@bonhomme wrote:
I think I shot myself in the foot with the Av mode, the F8.0 setting, and a max ISO of 1600, which resulted in very slow shutter speeds. It was further complicated by the hand held shooting, and an impatient (moving) wife/model.
Plus we were shooting against a jet black, shiny background, and my wife's long jet black hair, and she was wearing black stockings and black gloves. Although she was in a bright yellow outfit, all the black really soaked up the light, so even with 2 umbrella reflectors, and 11,000 lumens, I needed as much light as I could get, and I think both the T6i's brain and my own were getting confused from reflections off the shiny background, and some blingy reflective pillows we were using.
I probably should have deferred to the T6i's brain and left it in full "A" mode instead of fooling with Av.
I did look at that DOF calculator, and if I understand it correctly, my 18-135mm lens is well within its capabilities, but the camera and lens together may be beyond mine 🙂
Live & learn......
I'm not a big fan of Tv and Av modes for most scenarios. I'll use Av on a tripod for a long exposure. I can safely say that I almost never use Tv mode, mainly because I don't want the camera running rampant with the aperture setting.
Most of the time, I shoot in M mode with ISO set at 100. Sometimes, under widely varying light conditions, like shooting birds while walking around in the woods, I may put the ISO into AUTO, which allows me to set a fixed shutter speed, and a fixed aperrture. It is like using Tv mode, except the ISO is being adjusted, instead of the aperture.
What post processing software are you using? I think what is the maximum ISO that you can use on a T6i is a matter of personal choice, and frequently what it is that you're shooting. For distant objects, you can usually tolerate more ISO than what you can on a close subject.
Maybe you need to apply some rules on how much your subject can move around, too. Shooting moving subjects can be quite challenging, because of the issue of locking focus as the distance between you and the subject changes. Use the DOF chart as a rough guide to plan out your shots.
It almost souinds like using AI Servo mode could be useful. I've found that it could be my best friend just as easily as my worst enemy if the focus point slips off the subject. Try taking some shots of still objects at different points and at the edges of your set.
Remember, your movements with the camera affect the focus, too. You may try using a faster lens, too. A faster lens means a lens with a lower f/stop rating. The f/stop rating describes a ratio, so the smaller the number, then the larger the aperture, which means more light is entering the camera, which means you can use FASTER shutter speeds to freeze motion.
I think a good investment for most new photographers is the EF 50mm f/1.8 STM lens. Note the STM on the end of the model number, because there are a couple of older versions that are not as good. Yeah, you can buy books, or enroll in a class. But, there is no substitute for plain old, hands on experience.
Your blurry shots could be caused by your subject's motion, your camera's motion, or both. The easy way to tell is to look at the entire photo. If it seems equally out of focus every in the frame, than that is most likely camera motion. If your subject is out of focus, but the rest of the shot is sharper, then that is most likely subject motion. Although, a mis-aimed Auto Focus point can cause the same symptoms.
Speaking of AF points, don't let the camera pick out the initial AF point for you. Configure the camera to always use the center AF point, and just forget about the rest of them for now. The center is always one of the most accurate AF point, anyway. If you are uncertain about focus locking, then use One Shot shooting mode, which can cause the camera to beep when it locks focus.
The "Sports" shooting mode could be useful, too. But, it uses AI Servo mode, which takes a little practice to get used to. For now, I would advise using the widest aperture setting on your 18-135mm lens. Use M mode on the dial. Set your ISO to auto.
You should be able to read out ISO in the viewfinder, as it adjusts itself Raise that ISO limit to 3200, or disable it. If anything is blinking in the viewfinder, then that means the current combination of settings will not result in a properly exposed shot, usually under exposed. Learn to read the viewfinder information. The main things you need to find are Shutter Speed, Aperture Value, and ISO Setting.
Practice, practice, and practice some more. And, try out that EF 50mm f/1.8 STM lens. I think you will find that is sharper than your EF-S18-135mm, too.
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"Enjoying photography since 1972."
