Not impressed with the cannon 50mm prime 1.4

McNyat said:
However, my issue is around the shutter speeds that I can use as I take alot of pics of my 3yr and 5 yr old daughters who like to move around alot (as you do when you are 3 and 5). I really want to shoot at the quickest setting that I can so that my pics are as sharp as possible and not blurry, as too many currently are :bang: :bang: :bang:




What sould I do now?????
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I recommend you get a flash. Not the OB flash but get a cheap (or more if you can afford it) and bounce it off the ceiling.

As you have found out, no matter how fast the lens is you will still be shooting at slow shutter speeds, depending on the light. for kids running around ive never found a fast lens to be good enough. Narrow DOF will get you faster shutter speeds but more chance of most of the image being out of focus. Stop down and it might as well be any lens.

Sinc ei got a Canon 420EX a few years ago it made life so much easier at home. I can more or less chase my kids around the house and not have to worry about light or shutter speed. Just set the camera to M mode, ISO200-400, F stop and shutter to choice and the flash sorts the rest out.
You can still get a nice narrow DOF if you want it but if they are running around you can stop down to f/4 and beyond without any worry about slow shutter speed.

These are old shots and my PP skills were very basic but you can see how well the flash works.
This was taken with both flash and my 50mm f/1.4
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Just my opinion, based on my experience with my kids. When it comes to kids i really dont think there is anything more useful than a flash gun.
 
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Oooh, that's a nice bass he's got there.
What is it?

A flashgun is very useful for indoors. You can easily bounce the flash off the ceiling and walls for diffuse lighting. ETTL makes bounce flash incredibly easy.
 
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squishy said:
Oooh, that's a nice bass he's got there.
What is it?
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Its a Spirit by Steinberger XZ-2A bass. It from the cheap all wood budget range. Its one of my old basses that looked cool back in the early 2000's but i would get laughed at if i took it on stage now lol.
 
If we're talking flash I would really recommend a Gary Fong Lightsphere. Kerso has them for £20 (or did). Really nice soft lighting and take all that harsh shadow out.
 
McNyat said:
I really want to shoot at the quickest setting that I can so that my pics are as sharp as possible and not blurry, as too many currently are :bang: :bang: :bang:

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What sould I do now?????
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dave_bass5 said:
I recommend you get a flash.
These are old shots and my PP skills were very basic but you can see how well the flash works.
This was taken with both flash and my 50mm f/1.4
115065889_cEMiJ-M.jpg


Just my opinion, based on my experience with my kids. When it comes to kids i really dont think there is anything more useful than a flash gun.
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Wow! What a difference in shots when using similar equipment! ;)

Take a look at Dave's excellent pics to see what you're doing wrong.
1) Poor subject.
Stop taking snaps of random crap around your house and start taking actual photos! No offence intended, but Dave's kid is infinitely more interesting than a laptop charger :cuckoo: :lol:
2) Better lighting. Either turn up the lights or buy a flash.
3) Please buy a book on camera basics, or maybe on-camera flash like this one :
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Camera-Techniques-Wedding-Portrait-Photography/dp/1584282584
it also covers hotshoe-mounted flash.
4) Shoot in RAW and correct your white balance. Shooting under incandescent lighting will lead to an orange hue as you can see in your photos, that will exaggerate noise and generally make the picture look "blah". Check our Dave's picture above and see how the colours pop when the whites are white! :)
 
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tdodd said:
Have a read of this article. It will help explain the issues regarding calibration....

http://www.lensrentals.com/news/2008.12.22/this-lens-is-soft-and-other-myths
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Thanks Tim,
This makes perfect sense. As I said, I'm no pro and I have asked for more experienced opinions on the metering/lighting/shutterspeed issue (to which I have got great responses) but I definitely know that the autofocus on the lens when on my camera is not true.

Is it as simple as bringing it back to the store and trying a replacement?
 
Still interested in why you think the autofocus is out. Not saying it isnt, just wonder why you think it is.

