Why were all my photos slightly blurry with a 100mm macro lens?
Asked 7/30/2012
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2 answers
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I had one portrait shoot where images were sharp, then another where about 300 photos were all slightly blurry. I used the same Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro lens for both. On the blurry shoot I mostly used Av mode, changed aperture and ISO as lighting changed, and used AF with the center point only while focusing and recomposing. Subjects included a 6-year-old and a toddler, with shots ranging from close-ups to around 10 metres away.
The lens focus limiter was set to 0.31m–infinity on the blurry shoot. Could that cause blur? Also, the files were accidentally deleted during import to an iPad and later recovered—could that have affected image sharpness?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
14y ago
2 Answers
3
Sounds like you may have accidentally hit the AF-M slider on your lens, causing it to go into M mode or manual focus mode.
This is easy to do, as I know from experience. Of course, to make this even more "non-idiot proof", in most modes, your Canon will refuse to actuate the shutter if the lens does not confirm focus. However, when the lens is in manual focus mode, the camera then assumes you know what you are doing, and will happily take all the out of focus images it can hold.
Originally by user4880. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user4880
14y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
The recovered files would not cause blur, and the focus limiter setting (0.31m–infinity) should not make images soft by itself.
Based on the answers, the most likely causes are:
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Shutter speed too slow for a 100mm lens — In Av mode, the camera may have chosen shutter speeds that were too slow, especially with moving children or lower light. With a 100mm lens, blur from camera shake or subject movement is easy to get. A faster shutter speed such as around 1/125s or faster is a safer starting point, often faster for kids.
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Lens switched to manual focus by mistake — It’s possible the AF/MF switch on the lens was accidentally moved to manual focus. In that case, the camera can still take pictures even if focus is off.
Try using Tv mode or manually watching shutter speed, raise ISO if needed, and confirm the lens is set to AF before shooting.
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