Do you have trouble focusing on the eyes?(Tips?)

Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM

03/11/2009 09:05:29 AM · #1

Hi there,

I don't know if anyone else has a problem getting in focus pictures but I have a hell of a time unless I use the live view function of my Rebel XS. I am talking of course on manual focus which I much prefer using.

I use the manual focus ring back and forth while looking through the viewfinder trying to see either the eyes or something on the subject's face that seems in focus. But looking at the photos after the fact in many photos the eyes just aren't in focus(for example the eyelashes are blurred as well as the eyes. It's not extremely far off but I just can't get a consistent shot where the eye is always in focus. I find it really tough to make sure it's right because the viewfinder is so small. You really can't see the eye enough anyways and you just try to take an educated guess.

Am I doing something wrong? I am using the lens that comes with the REBEL XS 4.5/5.6 18-55mm IS Lens. That's all I have right now and as much as I'd prefer a few more options, I can't really afford it right now.

NstiG8tr

Canon EOS-5D Mark IV

03/11/2009 09:13:20 AM · #2

Have you tried auto focus just to make sure it isn't you? Do you shoot RAW or Jpeg? Wide open aperatures have a really shallow DOF which will look OOF. Do you have a tripod? It doesn't take much body movement to change focus and blurr an image.

Message edited by author 2009-03-11 09:16:35.

robs

Canon EOS R6 Mk II

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

03/11/2009 09:24:38 AM · #3

Yeah... These Canon crop cameras have pathetic viewfinders. Not sure about your camera but there are some replacement screens for some models - even the ones Canon says don't have interchangeable screens. Try google katzeye or something similar.

TCGuru

Canon EOS-40D

Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

03/11/2009 09:28:05 AM · #4

Check your dioptric setting. It might have been moved/bumped on accident. Then try again. I am going to guess this is the issue because you say it works fine in live view...

If you don't know what a dioptric is, here:

It is a little wheel that controls the focus settings on your viewfinder :)

Message edited by author 2009-03-11 09:38:39.

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

03/11/2009 10:40:31 AM · #5

It's not the dioptric, I've adjusted it multiple times to make sure it's as in focus as possible. And yes when I use autofocus it's definetely improved on most occasions. is it possible that I need glasses(or contacts) to get this right? Doesn't the Dioptric adjust for that very thing? I use either raw or Jpg but I mostly use Jpg lately(just cause of the limitations in the multi-shoot mode which I've been using quite often). As for the aperture settings, for portraits what do you recommend when looking through the viewfinder? I thought a really low number and shallow DOF was good for portraits? Does that not mean that what's in focus will be even more sharp at a shalow dof then then oposite? Because I'm using the lens that came with the body it doesn't go extremely shadow. I believe at the widest angle I get 3.0 or 3.5 and zoomed in I get around 4.5 or 5.0

Canon EOS-5D Mark IV

03/11/2009 10:44:45 AM · #6

can you post examples, preferrably 100% crops?

Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

03/11/2009 10:47:50 AM · #7

Originally posted by eyewave:

can you post examples, preferrably 100% crops?

Will do when I can get home after work.

TCGuru

Canon EOS-40D

03/11/2009 11:39:31 AM · #8

Originally posted by drewhosick:

You should not have DOF issues with your aperture set at anything above 3.0 if you are focusing on the eyes. If it does fine in auto focus mode and live view mode, it's your eyes or the viewfinder. :) Oh, and pretty much any kit lens is not going to give you the beautiful focus of a prime or L-glass. :)

03/11/2009 11:43:52 AM · #9

Open your file in DPP (came with your camera, update it via download) hit ALT+L and look at the red dot to see exactly where the focus was when you took the shot.

glad2badad

Apple iPhone 16 Pro

Lensbaby Sweet 35 Optic

03/11/2009 11:49:18 AM · #10

The DOF button on the front of your camera (usually in front) will give you additional feedback on what's in focus (or not).

ShutterPug

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

03/11/2009 02:25:05 PM · #11

Originally posted by drewhosick:

is it possible that I need glasses(or contacts) to get this right?

