Help newbie with SLR!

Nymins

Nymins

Nymins

Soldato
Joined
7 Mar 2007
Posts
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Location
Belfast
Hey guys,

I've always done a bit of photography as a hobby, nothing professional, using a standard point and shoot camera with surprisingly decent results (its a Panasonic TZ5).

However, as a gift to myself, I bought a second-hand Canon 350D with an EF 28-90mm f/4-5.6 II USM Lens. Always wanted an SLR, so was pretty excited when I got it. Problem is, the pictures I have taken are really out of focus or "soft". I have tried all the different modes, tinkered with the ISO, aperture and shutter speed, but I'm not getting an decent pictures out of it. Compared to my old TZ5, the pictures lack definition, colour and above all sharpness.

I've reset the settings on the 350D to stock, as I thought the previous own may have done something, but no joy. I've watched a couple of basic tutorials online and read through the manual that came with it, but I still can't get any good results :( Perhaps I'm just too use to the auto ISO and auto settings on the TZ5?

I'm hoping its not a problem with the lens or body though. Is there any way to test to see if there is a problem with the lens/body? Everything looks fine through the viewfinder and the focus is spot on, but when I take a picture, it just looks out of focus. I realise the lens that it came with isn't the best, nor does it have IS, but I thought it should be able to provide decent shots?

Is there any magic settings that I should be starting off with? Or a certain mode that I should stick too for now?

Sorry for the all the questions, just a bit disappointed at the minute with it :(
 
This is the best one I've taken, but I had to have the camera sitting down on the table to take it with no blur/softness:
2q2hdau.jpg


This one I took just now with it in Manual mode,f/5.6, ISO400, shutter speed 1/15 I think:
o0uucn.jpg


I basically work the shutter speed/aperture so that the bar is at '0', not -2,-1 or +1, +2.
 
Shutter speed is too slow at 1/15th, your getting shake from your hands.

Try to aim at (in the case of your camera, being a 'crop' sensor, 1.5x the focal length)

So i guess the top one was taken around the 90mm mark? try to aim for a shutter of 1/135 to 1/150 if you want to achieve the same hand-held.

Bottom one at the wide end 28mm ish? then aim for 1/50 or so

First advice would be to drop manual for now, go into Aperture mode and let the camera adjust your shutter for you :) just set the aperture depending on how much DOF you want.
 
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The first one looks fine.

The second one is because you have it at 1/15.

Rule of thumb for shutter speed is 1/focal length.
 
Thanks for the advice guys.

You'll have to forgive me, I'm not sure exactly what focal length is? Is it the distance between the object and the camera?

I'm only just getting my head around shutter speeds and the aperture (obviously spoilt here with the TZ5 as it handled most of the stuff for me). I really do want to learn all of this though, so any advice is much appreciated!
 
Nymins said:
Thanks for the advice guys.

You'll have to forgive me, I'm not sure exactly what focal length is? Is it the distance between the object and the camera?
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Your lens is EF 28-90mm.

So its between 28 to 90.

28 is when you pulled all the way back, 90 is when you zoomed all the way in.
 
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Nymins said:
Thanks for the advice guys.

You'll have to forgive me, I'm not sure exactly what focal length is? Is it the distance between the object and the camera?

I'm only just getting my head around shutter speeds and the aperture (obviously spoilt here with the TZ5 as it handled most of the stuff for me). I really do want to learn all of this though, so any advice is much appreciated!
Click to expand...

Its the 'zoom' listed on the lens. Your lens is 28-90 so when your zoomed out wide its at 28mm, and when zoomed in fully its at 90mm in terms of focal length.

-edit-
Or, what Raymond said :p
 
What the others said - shutter speed is too low. You have the ISO set to 400 - for indoor light like that I go to ISO 3200 easily. Not sure what the 350D can do ISO-wise but crank it up nevertheless or even pop the flash. You're probably used to the image stabilization of your TZ5 as well. :)
 
Thanks guys. Tried the aperture mode and got some better pictures. Been trying to take some of the tree in very dim lighting, but again it results in blurry shots. Still working my way around the camera, so I'm sure ill get it eventually.

May need to look at getting a lens with image stabilization though. It doesn't look like I move or shake before pushing the shutter, but I guess the slightest move makes a big difference? To be fair, I haven't been able to take many day shots yet, so ill try more lighting conditions tomorrow.
 
Nymins said:
Thanks guys. Tried the aperture mode and got some better pictures. Been trying to take some of the tree in very dim lighting, but again it results in blurry shots.
Click to expand...

Stop trying to take photos in the dark holding it by your hands, it won't work unless you can hold still like a rock :p

Its not about you are moving before you move the shutter. You can ride the roller coaster for all the camera cares before you press the shutter, it is what you do after you press the shutter and before it closes.

What I am trying to say is...get a tripod for photos at night.

 
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I've ordered myself a remote shutter as I want to try those light trails. I do have a tripod, but think ill need to invest in something more sturdy.
 
Nymins said:
I've ordered myself a remote shutter as I want to try those light trails. I do have a tripod, but think ill need to invest in something more sturdy.
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You are jumping the gun, slow down, i don't think you understand why any of it is happening so more gadgets won't help. That photo above isn't taken with a remote shutter. Very rarely do I need to go above 30 seconds exposure (it is what the main use of the shutter is), the other is eliminate vibration when pressing it (which is tiny and with a tripod you don't have to worry about that really).
 
Well the tripod isn't the sturdiest and the remote was only £2 anyway. I just wanted to try out the bulb mode for star trails as well.
 
Take the camera out tomorrow, even if you put it in full auto, and get some nice pictures with it. It will almost certainly be bright enough for you to not have to worry about shutter speeds and it will take the edge off your disappointment. Trying to hand hold in the dark is asking for blurry shots. I wished I'd got the IS version of the kit lens when I first started but 5 lenses later I still haven't got one with IS and I can't say I've missed it.

I basically work the shutter speed/aperture so that the bar is at '0', not -2,-1 or +1, +2.
Click to expand...

You're on the right lines, but always remember that '0' is what the camera is deciding is the correct exposure and when you get confident enough you'll often just use it as a rough guide.
 
Yea I've just found out that the bar isn't 100% accurate. Tried the tripod and it is a lot better in dark areas. Been trying to get some closeups of the tree, and using the bar for reference makes the pictures quite bright, but I'm slowly figuring out how to correct it!
 
You can read until your eyes fall out of your head. To start with, I would definitely suggest playing with it, trying to get a certain photo you have in your head and see if you can get there. Look to see what you're doing wrong on the net, and to be honest, whilst all the books mentioned are good (I have a few of them), there's nothing better than learning yourself and understanding it.

Whilst it's EXTREMELY frustrating at times when you start, simply reading up on the basics, then understanding how they result in your ideal image you were looking for, is (at least for me) a better way of learning. Others may need to learn by reading alone, then applying what they read, but my brain isn't wired like that.

Silly as it sounds (or not, I may have had a few beers at this point :D) even using auto settings can help. Looking at the image you took, seeing the settings the camera used can help you understand how it worked, in your environment. In theory, it's even better if it's in a controlled environment where you know the lighting, etc wont change.

But anyway, there's LOADS of info out there, and if you feel frustrated and are tempted to bin it, remember there are 10s of thousands of people out there, probably at the very same time you are screaming at your monitor. We've all been there :D

With some experience, you won't scream at your monitor, you'll just do what most do. Sigh, and die a little inside as you press delete :D
 
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