Need some advice Canon 5Dmarkii

GibsonGraphics

GibsonGraphics

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Steven
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Hello all,
This is my first post so bare with me for a while whilst I try and explain my problem.
I'm not a pro photographer but I've been using a Canon 400D for 6 years and in the last month I treated myself to the 5Dmarkii. With this new camera I'm using, a borrowed Sigma 24-70 f/2.8 and my EF Canon 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM.
Now this is my problem and will probably sound really stupid, but when taking various pictures (people), I find that they are not as sharp as I would like them to be. I might get one really sharp image but then if I try the shot again, it ends up a bit soft. I have tried many different settings to try and clear them up but with no joy.
I would add a couple of pictures to show my problem but as I've just signed up I'm not really sure how to.
I didn't know whether there was a trick with the 5D like adjusting the AF-microadjustment settings.
Any help would be greatly received
 
At first guess I thought it was camera shake, but after using a tripod I still got the same soft look.
Then I tried using a lowish ISO but that didn't work, in the evenings I used the flash, and the images are all sharp again.
I've used a small aperture and a large aperture. It seams that its one in about 10 photos that is really sharp.
For an example I took a picture of a dress hanging up in a conservatory with plenty of light, using the sigma 24-70 f/2.8 at - f/4.5 1/500 ISO160 at a focal length of 45mm.
On camera looks lovely, but once loaded onto the computer it looks rather soft.
I know this is all sounds silly and there's probably a really simple solution to it. Like that I'm not letting enough light into the subjects.
 
Are you using single point autofocus? By which I mean, half depress the shutter button, focus is achieved and confirmed, then you take the picture? The alternative I'm wondering is that your have it set to AF Servo, which could be causing a misfocus issue. I'd also suggest just selecting the centre focus point for greater accuracy in this test too.

If it was a lens needing micro adjustment, I'd expect it to be consistently out, not 1 in 10 good ones.
 
I think it's the lenses you've got, without looking at specific samples.

You can certainly try micro adjustment on 5Dii, which are at best very difficult for zoom lenses like 24-70mm.

Sigma 24-70mm non HSM is one of the worst lenses I had "pleasure" using, and soft was really an understatement. The other one I expect should be better, but really has to be stopped down to f/8-11 for best results.
Try 24-105mm f/4L IS, the kit lens of 5D it should be a big step forward, and obviously primes like 85mm f1.8 and 50 1.4
 
Are you shooting raw files or jpgs? Also, what program are you using to view these images?
It would be far more helpful if you could upload some pictures for us to see.

Have you seen this?:
http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=166289

Alternatively you could create a Flickr account, very easy to do, upload your photos to Flickr and link them to this forum.
 
We always find that the large aperture Sigmas need microfocus adjustment and in fact our Tamron 28-75 did too for that matter. The results after adjustment on our 50d trainer improved massively.
 
Trouble with the 5DII is that it is so good that it makes all but the very best lenses look bad.
I wrote a couple of hefty posts in this thread on lens sharpness and generally getting the best out of the 5DII. Please have a read of the thread and see if it makes sense...
 
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