# New lens.. Blurry photos :(



## Simons (Dec 26, 2009)

Hey

I have recently purchased a new lens but after taking some shots over Christmas with it i have had a lot of blurry shots.

I am still fairly new to photography.

My camera is the Canon EOS 1000d
My New lens is the Canon EF 70-200mm F/4L USM

Example of some of the blurry shots:

http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/2893/img5680i.jpg

http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/6102/img5707o.jpg

Camera Settings:

Shutter speed: 1/320 sec
Exposure Program: Aperture priority
F-Stop: f/4
Aperture Value: f/4.0
Iso Speed Ratings: 200
Focal Length: 100mm

Can anybody shed some light as to where I am going wrong? And maybe some tips of how to avoid similar problems in the future?

Many thanks!
Nic


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## ANDS! (Dec 26, 2009)

Doens't look blurry - looks slightly out of focus.  More so on that first show.  Also, if you were walking in that first shot, even a tiny bounce might introduce some shake.  But I don't think its shake so much as a focus issue.


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## Josh66 (Dec 26, 2009)

They are out of focus.

Are you half pressing the shutter release (to lock focus) before taking the picture?

Are you using auto-focus, or manual?


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## gsgary (Dec 26, 2009)

The second shot the shutter speed is too slow for the focal length


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## Vicelord John (Dec 26, 2009)

If that first shot were focused, I'd be say it's a very good shot!


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## Simons (Dec 26, 2009)

ANDS! said:


> Doens't look blurry - looks slightly out of focus.  More so on that first show.  Also, if you were walking in that first shot, even a tiny bounce might introduce some shake.  But I don't think its shake so much as a focus issue.



Hmm yeah i see what you mean. i was standing still taking the photo.



O|||||||O said:


> They are out of focus.
> 
> Are you half pressing the shutter release (to lock focus) before taking the picture?
> 
> Are you using auto-focus, or manual?



Yes i am half pressing the button until it focuses, and then taking the shot.

Im using auto-focus 



gsgary said:


> The second shot the shutter speed is too slow for the focal length



Hmm ok thanks, even tho its on 1/300 or whtever its on?


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## HikinMike (Dec 26, 2009)

Simons said:


> gsgary said:
> 
> 
> > The second shot the shutter speed is too slow for the focal length
> ...



No it's not. The second photo is @ 1/80.


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## Simons (Dec 26, 2009)

HikinMike said:


> Simons said:
> 
> 
> > gsgary said:
> ...



Ahh! ill take onboard what you've all said and try out some different shots!

thanks


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## gsgary (Dec 26, 2009)

Simons said:


> ANDS! said:
> 
> 
> > Doens't look blurry - looks slightly out of focus.  More so on that first show.  Also, if you were walking in that first shot, even a tiny bounce might introduce some shake.  But I don't think its shake so much as a focus issue.
> ...




Second shot is 1/80 at 140mm


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## icassell (Dec 26, 2009)

Don't forget that if you're going to handhold the lens, your shutter speed should be at least as fast as 1/(focal length).  Depending on how steady your hand is, you may need to be faster even than that. I also see, from your above note, that you are shooting at f/4.  Remember that very few lenses are at their sharpest when they are all the way open.  You might want to stop down a bit and crank your ISO up to match.


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## ANDS! (Dec 26, 2009)

If he cant get sharp corners at F/4, then he needs to take that lens back. 

And 1/80th of a second is pretty damn fast.  Faster than some animals - no.  Faster than a seemingly stationary woman - oh yea.


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## BoxPhotographer (Dec 26, 2009)

ANDS! said:


> If he cant get sharp corners at F/4, then he needs to take that lens back.
> 
> And 1/80th of a second is pretty damn fast.  Faster than some animals - no.  Faster than a seemingly stationary woman - oh yea.



*Word.*

Although he is right, 1/80 is rather fast and if you can't take a photo of someone walking then there is probably some sort of problem.


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## gsgary (Dec 26, 2009)

BoxPhotographer said:


> ANDS! said:
> 
> 
> > If he cant get sharp corners at F/4, then he needs to take that lens back.
> ...



Rubbish he is shooting at 140mm don't you know the basics of focal length and shutter speed


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## Dao (Dec 26, 2009)

The blur on the 1st photo seems to be out of focus.  When you look at the person with the brown jacket, the area where his right hand is, you will see some perfectly round circles.  So I do not believe it is motion blur. It seems to be out of focus.

However, on the 2nd one, I agree with others.  It was the result of motion blur and caused by camera shake.  (Like the jacket button are not round).

The first photo, was there a time gap between half press and full press the shutter button?  Like you lock the focus and then the subject walk out the focus plane.

EOS 1000D with 100mm, F/4.  If the subject is about 20 feet away, the Dof is only 2 feet.  So if they walk as normal speed, it may only take 1 sec for the person with brown jacket to walk out of the focus plane.



