One reader has a hard time getting clear images from a Canon 30D, even when it’s mounted on a tripod.

Brooke L. from Utah asks:

I have a Canon 30D and I have a problem shooting clear images. Some of my shots are beautiful, but then a tiny bit blurry, then two shots later they are clear. I have my camera on a tripod, I have low iso, and still I feel like they aren’t perfect. What if these people are wanting to blow these pictures up to an 11×13..? They would then see a bit of blur. I also have a problem with my skies being washed out…should I always shoot with a polarizer if there is going to be part of the sky in the shot? Please help!

Dear Brooke:

There are a few things we’ll need to know about your situation in order to be able to assess it accurately:

What kind of lens are you using?
What are the exact settings you’re shooting at?

If you’re not shooting in manual mode, you should be, and be mindful of your shutter speed. The slower it is, the more likelihood there is that manually pressing the shutter release button is going to cause some blur, even if you’re using a tripod.

That having been said, you should know that there have been plenty of user complaints regarding an intermittent soft focusing problem with the 30D. Not every shot, but once in a while—just like you’re describing.

As far as your washed-out sky problem goes, you’re right on the money—using a polarizing filter is generally a good idea in a plethora of landscape photography situations since it’ll reduce the reflection caused by tiny droplets of water in the sky (as well as any other water, of course). You’ve probably already figured out that a polarizing filter sucks up a lot of light, so you’ll need to compensate for that.

Thanks for your question! Let us know how it goes!

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