Canon 100-400 vii lens - Pictures could be sharper Need help!

[Summerlee340]

Okay, so it could be me - I'm not a total noob, but who knows. Been shooting with my Canon Rebel T3i for several years. Mostly used my 55-250 kit lens and at times I got some tack sharp photos from that lens

Regarding my new 100-400 vii lens, I have yet to get a crisp shot - the shots are just okay to me. Granted I am hand holding the camera and lens when  trying to take photos, and it is a bit heavy (mostly of birds and wildlife) but I do have the IS on.  I usually shoot on M but lately I've been using TV mode - my photos are okay but they just are not sharp enough.  I have it on AF - and sometimes it takes a few seconds to focus.

Even with my tripod, again, the shots are okay - some are passable, but I know what sharp is as I've taken a few with my 55-250 and so far I'm not cutting it.  

I usually have the lens to full zoom at 400 and I try to keep the shutter speed at least 400 as I've read the focal length should be reciprocal to the shutter speed.  My histogram looks great quite often...

Question/Issues:  Perhaps I am too far away from my subject? Birds are so skittish so I usually stand maybe  20 feet away.

 I thought with the larger zoom that meant I wouldn't have to be as close to my subject .  

So am I too far away?

If someone has a few moments, perhaps I can get some advice or point me to a great website....Thanks very much.

[ebiggs1]

Now for the correct answer.

First AFMA does NOT make a lens, any lens, sharper. It simply moves the critical focus point forward or backward.

The reciprocal of the lens is a good idea but it is only a starting point, or a minimum if you will.  You said 1/400 or better.  But remember your 400mm on your T3i is acting like a 640mm lens.  Now you need to keep the lowest suggested SS to at least that. 1/1000 is better.  640mm is some serious focal length and it will bring all the benefits and faults of 640mm with it.  Everything, not just the subject is magnified the same amount. 

The EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens is a very good lens. As good or better than any out there.  I would suggest it is your technique that is letting you down.  A simple way to determine this is to mount the camera/lens on a sturdy tripod and shoot a stationary subject.  Something with some detail in it.  Do it outside on a nice day and try several distances and apertures.  This way you will know exactly what your gear can do.

Now as for IS.  IS is a crutch, it isn't a cure all.  It also has a degrading ability, meaning the farther away from perfect, the less it helps.  For instance, you will get the best help, or result, from it with say a 1 stop error.  If the miss exposure is say 4 stops the results won't be as good.  In short the more perfect things are the more perfect IS can be.  Also remember IS is gear oriented not subject oriented.

Birds are small.  The closer the better.

[Canonfanboy]

Nobody said or implied that AFMA makes a lens sharper. It is a function of the camera... as stated in the post.

[Waddizzle]

"I usually have the lens to full zoom at 400 and I try to keep the shutter speed at least 400 as I've read the focal length should be reciprocal to the shutter speed. My histogram looks great quite often...

Question/Issues: Perhaps I am too far away from my subject? Birds are so skittish so I usually stand maybe 20 feet away.

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You say that you're 20 feet away.  That's roughly 7 meters, or the length of a full size, pickup truck.

Pay attention to the Focus Mode switch on the lens, the one that sets a focusing distance..  It can mean the difference betweeen almost sharp and tack sharp. 

I have also found that using a minimum shutter speed of 1/1000 when shooting wildlife raises my keeper rate.  I like to shoot in Manual Mode with ISO set for Auto.  I zoom down to 100mm, and set the f/stop and the minimum, f/4.5.  Now I am ready to shoot.  The f/stop will vary between f/4.5 and f/5.6, the minimum aperture, as I vary the focal length.

That combination of settings may result in the ISO getting set too high for your tastes.  You can set an upper limit on what the camera can use in the menus.  I would try 3200, and see how that looks to you.  But, first try it without any limit set.  If the camera hits the limit, the viewfinder exposure settings will flash, which means you must slow down the shutter to stop the flashing.

[Summerlee340]

I just tried your suggestion (took photo of a squirrel hanging out on my bench) did 1/1000, Manual, Auto ISO, zoomed to 100 set to 4.5 as you said. The photo at 100 was decent and the one at 400 was much better than I have been shooting. Is it really that simple? I will keep trying this with birds next, except they tend to fly away when they see that humongous lens. Regarding your second paratraph, are you speaking about the little window on the lens that shows the distance in "ft" and "m"?Can you explain a little more as to the focus mode on the lens and why it makes a difference. Also, if you have time for this question - should I set the switch on the lens to "full" or "infinity"?

