Autofocus issues with 55-200 VR (or not?)

[gustafson]

Wanted to see if other 55-200 VR users have had a different experience than mine, but I've been struggling to get consistently nice images with this lens on my D3300. (My copy had a faulty VR that I've since fixed, but the IQ still fails to impress).

My main issues are graininess and smearing in my images that seem to hurt the contrast and sharpness of the photos, as well as metering issues in low-light where the D3300 seems to overexpose the images by about 1/3 to 2/3 EV. Anyone else notice this metering issue? Re: sharpness (or the lack thereof) my suspicion is the autofocus may be faulty, and I'd appreciate pointers on how to check that.

Also, would appreciate input on the sweet spots (apertures, shutter speeds w and w/o VR) where it produces its best images. In short, help me love this lens.


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[Don Kuykendall_RIP]

Can you post some examples of what you think the problem is and be sure to include the full EXIF data. The more info you give us the better we can help.

 

[Prefrosh01]

I found the instructions below online and they can be used to help find your sweet spot.

The text in blue below are the instructions from Finding the Sweet Spot

I cleaned them up for ease of reading on the forum:

This test should only take about 30 minutes to complete.

So, here’s what we’ll need:

1. A digital SLR camera with the lens that you want to test.
2. A tripod.
3. A piece of newspaper (try and choose something that has a lot of text like the classified section).
4. You may also need a light source of some king depending on the area you have access to. If that is the case any constant light source will do, we are not going for accurate color here so don’t worry about white balance. We just need it to be bright enough, and desk or table lamp should work fine.

Now, tape the newspaper up on a wall ensuring that it is as flat to the wall as possible. If the light is required then set it up and shine it on the newspaper.

Next, set up your tripod with the camera on it at a distance that will allow you to fill the frame with the newspaper.

Set your camera on aperture priority mode and set your ISO to 200 (this will allow for the best quality images for review).

Set your aperture to the maximum that the lens will allow.

Depending on the lens that you are testing the minimum and maximum aperture values will differ.

The maximum aperture of this lens is f1.8 and the minimum aperture is f22.

Next, focus the lens on the newspaper. Autofocus should be sufficient for this but, if your camera has a live view function you may want to take advantage of that to ensure that the focus is exact.

TIP – If you are having difficulty focusing, ensure that you are not too close to the target. Every lens has a “minimum close focusing distance” if you are too close, it won’t focus. Our subject lens has a minimum close focusing distance of 1.5 feet or 45.72 centimeters.

It is imperative that we remove any additional variables from the test to ensure the most accurate results. For each exposure we will us the 2 second timer function to prevent there being any issue with vibration from pressing the shutter (this will become more important as we get closer to the minimum aperture).

DON’T MOVE THE CAMERA! If for some reason the dog or one of the kids happens along and hits your tripod while you are in the process of testing don’t despair, just reset and reshoot, this test doesn’t take that long (not speaking from personal experience here!).

Next we want to take a series of images carefully adjusting the aperture down by one stop on each subsequent exposure (example – f1.8, f2.8, f4.0, f5.6, f8.0, f11, f16, f22).

Once we have completed each of the exposures it’s time to download the images and have a look!

The above image shows 100% crop examples taken from the bottom left corner of each of the images.

Upon review we can see that the image taken at f1.8 is downright smarmy!

Sharpness improves at f2.8 but is still soft.
f4.0 is much better.
f5.6 better still!
f 8.0 OUCH! That’s sharp.
f11 softening a bit.
f16 still softer.
f22 softer still.

Based on the above examples, this particular lens offers the best overall sharpness at f8.0, but the anywhere between f4.0 and f11 is more than acceptable considering that most of the images that I would use this lens for would be posted online or printed to a maximum size of 5×7.

When I shoot this lens I tend to keep around f4.0, but I will often drop down to f2.8 or even f1.8 as the center of the image is still quite sharp at that aperture and sometimes the soft edges can lend to the effect of the shallow depth of field, particularly in portraits where the focus is on the subject’s eyes.
I have tested all of my lenses and it has paid of on more than one occasion. As a general rule, most lenses offer good edge-to-edge sharpness at around f8.0 but it is important to test all of your lenses, the results may surprise you!

