EOS M50 Mark II Focus Help & Dark Eyes

[jlc517]

I just recently purchased a Canon M50 Mark II and could really use some tips. I love photography, and wanted to purchase a camera to take photos of my babies, rather than just use my iPhone. I am a beginner though, so I am having difficult with focusing. It seems the photos never look crisp, especially when taken indoors. I’m experimenting with settings, rather than using the auto mode 

Also, it seems that everyone’s eyes always look black. Half my family has blue eyes, and they always look black. Do you know what I could be doing wrong?

I really appreciate all of the advice you can provide! Thank you so much! 

[ebiggs1]

My first guess with no further info is your shots are underexposed. Probably because you shoot indoors under low light levels with a slow lens. The standard kit lens the M50 ships with is the EF-M 15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM. it would be considered a slow lens for indoor shooting. 

An example and/or exactly how you are using the M50 Mk II would be of great help.

[jlc517]

 

 

 

Thank you so much for your thoughts. Do you have a suggestion of a different lens to purchase? I am currently only using the lens that came with the camera. I used these settings as a guide, and here a pics I took. Thank you again! 

[stevet1]

jlc517.

A couple of suggestions: These are just my ideas.

1) If your subject is stationary, put your camera in Av, or aperture priority mode. You select your aperture, and your camera will select the shutter speed. You can experiment with taking the same picture with different apertures and see which you like best. It's said that most lenses work best when using apertures between f/5.6 and f/8.

f/4 ha a pretty small depth of field.

2) Use single point AF instead of Zone AF. With Zone AF, your camera will focus on things within that Zone, but has a tendency to focus on what's closest to the camera within that Zone.

3) Cloudy white balance will emphasize the greens and reds. Daylight White Balance emphasizes the blues and whites or yellows.

On cloudy days, the light is flat and cool. The cloudy white balance will help bring out the greens and reds and help to bring out warmer skin tones. On bright, sunshiny days, the color temperature is warm,  so the the Daylight white balance will help bring out the cooler blue skies and white, puffy clouds.

3) For indoor shots, you're going to have to add a lot of light if you want to bring out the blue in peoples' eyes, or put your subjects in bright sunny rooms.

4) Get closer and concentrate n what's really important to you in your shot. Everything else is a distraction.

Steve Thomas

[jlc517]

Thank you SO much for the helpful tips!  I will save these and try them out!  

[ebiggs1]

First off Kido on shots like this which are basically snapshots let them be snapshots. Don't try and over think the camera. The preferred mode for this is P mode. M mode should only be used when other modes won't or can't get the shot.

Second you really need to get DPP4 from Canon. It is their photo editor and it is free for you to d/l. I would advise you to use Raw file format and not jpg but even jpg will work with DPP4 just not as well. Your EOS M50 Mark II is not an iphone; it is far and away better if you use all its ability and that can not be done without a post editor. You can do as easy to as difficult editing with DPP4 as you want. Simple WB adjustment is a click. Think, you will never have to worry about what WB to use again as you can change it to your liking using DPP4. Plus exposure adjustment can be up to 4 stops in certain cases.

I can not tell if the eyes are blue or not in your examples (to small) but even that is something that can be adjusted with a good post editor. Not as easy of an edit but possible.

Next time out for a photo session select P mode and shoot away. Always try to keep ISO as low as possible. ISO 800 is probably higher then needed for that shot.

[jlc517]

Thank you so much for the advice!  I am looking forward to trying your tips out.  I will try to edit using the DPP4.  Is this the same as Canon DPP Express?  

[ebiggs1]

"Do you have a suggestion of a different lens to purchase?"

Did we confirm the EF-M 15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM. is the lens you own? Unfortunately Canon has decided to discontinue the M series of cameras and lenses so the inventory may be somewhat limited. You need a lens with a fast constant aperture for low light indoor shots The EF-M 22mm f/2 STM or the EF-M 32mm f/1.4 STM are fast constant aperture lenses as an example. But always keep in mind that adding light is a better way to go.

The Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary Lens is a beautiful lens if you decide to go off brand.

You will need to keep ISO pretty high around 1600 for instance. And again Raw and DPP4 will be a huge help.

[jlc517]

Yes, that is the lens that I am currently using.  I will see if I can find one of your suggested lenses.  That is sad news they have discontinued the camera.  😞  Thank you for your help!

[shadowsports]

Greetings,

I don't want to be the party pooper, but is anyone going to mention that the M series has been discontinued and that she might want to consider returning the camera and buying an R series that isn't a dead end?  Buying more lenses for this camera is also not a wise investment.  This should be considered before investing more time or money into this platform. 

I might consider looking at the R50 or R8.  At least with these there is a better path forward.