K20D.......WHY.......

Did I wait so long to get it :-/ ??

I was never sure whether my *ist D or K10D were focussing properly or not, sulking with certain lenses or my soft shots were down to poss-piir photographic technique...

But my first set of shots taken with my K20D just blew me away....

Glad I made the move

So are we going to see some Gallery posts now?

I still suffer from poss piir photographic technique; although my photos are sharper, composition leaves a lot to be desired. The photos my GF takes with her EOS 300D are better than mine.

Then post some and ask for comments!

Mike

If you post some you'll learn a lot about composition from the forum.

Being a wise old bird, he probably prefers to learn from comments made on others' pictures.

G

I wish i was like that George it would save me from scraping egg off my face from time to time

You might have noticed I don't post too many!

G

Absolutely agree with using the K20. I thought the K10 was the bees knees but more often than not focus was an issue with the K10 for me too. The K20 is a well improved bit of kit.

Cedric

Hoi! Less of the old

I recently acquired a K20D from one of the defectors (the nice one ) and I have to say that I am so far very happy (except for the fact that I need to buy faster SD cards).

My first pictures were well out of focus - much more front-focus than my two K10Ds - but it was a few moments work to callibrate it for my most-used lenses and now it is spot-on.

It also seems to work better with a P-TTL flash. However, I still prefer the immediacy of manual flash, and will probably keep using the AF500s.

But despite all the improvements, I still find pictures taken with my first DSLR - the *ist D - to be very acceptable, especially when used with one of the better lenses.

G

I can't help feeling that a lot of my shots are too soft, not "tack sharp" like I'm aiming for. I'm sure a lot of this is down to beginners technique but with tripod, remote control and now magnifying eyepiece there should be no excuse. So 2 questions:

1. Is there a good online guide for shooting sharp with the camera handheld?

2. With my tripod setup as described above what focal lengths and apertures should I shoot test shots for posting here? I have a good brick wall for the test shots but for example with my K20d plus DA*50-135, should I shoot at a range of focal lengths and apertures or would 2 shots at 50mm and 135mm, both f8 be sufficient to test? Does focus distance affect the results or will one distance (5 metres for example) be sufficient?

Finally, I always shoot raw so if anyone is kind enough to take a look at these shots, I can load then to my own web hosting space and link to them.

Thanks in advance.

I am sure you have already calibrated the focusing on the K20D? If not, that is the first step.

There used to be an old rule about handheld shooting. A 500mm lens required 1/500 of a sec; a 250mm required 1/250. With the crop factor, you need to add 50% - 1/500 becomes 1/750.

But shake reduction should give you a reliable 2 stop advantage. Do you use SR? Is it faulty? Have you tested it? Do so by comparing a shot with it off with one taken at say 1/15 using a 50mm lens. Obviously set the mode to Tv.

Otherwise, I am sure some of us would be happy to play with your RAW files.

G

Use both hands to support the camera from underneath, keep your elbows bent and tucked in close to your body (pointed down), don't take the shot while inhaling (either exhale or hold your breath) and finally squeeeeeeeeeze the shutter gently - never jab at it. Leave your finger there until after the shutter has closed again, don't snatch it away.

Sooner or later this will become second nature and your shots will become sharper - like everything else in life it just takes a little practice.

To add to Hefty's advice, shoot in bursts of 2 or 3.
The first shot can get blurred because you press the shutter so if you keep the shutter pressed you eliminate that movement.