Subject out of focus

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Pezza4u

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Rich
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Went out for a family meal yesterday and took the camera, to get some photos. They were all ok apart from 2 of my dad and grandad, they were both out of focus, yet the background perfectly focused. I hadn't changed any of the settings, the camera was set to focus automatically and a single area. I was shooting in A mode using f11. So was this an error on my part or do you think the camera chose to focus elsewhere?
 
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Possibly there was some movement in either the camera or the models. Can you post up pic and/or exif data?
 
Chances are that the focus point was on the background when you locked the focus/took the shot. Assuming you have the focus point in the centre of the frame, I'd make a wild guess that there was some space between the heads of your dad and grandad and the focus point fell into that space!

The technique you want to use is called 'focus and recompose'. Make sure your camera is set to AF-S (Single servo focus). Put the focus point (illuminated square in the viewfinder) on an eye of your subject then half press the shutter to get sharp focus on the eye. Keep the shutter half pressed and the focus will stay locked even if you move the camera, recompose your image (trying not to move forwards or backwards at all) then complete the shutter press to take the shot.

A little more about focus modes on your camera here.
 
Keith I think you are right, there was a gap between the heads and I centred them both in the frame so the focus point may have been in between. The photos I took of everyone else they were sitting against a wall, whereas these ones weren't so there were objects behind. Bit of a noob error then I think!

I set the focus to AF-A as I had read it was suppose to be good on my camera, I think that was on the Ken Rockwell site. I have the back button set to lock the focus and then press the shutter to take the photo.

I think I made the assumption that the camera would focus on everything in the frame as I set what I thought was a high f number (or is that nothing to do with it?). I thought that focusing on one eye would make that person more in focus than the other. But as you say I could've locked the focused and then recomposed the image before taking it.

My mum took a photo of my dad and me and got it in focus and that was the first time she had used the camera! lol

Thanks for all your replies :)
 
You are right about a higher f-number making more things in focus, but it is your point of focus that has caused the problem here. IE. the camera has locked focus on the background, as opposed to the foreground subjects that you wanted to be in focus.

I wouldn't recommend the AF-A setting to be honest. I'm sure there's a time and place where its useful, but I'd consider sticking to AF-S to begin with and see how you get on.
 
Pezza4u said:
I set the focus to AF-A as I had read it was suppose to be good on my camera, I think that was on the Ken Rockwell site. I have the back button set to lock the focus and then press the shutter to take the photo.
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Rockwell's Law - never take his advice as authority.

angstmann said:
I wouldn't recommend the AF-A setting to be honest. I'm sure there's a time and place where its useful, but I'd consider sticking to AF-S to begin with and see how you get on.
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you learn something new every day, thanks :thumbs:
 
Cheers guys, I will stick to AF-S or C when needed. It has only been recently I started using AF-A as I had been using S for most of the time until a couple of weeks ago.

One thing I'm confused about...what if I wanted everything to have the same focus, i.e. the people and background are the same, rather than the later being slightly blurred...how would I achieve this?
 
Best way to achieve that is to set your aperture to a higher f-number. Experiment with f/8, f/11, f/16 and notice the different way the background is rendered. The best mode to do this in would be aperture-priority mode (A).
 
Sonriendo said:
Increase the f#
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angstmann said:
Best way to achieve that is to set your aperture to a higher f-number. Experiment with f/8, f/11, f/16 and notice the different way the background is rendered. The best mode to do this in would be aperture-priority mode (A).
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The OP stated he shot at F11, and the background was sharp, but the subjects were OOF.

This isn't a DOF issue, it's a missed focus issue.
 
mattyh said:
The OP stated he shot at F11, and the background was sharp, but the subjects were OOF.

This isn't a DOF issue, it's a missed focus issue.
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I agree. probably the subject was closer than the closest focusing distance.

Paul
 
mattyh said:
The OP stated he shot at F11, and the background was sharp, but the subjects were OOF.

This isn't a DOF issue, it's a missed focus issue.
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True enough, but I think this is a new question on depth of field.

Depth of field in 30 seconds: DoF is the zone of acceptable sharpness within an image, from close to the camera towards the far distance. Depending on the situation, depth of field can extend right the way from your feet to the horizon (eg wide-angle landcsape), or be just a few mm of crisp sharpness in a macro shot, with everything else a blur. In most picture taking situations it is somewhere inbetween, and you can control it for creative effect.

Depth of field varies according to two factors - magnification (the size of the image) and the lens aperture (f/number). Magnification can be altered in two ways, either by moving closer, or by fitting a longer focal length lens. The bigger the image, the more shallow the depth of field (and the reverse of course). These two changes actually cancel each other out, if the size of the subject remains the same.

And with lens aperture, the higher the f/number, the greater the depth of field. In practise, f/number is what is usually used to control depth of field, once you have framed up the subject the way you want it and the other parameters (subject distance and focal length) have been set.

This is a good guide to depth of field, with a neat on-line calculator http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html Tap in some data and see how focal length, focusing distance and f/number change the depth of field.
 
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Yes. I presumed it was a new question relating to depth of field!

HoppyUK, that is a really great explanation of DoF :)
 
angstmann said:
Yes. I presumed it was a new question relating to depth of field!

