All blurry shots...

[rpsmith79]

Does OP remember exactly where he was focusing in these images? Because unless you really don't know your camera's focus points, you were probably on point, where you wanted to be, but the lens may well be heavily front focusing!

I don't get why people start recommending back button focus and all that, there's nothing wrong with straight forward half shutter press to focus - I've been doing it years.

Anyway, I just sent back a lens that was missing focus too, also a 1.4, and I know it's nothing to do with my technique as I've also ran tests on a tripod with still targets. Don't take the chance that it might not be the lens, if it's missing focus all the time it probably is. Better to change it now.

The OP has already stated he was shooting in All Points focus mode, and not knowing what focus recompose was, so i'd be pretty certain he was just letting the camera pick a focus point, hence why his photos weren't coming out like he had hoped

 

[craftysnapper]

Thanks for the suggestion Crafty. In fact, yes, I have it on all points, mostly because I dont know any better . Would it be a case to have it on centre-point normally, unless you're looking to get more of the 'context' but keep the focus on another point other than centre?

Cheers.

Glad to have been of help and you have two choices if you want to have control of focusing and take it out of the cameras hands...

1-set it to centre point focus on the part of the image you want sharp and hold the shutter release halfway down to keep the focus set and then recompose.

2- use all focus points and manually select which focus point to have active.

 

[mikebeecham]

Glad to have been of help and you have two choices if you want to have control of focusing and take it out of the cameras hands...

1-set it to centre point focus on the part of the image you want sharp and hold the shutter release halfway down to keep the focus set and then recompose.

2- use all focus points and manually select which focus point to have active.

Oh thats's interesting...on one of the links I've just read it seemed to explain that you press the shutter down halfway, with the centre-point on the focus area, then recompose without the shutter halfway down?

I quote:

The next step I take is to look down the viewfinder and move my camera so that the center point of the autofocus grid is placed where I want the camera to be focused. For portraits, this point is quite frequently the eye. Then, I engage the focus using the button on the back, and the camera focuses on the point. Next, I shift the camera so that the scene appears as I wish for it to. At this point, I’m not touching the focus button. I click the shutter, and because of my settings, nothing changes in the autofocus system. The shutter button simply shots the scene and the photograph is made.

That sounds opposite to what you just said, unless I understood it wrong?

Cheers tho.

 

[Cagey75]

The OP has already stated he was shooting in All Points focus mode, and not knowing what focus recompose was, so i'd be pretty certain he was just letting the camera pick a focus point, hence why his photos weren't coming out like he had hoped

AH right, missed that bit. I just assumed he would know exactly where he was focusing. Something OP should really learn before buying a 1.4 lens perhaps

 

[mikebeecham]

AH right, missed that bit. I just assumed he would know exactly where he was focusing. Something OP should really learn before buying a 1.4 lens perhaps

Oh, I'm not sure about that. Grab the lens and learn with it, perhaps?

 

[craftysnapper]

Oh thats's interesting...on one of the links I've just read it seemed to explain that you press the shutter down halfway, with the centre-point on the focus area, then recompose without the shutter halfway down?

I quote:

The next step I take is to look down the viewfinder and move my camera so that the center point of the autofocus grid is placed where I want the camera to be focused. For portraits, this point is quite frequently the eye. Then, I engage the focus using the button on the back, and the camera focuses on the point. Next, I shift the camera so that the scene appears as I wish for it to. At this point, I’m not touching the focus button. I click the shutter, and because of my settings, nothing changes in the autofocus system. The shutter button simply shots the scene and the photograph is made.

That sounds opposite to what you just said, unless I understood it wrong?

Cheers tho.

I do not use a Canon so that may be possible, the method I described is for using the shutter button on the top of the camera and half pressure is required to lock the focus.

 

[wyx087]

Oh thats's interesting...on one of the links I've just read it seemed to explain that you press the shutter down halfway, with the centre-point on the focus area, then recompose without the shutter halfway down?

I quote:

The next step I take is to look down the viewfinder and move my camera so that the center point of the autofocus grid is placed where I want the camera to be focused. For portraits, this point is quite frequently the eye. Then, I engage the focus using the button on the back, and the camera focuses on the point. Next, I shift the camera so that the scene appears as I wish for it to. At this point, I’m not touching the focus button. I click the shutter, and because of my settings, nothing changes in the autofocus system. The shutter button simply shots the scene and the photograph is made.

That sounds opposite to what you just said, unless I understood it wrong?

Cheers tho.

If you want to do focus-recompose without using back focus button. Hold down the shutter half way and recompose.

If you don't feel back focus button method suits you, then don't use it and continue to use the shutter button. Only difference is that focus is tied with that button, everytime you half press, it focuses.

