topic Re: I am not able to take satisfactory pictures with my Canon 7D and Canon EF 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 USM in EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras

I am not able to take satisfactory pictures with my Canon 7D and Canon EF 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 USM .

ashutoshverma08 — Thu, 24 Oct 2013 13:25:06 GMT

I am not able to take satisfactory pictures with my Canon 7D and Canon EF 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 USM. Pictures are either under exposed, over exposed or not the right skin tone. This is mainly happening with flash photography. It is very disappointing. Any help in this regard is much appreciated

Thanks

Re: I am not able to take satisfactory pictures with my Canon 7D and Canon EF 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 USM

ebiggs1 — Thu, 24 Oct 2013 14:23:12 GMT

OK, the first thing to do it is press Menu button. Go to the third "Tool" icon and do a "Clear all camera settings."

Now try to shoot some photos and see what happens.

Re: I am not able to take satisfactory pictures with my Canon 7D and Canon EF 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 USM

cicopo — Thu, 24 Oct 2013 14:28:41 GMT

After you've done the above "Reset" tell us whether you're shooting in AUTO or any of the other modes & if you know how to use Flash Exposure Compensation. It allows you to make adjustments when you get less than correct exposures BUT only within reason. The flash output can only light a certain area & distance so if you're shooting from too great a distance things will be underexposed.

Re: I am not able to take satisfactory pictures with my Canon 7D and Canon EF 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 USM

ashutoshverma08 — Thu, 24 Oct 2013 15:00:00 GMT

Well said Mr. Cicopo! I will update you soon. Thanks

Re: I am not able to take satisfactory pictures with my Canon 7D and Canon EF 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 USM

ashutoshverma08 — Thu, 24 Oct 2013 15:00:41 GMT

Thanks Mr. Ebiggs1! I will update you soon.

Re: I am not able to take satisfactory pictures with my Canon 7D and Canon EF 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 USM

Skirball — Thu, 24 Oct 2013 16:07:32 GMT

I'm assuming that you're using the flash on the 7D? The small flashes that come with cameras aren't very good unfortunately. They've gotten a lot better, but there are physical limitations that they can't overcome. If using the flash as your main light source it's going to look flat and harsh. However, they do an ok job at fill flash, that is, filling in shadows or adding to ambient light. As said above, learn flash exposure compensation and turn it down a notch or two. Also check that you're flash is using "ETTL-II" mode, not manual, though if you do a full reset as Biggs suggested it should set it to ETTL.

Re: I am not able to take satisfactory pictures with my Canon 7D and Canon EF 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 USM

hsbn — Thu, 24 Oct 2013 19:03:12 GMT

Doesn't mean to offense but flash photography is hard. People may take a life time to master it. It takes skill, knowledge and experience to get good and consistent result. There is not setting on a camera to make the photo looks good. I don't think there is anything wrong with your camera. If you use on camera flash there is a lot of limitation that you should be aware of. I recommend you use manual mode first when learning about flash.

Also, I love this book: On-Camera Flash Techniques for Digital Wedding and Portrait Photography

http://www.amazon.com/On-Camera-Techniques-Digital-Portrait-Photography/dp/1584282584/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382641337&sr=8-1&keywords=on+camera+flash

Re: I am not able to take satisfactory pictures with my Canon 7D and Canon EF 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 USM

ashutoshverma08 — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 01:07:23 GMT

Mr. Ebiggs1, as per your advise I did the same and the results are much better, rather impressive. The color contrast is also very good. My family was quite happy with the pictures I took on a recent family event. I have to sincerely thank you for that. Sorry it took me a long time to reply as I was making sure that it had actually fixed the problem.

However , I have more findings which have again prompted me to take your help in this forum:

1. With an External flash - 430 EX set at ETTL, the pictures in the room when bounced from the ceilings are good, however when I am taking in closed areas but the ceiling is very high or open areas in the night the picture is unexpectedly dark. The camera mode I am using is CA.

2. When the subject covers the most of the frame ,pictures are crisp, however when the subject is not covering the significant portion (and the zoom is on wide angle) though the metering points indicate the subject in focus but in the resulting image the subject is not in focus and some other areas are in focus.