I'm serious here - you could check your blood pressure along with your vision. My vision since laser surgery is 20/20, but now and then I find I cannot focus on anything including through the camera as my high blood pressure causes my vision to blur when it gets too high.

Bear_Music

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

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

03/11/2009 03:12:15 PM · #12

Originally posted by drewhosick:

...is it possible that I need glasses(or contacts) to get this right? Doesn't the Dioptric adjust for that very thing?

The diopter adjusts for near/far sightedness, not for other issues such as astigmatism. So I use my glasses when I shoot, and still have to adjust the diopter setting to get everything right. And under some conditions I have to CHANGE the adjustment of the diopter from its usual setting; in extreme cold, for example, I have to change it.

To check diopter adjustment, point camera at something bright and throw it out of focus, like focus at closest possible distance then point camera at a bright sky. Now rotate the wheel so the focus points/other markings on the viewfinder screen are tack sharp. Check this frequently, at LEAST every time you start shooting. It's easy.

To manually focus properly in critical situations, over or under focus substantially, so the scene is blurry. Now focus your eyes on the viewfinder markings, then bring the image "up" to that focus level, so image and marks are both in focus. It is actually possible for the eye to bring focus up in front of, or behind, the ground glass of a focusing screen, so surface marks are critical and learning the knack of focusing on THEM rather than the image with your eyes and holding that focus as you bring the image up is a critical skill.

This is something all large-format photographers have to learn to do. The difficulty of doing it is why split/prism viewfinders were invented, back in the day, and then of course autofocus ditto. So the bottom line is, it's HARD to learn to focus manually with a dSLR, and some folks never get it right.

R.

Message edited by author 2009-03-11 15:13:12.

BeeCee

Nikon D40

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 ED

03/11/2009 04:23:40 PM · #13

Thanks, Bear!

I gave up on manual focus, though I'd like to use it, because I know my viewfinder eye is throwing me off. This method really does work!

Bear_Music

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

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

03/11/2009 04:40:13 PM · #14

Originally posted by BeeCee:

Thanks, Bear!

I gave up on manual focus, though I'd like to use it, because I know my viewfinder eye is throwing me off. This method really does work!

You're welcome. It's funny this has never come up before. That's how much autofocus has corrupted our basic skills :-)

R.

03/11/2009 04:57:14 PM · #15

Here's an example. You can see the photo's focus is off of the model completely. Now this one is an "EXTREME" example. Most of the time the face isn't that much out of focus but the eyes are. I just find it really tough to get the focus to be exact. Could it be that I'm trying to use a 18-55mm lens from too far away for a sharp portrait when I should get a much more closeup shot? I know the focus is wrong but how do I take shots as to not run into this as often?

N.B. I've included a cropped shot and the original size.

The point I guess I'm making is through the viewfinder it's so tiny I have a hard time seeing the eyes in focus since they are so small. I know I should be looking for clues such as seeing that the back cupboards aren't in focus as they are but it seems tough at times.

03/11/2009 05:01:48 PM · #16

Actually here's a shot that shows that i'm really close on focus. Much better then the previous shot but you can see that the eyes could be even more in focus. Here's where it gets tricky. The last two photos were bad examples but I can't tell at this point whether the eye itself is in focus or not.

This is a cropped photo from the original which is about 5 times larger.

Message edited by author 2009-03-11 17:02:53.

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

03/11/2009 05:11:10 PM · #17

One simple test might be to take the same shot twice: once with manual focus, once with autofocus. It seems unlikely to me, but it could be some other issue with your camera itself (for instance, if the sensor plane and finder focus screen plane are somehow "off" just a bit it could matter. In your worst case examples below, it seems your focus point is well behind him. And, making sure your diopter is set correctly, as Bear described, is warranted.

But a trip to the optometrist is in order, I suspect. When I had this problem some time ago on my film slr with only manual focus, it turned out that I needed an updated prescription... The change over time is so slow that you don't notice it until you get the glasses/contacts and then you go WOW! I was missing this much all the time?

If you find you have to get pretty close to street signs, particularly at night, to be able to read them clearly, that could be another clue. Night vision deterioration is my first clue I need an update.