HoppyUK, that is a really great explanation of DoF :)
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Thank you! :)

I don't know how some folks manage to write whole books on the subject!
 
Thanks for the replies and Richard, great explanation on DOF :)

As I set the DOF to f11 I thought the whole image would've been in focus even though the focus point must've been locked to the background without me realising. I guess I should've set the f# even higher then so I will experiment with that.
 
Pezza4u said:
Thanks for the replies and Richard, great explanation on DOF :)

As I set the DOF to f11 I thought the whole image would've been in focus even though the focus point must've been locked to the background without me realising. I guess I should've set the f# even higher then so I will experiment with that.
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No, you can use f11, just focus on one persons eye, hold the focus button down, recompose the photo and press the shutter down to take the photo :)
 
Harvey_nikon said:
No, you can use f11, just focus on one persons eye, hold the focus button down, recompose the photo and press the shutter down to take the photo :)
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I don't know if there is a right or wrong way but most of the time I have been moving the focus point on the camera to where I want it, i.e. on the subject and then taking the photo. I haven't thought about focusing on the subject, locking it and then recomposing the shot.
 
Pezza4u said:
I don't know if there is a right or wrong way but most of the time I have been moving the focus point on the camera to where I want it, i.e. on the subject and then taking the photo. I haven't thought about focusing on the subject, locking it and then recomposing the shot.
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Focus-recompose is a very common technique. I use it all the time, almost always with the centre point because in theory it's the most sensitive and accurate although mainly because it's easier, but sometimes with whichever point is nearest the area I want sharp.

There are a few occasions where other methods are better, but it's rare for me. It gives you control, knowing where the focus is, and that it won't change. With some cameras you can re-assign focusing away from the shutter release and to another botton - so-called back-button focusing - which effectively makes AF a separate operation. I was doubtful about it at first, but now I've got used to it, I prefer it :thumbs:
 
Argh did it again! :bang: Had my cousins Christening today and I took a few shots as I seem to be the family 'tog' now I have a DSLR! :suspect:

I got all of my photos in focus by putting the point onto an eye or head, recomposing the shot and then taking it. There are 2 which are out of focus though and looking at it I've locked the focus onto a candle, which is behind but in between 2 people :bonk: My Aunt also took one of me, which wasn't in focus even though I explained what to do as I have back button focusing enabled.

What can I do to remind myself to put the focus point on the subject I want in focus before locking it? I guess after a while it will come naturally :shrug:

When other people want to take a photo of me should I switch back to half pressing the shutter to focus, would this be easier for them?

Last thing, how can I improve the out of focus image using PP (I shot in RAW), it's not miles out of focus but enough for me to notice?
 
Pezza4u said:
Argh did it again! :bang: Had my cousins Christening today and I took a few shots as I seem to be the family 'tog' now I have a DSLR! :suspect:

I got all of my photos in focus by putting the point onto an eye or head, recomposing the shot and then taking it. There are 2 which are out of focus though and looking at it I've locked the focus onto a candle, which is behind but in between 2 people :bonk: My Aunt also took one of me, which wasn't in focus even though I explained what to do as I have back button focusing enabled.

What can I do to remind myself to put the focus point on the subject I want in focus before locking it? I guess after a while it will come naturally :shrug:

When other people want to take a photo of me should I switch back to half pressing the shutter to focus, would this be easier for them?

Last thing, how can I improve the out of focus image using PP (I shot in RAW), it's not miles out of focus but enough for me to notice?
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All i can say is that practice makes perfect. I was pretty dis-heartneded when I first got my DSLR as shots weren't sharp or looking like they belong on a magazine cover.

Things got easier for me when I upgraded my camera to one with more focus points but that was a bit of a cheat.

I also have back button focusing, but it was that long ago that I cant remember exactly how it is done in the menus. I'm wondering whether you have back button focusing but still have the focus attached to the trigger button so it is refocusing just before you fire the shutter.

In PP if you have photoshop or something similar then the sharpness tool is your friend, be careful how far you slide it though as an over-sharpened image can often look worse than something slightly OOF.

Keep taking the pictures, they cost nothing and you'll soon have a technique nailed.
 
Pezza4u said:
Last thing, how can I improve the out of focus image using PP (I shot in RAW), it's not miles out of focus but enough for me to notice?
Click to expand...

As Dan says, depends what software you have but sharpening is a bit of an art in itself. If I have a soft image that I really want to rescue then I'll sharpen it then go back and selectively sharpen key features like the eyes etc. a little bit more. Shooting in RAW can help rescue bad exposure but, sadly, not focus.

Another trick, if it suits the image, is to do a tasty black and white conversion (adding grain can help even more). Out of focus images suddenly look clever and artistic instead!
 
Thanks for the replies, I sharpened the image abit and it helped a little, converting to b&w seems a good idea I will try that as well. I think with the focusing I may have pressed the back button again after the initial focus. Sometimes the camera won't take the shot until the green light displays to say it's in focus. So I may have focused, gone to take the shot but it wouldn't fire, so I've pressed the back button again to refocus without thinking where the point is. I can't remember but that is the only obvious thing I can think of...another noob mistake!
 
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