The lens as I had mentioned was working very well on my SLR but is of course 11-12 yrs old.

I am now using my camera more and more to figure out the gray areas and improve my skills, however I would be grateful for any further suggestions.

Thanks once again

Re: I am not able to take satisfactory pictures with my Canon 7D and Canon EF 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 USM

ashutoshverma08 — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 01:13:16 GMT

Mr. cicopo, Thanks for your previous advise which did significantly improve the picture quality but I have an issue with the flash pictures, maybe you can guide

With an External flash - 430 EX set at ETTL, the pictures in the room when bounced from the ceilings are good, however when I am taking in closed areas but the ceiling is very high or open areas in the night the picture is unexpectedly dark. The camera mode I am using is CA.

Re: I am not able to take satisfactory pictures with my Canon 7D and Canon EF 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 USM

cicopo — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 02:35:37 GMT

Although I did own a 7D for 3 years I never used CA mode nor did I know anything about so I checked the manual to see what it is. A quick read tells me it sort of lets you control the aperture for different depth of field effects but otherwise it doesn't offer anything I'd try using for except to prove to myself it was or wasn't useful. As for bouncing your flash you are running up against the limits of what can be done when the ceiling is too high or the distance too great. Unfortunately every flash has this problem so one must learn how to deal with it or add more light with off camera strobes. You can brighten your image by selecting a higher ISO for the shot, or darken it with a lower ISO (but again there are limits) OR to brighten you use a slower shutter speed & to darken a faster one (you're still limited because cameras have a max sync speed, and it there's movement it will blur at a slow shutter speed). Aperture is the final part of the equation and frankly you're working with a less than ideal consumer grade lens which may prove decent outdoors but it isn't ideal indoors. It may be time to research a better lens for your indoor work.

Re: I am not able to take satisfactory pictures with my Canon 7D and Canon EF 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 USM

ebiggs1 — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 13:40:23 GMT

Yes, your 430 EX isn't powerful enough. Everything has limitations and you have reached the 430's limit.

Nix CA and put the camera on P, for Professional! Either choose the P setting or go manual.

You probably need multiple flashes if your venue is so large. For larger church's, I generally use three flashes if I can't set the ISO high enough for good pictures with out adding light. We are rapidly approaching the time where flash will be unnecessary. And I can't wait.

Re: I am not able to take satisfactory pictures with my Canon 7D and Canon EF 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 USM

Skirball — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 15:41:42 GMT

@ashutoshverma08 wrote:

1. With an External flash - 430 EX set at ETTL, the pictures in the room when bounced from the ceilings are good, however when I am taking in closed areas but the ceiling is very high or open areas in the night the picture is unexpectedly dark. The camera mode I am using is CA.

Well, certainly in open areas trying to bounce a flash isn't going to work. Bouncing is fantastic, when the situation allows, but it's going to be highly dependent on your setting - you can't ever count on being able to bounce. Try some modifiers. Personally, my favorite is a cut out piece of white card stock, sort of like a giant bounce card. They sell commercial version, but they're really not much different (except if you're working in a professional setting, sometimes looks do count). Other's love their Gary Fong Lightsphere. I would to generics if you do, I think that thing is overpriced.

Re: I am not able to take satisfactory pictures with my Canon 7D and Canon EF 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 USM

ashutoshverma08 — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 17:19:56 GMT

Any comments about the issue with the Lens?

Re: I am not able to take satisfactory pictures with my Canon 7D and Canon EF 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 USM

ebiggs1 — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 18:03:34 GMT

It would not be my first choice and I would not recommend it. One thing for sure a 200mm at f5.6 is nothing to brag about.

If it is all you have, you will just need to figure out how to best use it. That means, shoot a lot!

Re: I am not able to take satisfactory pictures with my Canon 7D and Canon EF 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 USM

ashutoshverma08 — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 23:34:04 GMT

recomendations on any all purpose lens....

