New DSLR owner having problems

I recently purchased the Canon Rebel XS from B&H with the included kit lens. While I had no misgivings that this was going to make my photography fantastic overnight, especially with the kit lens, I also did not think it would frustrate me to this degree. Unfortunately, I don't have any images handy to post right now, but basically I'm finding that everything I shoot seems to be soft, even to the point of being blurry, even with a flash, especially indoors. Even some cloudy outdoor stuff I shot yesterday wasn't real compelling. What am I doing wrong? Do I need something better than the kit lens to expect better results? I'm thinking of getting a prime f/1.4 lens, since most of my photography is indoor and zoom is not so important. Any help is appreciated.

Hi David. Sorry to hear you are having problems.


To answer your questions more information is needed. An example photo would be great, that way we can see what you are seeing. Then the Exif information from the photo, so that we can see what settings you are using.


Just go take a photo and then post it.

Without seeing examples, it sounds like the shutter speed may be a little slow (low light, indoors). You might want to try Av mode and try increasing ISO to maybe 600 or so. Noise should not be much of a problem. Primes are good and large apatures let in a lot of light, but they also give you shallow depth of field to blur backgrounds (great effect!). You might look into a 16-35 f2.8L for indoor zoom.

Thanks for all the quick replies! As soon as I can, I'll post some images in this thread.

don't get discourage David, it takes a while to get a hang of DSLR [:)]..post some samples and we can help you point out what needs to improve.

Ok, here goes.


[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.27.17/DPP_5F00_0847.JPG[/img]


This one I consider to be pretty decent. Exif data:


File name
DPP_0847.JPG
Camera Model Name
Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS
Firmware
-
Shooting Date/Time
2/21/2009 20:19:14
Tv(Shutter Speed)
1/200Sec.
Av(Aperture Value)
F5.6
Metering Modes
-
Exposure Compensation
0
ISO Speed
400
Lens
-
Focal Length
49.0 mm
Image size
768 x 512
Image Quality
-
Flash
On


And then some of the not-so-great:


[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.27.17/DPP_5F00_08472.JPG[/img]


Exif:


File name
DPP_08472.JPG
Camera Model Name
Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS
Firmware
-
Shooting Date/Time
2/20/2009 19:52:57
Tv(Shutter Speed)
1/200Sec.
Av(Aperture Value)
F5.6
Metering Modes
-
Exposure Compensation
0
ISO Speed
100
Lens
-
Focal Length
55.0 mm
Image size
885 x 590


[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.27.17/DPP_5F00_08473.JPG[/img]


Exif:


File name
DPP_08473.JPG
Camera Model Name
Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS
Firmware
-
Shooting Date/Time
2/17/2009 19:29:37
Tv(Shutter Speed)
1/200Sec.
Av(Aperture Value)
F3.5
Metering Modes
-
Exposure Compensation
0
ISO Speed
100
Lens
-
Focal Length
18.0 mm
Image size
1024 x 683
Image Quality
-
Flash
On
White Balance
-
AF mode
-


And an outside shot:


[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.27.17/DPP_5F00_08471.JPG[/img]


Exif:


File name
DPP_08471.JPG
Camera Model Name
Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS
Firmware
-
Shooting Date/Time
3/1/2009 14:53:04
Tv(Shutter Speed)
1/4000Sec.
Av(Aperture Value)
F6.3
Metering Modes
-
Exposure Compensation
0
ISO Speed
800
Lens
-
Focal Length
45.0 mm
Image size
822 x 547
Image Quality
-
Flash
Off
White Balance
-
AF mode
-





Thanks in advance!!

The last two of the child seem to be focused behind the child.





I'd suggest trying the center point for autofocus, and paying attention to where that lands and blinks before you squeeze down all the way.

1 and 4 are not bad (I like the first one). 2 and 3 (to me) are low light challenged. An external flash bounced off the ceiling (or wall) and you'll have a much better image.


A slow lens like the one you are using will be slower focusing in low light also and this can cause images like 2 & 3.


Your camera is fine you just need to get it more light to work with. Try the Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens as a starting point. It's fast and very reasonably priced. If you have some place near you where you can rent lenses try the Sigma 30mm and the Canon 50mm f/1.4 to see which suits you best. For a flash recomendation try the Canon 430 EX or 430 EX II.


Have fun!

Thanks for all the help!


Basically, I look at my friend's flickr page, and it drives me nuts. I admit, I'm an impatient person, and want to get to the point where I'm taking shots that look this good:


<span style="color: #800080;"][url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jodimckee/3298762448/in/photostream/]http://www.flickr.com/photos/jodimckee/3298762448/in/photostream/[/url]


<span style="color: #800080;"]http://www.flickr.com/photos/jodimckee/3317073161/in/photostream/


She's shoting with a Rebel XTi, so the difference is not in the camera body. So I'm trying to figure out if it's the technique, setting, lenses, or both. I have a lot to learn! :)

The lens your friend used for these shots is the EF50mm f/1.4 USM, which is a marvelous lens and is one of my favorites.

And only $325 at B&amp;H. What a deal. Time to start working on my wife. [:)]

JUST UPDATED:


These don't look so bad to me, given they are just the first few. You'll be able to squeeze alot of performance out of you kit lens. You just need to shoot ALOT of photos, working on your technique. Flash Exposure Compensation for the first one. The flash is metering off some items that are darker than the face, so over-exposing the face. Focus and recompose on the second one, and learning about the Flash Exposure Lock function of your camera (the flash meters of the center of the frame, so if your subject is off-center, you can run into trouble with over exposure) for thethird one. I'll bet after you shoot 5-10,000 photos, you will be AMAZED at what you can do. I know it seems like alot, but that's why digital cameras are so great. You can experiment in every way. Don't ever hesitate to try something new.


