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Help with Blurred Photo


bahmed22

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Hi,

 

I recently started photographing landing planes, however my photos are all blurred despite using all possible settings. I am using Canon EOS70D with Canon EF70-300 IS USM, at 300mm. I have used TV mode with 1/1000 shutter speed, AV mode with F-8, I have used IS in both mode 1 and 2 and also turned off, used center weighted, partial and evaluative metering modes but all with same result. I am using AI servo focusing and have selected center focus point.

 

Here is the result, is this motion blur or is the plane not properly focused?

 

35117816756_9b220cc54c_h.jpgIMage 1 by Bakhtiar Ahmed, on Flickr']35117816756_9b220cc54c_h.jpgIMage 1 by Bakhtiar Ahmed, on Flickr[/url]

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Hello Bakhtiar. A landing plane is traveling 100-200 mph and would give you a streak from edge to edge if you are not synced to it's speed with the camera shutter speed. I believe you have a focus problem. Test this idea by photographing moving cars. . . a bit slow, but the same edge to edge streaking will occur with all but the fastest shutter speed. Also look into the idea of "panning" with your subject matter. Most exposures of fast moving objects will require a combination of this panning with fast shutter speeds. My picture of the racing enduro kart combines a fast shutter speed (1/250) and panning with the kart as it passed by my location at +50 mph to keep the subject sharp1781792767_DSCF94715x7ccsgs.JPG.777a11bbaf41e1dd781cea02279bce33.JPG .

Don't despair, as it takes a bit of time to get everything working smoothly. Aloha, Bill

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That's a focus issue, not motion blur. The easy way to tell is that out of focus is "circular" (its as blurred vertically & diagonally as it is horizontally) motion blur is more "linear" (for horizontal motion there's more horizontal blur than vertical) & vice versa. Its hard for auto focus to "lock" on a blank area such as sky.

My answer would be to set the lens to "infinity" & lock it into manual. Lets face it if a landing plane is close enough to need focussing on there's something terribly, horribl;y wrong. ;)

After all what's the longest settable distance? Anything beyond that is infinity.

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Do you have a Filter on your lens? If so what Filter is it?

What was the setting for IS for that particular sample shot?

 

EXIF reports that shot was pulled with the EF70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM lens set at 300mm used on a Canon EOS 70D and the lens set at Aperture = F/6.3 and a Shutter Speed = 1/1000s.

 

EXIF further reports that the lens was (approximately) focused at a distance of "4294967295" - which I understand is very close to infinity.

 

If EXIF data is accurate, then considering the expected DoF (Depth of Field) and Image quality of that particular lens when used at 300mm, at F/6.3, I think that there is something more than just a focus issue that has caused the substandard sample image.

 

I think that you should first check the image quality of the lens (at F/6.3) and also other apertures: you could do this by shooting a static object at a very far distance and use a fast shutter speed (e.g.1/4000s) and IS "ON" and without any filter on the lens.

 

If you get good results, then try the same with Planes in Flight - and then report back.

 

WW

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I'll second William's advice to remove any filter you have fitted. If you're trying to shoot through the window/windscreen of a parked car... there's your problem.

 

If that's not the fault, then try to manually focus the lens just a hair short of infinity and make sure it stays there. Unfortunately, most zooms these days don't have a "hard" infinity stop, so finding the best focus manually may not be easy.

 

I've also seen similar blur from inappropriate use of IS (VR, OS, VC - whatever). If you have the camera on a tripod, then turn any image stabilisation off. At 1/1000 s it probably won't be of any benefit anyway.

 

Least likely possibility is that you have a faulty lens. Unlikely but possible. Do you get good results with the lens under other circumstances?

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Thank you all for your replies and advice.

 

I am not using any filter and am not shooting from behind glass or screen. The EXIF shown for this photo is correct, it was captured handheld with IS off.

 

I will try panning method and also check the lens shooting static objects to see if there is any difference.in thr result

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There's something "odd" about the blur, its not motion for sure but its not just "out of focus" either!

Its almost like a superimposed double image with one smaller & less blurry than the other.

Odd Thought.

Could the auto focus system be operating continuously (rather than one shot & lock)?

Bear with me here, I'll explain.

If the focus zone was "bobbing" between the aircraft & the blank sky behind it & was "hunting for a lock" that might produce a similar effect?

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Chazfenn, I agree there is something odd about the image. Almost like it's two superimposed shots. The blur is in front of the "sharper" image, i.e., it coms later in the exposure sequence.

