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Thursday, July 17, 2014

259/365 Family Portrait

My husband's brother and family are in town visiting and tonight we took a family portrait.  It my first time using my new remote.  I ended up using my 18-55mm kit (my 50 wouldn't fit us all from where I had to shoot) and I don't know if it was me (although it was on a tripod) or just the lens but I was a little disappointed in the focus.  We should be in focus according to my dof calculations, and I feel we are since I can't find an area where the focus is more sharp.  My conclusion is perhaps this lens is just not as sharp as my 50mm prime when I view 1:1.  If you have any thoughts on the focus I'd love to hear them.

35mm, f13, 1/250, ISO 1600



6 comments:

  1. I really think you did great!!

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  2. I think you did a great job, too...I just don't know why ISO 1600? I think you all look fantastic (especially the baby:)) and you are all in focus...well, the kit lens is not that sharp for sure, but it doesn't matter, because both pictures look great!!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Moyca. This was actually backlit (the sun was just out of the frame on camera left) and I shot at f13, so that's why the ISO 1600. It was actually still a little underexposed ( I was trying to be really careful about not blowing our white shirts), which is how I was able to bring back a little sky in pp even though it was backlit. I had planned to use my 50mm and did a dof calc on it earlier in the afternoon, which showed f11-f13 would be a pretty safe aperture for this situation/# people. When we got there and I switched to my kit zoom, I didn't realize I could have shot a lot wider at 35mm (and lowered my ISO), but it was spur of the moment so I'm ok with it. As for the focus...I realized later after looking at this lens (which I hadn't used in a while), there was a huge smug (really, really bad) and I'm guessing that may have been a lot of the reason these look softer. I just got a lens pen and this will be a lesson learned.

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    2. Maria, I always learn something new from you:) You are such a perfectionist:) I bought myself a cleaning kit ( a blower, a brush, a spray and a silky wipe) and I love it!! My lens is always so clean! I'm pleased with my kit lens, but I need a new one, something better...I'm thinking about 24-70mm, but it's so expensive, that I really have to be pleased with what I got now:)

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  3. I think they turned out great. I've been reading a lot on focus lately, it's what I've been "focusing" on in my photos (no pun intended) and something I read said that in back lighting conditions, it is harder for the lens to grab focus. Maybe this caused some of the issues?? That, and I agree, I feel my kit lens is just not as sharp as my 50, either....although I know there are some photogs who can still nail focus with theirs.....

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