Canon 'Nift-Fifty' 1.8

[crystalb]

I just bought the Canon 50mm 1.8 and I have to say I'm not very impressed :(
I'm having trouble getting sharp pictures....:wall-an:

[Mad Aussie]

I have this one .. .the cheapest Canon do ...
http://www.cameraworld.co.uk/images/products/large/Canon%2050mm%20f1.8%20EF%20200.jpg

Is this the one you got?

Getting sharp photos with it has never been a problem for me. It's amazing considering the dollars.

Maybe take a few photos for us to see?

A closeup ... and landscape ... and maybe something in between like a garden or a car or something?

[kurtdriver]

I have two, in FD mounts, mind you. I quite enjoy the one I use.

[crystalb]

MA- yup. That's the one. Here are some pics...

[kat]

Is it manual focus? I had the hardest time learning with my 50mm...still have a a hard time!

[crystalb]

Nope. Auto.... I will go out tomorrow to try a few more different pics...

[Mad Aussie]

Nope. Auto.... I will go out tomorrow to try a few more different pics...
Try some shots with Shutter priority at a shutter speed of at least 1/500 for us and lets see what happens then.

[Mad Aussie]

Here's a couple I took with that lens ...

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_FobHF96FdQU/SUd6F8vq57I/AAAAAAAAAw8/0Vzz9I0NL2U/s800/IMG_0004.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2529/4118574839_1bbdc7927e_o.jpg

As you can see ... sharp.

[crystalb]

These were from today....
The first two were
1/500
F6.3
iso 400

Last one was
1.500
3.2
iso 400

Is it just me?:headslap:

[crystalb]

What settings did you use for your pics?, if you don't mind me asking.....

[F8&Bthere]

To my eye it's not bad, but does seem a bit soft. 1/500 shutter should rule out camera shake, so I'm wondering if you can try some shots in good light with a fast-ish shutter again 1/250 or faster, keeping the aperture in the usual sweet spot of f8 (hopefully light is good enough that you can use Aperture priority, set it to f8 and get that fast shutter without upping the ISO beyond 400- lower the better for this test I would think). And then try some shots autofocused and some shots manually focused. See if there's any difference in sharpness. On a tripod, even better. It could be a focus problem and/or just a rare lemon, is it either exchangeable or under warranty?

[Iguanasan]

Hey, Crystalb.

Try taking a few shots at ISO 100 in a well lit space @ either 1/60 or faster and f5.6 or f8.0.

For a well lit scene with those settings you may find your new lens produces a much sharper image. Also, check your camera settings:

- Make sure the quality of the images is set to high (L) and fine.
- Check page 78 of your manual and adjust some the picture style.

Hopefully, this will help you find out more.

[crystalb]

Yes I still have until the middle of next week to exchange it...

[crystalb]

Thanks guys I will try to take some more tomorrow... My camera is already set at the highest picture quality.

[Mad Aussie]

The 2nd two seem to have some sharpness about them, albeit a very narrow dof.

What AF points are you using here? For landscape I often use all of them unless these specifically something I want to isolate a little. For portrait or birds etc I use a single point and make sure that's on the eye of my subject when I focus.

I'd try a few more shots with a scene that is full of detail ... like a bookcase of books and set the f-stop to something around f16 to get more dof. If you have a tripod, use that. If not, then use the timer with the camera sitting steady on something.


My settings were 1/60 at f8 for the first shot and 1/60 at f3.2 for the 2nd shot.

[Mad Aussie]

I'll pull my 50mm out soon and snap a few off as well Crystal ... I won't sharpen them at all and I'll upload them so you can compare.

[Mad Aussie]

Here we go Crystal ... 4 quick shots I just took with the same 50mm f1.8.

There is no sharpening or any sort done on these of course. I also removed the UV Filter to take it out of the equation, suggest you do also. No flash used either. I chose f8 as it's a good middle of the road setting that produces sharp results on most lenses.


