shutter speed verses sharpness: Canon 6d @300mm no IS.

[dsullens]

I recently sent my camera back to Canon for recalibration after I noticed all of my telephoto shots seems to be fuzzy after cropping. The results came back and they basically found nothing wrong with the camera or lens..

My question is based on the results below is there a shutter speed for taking telephoto shots where the sharpness falls off due to internal vibration of some sort?

I am also at a loss as to why mirror lockup ,(with MF) would not be the same as a shot using live view with AF.

Is there shutter movement that occurs during mirror lockup using eyeview that does not occur using LiveView AF?

(I have not performed this test at higher shutter speeds due to internal lighting issues)

I performed these tests using the following fixed points:

RAW mode

focal length 300

Fstop 5.6

ISO 200

Shutter speed 1/60

No IS enabled

Camera mounted.

All shots were taken with 10 second shutter delay

Calibration target area is dead center of focus area.

Here are the tests I performed:

1.LiveView AF mode: sharp as a tack consistently

2.LiveView Quickmode: slightly less sharp but still extremely good

3.EyeView Miror Lockup,(switched to MF after allowing LiveView AF mode to find focus)

4.EyeView No MirrorLock,(switched to MF after allowing LiveView AF mode to find focus)

1.LiveView AF mode

2.LiveView Quickmode

3. Eyeview Mirror lockup

4.Eyeview NO Mirror lock

[dsullens]

The lighting, ISO, shutter speed, Fstop, and focus used are constant in all testing modes. I also use ND filters in order to slow the shutter down. The goal was to isolate the shutter speed with a solid mount, that still shows shots that are blurry due to mechanical "noise". This is how I was able to Isolate the shutter speeds between 1/125 and 1/2. The lens is plenty sharp for determining this since it is clearly visible between a LiveView shot and a EyeView shutter shot.. Thank you.

[TTMartin]

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@dsullens wrote:
The lighting, ISO, shutter speed, Fstop, and focus used are constant in all testing modes. I also use ND filters in order to slow the shutter down. The goal was to isolate the shutter speed with a solid mount, that still shows shots that are blurry due to mechanical "noise". This is how I was able to Isolate the shutter speeds between 1/125 and 1/2. The lens is plenty sharp for determining this since it is clearly visible between a LiveView shot and a EyeView shutter shot.. Thank you.

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Except there is a flaw in your thinking. Liveview still uses the shutter, so you are introducing the difference somewhere else. When you switch from AF to MF that might be enough to make the differnce you are seeing. Liveview and mirror lock up are functionally the same when it comes to taking a photo.

[ebiggs1]

Your samples all show one of two or both, camera shake and/or misfocus.  And just to complicate things you added a filter to the lens.  If you want to find the best qualities of a lens, there can be no filter.  IMHO, of course.

[cicopo]

Agree with the idea you can't do this & use a filter, even a very good one. What brand & model are you using?

[Peter · Accepted solution]

In live view, the second curtain of the shutter can make the shake. Mirror lockup mode you have both the first and second curtain. Normal mode you have the mirror, the first and the second curtain that can make the shake.

You have already proven with your second image that your normal AF focus correct, so the other two pictures are unsharp because of shake.