Beginner undestanding canon dslr help

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kevin charnock

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kev charnock
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Can anyone please give me some advice on some very frustrating problems in having with my camera? I’m still learning photography so any advice is great

Problem

I have a Canon 600d and at air shows I use a Sigma 50.500mm 1.4-6.3 APO lens .The problem I’m having is the lens cant seam to focus on moving objects .I like going to air shows but getting fed up with lens not being able to lock on and focus aircraft it keeps focusing in and out and wont lock to give me a clear shot even if I do get it to focus is soon as I scan across the sky following the aircraft it struggles to focus and lock on. It’s not just this lens it the same with others I have tried.
.I have tried one shot . Al focus . Al servo . Iv done spot metering ,partial evaluative and center metering mode .
I have played with all settings but still it changes nothing the only way I get a shot is to stick the focus point on infinity but it’s not ideal .I recently went to the mac loop and after waiting all day in the freezing cold a typhoon appeared but as soon as I pointed camera at it the lens just could not focus on moving jet and all I got was blurred phots I’m so disappointed and really not enjoying photograph at mo. . So what’s going on? If it’s because I’m using a basic modal camera if so can anyone please recommend the next modals up that may sort this problem out I can’t afford the latest modals so I’m looking at the next upgrade that will solve my problem.
any advice would be great
Thank you for your time
 
Not sure if you have tried this but set your camera to use the centre focus point, switch to a1 servo you can use either to or av mode and try again
 
Have you tried it in 'Sports' mode?

Might be the place to start and should give you a chance of capturing something.

Try practicing on moving cars or go to a local airport if possible and have a go.

Would also be useful to post some example shot on here.
 
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Have you tried the AI Servo, great for moving subjects:)
 
Thanks for advice . No point posting pictures they are all just blurred and out of focus . On slow aircraft it seams ok but as soon as anything fast comes along on chance ...the lens motor just moves lens trying to focus any picture I take are always blurred . Infinity is the only way I can get any picture. . I'm running out of ideas and tryed so many different settings . I was thinking it's the Camara but been told 600d should be fine with big lens
 
kevin charnock said:
No point posting pictures they are all just blurred and out of focus
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Sharing your photos on Flickr with the EXIF intact will often allow someone to spot something in your settings that you're missing and haven't mentioned. Particularly if you're still learning and getting to grips with the system, don't make the mistake of assuming that information you don't think is relevant isn't in fact relevant.

Focusing is a combination of body, lens and user. Any problem is unlikely to be the fault of just one part of the system. PEBV is more common than most people would like to think, and it affects photographers of all abilities from time to time..
 
kevin charnock said:
So what’s going on? If it’s because I’m using a basic modal camera if so can anyone please recommend the next modals up that may sort this problem out I can’t afford the latest modals so I’m looking at the next upgrade that will solve my problem.
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That's absolutely the last resort. The 600D is an entry-level camera but it should be capable of doing this.

Let's take it one step at at time. Firstly, clean the contacts on the lens and the camera as suggested by @Dave70D. That might or might not be a contributory cause, but let's rule it out anyway. Next, make sure the camera is in One Shot AF mode (page 83 of the user manual) and you have the centre AF point selected (page 85). Will the lens focus quickly and reliably on static targets at a variety of ranges? If it works, then select each individual AF point in turn (page 85) and check they also work.

Assuming that focusing on static targets works, let's move on to moving targets. (This means moving towards you or away from you, not across your view.). The easiest way to do this is, as @GeeJay57 suggests, is by the roadside. Put the camera in AI Servo AF mode (page 83) and select the centre AF point. Try shooting cars as they come towards you or go away from you. Make sure you're aiming at a contrasty part of the car, such as the radiator grille or the numberplate, rather than the bonnet or windscreen which doesn't really have any details for the AF system to lock on to. Does it work? Start with slow cars and work up to higher speeds if you're not sure. Once you get up to motorway speeds, post some example pictures ans we can see how good it's looking.
 
I agree with posting a shot with some exif data it could tell us a lot as you say it seems ok on slower objects.
I would add that I had a 550d which I used for lots of action shots without a problem
 
StewartR said:
That's absolutely the last resort. The 600D is an entry-level camera but it should be capable of doing this.

Let's take it one step at at time. Firstly, clean the contacts on the lens and the camera as suggested by @Dave70D. That might or might not be a contributory cause, but let's rule it out anyway. Next, make sure the camera is in One Shot AF mode (page 83 of the user manual) and you have the centre AF point selected (page 85). Will the lens focus quickly and reliably on static targets at a variety of ranges? If it works, then select each individual AF point in turn (page 85) and check they also work.

