Canon 40D HELP!!! - DPChallenge Forums

10/12/2007 08:26:04 PM · #1

I just purchased a Canon 40D and something must be wrong. I need some help !!! I have been using my Sony f828 and upgraded to my first DSLR. I now have a Canon 40D and am going nutts. For the life of me, I can not figure out why the Sony point and shoot is by far, outperforming my new Canon. I am very new to the DSLRs and maybe its me. I have only been shooting indoors with a flash. In EVERY test ive done, the sony has better IQ. Im using the 28-135 kit lense and maybe It cant keep up with the Zeiss glass. Has anyone had any problems with the 40D? The focus is crap, the IQ is crap and well maybe the shooter is too. sigh...

violinist123

Canon EOS-6D

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon

10/12/2007 08:46:26 PM · #2

Your p&s sharpens the hell out of every shot. Configure your 40D to do the same.

strangeghost

Canon EOS-7D

10/12/2007 08:52:10 PM · #3

Post some examples. Let us puzzle over it with you.

10/12/2007 09:09:19 PM · #4

set the sharpness on the 40D to 7 and got the same results. How much does the lense play a factor? Im shooting in Program and Auto with both. would a prim lense produce better results? woking on uploading some photos......

Prof_Fate

10/12/2007 09:51:53 PM · #5

the 28-135 'kit' lens is fine, quite sharp, at least mine is.
Read the manual. go one step at a time. watch your shutter speed, min focus distance too.
You're using modes that automatically do things for you - but perhaps not what you want to do - like picking ISO.

Post some info/samples with Exif info and lets see what we can do to help.

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

10/12/2007 10:05:49 PM · #6

what mode should I learn to shoot in? It seems to be the auto focus does not do well in low light. I was using the live view to fine tune the manual focus and wow what a difference. the manual focus were far more crisp. Im thinking its the user....

Bear_Music

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

10/12/2007 10:17:10 PM · #7

Yup, it's the user. The Sony has been idiot-proofed, the 40D has not. EVERYone who goes from a P&S has to make an adjustment, including me, who used to be a working professional photographer. I got sloppy with my skills when I went digital with a P&S, and had to relearn them when I got the 20D.

What mode should you "learn" on? I'd say "full manual": manual exposure, manual focus. If that's too much, learn the different situations where Av or Tv is the best semi-auto choice (Av when a specific aperture is needed, usually for DOF, Tv when a specific shutter speed is required, typically for moving subjects or to eliminate camera shake with a long lens) and use one or the other. With both Av and Tv, learn to use the exposure compensation adjustment to "interpret" what the light meter is telling you.

R.

MelonMusketeer

Nikon D7000

Nikon MF 50mm f/1.4

10/12/2007 10:18:19 PM · #8

Maybe it will help the shots if you make the D40 your primary default camera in your profile? : )
The DSLR gives you pics made to be worked on, instead of being worked over by a program developed to try to please the "average" shooter.
There are only a few choices with the P&S, but there are a hundred ways to "oops" a photo with the D40.
It takes time to learn settings to get what you want to see from the camera. Be patient, experiment, have fun.
I worked on one setting every 3 or 4 days until I know my S3 Fuji pretty well now. It took about a year.

Travis99

Canon EOS-5D

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

10/12/2007 10:19:26 PM · #9

because the camera dosent take the picture, the person behind it does. Its not the 40d. Its gonna take some time to learn how to use it.

Prof_Fate

10/12/2007 10:20:21 PM · #10

Define low light?
ISO 3200, 2.8 at 1/25....my 40D focuses fantastically.
I use AV mode - and I pick the ISO - auto ISO likes 400 too much IMO. In Av mode you pick the aperture - your kit lens is slow, expecially zoomed in tight (5.6 is the widest it will do..2 full stops less light that 2.8). so in my scenario that 2 stops means 1/8th second...you'll get camera shake even with an IS lens, and that will appear as a soft or OOF image.

In AV the camera will pick the shutter speed to get the proper exposure, from 1/8000 to a full 30 seconds...you need to keep the shutter speed above say 1/60 with the IS lens' IS on to avoid camera shake.

Push the ISO to 800 or even 1600 and see if that makes a difference.

1/25 @ 2.8, ISO 3200 - no retouching. 70-200 2.8 IS lens at 150mm

nhuto

10/12/2007 10:23:40 PM · #11

Shoot in Aperture Priority mode (AV) this mode lets you set the aperture and the camera sets the shutter speed... make sure you set your focus to AI Focus or One Shot, AI Servo is for traking moving object...hold your camera securely with both hands...take pictures with both IS on and off to see the difference...don't forget to play around with the ISO setting..in dim light crank the ISO up to get the adequate shutter speed...It will take time for you to learn your new camera, try to keep your camera manual with you at all time..

