Blurred bullrushes

[Autumn]

I took a shot of these bullrushes and they are blurred. I think it is because I don't understand my camera.

It has a built in 300 mm lens and I think I fill the viewfinder too much and make it out of focus. It looks ok in the viewfinder - it is when I get it on the pc that I can see it.

How do I know how close to get it without it being blurred, if this is the case?

File name: 0008adj.jpg File size: 485544 bytes
File date: 2006:11:28 23:06:49 Camera make: FUJIFILM
Camera model: FinePix S9500 Date/Time: 2006:11:28 15:11:40
Resolution: 2592 x 1944 Flash used: No
Focal length: 36.1mm (35mm equivalent: 167mm) CCD width: 7.78mm
Exposure time: 0.0020 s (1/500) Aperture: f/4.0
ISO equiv.: 100 Whitebalance: Auto
Metering Mode: matrix Exposure: shutter priority (semi-auto)



PS I know it is rotten picture - I do have better ones - I am just curious as to what I do wrong, as it is not the first time this has happened. I do it in the house - I must zoom in too close, but how do I know?

[coupekid]

Re: Blurred bullrushes

I took a shot of these bullrushes and they are blurred. I think it is because I don't understand my camera.

It has a built in 300 mm lens and I think I fill the viewfinder too much and make it out of focus. It looks ok in the viewfinder - it is when I get it on the pc that I can see it.

How do I know how close to get it without it being blurred, if this is the case


File name: 0008adj.jpg File size: 485544 bytes
File date: 2006:11:28 23:06:49 Camera make: FUJIFILM
Camera model: FinePix S9500 Date/Time: 2006:11:28 15:11:40
Resolution: 2592 x 1944 Flash used: No
Focal length: 36.1mm (35mm equivalent: 167mm) CCD width: 7.78mm
Exposure time: 0.0020 s (1/500) Aperture: f/4.0
ISO equiv.: 100 Whitebalance: Auto
Metering Mode: matrix Exposure: shutter priority (semi-auto)



PS I know it is rotten picture - I do have better ones - I am just curious as to what I do wrong, as it is not the first time this has happened. I do it in the house - I must zoom in too close, but how do I know?

Hi Autumn!

I would suggest to check out to see if your camera has a 'macro' mode.

If it does, you may benifit from using this mode as it will enable you to get in nice and close and personal.

Give it a try next time!

[Autumn]

Re: Blurred bullrushes

Hi Autumn!

I would suggest to check out to see if your camera has a 'macro' mode.

If it does, you may benifit from using this mode as it will enable you to get in nice and close and personal.

Give it a try next time!

It does have a macro mode but I'm not good at that either. The thing was today I was nearly standing in the water and I wasn't very near to the bullrushes.

[Stephen]

Re: Blurred bullrushes

Could this be one of the drawbacks of electronic viewfinders (EVF's) ? ie difficult to tell when some things are in focus.

Is there a focusing zone in the viewfinder, usually in the middle, if so are you using it?

Is there a focus lock light in the viewfinder, often there is an audible bleep when the camera finds focus too

It appears to me that in your example the camera is focusing on the background, and you are not locking the focus on the subject which appears to be the bull rushes.

[Autumn]

Re: Blurred bullrushes

Could this be one of the drawbacks of electronic viewfinders (EVF's) ? ie difficult to tell when some things are in focus.

Is there a focusing zone in the viewfinder, usually in the middle, if so are you using it?

Is there a focus lock light in the viewfinder, often there is an audible bleep when the camera finds focus too

It appears to me that in your example the camera is focusing on the background, and you are not locking the focus on the subject which appears to be the bull rushes.

Could be Stephen, I must admit I was messing around with manual/autofocus. I am just looking as some others I took, I just don't have a steady hand. When on holiday the light is good, but today I was shooting at between 10 and 40 seconds. I must use a tripod more.

[coupekid]

Re: Blurred bullrushes

Could be Stephen, I must admit I was messing around with manual/autofocus. I am just looking as some others I took, I just don't have a steady hand. When on holiday the light is good, but today I was shooting at between 10 and 40 seconds. I must use a tripod more.

I know when my wife bought her Canon camera, it had an 'intelligent multipoint focus' system (or similar) and it was terrible! I turned it off for her, and just got her to use the centre point of focus. If it has this feature, I would strongly recomend turning it off.

[Jocelyn Walker]

Re: Blurred bullrushes

I took a shot of these bullrushes and they are blurred. I think it is because I don't understand my camera.

It has a built in 300 mm lens and I think I fill the viewfinder too much and make it out of focus. It looks ok in the viewfinder - it is when I get it on the pc that I can see it.

How do I know how close to get it without it being blurred, if this is the case?

File name: 0008adj.jpg File size: 485544 bytes
File date: 2006:11:28 23:06:49 Camera make: FUJIFILM
Camera model: FinePix S9500 Date/Time: 2006:11:28 15:11:40
Resolution: 2592 x 1944 Flash used: No
Focal length: 36.1mm (35mm equivalent: 167mm) CCD width: 7.78mm
Exposure time: 0.0020 s (1/500) Aperture: f/4.0
ISO equiv.: 100 Whitebalance: Auto
Metering Mode: matrix Exposure: shutter priority (semi-auto)



PS I know it is rotten picture - I do have better ones - I am just curious as to what I do wrong, as it is not the first time this has happened. I do it in the house - I must zoom in too close, but how do I know?

I'm glad you've asked that question as I often have been unimpressed with my shots being blurred even when in macro mode & definitely not too close. The camera focuses on the background rather than subject one is trying to capture. I've tried aligning the subject within the indicated focal point on lcd screen! I have put it down to a problem with hand jitters & needing to use my tripod but there are times that using a tripod is difficult...like when standing in water! So I'm also interested in what experienced members can advise, thanx!

[Autumn]

Re: Blurred bullrushes

I'm glad you've asked that question as I often have been unimpressed with my shots being blurred even when in macro mode & definitely not too close. The camera focuses on the background rather than subject one is trying to capture. I've tried aligning the subject within the indicated focal point on lcd screen! I have put it down to a problem with hand jitters & needing to use my tripod but there are times that using a tripod is difficult...like when standing in water! So I'm also interested in what experienced members can advise, thanx!

I am sure it is not the camera. I think it is the photographer - me.

Must try harder and practise at home with my tripod.

[coupekid]

Re: Blurred bullrushes

I am sure it is not the camera. I think it is the photographer - me.

Must try harder and practise at home with my tripod.

I really dont feel it has anything to do with it being handheld, as the blurriness shown here is definately not motion blurr, its down to where your camera is focusing, in this instance, the background.

[Blank Page]

Re: Blurred bullrushes

I think coupekid is right. If the problem was hand held motion, the background would be blurred as well.

I've never owned a zoom lens, but isn't there something called back focus on them? I think that's where the rear element of the lens can go out of whack so that if you zoom in on something to focus, then zoom back to frame the picture, the focus shifts (or something like that). If this is a consistent problem, rather than just once in a while, that might be the problem. Of course, if it doesn't have a back focus, then ignore this advice.

[Steve40]

Re: Blurred bullrushes

Stephen got it right, this is a common problem with autofocus. On something like this which has low density in foreground objects, the camera will focus on the mid, or background. The solution is manual focusing, or try spot focus on the rushes (picking out one target).