The second photo, as suggested by others, try using a faster shutter speed.    For 140mm on a Canon cropped body, I will say try it with 1/250.


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## ANDS! (Dec 26, 2009)

> Rubbish he is shooting at 140mm don't you know the basics of focal length and shutter speed



Absolute nonsense.  There are tons of people who can shoot 1/60th and slower of a second while using big honking telephoto lenses.


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## Dao (Dec 26, 2009)

ANDS! said:


> > Rubbish he is shooting at 140mm don't you know the basics of focal length and shutter speed
> 
> 
> Absolute nonsense.  There are tons of people who can shoot 1/60th and slower of a second while using big honking telephoto lenses.



ANDS!, you are right about some people can hand hold the camera pretty steady. But for a beginner like what OP said in his original post, I will assume that is not the case.


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## ANDS! (Dec 26, 2009)

Dao said:


> ANDS! said:
> 
> 
> > > Rubbish he is shooting at 140mm don't you know the basics of focal length and shutter speed
> ...



This I will agree with.  

I was more calling foul that the "rule of thumb" was rooted in anything other than "rule-of-thumbery".


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## Josh66 (Dec 26, 2009)

1/80th is good enough for me hand-held.
(I have the lens the OP is using, BTW...)

Even if it wasn't - I don't see camera shake in the sample pictures, I see slightly out of focus pictures.

Focus error, not shutter speed.


I think it's faulty technique to blame here.

Two things come to mind:
Focus, Recompose
Why Focus-Recompose Sucks

or

Shifting on your feet a little while taking the picture.

or...both at the same time.


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## Simons (Dec 26, 2009)

Some very interesting view points!

Given me a lot of things to think about an consider for next time i use the lens!

Thanks


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## icassell (Dec 26, 2009)

ANDS! said:


> > Rubbish he is shooting at 140mm don't you know the basics of focal length and shutter speed
> 
> 
> 
> Absolute nonsense.  There are tons of people who can shoot 1/60th and slower of a second while using big honking telephoto lenses.



I would suggest that motion blur will be detectable in most images shot at 1/60 with a long lens...

Some may be better than others at reducing blur (I will often handhold my 300mm at slower speeds than 1/300), but one can often do better when the lens is supported (myself included). 

With a beginner, it will almost certainly be a problem at handholding at slow speeds.  It is not "Rubbish".


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## Phranquey (Dec 26, 2009)

BoxPhotographer said:


> ANDS! said:
> 
> 
> > If he cant get sharp corners at F/4, then he needs to take that lens back.
> ...


 

*Word.   :raisedbrow:*

I can _pan_ at 1/80th....  for most that is too slow for that focal length handheld.


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## gsgary (Dec 27, 2009)

ANDS! said:


> > Rubbish he is shooting at 140mm don't you know the basics of focal length and shutter speed
> 
> 
> Absolute nonsense.  There are tons of people who can shoot 1/60th and slower of a second while using big honking telephoto lenses.



Yes i'm one of them but this is the beginners section


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## o hey tyler (Dec 27, 2009)

Might I suggest a monopod? A cheap stabilizer that's more portable than a tripod and good to use with a larger zoom lens.


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## HonCBRf4i (Dec 27, 2009)

I see you are shooting in Aperture mode, learn to shoot in manual mode so you have control of everything.  On your second photo, you aperture is way to high for the lighting, hence why it looks so grainy. As for the blurry shots, I'm sure it's not the lens or you would have posted all of your pictures taken with this lens...practice makes perfect.


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## o hey tyler (Dec 27, 2009)

HonCBRf4i said:


> I see you are shooting in Aperture mode, learn to shoot in manual mode so you have control of everything.  On your second photo, you aperture is way to high for the lighting, hence why it looks so grainy. As for the blurry shots, I'm sure it's not the lens or you would have posted all of your pictures taken with this lens...practice makes perfect.



Uh, he shot at f/4 which is the largest aperture the lens allows...? And the ISO was on 800, which was probably the cause of the noise. I don't believe the aperture had a thing to do with it.


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## HonCBRf4i (Dec 27, 2009)

o hey tyler said:


> HonCBRf4i said:
> 
> 
> > I see you are shooting in Aperture mode, learn to shoot in manual mode so you have control of everything.  On your second photo, you aperture is way to high for the lighting, hence why it looks so grainy. As for the blurry shots, I'm sure it's not the lens or you would have posted all of your pictures taken with this lens...practice makes perfect.
> ...




Ok, I see what you are saying, I meant to say his ISO is way to high on the second photo not his aperture...my mistake and thanks for pointing that out  I think his subjects were in focus at one time, but he took too long to hit the shutter release and they had moved out of focus


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