Message edited by author 2009-03-11 17:12:15.

Bear_Music

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

03/11/2009 05:18:51 PM · #18

Am I the only one to notice that Chromeydome is commenting on the focus accuracy of images that are, like, DOMINATED by a chrome-plated dome of a head? Jejejeâ�¢

R.

03/11/2009 05:19:52 PM · #19

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

Am I the only one to notice that Chromeydome is commenting on the focus accuracy of images that are, like, DOMINATED by a chrome-plated dome of a head? Jejejeâ�¢

R.

It is important to get such handsome creatures and features in focus.... :-)

(I suppose it could simply be that the glare is overwhelming?)

Message edited by author 2009-03-11 17:21:01.

Prof_Fate

03/11/2009 05:20:09 PM · #20

how are you focusing? Shutter button 1/2 press or back (*) button? (I assume that's an option on the rebel line). manyu folks find moving the focus action to the back button helps them focus better (it did me)
Are you using the center point and then focus and recompose? (it can cause OOF issues) or are you using one of the many focus points, or leaving the camera to pick teh point?
Is your shutter speed high enough to eliminate blur (1/focal length, so 1/80 or better for the kit lens)
Did your subject move? for the last two try a tripod and still life or similar tests
Are you shooting wide open? While the kit lens isn't a 1.4 or even 2.8, it's not all that sharp wide open, so is it a general sharpness issue you're seeing? stop down to 5.6 or 8 and see.
it's possible the camera/lens or the combo needs calibrating. google for some provedures that you can do to test the focus accuracy of your camera/lens.

as for the idea that you should't have DOF issues at F3 or so, well, that's not true. DOF is a relationship bewteen focal length, aperture and distance to the subject. I can get lots of DOF at F2.8 or practically non at F11 (compare a wide angle landscape shot to say a macro lens shot of a bug)

Message edited by author 2009-03-11 17:21:06.

03/11/2009 05:23:54 PM · #21

Originally posted by drewhosick:

Here's an example. You can see the photo's focus is off of the model completely. Now this one is an "EXTREME" example. Most of the time the face isn't that much out of focus but the eyes are. I just find it really tough to get the focus to be exact. Could it be that I'm trying to use a 18-55mm lens from too far away for a sharp portrait when I should get a much more closeup shot? I know the focus is wrong but how do I take shots as to not run into this as often?

The point I guess I'm making is through the viewfinder it's so tiny I have a hard time seeing the eyes in focus since they are so small. I know I should be looking for clues such as seeing that the back cupboards aren't in focus as they are but it seems tough at times.

So having established that you are able to miss your subject entirely, can you ru nDPP and take some screenshots after hitting alt+L so you can share WHERE you are actually focusing? I mean I find it hard to believe your eyes are so bad or your lens is so screwed up that you end up focusing two feet to the right of someone standing right in front of you.

Here's another suggestion/question to ignore - do you have the camera set to autofocus using whatever focus points it feels like instead of the one you specify?

03/11/2009 05:26:55 PM · #22

The OP says Manual Focus is in use.

(though it couldn't hurt to check to verify it is turned off, I suppose)

03/11/2009 05:32:07 PM · #23

Originally posted by chromeydome:

The OP says Manual Focus is in use.

(though it couldn't hurt to check to verify it is turned off, I suppose)

My bad, thought he said he would prefer to be using manual focus but indeed says he 'prefers' to use it. Which begs an entirely different question, what the hell for if you only get out of focus shots when you do.

03/11/2009 05:54:43 PM · #24

Originally posted by violinist123:

Originally posted by chromeydome:
The OP says Manual Focus is in use.

(though it couldn't hurt to check to verify it is turned off, I suppose)

My bad, thought he said he would prefer to be using manual focus but indeed says he 'prefers' to use it. Which begs an entirely different question, what the hell for if you only get out of focus shots when you do.

Maybe he likes "Kickin it Old School" :-)))

'cept, he is a youngin, don't know nuthin 'bout no old school stuff. Probably, that is a shaved head on his young friend there, too. Poser! I EARNED my chromedome thru years of nature taking it's harsh toll. :-|