But, yes, as has been suggested, let's see a static shot so we can learn more.

It's a puzzlement!

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IMG_0377.thumb.jpg.32d2f06cce1b5663a5a3b21b0e995c42.jpg

 

Here is the untouched RAW file of the same image, just converted to JPG no post processing - I shoot in RAW + JPG and the image posted in the opening post was camera jpg. I think the blurriness in RAW is not that pronounced but if I process it by adjusting the exposure etc, the result would be similar to the Jpg version

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OK, It looks like a post processing artifact has overlaid the original, which was out of focus.

My suggestions.

set focus to infinity, manually & lock,

Set shutter priority & 1/500 or more. (DOF is not critical so the big aperture wont be a problem)

Set exposure compensation to + 1 1/2 stops (the sky is much brighter than the aircraft, which is the subject, expose for that.)

Pan with the aircraft. Continue panning after the exposure a little, don't stop but follow through.

Give it a shot!

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As far as I know, it is usual on long lenses to allow focus slightly past infinity.

 

For one, to allow for thermal expansion, which could make it not possible to reach infinity.

 

I have used a 500mm mirror lens, and found it surprisingly hard to get focus right at infinity,

and even more, for objects that seem far away, but aren't far enough with a 500mm lens.

-- glen

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Yes, you'd actually have to focus on an object at the same distance to get a 100% accurate fixed point. Just dialing the "figure-8 sideways" wont do it accurately. I'd go with a stationary object at the same distance & use it as a substitute subject.
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I have no problem getting excellent sharpness from a Tamron SP VC 70-300 lens hand held.

 

The example shot of two birds just isn't sharp anywhere. The double image effect makes me suspect a faulty lens. There was a similar image posted some time ago in an old thread, and that turned out to be due to a faulty lens.

 

Of course I can't be certain, but that's what it looks like. Maybe the IS isn't working properly.

 

When and where was the lens bought?

 

But to be certain, you need to use the lens on a tripod with IS off, in good light, with a fairly high shutter speed (> 1/250th) and a subject about 10 metres away. Check the AF against a series of manually focused shots using focus bracketing. In other words "nudge" the focus by a very tiny amount either side of what looks in focus through the viewfinder. Say, 5 shots each way, with a barely noticeable twitch of focus between each one. If none of the pictures are sharp, then I'd say you almost definitely have a bad lens.

 

At the moment the blur is looking slightly like camera shake too. Only shots from a sturdy tripod will eliminate camera movement. At the very least hold the camera down on a solid surface and do some more tests.

Edited by rodeo_joe|1
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I concur that the image of the birds is not sharp (anywhere).

 

You really need to first do a battery of tests at a few different aperturs with a fast shutter speed and a stable camera set on a tripod and use confirmed MANUAL FOCUS to ensure that the lens is (optically) sharp, doing this INITIAL test will be without IS and without AF.

 

If you get razor sharp images in that first test - then you can test AF (camera still on tripod) and then test IS (handheld).

 

You must follow some logical procedure to eliminate each potential issue, one step at a time.

 

A newspaper attached to a flat wall make a suitable testing target.

 

WW

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  • 1 month later...

In addition to all the advice from others, you must take into account the focal length of your lens as it affects the shutter speed needed to stop motion. I have an old Kodak Professional Photoguide that has a ton of information on all kinds of situations. One page is about stop-action shutter speeds.

 

According to the guide, to stop the action of a low-flying plane moving directly across the field of view at 100 mph and at a distance of 200 feet, you need a shutter speed of 1/500. If the plane is closer, shutter speed must be increased (and conversely if further away). However that is for a normal focal length lens. The speed needs to be faster with longer lens.

 

Kodak gives a general formula to calculate shutter speed by plugging in the variables (see below). For a 300mm lens, you could probably get a sharp photo without panning (push the button when the plane is in the centre of the field) with a speed of around 1/3000 s. It takes practice and a steady hand and eye to pan successfully without introducing another factor that affects sharpness.

 

motion.jpg.115364409303437eaa97b79168cf91f9.jpg

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Unless my good eye deceives me (it does now & then) I see blur above and below the craft but NOT aft of the rudder and forward of the nose where it should have been considering that the plane was moving right to left. What does that tell us?

I would vote for a specific type of camera movement. The camera was only rotated (not moved) on its X-Y axis due to excessive mirror slap. Some years ago I reduced the tension of the mirror return spring on my medium format SLR which facilitated hand holding at slower shutter speeds. If all else fails the mirror slap ought to be addressed.

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