1/50 @ f8
http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u104/Mad-Aussie/09%20photographyca/july-dec09/_MG_0579.jpg

1/800 @ f8
http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u104/Mad-Aussie/09%20photographyca/july-dec09/_MG_0582.jpg

1/500 @ f8
http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u104/Mad-Aussie/09%20photographyca/july-dec09/_MG_0584.jpg

1/50 @ f8
http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u104/Mad-Aussie/09%20photographyca/july-dec09/_MG_0587.jpg


One thing we did think of was the manual focus ring on the 50mm is not very stiff and after some use it can get so it moves by itself as you move the camera, so if you knock it at all after focusing you will adjust the focus. We noticed this at an event shoot we used it for in low light and had to focus and then hold the ring with a finger to stop it self adjusting. It might just be our lens here but I thought I'd mention it.

[crystalb]

I tried and failed:yell:
I'm hoping it's just a faulty lense and am going to exchange it......hopefully.:fingerscr

Thanks everyone for all you help.
:thankyou:

[Mad Aussie]

Good luck with that Crystal. It is sounding like somethings not right.

[crystalb]

If the next one is the same, I will be taking it to the shooting range!:evil2::p

[Iguanasan]

If the next one is the same, I will be taking it to the shooting range!:evil2::p

Good luck! :fingerscr

[jumpinjimmyjava]

Crystal, I am able to achieve better sharpness with all my Canon and Sigma lenses if I turn off auto focus and just manual focus. I truly believe the AF on my 40D stands for "approximate focus" Give it a try. Take two photos, using a tripod. Auto focus one then switch to manual focus for the second photo. Then compare the two on your computer monitor. I bet the manual focus shot is sharpest. Hope this helps - jimmy ...:)

Almost forgot, shoot at F8 or so and a fast shutter speed.

[Mad Aussie]

I don't have any trouble with my auto focus on either of my 40D's with my Canon lenses. However, I've never done a manual comparison.

[jumpinjimmyjava]

Mad , I am about to switch to the Nikon D700. It would be so nice to rely on auto focus but I cannot! All my lenses manual focus sharper so it must be my camera - jimmy

[jumpinjimmyjava]

Mad, just try the comparison and possibly you may be surprised. One really cannot tell just by looking at the back camera screen. It must be compared on your computer monitor - jimmy

[Mad Aussie]

Mad , I am about to switch to the Nikon D700.
Will you be able to take REAL photos with that one do you think? ;)

[tomorrowstreasures]

i felt a lot of frustration with focusing as well... it is one of those things that has many elements to it...
fstop. motion. and calibration.
yup. calibration.
here is a website that you may find useful... or, then again, maybe not :o
LensAlign® Focus Calibration System (http://www.lensalign.com/what-is-lensalign.html)

ps... with my nifty50 f1.8, i use manual focus only.

[jumpinjimmyjava]

Mad, real photo, me I doubt it. Haha.

[Mad Aussie]

Mad, real photo, me I doubt it. Haha.
One day I'm sure you'll surprize me and post up a stunning, full colour photo with no added filters just to prove you can do it ;)

[jumpinjimmyjava]

Hi tt, thank you for the link. I have used similar test charts. They showed my AF does not focus on the spot I cover with my focus point! Thanks again for the advice - jimmy. :)

[jumpinjimmyjava]

Mad, when I get my Nikon D700 I will post a real photo! I think I will !!! :)

[Mad Aussie]

Mad, when I get my Nikon D700 I will post a real photo! I think I will !!! :)
Don't tease me Jimmy :mad:

[jumpinjimmyjava]

Ok :laugh:

[ArtTwisted]

Canon, Nikon, Pentax all have been using the exact same design for the 50 1.8 for a longggg time beyond my years, as long as you got a good copy it should be sharp. Ive used both the canon 1.8 and nikon variant and there both quite sharp especially at around 5.8 - 8