Canon rebel owners: lense questions

I just purchased a EOS 400 (Rebel XTi) the supplied kit lense (18-55mm) produces very soft images no matter what I try:


What lenses do you guys use for models?

 

I recently purchased a digital Rebal and for really close up shots of models, I can get within inches and I use the close up mode, the one with the flower. I use auto focus as well. But the models where not white as the one that you did. Try it on something that is more cpmplete and then go from there. The lens may not be able to focus on the details being the model is all one color. But I do know that there is a macro adaptor made to fit the EOS line but is quite high for just taking model pic.

 

I was about to respond similarly. Autofocus systems work by sensing contrast. If your focus sensor is on inside the whites of the loco shell it will not focus right.

Try to hve the focus point span the body and one of the trucks for contrast.

 

I found the same by issue when photographing full sized trains... those shiny, new NS (and CSX) locos used to be an issue for my XT much more so than they are for the XTi.

Harold

 

Daniel,

I'm not familiar with Canon, but I'd try two easy things first. I presume from your previous excellent work you are using a tripod with all the tricks for camera stability

First, underexpose a bit. A mostly white subject tends to bloom, destroying the sharp points. I don't see any blown highlights in that image, so maybe you're already doing that.

Second, try manual focus and aperture.

Further, a lot of the "kit" lenses are not so good at the extreme ends of their range, nor of their aperture. I get my sharpest result at mid-length and mid-aperture. Can you take the picture that way?

Does the Rebel have in-camera sharpening? I don't know. My Nikons do, and I can turn it up or down as needed. Don't use the "Flower" setting, that's wrong, as it is usually a soft-focus setting.

Do you have a software program for sharpening, especially "Unsharp Mask?" That might help you.

Do you know of Helicon software? That, for me, has been a revelation, and a yearly licence for Focus only (you don't need Filter) is pretty cheap.

 

Sharpened with Photoshop

Daniel,

I'm not sure how this shows up on other screens, but it "appears" sharper. I used the "Unsharp Mask" feature of Photoshop at moderate settings. Let's see if I can attach it!

 

It turns out that many SLRs will not auto sharpen pictures. Most consumer digital cams sharpen the pictures right in the camera. with some minor software sharpening I got this:

 

Actually, they do. RTFM!!

Look under parameters in your menu... you'll find that you can use presets or customize your own. Sharpness is one of the parameters.

 

I have a 300D, which is a full 2 generations behind, but I do have some good lenses.

I find my 28-135 IS USM best for model photos. Neither IS, nor USM helps for models when shot on a tripod, but they do help elsewhere. This lense can focus down to 2' or so, and zoomed in at 135 produces quite an image for N scale at that distance.

I also have a 50mm prime, 75-300, and the "kit lense" 18-55. None are as useful for models. The kit lense, while light, is questionable quality all around. The 75-300 gets you more zoom, but the focus is around 3' minimum, and soft at that, so it's less useful for models than the 28-135 (although, outdoors for wildlife is another story). The 50mm prime is well, prime quality...however framing a shot is difficult at best.

I have a friend with the 18-85 who raves about it.

The kit lense is not bad, but it's not quality glass. Your first alternative should be the 18-85 EF-S, or the 28-135 IS USM, depending on what besides models you might shoot, and what you value in a lense. In the end, make friends with other DSLR owners, and offer to share lenses with them to try them out...

 

I was looking at the EF-S 17-85mm. It looks promising. The kit lense needs more sharpening then the camera can do on its own. I also find it more convienient if I do the sharpening via software where i can control the amount of sharpening after the shot. Some shots are a bit sharper then others, but none would do all that great without sharpening.

Nikon cameras have more sharpening built in from what I understand reading dpreview. This led to some problems when they tried to shoot soft focus. They liked Canon's hands off aproach better. I got this camera more for it's high ISO picture quality then anything else since I do a lot of night photography.

I'll take a look at the 28-135 IS as well. Its a little daunting at first. The transition from even a high level consumber camera to a full DSLR is pretty big.

 

If you want the ultimate in sharp, turn off camera sharpening, shoot RAW and then apply USM afterwards on your computer.

 

Daniel,
I found the 18-55 lens to be ultra-lightweight, however its optics were lacking. The 17-85 USM IS lens, although much heavier and more costly, definately produces a better picture. It increases your zoom from 3x to 5x, not to mention better quality optics that better your F stops. The down side is it does increase the weight significantly, however, you can handhold the IS lense down to 1/5 sec. and get a great photo!