Message edited by author 2007-10-12 22:27:49.

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM II

10/12/2007 10:48:13 PM · #12

thanks for the help guys, I was hoping it was me. I did a ton of reading before i purchased this and I guess was not ready for the new machine. I love my sony but it has limited me in many ways. Again thanks for the help.

PhotoDave

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

10/13/2007 12:19:42 AM · #13

IMO it will just take a little getting used to, I just went from an XTi to the 40D and finding there is about the same learning curve as when I went from my powershot G5 to the XTi..

-dave

Monique64

Canon EOS-30D

Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM

10/13/2007 12:29:11 AM · #14

I went from Fuji S9500 to the 30D and found that my first run of shots weren't as great as I had hoped and I was actually disappointed. I kept thinking that my S9500 would do it better. But after learning more about how to use my camera I ahve been getting better. I have still gots heaps to learn but I am getting there. Just to let you know that it's not just you who experiences this when upgrading.

eschelar

Canon EOS-7D

Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM

10/13/2007 12:37:36 AM · #15

Like moving from a tricycle to a two-wheeler. You lose a lot of safety nets.

Just saying that the lens focuses very well on live view mode tells that the lens is just fine. The focus is probably going to be very good in an AF mode, but live view will give focus 'perfection'.

Don't forget as well that the depth of field on the Sony is significantly deeper than it's likely to be on the 40D. That means that a 10% error in focus precision is going to basically undetectable on the Sony, but will be probably be as bad as a minor annoyance on a DSLR.

Don't be afraid to run some AF accuracy checks too. There are some listed in the forums (search forums) and google can help you there too.

When I started with a DSLR, I had just the 80-200 f/2.8L and the 50mm f/1.8. I thought I had troubles with the 50mm, so I took it in to Canon. I learned a lot (actually before that by doing it myself) by observing them perform the AF accuracy tests through the big glass observation window they had there.

You don't need much more than a ruler at a roughly 45 degree angle to do a focus accuracy check.

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS

10/13/2007 09:16:08 PM · #16

ok so I did this test //regex.info/blog/photo-tech/focus-chart and it seems like i have some "front focus" going on. Is it a lense issue or a camera issue? If I just use the center foucus poit, it is great. If I use all points It will lock on the lower points and focus them only......grrrrr.......

Strikeslip

Canon EOS-5D

10/13/2007 09:43:32 PM · #17

Originally posted by dsmboostaholic:

I think it's a common feature to focus on the closer points when using multiple focus points. I've almost always used only the centre point, focus, and recompose; or a different single point. Using multiple points doesn't give me the control I want, so I never use them. Hope this helps.

violinist123

Canon EOS-6D

10/13/2007 09:44:28 PM · #18

If focus is good with the center point, then you don't have a focusing issue.

Using all focus point, the camera chooses what to use. That may or may not be what you wanted out of the situation.

In all seriousness, walk away from the Internet and go take four or five hundred shots and learn how to use the camera. It's good gear, don't worry so much about it.

doctornick

Apple iPhone 13 Pro

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS

10/13/2007 09:58:03 PM · #19

Remember that with a DSLR you have to pay close attention to your DOF, the P & S have almost infinite Deep DOF so everything will be in focus. With a DSLR if your focus point is not on where you want it to be you will end up with planes that are out of focus.

Message edited by author 2007-10-13 21:58:50.

Strikeslip

Canon EOS-5D

10/13/2007 10:06:07 PM · #20

Originally posted by doctornick:

Something to consider if focusing with one point and recomposing too. Where the subject is and how wide the plane is and if the rotation is going to move the subject out of the plane. Something most easily visualized while doing a macro.

Message edited by author 2007-10-13 22:07:10.

eschelar

Canon EOS-7D

Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM

10/14/2007 07:05:41 AM · #21

You would do best do perform the AF test using the center point only. This checks the performance of that point. You may check the accuracy on the other points too if you like, but only do one point at a time. Your results will be too inconsistent otherwise.

Also what Strikeslip was trying to say is that there has been a claim made that using the center point (the most accurate point) to lock focus and then recompose is fraught with trouble if you have a shallow DOF. This claim has been well verified.

I still usually use just a single AF point, though it's not always the center.