Re: I am not able to take satisfactory pictures with my Canon 7D and Canon EF 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 USM

ashutoshverma08 — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 23:37:31 GMT

Moreover I am anot able to understand the issue with the camera,lens combo in Indoor/flash photos that
When the subject covers the most of the frame ,pictures are crisp, however when the subject is not covering the significant portion (and the zoom is on wide angle) though the metering points indicate the subject in focus but in the resulting image the subject is not in focus and some other areas are in focus.

Is it the lack of comatibility of the lens with the camera as the lens is some 11 yrs old and camera I bought some 1 year back...

Re: I am not able to take satisfactory pictures with my Canon 7D and Canon EF 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 USM

cicopo — Fri, 08 Nov 2013 01:19:18 GMT

There are a number of reasons for that, and a worn lens could be one plus it's still possible it isn't sharp enough (& may never have been) for use on a high megapixel camera where you view your images at or near pixel level (100% on screen). Maybe it needs to go through the microfocus adjustment process, or maybe you think the AF point is on target but when you take the shot it switches to something else. Have you tried using single point AF & placing it exactly where you want it? Have you tried any of this from a tripod to eliminate camera shake? Are you using too low an ISO for the situation? Have you set the camera to sync (when using flash) to 1/200 or 1/250 if it goes that high? .

Re: I am not able to take satisfactory pictures with my Canon 7D and Canon EF 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 USM

ebiggs1 — Fri, 08 Nov 2013 13:22:18 GMT

cicopo is on the right path. You need to know whether you and your lens and your camera are all seeing the same thing.

Get your self to a place where you will have good light and good color and take some photos. Do use a single AF point. Make sure you an the camera are focused on exactly the same thing. Do use P. Set all the 7D's controls to factory defaults, except a single AF point (the center one).

Until you find out which one of you, the lens, the camera or you, is not understanding what the wanted conclusion is, you are chasing your tail.

Re: I am not able to take satisfactory pictures with my Canon 7D and Canon EF 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 USM

TCampbell — Sat, 09 Nov 2013 02:17:24 GMT

@ashutoshverma08 wrote:
Mr. cicopo, Thanks for your previous advise which did significantly improve the picture quality but I have an issue with the flash pictures, maybe you can guide

With an External flash - 430 EX set at ETTL, the pictures in the room when bounced from the ceilings are good, however when I am taking in closed areas but the ceiling is very high or open areas in the night the picture is unexpectedly dark. The camera mode I am using is CA.

When using the flash to "bounce" off a ceiling, the ceiling needs to be neutral (e.g. preferably white) -- otherwise the color of the ceiling (or anything you use as a bounce surface) will "tint" the color of the light.

If the ceiling is low, you can do a normal bounce.

If the ceiling is a bit high, you can "feather" the light or use a bounce card. There are numerous gadgets that help in this area but even a simple 3x5 card strapped to the head of the flash with a rubber band is a big help. The idea is that the white surface of the card will kick light that *would* have gone backward to instead get kicked foward directly toward the subject -- providing some direct light, but you'll also get the bounce from the ceiling giving soft overall light. Tilting the head of the flash forward a click may help as well.

I don't like the full "diffuser" heads -- they don't work as well for high ceilings because the milky plastic eats about 1 full stop worth of light (cutting your flash to half power). The diffuser *does* kick some light forward -- so it helps to feather -- but at the expense of a light of light. The full diffuser caps work if the ceiling is low-ish and the flash is more than adequate on power.

The Gary Fong "Lightsphere" is completely open on top -- so it works to feather light forward *without* cutting the light that you're bouncing off the ceiling.

If the ceiling is too high for a bounce -- or if it's black or has a non-neutral color, then you don't want to bounce anyway. For this the best bet is to just point the flash forward *but* "drag the shutter".

Dragging the shutter simply means using shutter speed priority (Tv mode), setting the shutter to a slow-ish speed (around 1/60th is good) and then metering for the AMBIENT light (not the flash) but using the flash anyway. This results in a nicely illuminated main subject, but instead of the background being really dark (due to light fall-off) the slower shutter speed actually captures a lot of the room ambient light and the whole shot actually look spretty good.