggestion it may be worth asking long term 7D owners that live close by to run through their settings and/or technique with you 1-2-1 :shrug:

Most 7D owners use the camera for wildlife (which can include birds in flight) and sports/action stuff and may have got their settings and technique sorted and may be willing to pass on some tips
 
Bobby2 said:
Thanks for the advice and very good photos by the way!

I used to use the 400D with a sigma 18-200 which wasnt bad at all, so when i used the 7D with the 24-105 i was dissapointed with the lack of range i had. But im not wanting to just shoot sport so it wasnt really my main concern.

How do i upload photos on to here?
Click to expand...

Have a read of this - As you can see from above Sara beat me to it :'(
 
odd jim said:
Always use centre point AF unless you purposefully need to use one off centre for a particular shot, and certainly only have 1 AF point (even on the 7d) active to avoid the potential for it to lock onto the background.
Click to expand...

I find that I tend to stick the AF point on the front of the car, so I use one of the points to the left or right of the centre.

odd jim said:
As a side note, I would have thought, as good as it is, the 24-105 is a little short for motorsport?
Click to expand...

For Goodwood I find it perfect when shooting from the pit lane or other locations close to the track. Down near Woodcote I need the length of the 70-200. This was taken at 35mm

Scooby_20110820_001.jpg
 
I have had a few Internet issues but I'm back! Haha. Because I couldn't get on here I decided to get in touch with a few people I know who are into photography to show them my pics. But I'll post them up here if I can get the link to work!
 
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