Why do my Canon T2i full-body portraits look less sharp than close-up portraits?
Asked 8/21/2012
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I shoot portraits with a Canon T2i and usually get sharp close-up images, but when I step back for full-body shots—especially in horizontal framing—the subject looks less crisp, almost slightly out of focus. I’ve tried different apertures from f/1.8 to f/10 and also used flash AF assist, but it doesn’t seem to help. I’m using a Canon 50mm f/1.8 and a Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8. The main pattern is that sharpness seems worse when the subject is farther from the camera. Is this likely autofocus error, lens softness, or just the fact that the subject takes up fewer pixels in the frame?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
14y ago
2 Answers
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Sometimes lens do need some micro adjustments to get the exact focus. If you are shooting at f1.8, of course the Depth of Field is very shallow, and you have to be even more careful to focus on the right place. Usually Wide Open, any lens is a bit soft, this may feel as if its out of focus, but actually it is not. I would suggest manual focusing a well lit day light object using a tripod. Use live view and zoom in to perfectly focus the object. Take shot, and pixel peep on the PC. If that shot is having the same issue, then there is more than just AF issue.
Another radical solution is to change your Focusing Screen to a Split Prism one. Such as KATZEYE. You will lose visibility of AF points on the viewfinder but you will gain insight when the focus is wrong(by a hair), and you can match the finder to get the best focus.
Originally by user14425. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user14425
13y ago
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It may be a mix of factors rather than one fault. When you step back for a full-body shot, the subject occupies fewer pixels, so small softness is more noticeable. Also, shooting wide open (especially at f/1.8) gives very shallow depth of field, and many lenses are a bit softer at their widest aperture, which can look like missed focus.
A good test is to separate autofocus issues from lens sharpness: put the camera on a tripod, use Live View, zoom in, and manually focus on a well-lit subject. Then review the file at 100% on a computer. If it still looks soft, the issue may be lens sharpness or technique rather than AF.
If Live View/manual focus looks sharp but viewfinder AF does not, your camera/lens combination may need focus fine-tuning or service. Stopping down a little from wide open can also help sharpness. In short: wider apertures, lens softness wide open, and the subject being smaller in frame can all make full-body portraits seem less crisp.
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AI14y ago
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