Yes you can take the lens back and ask for a replacement, as long its its in the condition they sold it to you in.
 
Put it on a tripod, with the centre AF point over something with obvious contrast (e.g, words on a page), then AF to the centre point till it confirms (lights up/beeps).

Then pop into live view, magnify the exact area it's focussed on, and see if you can get it to look any sharper by altering the focus manually.

It's quite an easy method of reliably determining the accuracy of your AF.
 
To everyone that has contributed......
Thanks for taking the time to give your valuable opinions, I really appreciate this :)

To clarify a few things,

I was seeking more experienced opinions on whether or not it was normal to expect to shoot at ISO 3200 or even 6400 when indoors under poor light (even though we may assume that it was better that it really was) or to have to use a flash to achieve an acceptable handholdable shutter speed. I accept that I am new to photography and am not a 'poor craftsman blaming his tools' but trying to learn how to get the best out of them.

My first tests were at f/8 (which I realised was the wrong thing to do) and then tested at f/4 which was the only apperture that I could compare to on my other lens's.

I accept that f/1.4 is too shallow a dof for shooting lively children, but I was trying this out to see how quick I could get the shutter speed to go.
The test pics were exactly that (test pics) of stationary items that I could shoot on a tripod on timer release. I accept that they are not really interesting.

Anyway, to summarise :bonk:what I feel that I have learned:

1. It is normal to have to raise the ISO to 3200 or 6400 when shooting indoors at night in 'poor light' conditions to achieve a shutterspeed that suits handheld shots.

2. It is normal to resort to a flash bounced of the roof etc to assist with getting sharper pics.

3. The lens, while acceptable, may be calibrated slightly different to my camera, so when using a very narrow DOF, this can be highlighted/exagerated. I am going to discuss this with the store.

4. The only thing that still bugs me is the fact that the older 350D had a quicker shutter speed when everything else was the same (although manualfocus-g mentioned the dynamic range optimiser, can someone tell me a little more about this?).

Thanks again folks

Relatively inexperienced but mad keen to learn and becoming sligtly less inexperienced as time goes by because of all of your help. Thanks again:thumbs:
 
Hi again Tom and Adam,

Getting there.....slowly, maybe.

I have tried the tripod suggestion and have to admit that all seems well although the focus is probably about 5-6mm out which would be v acceptable IMHO.

However, when I handhold no matter how steady I try to remain and take a shot the sharp focus tends to be approx 30-40mm closer than where I want it to be.

What now? :shrug:
 
What focus mode do you have the camera on?

If its working ok on a tripod, then that says to me its simply when you are pressing the shutter button, you inadvertently push the camera down slightly, and the focus is lost on the point you wanted.

Its possible if you have the camera on continuous focus or you are letting the camera pick the focus, that it refocus on something closer.

Make sure its on single point focus and on single focus not continuous (not sure of the canon terminology for it) Try then. Also really make a point of not stabbing the button, but a light gentle press
 
McNyat said:
I have tried the tripod suggestion and have to admit that all seems well although the focus is probably about 5-6mm out which would be v acceptable IMHO.

However, when I handhold no matter how steady I try to remain and take a shot the sharp focus tends to be approx 30-40mm closer than where I want it to be.

What now? :shrug:
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OK, so the kit is working within acceptable tolerance. So no point taking it back for a swap or sending it in for calibration.

Unfortunately the problem appears to be you. On the plus side that means it is entirely within your control to remedy the problem. Work on your technique - practice, practice, practice. If you are shooting with One Shot AF then maybe you are delaying too long between achieving focus lock and taking the shot. That's time enough for you to sway a little, or for your subject, if live, to move a little too. So try speeding up the shooting sequence, without actually rushing. At least that's one way to approach the problem.

