Help newbie with SLR!

Nymins · 25 Dec 2011 at 16:03

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

Nymins · 25 Dec 2011 at 16:13

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:

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

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

Nymins · 25 Dec 2011 at 16:20

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 · 25 Dec 2011 at 19:15

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 · 25 Dec 2011 at 19:41

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 · 25 Dec 2011 at 19:48

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.

Nymins · 25 Dec 2011 at 21:04

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!

Nymins · 25 Dec 2011 at 21:39

Hehe, pretty sound advice mate! I'm very hands on, and prefer to learn by actually doing it rather than reading.

The manual it came with seems pretty good at covering the basics, so ill be reading it as I take my first (probably hundred!

) photos.

Nymins · 27 Dec 2011 at 14:19

Took the camera out today. Whilst it wasn't the brightest of days, I managed to get some good shots, finally! Nice and sharp.

Thanks for the advice. Been sticking to Aperture Priority mode, but do you think Shutter Priority mode would be better? I've been looking at the shutter speed the most and try to get the fastest shutter speed possible when in Av mode to suit the situation.