Sharpness Issue - Canon M50

[Arifsarwar]

HI Friends,

I have Canon M50 and using it for landscape Videography.
The issue I am having is that the filmed clips have no sharpness in them they are dull, flat, soft and blury.
No idea what should I do.

Any reference you would like to give me to learn more on it.

Many thanks.
Arif

[Waddizzle]

Sounds like you have been pixel peeping too much.  If you are expecting distant objects to be razor sharp, then your expectations are way too high.

Post an image of a sample frame, so that we can see what it is that you are talking about.  Just remember, though, a a full HD video frame is equivalent to 2MP photo.  And, a 4K video frame is equiveant to, you guessed it, a 4 MP photo.

[Arifsarwar]

Thanks for the reply,

Here is the video I created which serviously lack sharpness.I think you are right that my expectation is too high from this basic level camera.

https://youtu.be/yBwY_cZiUAg

[Waddizzle]

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@Arifsarwar wrote:

Thanks for the reply,

Here is the video I created which serviously lack sharpness.I think you are right that my expectation is too high from this basic level camera.

https://youtu.be/yBwY_cZiUAg

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As it has already been pointed out, without knowing what lens you are using, camera AF settings, this video is meaningless.

[Arifsarwar]

I am using its kit lens 15-45 mm EFM, focus was zone focus in auto mode. ISO as minimum as possible and F was somewhere 8-11 don't remember now.

[Tronhard]

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@Arifsarwar wrote:
I am using its kit lens 15-45 mm EFM, focus was zone focus in auto mode. ISO as minimum as possible and F was somewhere 8-11 don't remember now.

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Right off the bat, my first reacion is that the 15-45 is not regarded as the sharpest lens in the pack.  I have one - it came with a camera, but frankly I don't use it much at all...

[Waddizzle · Accepted solution]

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@Tronhard wrote:

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@Arifsarwar wrote:
I am using its kit lens 15-45 mm EFM, focus was zone focus in auto mode. ISO as minimum as possible and F was somewhere 8-11 don't remember now.

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Right off the bat, my first reacion is that the 15-45 is not regarded as the sharpest lens in the pack.  I have one - it came with a camera, but frankly I don't use it much at all...

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If had ever had one of those lenses, I would probably feel the same way.  I bought my M3 as a "body only" kit with the EF lens adapter and EVF viewfinder from B&H.  The lens seemed to slow for what I wanted, which was a fast, wide angle pocket camera with high image quality.

I quickly realized that most EF lenses would drain the battery fairly quickly, as well as lenses with IS.  I found that the battery life was significantly improved with the EF 24mm and EF 40mm pancake lenses.  Battery life and image quality was even better with the Rokinon 14mm T3.1 Cinema lens, which I would focus at its' hyperfocal distance, and shoot away all day long.

When Canon introduced the EF-M 22mm f/2 STM pancake lens, I jumped on it.  It gave me exactly what I wanted from the M3 camera body.  This sample photo was shot on a heavily overcast day, not the best of lighting conditions.  Yet, it captured the image exactly as I remembered it.  

REMEMBER.  This image began as a 24MP captare.  Video frames begin life as a 2MP capture.

[pilot87178d]

W-

With your experience, seems like you might be able to help with a question:  picked up my M50 in Scotland as a replacement for a beloved Nikon G10.  As with you, pocketability is generally the watchword.  However, doing some birding last weekend and just need some more reach when limited to 45mm.  And, an extra battery seems mandatory, even when turning the camera on/off btw shots....so added in another one.

Q.  Adding the Canon lens adaptor....so, 1) will that effect sharpness with one the Canon lens?  Am thinking the Canon 24-105 would be a good choice. A nd, 2) you mentioned power drain.....had not considered that..now, that would be an issue.  I need only a day's worth of shooting, but don't really want less.  Turn off lens features?

Your thoughts?

Thx!

Marc

[Waddizzle]

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@pilot87178d wrote:

W-

With your experience, seems like you might be able to help with a question:  picked up my M50 in Scotland as a replacement for a beloved Nikon G10.  As with you, pocketability is generally the watchword.  However, doing some birding last weekend and just need some more reach when limited to 45mm.  And, an extra battery seems mandatory, even when turning the camera on/off btw shots....so added in another one.

Q.  Adding the Canon lens adaptor....so, 1) will that effect sharpness with one the Canon lens?  Am thinking the Canon 24-105 would be a good choice. A nd, 2) you mentioned power drain.....had not considered that..now, that would be an issue.  I need only a day's worth of shooting, but don't really want less.  Turn off lens features?

Your thoughts?

Thx!

Marc

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While you can use EF mount lenses by using the mount adapter, I think it is best to stick to native EF-M mount lenses.  I prefer the native mount lenses because they are all newer designs with very good IQ.  The native mount lenses tend to be smaller and lighter than their EF/EF-S counterparts, which usually means they will draw much less power.

As far as a birding lens for the EF-M mount goes, there are not any lenses longer 200mm than I am aware of.  There is a 300mm reflex lens from Rokinon/Samyang.  A manual reflex lens would not be a good choice for handheld shooting.  A reflex lens is similar to a telescope lens because it uses mirrors to collect light and focus it.

Currently the best choice is the EF-M 55-200mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM Lens from Canon.. This is a workable focal range for many outdoor sports, but it comes up a little short for birding.  When it comes to wildlife photography, the focal length, all the better.  You would want at least 300mm.  Most wildlife photographers would want at least 400mm on an APS-C sensor camera.  

In other words, there are not any good lens choices for sports and wildlife photography for the EF-M mount.  This is probably because most of the EF-M bodies sold lack viewfinders, which should be mandatory for any wildlife or action photography.  This might change in the future.  But, I do not foresee any changes in that direction on the horizon.

[pilot87178d]

Thanks so much.....boosts me up the learning curve.  Two final aspect of this question:  sharpness/lens spped and battery use.  I have the Canon adapter but am concerned that sharpness/lens speed will be ngatively impacted.  As well, would hate to deteriorate batteries quciker than they do today.  Shooting stills only, I can run through 2 batteries in a morning.... 

Any comments?

Thx!

Marc