I'll be posting a thread soon for kit lens photos only. You'll be able to so what can be done with the great equipment you already own!

My instructor told us right off the bat that our first 10,000 shots will be your worst, so keep shooting. Another photographer I know says "98% of your shots will be crap. Accept it and keep shooting." Along with all of the above advice, you should be fine.

You all are awesome. Thanks so much for the advice and encouragment!

I agree with Colin. To me it seems to be less of a motion blur issue, but more like focusing on the wrong area. In your second example, the vertical blinds behind the kid and the corner of the shelf-looking object on the right side are in focus. In the third picture, the frog on the chair is in focus, but that image is still decently sharp up to the point where the shallow depth of field caused by a f/3.5 aperture washes out whatever the child is holding. In these examples, are you using autofocus, and let the camera pick a focus point?

Yeah, I was using autofocus. The more I read, the more I think that I should be just using the center point for now and picking the focus point myself. Agreed about the f/3.5 aperature.With flash, I guess that's not necessary.I'm guessing what I did was try and take something without a flash at f/3.5, decided I needed flash, and never changed the aperature setting.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Steve Eisenberg

I'll be posting a thread soon for kit lens photos only. You'll be able to so what can be done with the great equipment you already own!
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I look forward to seeing this. It would be quite useful for beginners!

Dave,





As a new SLR user you may benefit from checking out some of my digital rebel guides at www.learnslr.com





hopefully these will help you a bit!





Dave

One of the big differences between a DSLR and a digicam (assuming that's what you upgraded from) is the depth of field. This makes focus more important at the large apertures available for DSLR (even f/5.6 requires attention to the focus). Another big diference is Phase Detect autofocus systems, which is very different from the Contrast Detect autofocus on a digicam. I think the advice you've already gotten combined with more practice will help you greatly. Just keep at it and soon enough your shots will come out much better.

Being pretty new to the DSLR thing I feel your pain. I was initialy slightly disapointed.


I have an XSi and replaced the kit lense witha Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8. I've had alot better results with it and my 50mm f/1.8. Try to learn to change the focus points while looking though the view finder. I try to focus on the eyes. I also take lots of shots in the hopes a good one will be more likely. I avoid the use of a flash even though I've got the EX430.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jarhead5811

I avoid the use of a flash even though I've got the EX430.
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I would like to avoid the flash too, but indoors I simply can't stop a 20-month old. So, I think I'm going to pick up the 50mm f/1.4 and go from there.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by davideglasgow

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jarhead5811

I avoid the use of a flash even though I've got the EX430.
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I would like to avoid the flash too, but indoors I simply can't stop a 20-month old. So, I think I'm going to pick up the 50mm f/1.4 and go from there.
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Why are we avoiding the flash?

To me, it seems the on-board flash gives the picture an unnatural "washed-out" look. Then again, I am an admitted beginner. But I also know people use alternative flash methods for a reason. I prefer ambient light. The only problem is, I don't have a lens that can effectively use it indoors most of the time.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by davideglasgow

To me, it seems the on-board flash gives the picture an unnatural "washed-out" look. Then again, I am an admitted beginner. But I also know people use alternative flash methods for a reason. I prefer ambient light. The only problem is, I don't have a lens that can effectively use it indoors most of the time.
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May I suggest a little experiment? Get a subject that will stand still for a few minutes (a wife can work ok for this), and using the kit lens and the on-board flash indoors, take a series of pictures: In "P" mode, pick a distance, and take a picture at each focal length on the lens. Then at the longest focal lenth, have the subject's head and shoulders fill the focus points area, take a picture, then move to the next shortest focal length, and move in closer to have the exact same framing as the previous photo. Do that for each of the focal lengths as well. Be sure your subject is always at the center of the frame.


The point of the exercise is to establish a baseline to work from. How do the the photos come out at each given situation? This is about the quality of the image lighting, so don't worry about the "perspective issues" that come with using short focal lengths up close. Do all photos have the same quality? Are some better or worse than others?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by davideglasgow

To me, it seems the on-board flash gives the picture an unnatural "washed-out" look. Then again, I am an admitted beginner. But I also know people use alternative flash methods for a reason. I prefer ambient light. The only problem is, I don't have a lens that can effectively use it indoors most of the time.
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You're going to get different results from green-box and P than you will with Av or Tv, and "unpredictable" results with M (until you truly understand how flash works). I shoot in Av at least 95% of the time (actually, I shoot in Av nearly 100% of the time, but sometimes put my camera in P if others might be using it). With Av (or Tv), you'll get a well-exposed background and far less "washout" in most cases, though you'll initially end up with horrendously long shutter speeds until you learn to juggle aperture/ISO/shutter well.

I do use my 430EX occasionaly to stop motion or when I have no other choice but prefer the look of natural light shots. I'm looking forward to eventualy getting a 530EX to control my 430EX off camera but it's a low priority to me.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jarhead5811

I do use my 430EX occasionaly to stop motion or when I have no other choice but prefer the look of natural light shots. I'm looking forward to eventualy getting a 530EX to control my 430EX off camera but it's a low priority to me.
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Why don't you get a cheap set of radio flash triggers from www.gadgetinfinity.com, or else try ebay. There are several cheap triggers out there that will give you off-camera flash without having to pay an arm and a leg. The only thing is you'll have to set your flash power manually. It's certainly worth the $35-$40 investment, though.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"]<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"]DO NOT GET A 50MM LENS, on a 1.6 crop it becomes an 80mm and for indoor shots of the family way to long, my favourite lens would be a 28mm (at 1.6x =45mm).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"] The 1.8 is a very nice lens, but I use the 2.8 and it is great. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"]P.S. (Please excuse those people that are asking you to sell a kidney to get a lens, it seems some people just like to show-off.)