There is also another way, which may or may not work - instead of using One Shot AF try picking AI Servo. AI Servo is not designed to tackle random (unpredictable) swaying movements, but it might help. With a DOF measured in mm you will need very precise focuing, using a single AF point of your choosing and keeping it targeted very accurately on an area of good contrast (such as an eye) which you want sharp.

The downside of using AI Servo is that it may struggle to find focus when working with low light levels. In such situations you might find that One Shot AF works whenAI Servo does not. You also won't be able to get a focus asist light from the flash in AI Servo mode, so be aware of the limitations.

If you're using AI Focus (not the same thing as AI Servo) then stop that right now. Even Canon warns that AI Focus is a bit iffy. You'll almost certainly do better if you decide whether or not your subject is moving rather than allowing the camera to guess at what is happening.
 
Try setting it to AI servo focussing. I expect what is happening is what Tom suggested above me, you are inadvertently moving the camera very slightly after focus lock is achieved.
In one shot focus, the camera locks and then doesn't alter focus.
In AI servo, the camera will continuously adjust the focussing, so the small movements you make are accounted for.
 
I tested the AF on a used lens that I bought for my Australia trip using what was a very easy method involving a picture displayed on a laptop screen post 4 here

Oh and I'd go along with the previous advice. For active kids indoors get a flashgun and diffuse + bounce the light. The gun will put out infrared focus assist patterns so the lens can focus in low light where you would normally struggle, and you can change settings in manual mode and rely on the flash to provide the amount of light needed.
 
McNyat said:
4. The only thing that still bugs me is the fact that the older 350D had a quicker shutter speed when everything else was the same (although manualfocus-g mentioned the dynamic range optimiser, can someone tell me a little more about this?).
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Everything else was not the same. Looking at the two photos there is a clear difference in exposure.

From the EXIF both cameras say the photo was properly exposed (no compensation) there is a different between the two cameras when metering.

Because you selected the same metering type there is a difference in how the two cameras interpret the data to decide what is 'right'.

The shot from the 550D has a longer shutter speed and came out brighter - it also exposed the dark areas much better without blowing any highlights. Note - the 550D has a lot more points it uses when working out its exposure level.

I summise that the 550D had more points that fell in the dark area of the charger, or it gives greater weighting to the center part of your image, and as such the camera decided you needed more light to expose that area 'correctly' without overexposing your tiles/grouting giving you the difference in shutter speed for the same apperture and ISO.
 
Thanks for the comments again guys.
I'm learning fast and getting a better understanding fo what is happening.

Think my next investment will be in a flashgun. Dave mentioned the Canon 420EX. What do you suggest, this or another alternative.
I quite like the idea of having the capability of wireless off camera flash. Budget could stretch to £300 (at a apush).
 
Actually i only mentioned the 420EX as it was my first flash gun. I certainly wouldn't recommend it now, not after owning a 580EXII for a while.

There are many 3rd part flash guns around, and many are cheaper than the Canon's but for full compatibility you really cant go wrong with the 580EXII, and it within your budget.
Alternatively there is the 430EXII, cheaper and smaller. There is no way im ever going to use all the features on my 580EXII but its nice to have them there if i do feel a bit more creative.
Since i got my 60D ive really been enjoying using the flash off camera. Its not something i've ever really looked in to before but it has made life a bit easier and opened the door to more creative shots.
 
I agree that having bounced flash really opens up opportunities for indoor shooting. You can easily overpower ambient light with your exposure settings and even at your sync speed the duration of the flash pulse is so short that it will be like shooting at 1/1000 or faster. That means you can stop down for more DOF and sharpness and still freeze movement. That's having your cake and eating it. :)

This isn't an action shot, but was taken indoors at night in November. Room light was a single low wattage bulb, ideal for watching TV, not so good for photography. Illumination was from a 580EX bounced over my left shoulder. Exposure settings were 1/200, f/4, 200 ISO and the lens was the 50/1.4, used on my 7D. I know it's only a snapshot, but I was experimenting with my flash and testing out low light AF performance...

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100% crop - ample DOF, nice sharpness....

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