Why is the image not in focus - Gear: Canon R1 and EF500L F4

[DhandaNot]

Focus is perfectly on the eye which was detected by the camera. But the image is not in focus. Why? I have enclosed the unprocessed JPG file too (cannot share RAW here). This was shot with the camera using a beanbag.

[wq9nsc]

Did you take more than one frame to compare how the camera was handling this scene?  In this one, the lens is focused around 1/3 of a meter too close to the camera based upon my read of the terrain in focus in front of the subject.  

The only mirrorless camera I use is a smaller Canon because I am currently sticking with 1DX III DSLR bodies for sports but on very rare occasion I will find an image where one of my 1DX series bodies missed focus when I had the focus point exactly where I wanted it.  I suspect this is due to the predictive algorithms used because I am shooting fast moving subjects and it is extremely rare, for example one image out of 1,200 I shot between two bodies at a high school football playoff game Saturday.  I would be concerned if it is frequently missing correct focus and especially if it is consistently missing focus on the same subject and setting because that would indicate an issue with the camera or its firmware.  But camera focus is dealing with a lot of variables combining both electronic processing and mechanical movement of the lens element at extremely high speed so there will be a few misses and that will happen both with mirrorless using the image sensor to drive the AF subsystem or with a DSLR where a dedicated AF sensor is used.

Rodger

[Waddizzle]

I see many things that I would do differently if I were having issues capturing sharp photos. 

Start disabling things.  You have too many unknowns at play.  I would recommend disabling or changing the highlighted settings. 

 

First and foremost, disable the IS in the lens. You are using a form of camera support.

I would also open up the aperture and raise the shutter speed to at least 1/1600.

I had previously asked whether or not the lens has a filter.  If so, what type?  Take some test shots without the filter. 

[Waddizzle]

“ I would be concerned if it is frequently missing correct focus and especially if it is consistently missing focus on the same subject and setting because that would indicate an issue with the camera or its firmware.  But camera focus is dealing with a lot of variables combining both electronic processing and mechanical movement of the lens element at extremely high speed so there will be a few misses and that will happen both with mirrorless using the image sensor to drive the AF subsystem or with a DSLR where a dedicated AF sensor is used. “

Great advice.  Not every photo will be perfect.  There are a lot of settings and variables that can make a difference between a sharp photo and a soft one.

[DhandaNot]

I was sitting in the car and the subject was about 15 meters away. 1/640 was fast enough. The F stop was 7.1 as I wanted the Patagonian Mara mother and kids all in focus.

I cannot understand why you ask me to disable animal detection and eye detection. I was shooting in the wild and that mode is meant precisely for that photography.

I am sorry I am not able to digest your recommendations. 🙏

[DhandaNot]

This photo is from a series and quite a few shots were out of focus and it was after a while it got the focus right. That morning I had many instances where the gear was missing the focus and that too on stationary subjects like bird sitting on a perch.

What got me puzzled is that day the camera was missing focus on many "sitting ducks".

[Waddizzle]

“ I was sitting in the car and the subject was about 15 meters away. 1/640 was fast enough. The F stop was 7.1 as I wanted the Patagonian Mara mother and kids all in focus.

I cannot understand why you ask me to disable animal detection and eye detection. I was shooting in the wild and that mode is meant precisely for that photography.

I am sorry I am not able to digest your recommendations. 🙏 “

 The fact that you have started a new thread about the identical topic tells me a lot.  it says that you disagree with the advice you have been given.  You won’t even say if you are using a lens filter or not.

If you choose to ignore the advice and suggestions that you are given by myself and others, then I don’t know what to say.  My participation in this discussion has ended.

Good luck resolving your issues.

[DhandaNot]

Yes, I started a new thread for similar problem. This thread had a new photo on which the problem was seen. The photos shared in earlier post were with TC used on the lens.

The photo in this thread is shot with 500 mm Prime alone, no TC. I started this thread because I wanted this particular photo to be analysed. 

I am sorry I missed the question about the filter. No there is no filter on the lens (neither in the front nor the drop in type) I would never use filter for this lens and the wildlife / bird / action photography.

You asked me to remove the IS on the lens, I must say I found it difficult to accept. I have used this lens for some 8 years now (on 7D Mii & R6)  and I have not seen the kind of problem I have seen now when I started using R1. I have been in the field with many others and I have never heard of this advise to switch off the IS on the lens. With birds and animals as subject even when one uses beanbag or tripod the camera needs to be moved to keep the subject that is also moving either walking or flying in the frame.

My guess is that, I have misunderstood some setting in R1 which caused this focus issue.

The Patagonian Mara was a plain simple subject with a clear eye, decent light, I would not expect even the simplest cameras to miss it, but the R1 with 500L did miss.

I look forward to inputs and suggestions from everyone, including you. I sincerely thank you for your time in perusing my post and responding to it.

[DhandaNot]

As I said I find it hard to accept the suggestion to switch off the IS, I also disagree with the suggestion to raise the shutter speed to at least 1/1600.

When faced with light challenge when birds are found sitting in dense foliage, I have taken usable shots with the same lens on a monopod with much slower shutter speeds.

[wq9nsc]

Just pondering, but as a sports photographer I wonder if eye detect biased AF is the proper tool in a lot of situations?  The camera AF system processes the scene and drives the AF system very quickly but the extra processing required in eye detect does add overhead and time and in a situation like this where the subject is distant and the depth of field is shallow but not crazily so, maybe the AF system will provide better results focusing on the subject as a whole (or a large part thereof) rather than having the focus system biased towards identifying and focusing upon the subject's eye.

For portraiture, except for special creative shots, eye biased focus is clearly the way to go.  For the type of fast action sports I shoot, often the subject's eye won't be visible and using a larger frame selection area the camera would pick the wrong eye.

Our current level of cameras with AI enabled/enhanced features offer a huge array of tools but it doesn't mean using a specific one is the best for the situation even when it is available.  Experienced aircraft mechanics have a huge chest filled with tools but they don't use the newest and coolest one for every job, just the tool(s) that are most appropriate for the situation.

Rodger