Blurry photos with zoom lens

[LNieman]

I have a canon xsi that takes lovely, crisp pics with the EFS 18-55 IS lens and a EF 50 1:1.4.  I wanted a zoom to take pictures of sporting events like soccer, baseball, and horseback riding.  I purchased Canon zoom EFS 55-250 1:4-5.6 IS.  Every single picture I take with this lens is blurry.  If a take a photo with a FL of 55 or 250, the image is blurry.  If there is action or if I'm zooming in on a still object, the image is blurry.  I have used the lens in great lighting conditions, and still blurry images.  I have made sure the the settings for the lens include stabilizer "on".  I have tried to trouble shoot, but have missed too many shots and need expertise.  Not sure if there is more for me to do (operator error), or is this an issue with the lens?

[Skirball]

The lens, in general, is a fine lens.  It's possible that you got a bad copy. If it is truly "every single photo" then most likely this is the case.  If you really mean, a lot of images are blurry then it could depend on many things.  If you posted a few examples (with EXIF data) it would help us determine if it's the lens or user error.

In general longer lenses require faster shutter speeds to get sharp photos.  But if you've taken photos in good light (i.e. fast shutter speeds) and it's still blurry then something is off.  Hard to say what that something is without seeing images, otherwise we'll just have to guess. Common questions would be:

Are you able to manual focus and get good photos?  Were you in autofocus at all?  Did you get confirmation (beep) that AF locks?  Is the image clear in the viewfinder?  What is the shutter speed?  etc.

[LNieman]

I added a photo below for you to see. Let m know what you think. Yes, I am using autofocus, yes I had confirmation (beep), yes the image is perfectly clear in the viewfinder. I have tried to manual focus on a distant object, and I still get blur.

[hsbn]

This is camera shake blur. Not lens problem.

[LNieman]

Then, what would you suggest. The ISO 800 with 1/320 SS? Why so much camera shake at that SS? And the blur is present at both short and long focal lengths? I do not want to use this lens with a tripod because of the nature of moving around to get shots.

Please share with me your advice on improving technique. If another lens would be better, please feel free to suggest that as well.

[cicopo]

The suggestion to use a tripod is to verify whether it's a lens problem or bad technique. Whenever a lens problem is suspected the best way to test is by making sure there is no camera shake, and that's done by mounting the camera to something secure.

[cicopo]

I doubt that lens has a panning mode capable IS system which may be a big part of your problem. Try turning IS off & see how it works.

[LNieman]

Thank you.

[cicopo]

In my opinion NOTHING in that photo is in focus. It's not looking good for that particular lens but if you have a tripod take a few shots using it & a 10 sec delay to prove whether it's technique or the lens.

[ebiggs1]

" I have made sure the the settings for the lens include stabilizer "on"."

Also you must remember IS is for camera shake not subject.

You realy need to do a more controlled test.  But, just a simple full daylight shot in "P" mode with the lens in AF and the cmera in One Shot AF will tell a lot.  It may be good to reset the camera to defaults first and make sure you have a fully chatged battery.

Is that photo sharp?