Shifting focus to *

     When you buy a Canon digital SLR, your camera will likely be configured to focus by half-pressing the shutter release button.  This is the way most cameras are configured and this is the way most people accustomed to point and shoot cameras focus their cameras.

     There is another way to shoot pictures with your DSLR.  And in my humble opinion (again, I do have to qualify, I am an amateur and still learning.  Always learning :) ), a better way to shoot.  By better, I meant that I have more success at getting more photos in focus as well as properly exposed.  Whether it is shooting a static subject using single shot or shooting a moving subject, like a bird in flight or athletes in motion, using AF Servo and multiple frames.  How you do this is by reassigning the focus function to your * button, if you're using a 450D like mine.  You can find this setting in the Custom Functions menu, under C.Fn 10.

     To learn more about this setting, and why you should use it, have a read here.  It is very well explained and provides illustrations and pictures to make it easier to understand.

     Happy reading!

FIXED!! Back Focus Problems with My 55 - 250 IS

     It's been fixed.  I finally had an opportunity to send in my EF-s 55-250 IS to Canon to have it calibrated.  If you recall, my 250 was suffering from back focus problems, which I wrote about here.  I had doubts about it as the images it produced were either equal if not marginally better than my EF-s 18-55 IS kit lens when comparing images captured at 55 mm for both lenses, which I mentioned here.  But after some thought, I finally gave in to the niggling doubts in my head (which I mentioned here).

     My experience with Canon after sales was still pleasant.  They handled my complaint professionally, and I even had a chance to speak with the technician that calibrated my 250.  The only difference was, this time, it took two weeks instead of the one week it took for them to calibrate my EF 50 f/1.8.  Also, this time, they asked me to send in everything.  My 450D as well as all my lenses - which weren't many.  I only have the 50 1.8, the 250 and my 18-55 kit lens.  It was ready for pickup by Friday evening, just as the technician promised.

     Naturally, after getting it back, I spent some time with it.  And after some first round controlled as well as real world tests, I'm happy to say that I think the lens is now fixed.  In controlled tests (see pics below), it seems almost spot on.  I say almost because at 55 mm it is almost front focusing as the subject in focus as right at the very end of the 'focus range' (I'm not sure what else to call it).  But it is still in focus.  By 70 mm, its focus is dead on and this is true all the way to 250mm.  Before I sent it in for calibration, it was back focusing below 90 mm.

     In real world tests, I had one particular picture that was a bit soft, which I at first thought was a front focus issue.  But, with the rest of the images, I hard a really hard time finding fault.  Everything seemed in focus.  So I would accept that the one soft image was a result of operator error.  The only thing now is that I feel that the images that I capture are not as sharp as what other folks capture with similar equipment.  However, I don't know if this is the result of them having better shooting techniques, or better copies of the body, or the lens or if the other folks do more post process.  My PP is limited to what the Canon DPP software can do - and even then, I have only learned maybe 30% of its features.  Also, I wish this lens had better bokeh but at RM 890, I guess its as good as I'm going to get from this lens.  So this gives me reason to look forward to the 70-200 f/2.8 L IS.

     In any case, I'm happy with the calibration results.  Below are samples from the controlled tests as well as some images from my Sunday morning walk.

1. 55 mm.  Focused on the middle box.

2. 250 mm.  Focused on the middle box.

 

3. Some real world pics.

The sharpest image is not necessarily the best

When I got my EF 50 mm f1.8 MkII lens, the thing that stayed in my mind the most was how I could take pictures that were really sharp - or tack sharp, as some would say. And my 50 did not disappoint. It is, by far, the sharpest lens I own. Of course, I only own 4 lenses, and non of them are L.

What constitutes a sharp image? Well, in my words, if I were to snap your portrait with my 50, I would be able to make out every strand of hair on your head, every pore on your face, and even the tiny hairs on your upper lip.   The image below is of my daughter, taken with my 50 @ 2.8.  This is relatively sharp.  It gets even sharper at 4.0.

Being able to capture such detail is sometimes really good. Especially when you want to portray the hardship a person has endured in his lifetime by showing the wrinkles on his face. However, if the mood you want to depict is a dreamy one, then the harsh sharpness is a no no. Or if your subject is your wife. This was very telling when, after we got back from a long weekend getaway at Cameron Highlands with over 500 photos, she mostly avoided her photos that were too sharp when posting to her facebook page.

So there you have it. Sharp is not always good. However, I will still choose a sharper lens over a soft lens any day, because with a sharp lens, I can soften the image by shooting wide open - but I'm not so sure I can improve the image quality of a picture captured by a really soft lens.