EOS Rebel SL3 Blurry and out of focus photos even when outside

[Hgrichmond06]

So, my Canon Rebel SL3's photos are coming out kind of grainy and blurry even when in plenty of light and ISO is relatively low. I mostly notice a large amount of blur in hair but also most other parts of the photo. Thanks for the tips or possible help. My camera is really only 5ish years old and moderate use not too heavy but a decent amount each year. I attached a photo with an exam of my issue. I'm not sure if there is an issue or maybe I am expecting too much from my camera. 

 

[Danny]

Thanks for joining the conversation, Hgrichmond06!

So that the Community can help you better, we need to know exactly which lenses you're using on your EOS Rebel SL3. That, and any other details you'd like to give will help the Community better understand your issue!

If this is a time-sensitive matter, click HERE search our knowledge base or find additional support options HERE.

Thanks and have a great day!

[FloridaDrafter]

Hello, and welcome to the forum!

According to the EXIF data in the example, you are using the EF-S 18-55mm f/4-5.6 IS STM lens. Is that your only lens? If not, do your other lenses produce the same results? One thing I noticed is you are shooting with a wide open aperture (f/5.6) and this particular lens, which I've used on several Rebels, produces soft images wide open. I had better results closing down the aperture at least a stop, maybe try f/8 (a full stop). You will have to compensate exposure with either ISO or shutter speed. In the example, you were at ISO 400 and shutter of 1/160th. I would bump up the ISO a bit for this particular shot.

Newton

[Hgrichmond06]

No mostly with this lens, I have other lens and they normally produce a sharper image. Thank you I will definitely try closing the aperture a stop and hopefully that sharpens a bit. Thanks so much!

[FloridaDrafter]

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@Hgrichmond06 wrote:

No mostly with this lens, I have other lens and they normally produce a sharper image. Thank you I will definitely try closing the aperture a stop and hopefully that sharpens a bit. Thanks so much!

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You are welcome, and please do not hesitate to unmark my answer as the solution, if that is possible, when you try a smaller aperture and it doesn't help. Most lenses have a "sweet spot" when it comes to aperture, too big and your shots are soft, too small and diffraction starts to creep in and results aren't optimal. The EF-S18-55mm f/4-5.6 IS STM is quite capable which is why Canon includes it in a lot of Rebel kits, you just have to find it's sweet spot. Look in your SL3 manual to see if you can set its aperture jumps to 1/2 or 1/3rd stops. This will allow you to fine tune the aperture a bit so you won't have to jump full stops. Remember that every full stop cuts/adds 1/2 the light as the previous stop, so if you go from f/5.6 to f/8 you are only getting half of the light you were getting at f/5.6. I'm not familiar with the SL3, so I'm not sure how well it handles higher ISO. That (ISO) is just the way I have always attacked it because shutter speed is a priority to me (I shake).

Newton