[ScottyP]

I would stick to Av or Tv mode.  Especially if you are already having other issues (sharpness) to work through I don't think there's any reason to take on all the variables you have to handle on Manual just to get a proper exposure.   Let the camera handle exposure while you concentrate on getting your sharpness and technique dialed in.  

Especially if you are out in lots of light you can still indirectly control aperture in Tv mode; slow the shutter and the camera will compensate by stopping down. Speed up the shutter and the camera will compensate by opening up the aperture.   

[Waddizzle]

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@Summerlee340 wrote:
I just tried your suggestion (took photo of a squirrel hanging out on my bench) did 1/1000, Manual, Auto ISO, zoomed to 100 set to 4.5 as you said. The photo at 100 was decent and the one at 400 was much better than I have been shooting. Is it really that simple? I will keep trying this with birds next, except they tend to fly away when they see that humongous lens. Regarding your second paratraph, are you speaking about the little window on the lens that shows the distance in "ft" and "m"?Can you explain a little more as to the focus mode on the lens and why it makes a difference. Also, if you have time for this question - should I set the switch on the lens to "full" or "infinity"?

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Yes, it can really be that simple. 

One rule of thumb to always get sharp photos is to grab as much light [wide aperture] as you can, as quickly [fast shutter speed] as you can, and with as lilttle effort [low ISO] as you can.  Using ISO 100 applies the least amplification to the image sensor signal, which means the least noise.  Higher and higher ISO settings mean more and more amplification, which means more and more noise.

Be familiar with the depth of field of the lens, too.  Once I set a shutter speed and an aperture, I typically don't want to change them, most especially the aperture.

http://www.dofmaster.com/doftable.html

The switch on the lens sets up focus over the full range, from the minimum of 1 meter to infinity.  Or, you can restrict the lens to just 3 meters to infinity.  One setting is best for close subjects, while the other setting is best for subjects more than 10 feet away.  I would try using the second setting in your "12 feet away" example.

What focus point are you using?  Manually select the center AF point, because it is the most accurate.  Don't let the camera choose an AF point for you.  If your distance to your subject isn't changing, then you may want to use One Shot mode. 

Use AI Servo mode if your subject's distance is changing so much that it leaves your DOF.  AI Servo can work for stationary subjects, too, but I think One Shot works best in those scenarios.  Using AI Servo effectively takes practice, and good grasp on how it dynamically adjusts focus.  On some camera bodies, the differences between the dynamic focusing modes can be as subtle as they can be complex, especially when the body has dozens of AF points.

[Summerlee340]

Thank you Wadizzle. I will check out the link you noted. I use the manual center AF point and I almost always use One Shot mode. I have used AI Servo when shooting flying birds and it definitely does take practice. For now I am trying to perfect my stationary subjects.

[TTMartin]

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@Summerlee340 wrote:
I just tried your suggestion (took photo of a squirrel hanging out on my bench) did 1/1000, Manual, Auto ISO, zoomed to 100 set to 4.5 as you said. The photo at 100 was decent and the one at 400 was much better than I have been shooting. Is it really that simple? I will keep trying this with birds next, except they tend to fly away when they see that humongous lens. Regarding your second paratraph, are you speaking about the little window on the lens that shows the distance in "ft" and "m"?Can you explain a little more as to the focus mode on the lens and why it makes a difference. Also, if you have time for this question - should I set the switch on the lens to "full" or "infinity"?

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Yes, it really is as simple as using a fast enough shutter speed. Since there seems to be some question, I use Manual with Auto ISO also.

The focus mode on the lens should be set for 3m-infinity except when focusing on something closer than 3 meters. The lens will focus much faster when set to 3m-infinity than it does when set to full.

[Summerlee340]

Thank you TTMartin. I appreciate it.

[Summerlee340]

Thank you! I will definitely try that with my tripod. I did think about doing that - I so prefer hand hold though, but I will check out your suggestion. What do you mean by "miss exposure is 4 stops".