I'm sorry.. I apologise in advance, I don't post often
But I am at a real loss and need advice from other photographers. I've recently added a 50 mm 1.8 lens to my small collection. My main camera is a d5100. I am having a lot of difficulty in getting correct focus and sharpness for group photos. Even some single person shots are hit or miss. I use all manual settings, I control where my focal point is.. and its still hit or miss. Its most obvious in group shots. This afternoon for example the fence was lovely and sharp.. and the people NOT.
Has anyone else had a similiar problem? I have a basic understanding of depth of field, I try and use a higher fstop (up to 4 for about 4 people) and still my results are not good. I am extremely frustrated.. and this is not the results I was expecting. I could understand it if wasn't metering right.. or I wasn't choosing right spot to focus.. but I'm at a loss? I stand very still, shutter speed is high enough.
Is it just the lens thats doing it or do you have the same problem with other lenses? If its just the one lens then its either faulty or something like the contacts are dirty.
If its new, I'd send it off to get looked at/fixed.
Mandii I would change out of manual mode and work in AP, with a group situation you would have more luck getting a sharper image if you close down a stop or 2 try f5.6 or f6.3 you want some DoF for the group that are standing at different distances from the camera, your lens is sharpest between f4 to f16,
If you want nice bokeh try to reposition the subjects away from backdrops more.
I had a look at you album and a lot of your images seem to be taken in very good lighting conditions bump up that f1.8 form f1.8. It's not the sharpest part of that lens and if your subject moves @f1.8 say bye bye to that image.
The lens works well on my old d40, and at close range, but struggles outdoors and further away, or with groups. It is new, and I'm devastated. It's already a replacement one.
Hi, I've experienced the same problem with my 50mm lens. In fact I rarely use it as the results have been poor. However I have recently learnt a few things that have improved my 'hit' rate and I'm at long last building some confidence with this lens.
First - don't just use the one focus point, the depth of field is too extreme so have all focus points lit & then the focus will be over a wider area. Two when you have your finger on the shutter just move ever so lightly in and out and you will see the focus change it's a little thing but has made a big difference in if I get the shot in focus or not. That could explain why the fence was in focus you only have to move a tiny bit with this lens as you fire the shutter for the focus to shift. I suggest a practice on the computer keyboard it helps as you see the focus shift on the different keys as you move.
Third, come off completely manual and use either the aperture or time priority that way you only have the one to worry about. For groups I would use an f stop of around 8 or slightly higher - but experiment with the same shot on different f stops then take a look at all and see which is best.
I have tried AP with my kids but corresponding shutter normally too slow. I will try some tips tomorrow, thanks. I'm just upset, I think what I imagined from the lens and my results... Two different things
Frances, do you mean use dynamic area or autofocus? I know no other way of selecting multiple focus points on my camera. This may explain better results on D40 which only has 3 big focal points? Thanks for the shutter tip.
Ah, sorry I'm only used to the Canon which has rather a lot of focus points! I used to use just one focus point which works well with other lens but not with this lens it was very difficult (impossible) to get that focus to be where I intended it to be... I would still say come out of manual and use the auto focus the crucial bit it is to be aware of just moving - it only has to be a fraction for it all to go wrong or right. I think this lens takes a lot of practice but it will pay off. I'm now getting some really good shots with it.
I struggle using manual focus with shallow depth shots - I have a f/1.4 and reliable manual focus is near impossible as the depth of focus is so ridiculously shallow that the viewfinder just can't convey it! I am getting better at it though (for example, the time when I was trying to shoot a spider web in amongst shrubbery in a garden - I had no choice as the autofocus kept going for the garden instead of the web!) - it just takes practice :)
Also, as others have mentioned, movement does make a huge difference. You and your subject must remain very still! I'd take these things into consideration before deciding that it's the lens itself that's faulty - wouldn't want you to go through that unnecessarily.
@mandiijones I'm with Brendan ( @agima ). I think your main problem is too wide an aperture. F11 and higher would be better for the group shots. And rather than just going right back to program or fully auto mode, why not use aperture priority. This still gives you lots of flexibility.
Sounds like your lens is front/back focus. If this is the case you can either send it to recalibrate, or use the finding to compensate for front/back focus when shooting.
Some cameras, including new ones, have focusing issues with the out-of-the-center focusing points. They are not that reliable.
All your photos are pretty sharp where they should be though. Beautiful pics BTW.
Thank you guys for your help. I had a family shoot today and had more success using aperture priority in the outdoors session, but still troubles inside, I guess poorer light, but I was so relieved to come home and find sharper images and I appreciate your help!
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If its new, I'd send it off to get looked at/fixed.
If you want nice bokeh try to reposition the subjects away from backdrops more.
I had a look at you album and a lot of your images seem to be taken in very good lighting conditions bump up that f1.8 form f1.8. It's not the sharpest part of that lens and if your subject moves @f1.8 say bye bye to that image.
First - don't just use the one focus point, the depth of field is too extreme so have all focus points lit & then the focus will be over a wider area. Two when you have your finger on the shutter just move ever so lightly in and out and you will see the focus change it's a little thing but has made a big difference in if I get the shot in focus or not. That could explain why the fence was in focus you only have to move a tiny bit with this lens as you fire the shutter for the focus to shift. I suggest a practice on the computer keyboard it helps as you see the focus shift on the different keys as you move.
Third, come off completely manual and use either the aperture or time priority that way you only have the one to worry about. For groups I would use an f stop of around 8 or slightly higher - but experiment with the same shot on different f stops then take a look at all and see which is best.
Good luck - let me know how you get on :-)
Also, as others have mentioned, movement does make a huge difference. You and your subject must remain very still! I'd take these things into consideration before deciding that it's the lens itself that's faulty - wouldn't want you to go through that unnecessarily.
F4 is great for shooting one person but any more and you are asking for trouble.
Use F11 as even at F9 you will still have issues.
http://www.fredparker.com/ultexp1.htm
The Ultimate Exposure Computer, I am not associated with that site, but a great overview, even if you have to read it many times before it all gels.
Good luck.
http://focustestchart.com/focus10.pdf
Sounds like your lens is front/back focus. If this is the case you can either send it to recalibrate, or use the finding to compensate for front/back focus when shooting.
Some cameras, including new ones, have focusing issues with the out-of-the-center focusing points. They are not that reliable.
All your photos are pretty sharp where they should be though. Beautiful pics BTW.