Have soft images? This helped me a ton!

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tasteofjace

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#1
Just like many others on here, I was experiencing less than sharp photos on my MD3. They were good, but I felt like something was missing.

Before jumping into micro adjustments and trading my body for a new one, I assumed the most likely cause to my issue was in fact the user. Me.

I'm not used to a sophisticated AF system (coming from the t3i). So I decided to educate myself on it by just going out and shooting with different settings.

Normally I would shoot on "Auto AF" and would get less than sharp results. Then I switched over to Spot AF and the results are much better!

NOTE: These shots are both from in camera JPEG's and have had zero editing. I simply cropped them, and saved them out of photoshop. These are not processed RAWS, so I imagine the RAW file could have been sharpened much more.

kuM57.jpg
 
#4
awinphoto said:
I'm so glad the spot modes worked out for you! Full auto usually gets you in the ballpark but it fails as a mind reader when it sees the overall scene. I had the same problem with the 7d (similar af systems modes) but was blown away by the expansion and spot modes for critical focus. Happy shooting.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I was blown away by the difference it made to switch over to Spot AF ;D
 
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#6
se7en said:
peederj said:
Yay! Good on you for learning the equipment rather than using the return policy.
Click to expand...
+1

I'm starting to think that the new AF system is throwing MkII users for a loop and is causing less-than-perfect results due to operator error as the above example illustrates...
Click to expand...

I'm the first to point the finger at myself when I see a soft image. Especially since I'm so new to such a camera.

Not to say that I'm sure there may be some faulty bodies out there, and lens' that need correction, but just this simple switch from Auto AF to Spot AF made a giant difference for me.
 
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#7
Did you read the manual?
Apparently the AF points are lens dependent and specified by group.

Specifically:

24-105 F/4 = Group C
24-70 F/2.8 = Group B
70-200 F/2.8 II = Group A
Most primes = Group A

Does this imply we have to adjust the focus style based upon the lens?
That's a major usability issue if true :(

OK, after re-reading it I think it just tells you what AF points are available with a given lens.
Curious why the 24-105 they bundled as a kit lens does not have the Dual Cross type AF points, which are superior?

ET
 
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#8
The first thing I did was to eliminate any variables in AF. I tethered to my PC, and used live AF to focus on a exact spot of a well lit item. Then took a 100 percent picel peep, and even with no NR or sharpening, it was very sharp.

Now, I need to AFMA my lenses carefully. Just a tiny bit off at full aperture is noticible.

Then I'll work my way thru the functions until I get a feel for each one..
 
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#13
Hooray to this thread! As a past photography instructor I have found the same fact to be true. Whenever soft images come up, 98% of the time it is due to missed focus. Other mysterious factors like "my camera is not sharp" are about as likely to be true as for lightning to strike you.
 
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#14
aZhu said:
On the 5DIII, what's the difference between single point focus and single point spot focus?
Click to expand...

Spot AF reduces the effective size of the AF point. Normally, it's a fair bit bigger than the box representing the AF point that you see in the viewfinder. Spot AF reduces it to just slightly larger than the VF representation (the main box, not the smaller inset box that shows you you're in Spot AF mode).

index.php
 
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#15
neuroanatomist said:
aZhu said:
On the 5DIII, what's the difference between single point focus and single point spot focus?
Click to expand...

Spot AF reduces the effective size of the AF point. Normally, it's a fair bit bigger than the box representing the AF point that you see in the viewfinder. Spot AF reduces it to just slightly larger than the VF representation (the main box, not the smaller inset box that shows you you're in Spot AF mode).

index.php
Click to expand...

Excellent! Thanks a bunch! What might be some practical uses for both methods?
 
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#16
aZhu said:
Excellent! Thanks a bunch! What might be some practical uses for both methods?
Click to expand...

I find Spot AF useful for things like focusing on small birds in bushes/trees, where the camera would otherwise lock onto a nearby branch or leaf. Conversely, the reduced area of the Spot AF point may mean there's not a high-contrast feature available for the AF to lock onto (center of a solid-color shirt, etc.).
 
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#18
aZhu said:
I'm such a dummy... I should've looked at the user's manual first.
Click to expand...
I'm sure you won't be the last.... All I have been doing the past few days is read the manual while my kit is in the mail. There is a lot of useful information in there even if its to brush up on.
 
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#19
Thanks for everyone's insight and help in this thread!

I think lots of people hurried and unboxed their MK3's and were disappointed in the first initial shots before really understanding this AF system. I'm getting better results daily by understanding what each function and mode does!
 
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