Assuming that focusing on static targets works, let's move on to moving targets. (This means moving towards you or away from you, not across your view.). The easiest way to do this is, as @GeeJay57 suggests, is by the roadside. Put the camera in AI Servo AF mode (page 83) and select the centre AF point. Try shooting cars as they come towards you or go away from you. Make sure you're aiming at a contrasty part of the car, such as the radiator grille or the numberplate, rather than the bonnet or windscreen which doesn't really have any details for the AF system to lock on to. Does it work? Start with slow cars and work up to higher speeds if you're not sure. Once you get up to motorway speeds, post some example pictures ans we can see how good it's looking.
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wave01 said:
I agree with posting a shot with some exif data it could tell us a lot as you say it seems ok on slower objects.
I would add that I had a 550d which I used for lots of action shots without a problem
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Agree with both the above, the 600D Should be great for airshows :) I have used 600D,1100D and my 70D at airshows and got great shots over the years :)
 
Thank you all for posting replies. I must admit Iv deleted all blurred photos but I will go and take some fast moving objects like cars and if it won't focus I will post image with settings that I'm using .
Thanks
 
kevin charnock said:
Thank you all for posting replies. I must admit Iv deleted all blurred photos but I will go and take some fast moving objects like cars and if it won't focus I will post image with settings that I'm using .
Thanks
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Before you go out, read up on the following:
Back button focus
AI servo
Choosing a focus point
Panning
Appropriate shutter speeds for moving objects.

There's a hundred different reasons you get blurred images. It needs appropriate camera settings and solid technique.
 
Just remember, you can't learn anything from a deleted photo..

Always keep examples of the bad shots, at least until you figure out what went wrong and have managed to correct it and produce better examples. Storage is cheap, Lightroom makes file management simple, there's no pressing reason to be overly ruthless with deleting.
 
Not been mentioned before and I don't know if your lens has one but if there is a focus limit switch make sure this is not set to limit the focus distance. Long zoom lenses usually have this feature.
 
My best guess is that it's primarily a technique/skill issue. You need to pick up the subject as early as possible and keep the AF point(s) on the same spot on the aircraft as much as possible. This allows the AF time to settle/focus, and it establishes synchronization/inertia(stability) which will help the AF system. If you are having trouble doing this (which is common) you might try letting the camera select the AF point (auto). Additionally, there are several situations possible when photographing aircraft that make any AF system struggle even more, strong backlight/low contrast/etc.

That said, I owned that lens and it is not particularly fast to focus. Additionally, it is at f/6.3 rather early in the zoom range, which is more challenging for most cameras (your 600D) as the AF system is designed for f/5.6 or faster lens's. At smaller apertures above f/5.6 the focus points start to be vignetted by the aperture blades, and therefore they do not get a complete image nor as much light. (The aperture of concern is the max aperture available which is what's used during autofocus, not the aperture setting you have dialed in.)
 
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BTW, I remember using that lens on a D300 to photograph Moto GP races in the rain some years ago... in some situations the AF performance was quite poor. To get around it I used a technique known as "zone focus" where you manually pre-focus at the expected distance... using a smaller aperture like f/11 for more DOF helps. You can use this technique to give the AF system a head start, or you can leave it in manual focus and rely entirely on the DOF and correct anticipation of the shot/distance.
 
The other thing I've had happening to me is that if you try to focus on an object in the sky with the sun in the frame, it may throw off the AF mechanism and your camera/lens will not be able to lock onto anything. Basically, the AF system needs something with contrast to lock focus on; if it doesn't find that contrast quickly, it will go back and forth through the entire focus range looking for something to lock focus onto.
 
maarten.dhaese said:
The other thing I've had happening to me is that if you try to focus on an object in the sky with the sun in the frame, it may throw off the AF mechanism and your camera/lens will not be able to lock onto anything. Basically, the AF system needs something with contrast to lock focus on; if it doesn't find that contrast quickly, it will go back and forth through the entire focus range looking for something to lock focus onto.
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That's exactly what is happing the lens just goes back and forth never managing to focus on the object . looking at the advice i need to get the AF system to lock that's the difficult part . There as been some good advice given so i need to try different settings . Its very frustrating i just cant seam to sort it ..thanks all for advice
 
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One thing I will add what focus point are you using or are trying to use them all
 
The AF system can't lock unless you manage to get the appropriate focus point held on the appropriate part of the moving object for long enough for it to focus. That's technique. If it just manages to get near focus and you wobble the focus point off the object it will miss it and go off hunting all over again. While you're learning how all the focus points and modes work, and learning good technique, start with only the central focus point, it's often more capable than the others and you know exactly what the camera is doing.
 
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