Allrighty...

Lately, there has again been a flurry of questions about focus. People are having difficulty focusing both the 10d and the 20d now it appears.

To declare, I had bad focus problems with my 10d, with both my 70-200 f4 and 24-70 2.8L. When I reported these problems over a year ago I got hammered because I was new to a dslr - "What do you expect - it's not your Sony!".... "You can't expect to get something in focus wide open! Shoot at f8!"... "Well your object is waaaay to small. Do a different test."..... "You need light and more contrast. The camera and focus without heavy contrast!". *sigh*

Well, I knew these people were all wrong. Maybe with good intentions, but still wrong. I didn't even bother calibrating because I believe that screws up chances of having a second body focus properly. So, I just traded in those lenses and tried new ones until I got some that did focus. Funny thing... I was able to buy a 70-200 2.8 that would focus more accurately than my f4 did. Hmmm... maybe it's not about the aperture?

Anyway... it's happening again. This forum gets so full of poor advice, however well-intentioned it may be. My very favorite "explanation" is when they turn condescending and explain that people shouldn't be able to just pick up a $1,500 camera and get sharp photos. You need to practice your technique we've been told.

Frankly, hogwosh. So last night I though - "I bet my kids could shoot my cameras and get them in focus." So, today, I mounted my 50mm 1.4 and my 70-200 2.8L on my 10d and 20d. Gave them to the kids with almost no instruction, just "make sure that what you're trying to shoot is in the middle of the picture. Then I asked them to photograph certain things.

My youngest, whose four, had the funniest comment when he first picked up my 20d loaded with the 70-200 2.8 - "Daddy! It's too big!" lol and "What do I do?" Bergen asked. Safe to assume that none of my children have ever held a dslr. Only my oldest uses any camera at all.

Here they are in action...
http://i2.pbase.com/u40/jfuglestad/upload/39290934.KidsTest4037proof.jpg
http://i2.pbase.com/u40/jfuglestad/upload/39290997.aKidsTest023.jpg
http://i2.pbase.com/u40/jfuglestad/upload/39291963.bKidsTest003.jpg
http://i2.pbase.com/u40/jfuglestad/upload/39291973.bKidsTest019.jpg

So, what you are about to see should disspell the untruths that this should be so complicated. That you need huge contrast. That you need a large subject. This is so easy a child should be able to do it. If someone still believes otherwise than maybe perhaps you have a focus problem you yourself cannot come to grips with. Canon intends these cameras to focus easily, they spend millions in R&D to make sure they do. I'm sure they cringe at the people spouting how hard it should be.

So, lets have Focus 101 shall we? Oh, every single shot was taken wide open at either 1.4 or 2.8.

Hey Oliver (4)... take a picture of that figure in the snow...
full res untouched... http://www.pbase.com/jfuglestad/image/39290941
http://i2.pbase.com/u40/jfuglestad/medium/39290941.aKidsTest3082.jpg

Hey Isaac, take a picture of that leaf...
http://www.pbase.com/jfuglestad/image/39290061/original
http://i2.pbase.com/u40/jfuglestad/medium/39290061.KidsTest5011.jpg

Isaac (7), Nokomis is sticking his nose through the fence...
http://www.pbase.com/jfuglestad/image/39290390
http://i2.pbase.com/u40/jfuglestad/medium/39290390.KidsTest6014.jpg

Isaac... my finger...
http://www.pbase.com/jfuglestad/image/39290339/original
http://i2.pbase.com/u40/jfuglestad/medium/39290339.KidsTest6006.jpg

Oh, and about shooting contrast... it's overrated...
http://www.pbase.com/jfuglestad/image/39290124
http://i2.pbase.com/u40/jfuglestad/medium/39290124.KidsTest5006.jpg

Too bright you say? Let's try some natural light inside...

Isaac, focus on the "C"....
http://www.pbase.com/jfuglestad/image/39290481/original
http://i2.pbase.com/u40/jfuglestad/medium/39290481.KidsTest6051.jpg

Isaac, the crayon...
http://www.pbase.com/jfuglestad/image/39292610
http://image.pbase.com/u40/jfuglestad/medium/39292610.KidsTest6055.jpg

Bergen... the Wal-Mart envelope...
http://www.pbase.com/jfuglestad/image/39291458/original
http://i2.pbase.com/u40/jfuglestad/medium/39291458.KidsTest3001.jpg


So folks, thanks for stopping by. The next time someone tells you that you need to practice practice practice or that you can't focus because you're a noob, or that you don't have enough contrast, or that you should shoot at f8 because you can't expect the cameras to focus wide open...... suggest to them that maybe if this is what they have to do with their cameras that maybe *they* have the focus problem.

People, it's real. It's many many cameras/lenses. When they're fixed, they're great. I love my 20d. I loved my 10d after I got new lenses. But if you think that you have a focus problem, then you probably do.

Thank you for your time. :-)

Jim



--
Jim Fuglestad
www.fuglestadphotography.com
http://www.pbase.com/jfuglestad/galleries
http://www.pbase.com/jfuglestad/366
- You're not in third grade anymore. Take as many recesses as you want!
- Why simply live and let live? Live and help live.