Olympus E-520 out of focus

[nategesner]

I have a new E-520 and images are coming out blurry. I just got it last week so I still need to play around with it, but it seems to be creating blurry images in settings that should produce crystal-clear results.

Today my son had a T-ball game and the light was perfect. I used my 40-150mm lens in several different modes. The auto-focus seemed to be locking on every time. But when I got home and reviewed the pictures on my computer, they're all blurry. Not real bad, but definitely blurry when viewed at actual pixel size (see example below). Every picture is like this, whether taken from a distance or close up.

The second picture below is from my 14-42mm lens with the camera in Auto. It was taken in the dark using the flash, so light isn't nearly as good as my son's T-ball game, yet the image is much sharper.

Does anyone have any idea what I'm doing wrong? Is this a setting that can be changed, am I using the lens incorrectly, or is it something else? HELP!!!

[Foxcow]

Is there any chance that you could post EXIF data? Are you using the image stabilization?

[nategesner]

First, thanks for the response. Yes, I'm using IS 1 (although I experimented with IS 2 and 3 and the results were obviously worse).

I took at least 100 shots yesterday with both lenses, distances varying from 2 feet out to 100 feet. Everything is coming out blurry. I played with DoF, ISO, shutter speed, manual focus, tripod, hand-held, and IS, but the best I can get is like sample image #1 up above. I even put it on a tripod and set it for a 2sec delay so there's no way I was introducing shake.

I won't waste anyone's time yakking on about it. I'll post some test images today/tonight.

[Foxcow]

Try manually focusing.

I would make sure that the front and back of the lens is clean. Also, you can take a look at the sensor (when in cleaning mode) to see if there is anthing on it. I strongly advise against touching the sensor if there is something on there (if you don't know what you are doing), as you should take it somewhere.

[nategesner]

Foxcow: I've made sure everything is clean as a whistle.

OK, I set up a test image and took about 50 shots. First, I took shots from the tripod and in Auto mode. I used a 2sec delay to remove any chance of camera shake on my part and I used IS1 for every shot. I tried focusing on the black line in the center of the paper (it has the words "focus here" printed in white).

Here are the shots taken:

14mm with auto-focus then another with manual
42mm with auto-focus then another with manual
40mm with auto-focus then another with manual
150mm with auto-focus then another with manual

Manual focus was done with Live View and using Live View Assist at 7x magnification.

For every AF shot, the bottle might be in focus but the paper is slightly blurred. I assume this can be chalked up to a short depth of field?

For every manual focus shot, everything seems to be in focus. How can this be when the only thing changed is the focus method? Depth of field, shutter speed, and everything else remain the same, but the focus is much better!

Then I went back to hand-held mode. Again, every single shot is blurry. It's almost as if it hasn't chosen a focal point or the IS isn't working. I've held the IS button and hear the motor whirring and see the image stabilize. But all my hand-held shots with autofocus are blurry. The only thing with sharp images appears to be on a tripod with manual focus via Live View Assist.

The first image is at 150mm on a tripod with manual focus. Second shot is 14mm with Auto Focus.

EXIF for 150mm:
Exposure: 1/180
F-Stop: 5.6
ISO: 100
Aperture: 4.0
Metering Mode: pattern
Focal Length: 150mm


EXIF for 14mm:
Exposure: 1/60
F-Stop: 3.5
ISO: 100
Aperture: 3.6
Metering Mode: pattern
Focal Length: 14mm


I hope it's just my ignorance of a particular function because I don't want to have to send the camera back for repairs. If anyone can help me, I would sure appreciate it!

[nategesner]

Now that I've had time to think about it, I am guessing the fault lies with the auto-focus feature and some soft lenses. The images were always in focus when I do it manually using Live View and are only blurry when shooting using the AF. So now I have to figure out how to mitigate that and get the best images possible.

I also went back to www.dpreview.com and looked at their sample images again. I noticed that their sharpest shots were made with a better lens. A few of their shots were made with the 14-42mm that I have, and those shots show the same level of blur as mine when viewed at full size.

Can I live with what I've got? Sure, it will work for what I usually do and the main point was to learn how to use a DSLR. I guess the lesson learned is to borrow cameras and compare them first-hand instead of relying on another's review or someone else's pictures because they don't tell the whole story.

[Foxcow]

First and foremost, I would conduct the test outside with good lighting. I had a similar problem when I first got my E-520 last year (it was my first DSLR).


In the first shot, your depth of field is a "thicker" so more of everything is in focus. the 40-150 f/4-5.6 is a good lens but it performs best in ideal lighting conditions. In the second shot, f/3.5 will give you a more shallow/thinner depth of field and thats why the cup and part of the cube is in focus. Again, the 14-42 is a decent lens but it needs more light.


If you could post some same pictures in the daytime, I think we could further help you.


edit: I was worried at first as well but as I learned how light and the lenses worked, I was getting much better results.

[LoveDSLR]

Otherwise, your AF lenses may have back/front focusing problem.

[inkista]

Relax. Your pixel-peeping ways are leading you down the paths of madness.

In your second shot, the mugs in the front are very clearly in focus and tack sharp. Your autofocus system decided that they were the subject of the photo, not the focus chart in the back. Most camera manufacturers program their cameras AF systems to treat the largest nearest object as the subject of the photo to focus on, because nearly every vacation snap is someone in front of a scenic background.

Selecting a single AF point, and using that to set where the camera should focus with a half-press, and then recomposing the frame, is one method to make sure the camera is focusing absolutely where you want it. Manually focusing, obviously, does it more exactly.

Also, as someone else mentioned, your aperture will affect your depth of field. Expecting everything to be in focus at the same time can be asking a lot, particularly at nearer subject distances, wider apertures, and longer focal lengths.

[nategesner]

I forgot to mention that I selected the center point as my point of focus, instead of letting the camera choose. I always tried to focus (manually or with single-point auto focus) on the black line in the center of the page (it has the words "focus here" in white font).

The photo below was taken yesterday. Everything is blurry, so I don't think it's an issue of the AF locking on the wrong target. Is this camera shake due to focal length, even though IS 1 is engaged?

EXIF for fox pup:

Exposure: 1/100
F/Stop: 5.6
ISO: 400
Aperture: 4.0
Focal Length: 150mm

The second photo had better lighting but was also taken at a long focal length.

Exposure: 1/500
F/Stop: 5.6
ISO: 100
Aperture: 4.0
Focal Length: 150mm

I'm only looking at the actual pixesl because I want to learn how to get the most from this camera. Sample photos from others seem razor sharp compared to what I'm getting and I'd like to know if I'm doing something wrong. Thanks for taking the time to help a newbie!