Beginner Focus

kam1

kam1

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Name
kamran
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I've found that as a beginner when im taking a picture at time it doesn't quite come out clear. Although I have messed around with the setting (F-stop and shutter speed). I was then later told to get m y camera in focus before taking the shot.

Has any one got any tips or advice?

A video explaining the purpose of focus and what it does would be ideal.

Im using a Cannon 1100D and last night was taking some shots late evening with the lighting being not so great. My tutor then had to manually focus the camera for me when I was hoping auto focus would do the job.
 
Not really sure what you mean by "the purpose of focus and what it does". Focussing is simply making sure the subject you are taking appears sharp and clear in the viewfinder and therefore also in the photo., and unless you deliberately want an out of focus photo you need to focus before taking the shot.

Auto focus systems on cameras are very good, can cope with many situations and are better than manual focussing. However, in low light, auto focus may struggle and manual focus may be needed..

The best way to get some advice on your shots is to post a few up here with the settings you used.

Dave
 
Hi

A couple of tips

1. Make sure you are actually focusing on the subject, modern cameras have quite a few focus points so the camera might have focused on the forground or background, try setting it so only the middle one is on.
2. Make sure your shutter speed is high enough to avoid camera shake, the old rule of shutter speed to be equal or greater than the focal length of the lens does still apply
3. Hold your breath and steady the camera before you press the shutter button
4. Part press the shutter to get focus confirmation, view the screen to ensure your subject is in focus, re compose and then fully depress to take the picture (Slow down your picture taking)
5. Use the viewfinder to take pictures and the back screen for reviewing them, that way you get a much better more stable hold of the camera.
6. Most lenses perform at their best when stopped down a couple of stops so try the camera on Aperture priority set to around f5.6 to f8 and use the ISO to keep your shutter speed higher than the lens focal length.

Doing all of the above although very basic will improve your sharpness count.

Paul
 
The thing about servo-AF is that its priority is predicting and tracking movement, and that's what it's always looking to do. You can pin the AF point on a static subject and sometimes hear the AF chattering about, making tiny adjustments. Try it with a static subject that's at an angle to the camera, hand-held, with shallow depth-of-field. That's when I notice it most often, though not always.

I'm not sure that it makes much difference in practise, but I use one-shot AF for static subjects, with back-button set up.
 
Thanks guys ill try posting some images so you can tell me where I'm going wrong ..many thanks :)
 
kam1 said:
Thanks guys ill try posting some images so you can tell me where I'm going wrong ..many thanks :)
Click to expand...

Hello Kamran,
I recommend try take some outdoor pictures in good daylight, and follow the guidelines Paul siggested, to see the results of your pictures. Will need to determine if the picture problems are caused by photographer techniques, or could be caused by either lens or camera equipment malfunctions.
Looking forward to see the pictures you will post. :)
Cheers, John
 
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