Why is my picture not sharp?

[piyo]

Hi,

I am trying to understand why my pictures are not sharp at all compared to the 2 pictures bellow.
Is it because I didn't use a tripod?
Or the lens is having problem?

Mine: 70-200mm F4 non-IS
http://24.media.tumblr.com/dde028938...h6go1_1280.jpg
Tv(Shutter Speed) 1/1600
Av(Aperture Value) 4.0
ISO Speed 100
Lens EF70-200mm f/4L USM


http://25.media.tumblr.com/0179ea56b...h6go1_1280.jpg
Tv(Shutter Speed) 1/1000
Av(Aperture Value) 4.0
ISO Speed 100
Lens EF70-200mm f/4L USM



From someone else: 70-200mm F4 IS
IMG_1814 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Schrodinger 3 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

[Marko]

It looks pretty sharp to me.

where did you focus and what did you want in focus?

[Realist]

I think you might be complaining about the depth of field more than sharpness. If you want more depth of field bring it to a higher f stop like f8, that way more will be in focus instead of a small band.

[piyo]

I was trying to aim at the eye, but the AF (Red dot) was too big it was covering the ducks head.
Maybe it was the DoF the problem.
Thanks i'll watch that next time.

Do you guys shoot in M mode?
If it is a nice day I'll set it to say F8 , ISO 200 and 1/400+-and keep it like that for all the other shots?

[theantiquetiger]

Like Realist said, the duck is super sharp (feathers, eye, bill), I think you either need the background a lot more out of focus (like the cat shot you posted), so lower the f/stop; or you want the BG in more focus (raise f/stop)

[Marko]

If it is a nice day I'll set it to say F8 , ISO 200 and 1/400+-and keep it like that for all the other shots?

There is no magic exposure formula. That's why we need to practise and understand exposure which is dependant on the light quantity. That's the very first step, exposure. Stop all else until this is understood.

I personally would have shot this in shutter or aperture priority, not manual.

Cameras have no eyes and no brain. They can never know what you want sharp. I agree you should focus on the eye, but then u need to double check at the time of shooting to see if u nailed it. If u can't nail it w/autofocus, focus manually.
Hope that may help