Im having trouble with clarity & my 75-300mm.

[Naturegirl]

Im having a hard time achieving clear photos when using this lens. When I use it to really zoom something in, even when using a tripod, Im still not getting a crisp clear picture. The lens is a Canon EF 75mm-300mm. I use a Canon Rebel xsi.

Is it that I should be using a cable trigger? Or get a new tripod?. My tripod is not that great, but it is pretty sturdy. It is a Sakar TR-2L.

So Im not sure what i should be investing in first. I like to do macro shooting as well, so maybe the trigger? Im so confused. There is so much out there.

Any help would be great!! Thanks

[bob_r]

Nature Girl,

Welcome to the forum!

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but on another forum I visit, that lens was voted the worse lens ever made by Canon. I would look to replace the lens first and the replacement should be based on what you like to shoot and your budget.

Do you like to shoot true macros or are closeups more what you have in mind. A lot of lenses can shoot excellent closeups and some even say "macro" but unless the lens can shoot at least a 1:1 size, it's not a true macro.
I rarely use a tripod when shooting macros and can never recall using a remote shutter release when shooting them. If macros are your primary interest, I'd go for a new lens.

Just to show the difference between a macro and a closeup, here are a couple of shots for comparison. A tripod was not used for any of these shots.

This is a macro - taken with a Canon 30D and a Sigma 150mm f/2.8 macro lens.


This is a closeup - taken with a Canon 30D and a Canon 135 f/2L lens.


Closeup can be taken with just about any lens and if you want to get even tighter shots, you can crop or add closeup tubes.

This is a crop of a shot taken with a Canon 30D and a Canon 100-400.


This one was take with a Canon 30D, a Canon 85 f/1.8 and a closeup tube (no cropping was necessary).


Hope this helps. If you'd like help picking out a lens, let us know your budget and what else you like to shoot.

[Naturegirl]

I like a wide range of photography, mostly nature tho. Mostly macro. I have the Canon EF 100mm lens too. Which works well. I just couldnot figure out what the issue was with the 75-300mm, but maybe its the lens is me. Which makes a little happier that maybe Im not as 'new' at this as I think sometimes, but less happy that I may end up replacing that one too. Thanks for all the pics and it was very helpful to have the info on each pic too!!

[bob_r]

Thanks, Naturegirl. I'm sure the info about your 75-300 was "good news, bad news", but at least you can stop beating yourself up about your images - It's not you!

Canon's 100 macro is an excellent lens. My son has one and has some excellent images taken with it. I went with the Sigma 150 macro because I shoot bees a lot and wanted the extra working distance.
I normally add a Sigma 1.4 teleconverter to the macro lens to allow me even more room when shooting bees. The bees can get pretty aggressive when I shoot them for too long.
BTW, our resident "macro master" is Dalantech. Search for some of his posts if you want to see some outstanding macro shots.

Looking forward to seeing some of your pics. If you have any problems posting your images, let us know.