A question for the photogrphy experts

I have been going through the pictures that I took at the Duxford airshow,
and am struck by how many of the airborne shots came out fuzzy.

It looks as though I have a focus problem. I am using centre weighted
continuous focus which means that it is possible to take a picture even when
the autofocus has not achieved proper focus. The advantage is that there is
no delay between pressing the shutter release and making the exposure. I
have noticed that when I use burst mode, a fast moving aircraft does not
stay in the same relative position in the frame in each exposure. Could it
be that the autofocus temporarily focuses on a patch of sky rather than on
the aircraft?

I know the camera and 70-300VR lens that I use are capable of taking sharp
pictures, so the problem must be in my technique. Do I need to practice
panning more?

I would appreciate having the experts weigh in on the subject.

Thanks in advance,

Indrek Aavisto


--
Criticism is easy; achievement is difficult. W.S. Churchill

I'd say mostly your panning. I don't get them all teh time either :-)

I don't use continuos focus either. Hate it with a passion


"Indrek Aavisto" wrote in message
...
I have been going through the pictures that I took at the Duxford airshow,
and am struck by how many of the airborne shots came out fuzzy.

It looks as though I have a focus problem. I am using centre weighted
continuous focus which means that it is possible to take a picture even
when the autofocus has not achieved proper focus. The advantage is that
there is no delay between pressing the shutter release and making the
exposure. I have noticed that when I use burst mode, a fast moving
aircraft does not stay in the same relative position in the frame in each
exposure. Could it be that the autofocus temporarily focuses on a patch of
sky rather than on the aircraft?

I know the camera and 70-300VR lens that I use are capable of taking sharp
pictures, so the problem must be in my technique. Do I need to practice
panning more?

I would appreciate having the experts weigh in on the subject.

Thanks in advance,

Indrek Aavisto


--
Criticism is easy; achievement is difficult. W.S. Churchill

Look up one of the How to Take Airshow Photos sites.
You'll find helpful tips.
I set my autofocus on the center spot. Also, continous focus is a
pain, but it does work for me.

Joe.








On Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:59:58 -0400, "Indrek Aavisto"
wrote:

I have been going through the pictures that I took at the Duxford airshow,
and am struck by how many of the airborne shots came out fuzzy.

It looks as though I have a focus problem. I am using centre weighted
continuous focus which means that it is possible to take a picture even when
the autofocus has not achieved proper focus. The advantage is that there is
no delay between pressing the shutter release and making the exposure. I
have noticed that when I use burst mode, a fast moving aircraft does not
stay in the same relative position in the frame in each exposure. Could it
be that the autofocus temporarily focuses on a patch of sky rather than on
the aircraft?

I know the camera and 70-300VR lens that I use are capable of taking sharp
pictures, so the problem must be in my technique. Do I need to practice
panning more?

I would appreciate having the experts weigh in on the subject.

Thanks in advance,

Indrek Aavisto

"Glenn" wrote

I don't use continuos focus either. Hate it with a passion

How do you have yours set?
--
Jim in NC

"Indrek Aavisto" wrote in message
...
I have been going through the pictures that I took at the Duxford airshow,
and am struck by how many of the airborne shots came out fuzzy.


There are lots of things that could cause this (most probably incorrect
panning) but I must mention the lens. I use Canon IS and find that this can
give problems with panned shots. It usually gives itself away by having one
side of the picture sharp and the other a little soft. So do your tests with
the VR switched off as well. I now often have IS off for panning shots, only
using it when I have forgotten to turn it off. At Duxford you would
probably use 160th/sec so 'one shot' AF would be more than adequate and on a
fair day I would also have the camera in manual mode, only using the TTL
metering if the aircraft are moving in and out of shade. Hope this helps -
it works for me (sometimes!).

In article ,
"Indrek Aavisto" wrote:

I have been going through the pictures that I took at the Duxford airshow,
and am struck by how many of the airborne shots came out fuzzy.

It looks as though I have a focus problem. I am using centre weighted
continuous focus which means that it is possible to take a picture even when
the autofocus has not achieved proper focus. The advantage is that there is
no delay between pressing the shutter release and making the exposure. I
have noticed that when I use burst mode, a fast moving aircraft does not
stay in the same relative position in the frame in each exposure. Could it
be that the autofocus temporarily focuses on a patch of sky rather than on
the aircraft?

I know the camera and 70-300VR lens that I use are capable of taking sharp
pictures, so the problem must be in my technique. Do I need to practice
panning more?

I would appreciate having the experts weigh in on the subject.

Thanks in advance,

Indrek Aavisto

My humble thoughts - if you pan, the background will blur out as motion
blur and if you pan correctly, your target will be in focus... if you
hold steady, prefocus on distance you believe the target will cross your
view and then good luck in timing shot.

Thanks to everyone who replied with constructive ideas.

I'll have to work on panning technique, and stop using continuous focus.
I'll also experiment with VR on and off. Unfortunately I don't get to that
many airshows, so I'll try panning moving traffic instead. The trick will be
to find a spot that requires a long focal length, because holding the camera
steady is more critical then.

Cheers,

Indrek Aavisto


--
Criticism is easy; achievement is difficult. W.S. Churchill