Do my eyes deceive me?

[mario_henriquez]

Okay, so I'm a beginner. I say this because it may have something to do with

the problem I'm having. That is, my pictures come out blurred, out of focus.

This happens especially with night shots. I don't know if it is because I'm

getting older or what, but the truth is that some of my shots, once I see them

in the big screen of my computer, are out of focus. I thought I was doing a

good job getting my subject to a sharp focus but apparently this is not the

case. Is this a "normal" problem for beginners and is just something that, with

practice, I will eventually master? Have others had a problem with this? Thanks.

[fredrik_steffen]

Make sure your shutter speed is atleast 1/focal lenght. Ie. it you are using a 50mm, use atleast 1/50th second.

[geoff_foale]

Give us the full information, camera, lens and full EXIF details and somebody will tell you what you are doing wrong. A sample photo would also be helpful.

 

At a guess I would suspect your shutter speed is too low.

[m_barbu1]

That's a good rule of thumb, but depending on how steady you are, you may need a faster shutter speed yet. If your problem exists with high shutter speeds, perhaps the issue is related to something else. However, it's likely that you're seeing the result of camera motion. Using a tripod, remote release, and mirror lockup would be another way to isolate/resolve the problem.

[SCL]

Could be a variety of issues. First make sure the viewfinder diopter correction is appropriate (if your camera has one); adjust it according to the instructions for your camera. Second, if you are shooting film, use a higher ISO film for low light situations; if you are using digital, boost your ISO. Third, increase your shutter speed and/or use a tripod. Hopefully one or more of these suggestions will improve your low light focus situations.

[mrstubbs]

Wow! Blurred...out of focus...night!

 

A torch...so you and the camera can see to focus. A Tripod...low light means a longer exposure(blur..handheld) or wider aperture...hence less dof(shallower focus).

 

Not many cameras/lenses...without assistance, as noted, will give the result you need.

[charles_stobbs3]

Blur somewhat depends on the size of the final image you are viewing. For a projected 35mm slide taken with a 50mm lens I find 1/250 is a good consistent minimum shutter speed.

[ananda1]

Mario

Beginner here and like to share my views.

If I understand your problem correctly, then it was same with me for some time (may be even now also). When I looked at my LCD after the shot, it looks perfectly fine at that time and later after the transfer it looks blurr and out of focus. This is the main problem I faced with landscapes with no subjects in the fg. I corrected with sharply focused close objects followed by focus lock, reframe and shoot. Or shot with unnecessary objects which gives perfect focus and crop it later.

In your case also (if not for night shots) I feel its the problem with focusing, experiment with a tripod and all possible fine focusing for a fixed shot. After copule of trials you will come to know the result.

I agree with others regarding night shots.

Happy clicking.

[don_e]

In the absence of information, we have to guess:

 

If you have an auto focus camera and your night photos are out of focus, then there isn't enough light or contrast for the camera to lock focus.

 

If you have an manual camera and your night photos are out of focus, then there isn't enough light for your eyes to find focus. Use the scale on the barrel of your lens to scale focus.

 

If your photos are blurred and you are shooting under 1/60 and you don't have an image stabilized camera, then the blur may be caused by normal hand shake. Use a faster shutter or learn to hold the camera steady at slow shutter speeds.

 

If your photos are blurred and you have image stabilization or hand shake is not evident, then the blurring is caused by subject motion. Use a faster shutter speed.