Also, remember focus-recompose only works with One-shot AF mode.

 

[mikebeecham]

If you want to do focus-recompose without using back focus button. Hold down the shutter half way and recompose.

If you don't feel back focus button method suits you, then don't use it and continue to use the shutter button. Only difference is that focus is tied with that button, everytime you half press, it focuses.

Also, remember focus-recompose only works with One-shot AF mode.

..so just for the uninitiated, if I use the shutter to focus on a half-press, then I need to keep it half-pressed whilst I recompose and then until I've taken the shot. However, if I use the back-button, I dont need to keep this pressed?

Have I got that right?

 

[wyx087]

..so just for the uninitiated, if I use the shutter to focus on a half-press, then I need to keep it half-pressed whilst I recompose and then until I've taken the shot. However, if I use the back-button, I dont need to keep this pressed?

Have I got that right?

Correct!

I prefer the half pressed method, even though it sounds more effort. just flick to the eye, half press and flick back to compose finally full press to shoot.

 

[mikebeecham]

Correct!

I prefer the half pressed method, even though it sounds more effort. just flick to the eye, half press and flick back to compose finally full press to shoot.

Cool...well normally I would use the shutter (and have been doing until today), but I'm trying out the back button to see if that's easier for me. I guess it's worth trying both out to see what works, huh!

Thanks for the help and the patience tho.

 

[Im Bald Ok]

Oh thats's interesting...on one of the links I've just read it seemed to explain that you press the shutter down halfway, with the centre-point on the focus area, then recompose without the shutter halfway down?

I quote:

The next step I take is to look down the viewfinder and move my camera so that the center point of the autofocus grid is placed where I want the camera to be focused. For portraits, this point is quite frequently the eye. Then, I engage the focus using the button on the back, and the camera focuses on the point. Next, I shift the camera so that the scene appears as I wish for it to. At this point, I’m not touching the focus button. I click the shutter, and because of my settings, nothing changes in the autofocus system. The shutter button simply shots the scene and the photograph is made.

That sounds opposite to what you just said, unless I understood it wrong?

Cheers tho.

You didn't read it properly When using the shutter button on a Canon in 'normal' mode (not back button focusing), half pressing it will engage the focusing system and the metering system. When you have your camera set to BBF, the back button will control the focusing system and the half press of the shutter button now controls only the metering system.

When Craftysnapper was explaining he was explaining as if you had the shutter button on 'normal', not BBF.

Changing to BBF allows you to control the focusing system separately from the metering system, which for me is the main reason to change to BBF.

 

[mikebeecham]

You didn't read it properly When using the shutter button on a Canon in 'normal' mode (not back button focusing), half pressing it will engage the focusing system and the metering system. When you have your camera set to BBF, the back button will control the focusing system and the half press of the shutter button now controls only the metering system.

When Craftysnapper was explaining he was explaining as if you had the shutter button on 'normal', not BBF.

Changing to BBF allows you to control the focusing system separately from the metering system, which for me is the main reason to change to BBF.

Cool....I'm loving using BBF, and feels much more comfortable.

 

[Wozzaaah]

When you have your camera set to BBF, the back button will control the focusing system and the half press of the shutter button now controls only the metering system.

If BBF is enabled on my 50D the back button controls both metering and AF start, it can't be set to AF start only.

C.FnIV.0 Shutter button or AF-ON button = metering + AF start
C.FnIV.2 shutter button = metering start, AF-ON button = meter + AF start
C.FnIV.3 shutter button = AE lock, AF-ON button = metering + AF start

 

[Im Bald Ok]

If BBF is enabled on my 50D the back button controls both metering and AF start, it can't be set to AF start only.

C.FnIV.0 Shutter button or AF-ON button = metering + AF start
C.FnIV.2 shutter button = metering start, AF-ON button = meter + AF start
C.FnIV.3 shutter button = AE lock, AF-ON button = metering + AF start

You're quite right. My point was that you can separate the actions. Ultimately you'll be metering at the very last moment via the shutter release, unless of course you lock the exposure.

 

[Wozzaaah]

I wasn't picking btw, I use BBF all the time and this prompted me to actually go through each setting and see how it actually works in practice.
As you say, the only setting that the shutter button doesn't start the metering is if you have C.FnIV.3 enabled in which case it locks the exposure with a half press then releases the shutter with a full press.

 

[Mitch38]

You need to be careful with your angles at very wide apertures when you only have a slither of DOF. The DOF runs parallel to the front of your lens.

Park benches - the arm rests are roughly parallel with the front of your lens so they fall within the narrow DOF and are sharp enough.

Trinity Centre & Park Walk signs - at an angle to your lens (not parallel), so only a portion is sharp

Sundial - you are shooting from above – same as above.