 

[Horoscope Fish]

Wanted to see if other 55-200 VR users have had a different experience than mine, but I've been struggling to get consistently nice images with this lens on my D3300. (My copy had a faulty VR that I've since fixed, but the IQ still fails to impress).

My main issues are graininess and smearing in my images that seem to hurt the contrast and sharpness of the photos, as well as metering issues in low-light where the D3300 seems to overexpose the images by about 1/3 to 2/3 EV. Anyone else notice this metering issue? Re: sharpness (or the lack thereof) my suspicion is the autofocus may be faulty, and I'd appreciate pointers on how to check that.

Also, would appreciate input on the sweet spots (apertures, shutter speeds w and w/o VR) where it produces its best images. In short, help me love this lens.

Two suggestions:

1. If you have VR turned on, turn if off.

2. Keep the the shutter speed at twice the focal length.

For example, if you are shooting at 100mm shutter speed should be no slower than 1/200th.​

As Don points out, photos with EXIF would help a lot.
.....

 

[Don Kuykendall_RIP]

The reciprocal rule is based on the fact that at slower shutter speeds any slight camera movement will cause some motion blur in your photo.Fortunately the opposite is also true, in that the faster the shutter speed is the sharper your images are likely to be.

the effective focal length of your lens is 100mm then your shutter speed should not be any lower than 1/100 of a second. So the basic formula looks like this: Shutter Speed = 1/focal length.

Read the full article at http://www.practicalphotographytips.com/avoiding-camera-shake.html

Remember to take into account the additional focal length if you shoot with a DX camera. That same 100mm lens with DX you need to shoot at 1/150sec or the next faster speed your camera has.

 

[gustafson]

Thanks for the tips on shutter speed. As for sharing sample pics, would OOC jpegs be OK (I have distortion correction turned ON and sharpening set at +7, contrast at +1) or would you prefer jpegs based on the OOC RAW without any modifications? (The latter will have to wait until this evening).


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[Horoscope Fish]

JPG's straight out of your camera will be fine.

 

[gustafson]

Sample images below. These are all OOC Jpegs. Except the first photo taken with a 50 f/1.8 Series E prime, all the others were taken with the 55-200 VR. One thing I noticed right off the bat while going through the photos were that many of them were taken with shutter speeds way faster than the reciprocal rule, although I did have VR on (which could be good or bad going by comments above). Sorry about the lame artistic quality of the photos!

 

[Horoscope Fish]

Sample images below. These are all OOC Jpegs. Except the first photo taken with a 50 f/1.8 Series E prime, all the others were taken with the 55-200 VR. One thing I noticed right off the bat while going through the photos were that many of them were taken with shutter speeds way faster than the reciprocal rule, although I did have VR on (which could be good or bad going by comments above). Sorry about the lame artistic quality of the photos!

The EXIF data has been stripped out of the shots you posted so we can't see what the settings were when you took these shots -- focal length, aperture, shutter speed, ISO, etc., all of which would be very helpful. They're also really small JPG's so it's hard to tell much about how soft or sharp they are. Can you pull a JPG or two off your camera's SD card, copy it right onto your computer and then attach it here? We really need that EXIF data if it's at all possible.

That being said, and based on looking at your posted images, I'm seeing some really wonky colors in the third shot (beach umbrellas and chairs on the lawn) and most of your shots appear to me to have exposure issues (sometimes over, sometimes under).

For starters, I suggest you put the Contrast setting back to zero. I'd ask that you make sure you don't have any Exposure Compensation enabled. To check this setting press the "+/-" button near the shutter and turn the rear Command dial. The "+" numbers lighten the exposure, and "–" numbers darken it; make sure the setting reads "0". Also, if you haven't already, set the File Size setting to "JPG Large" and, lastly, while we're troubleshooting issues, turn off the VR function and leave it off (for now).

Once you've done those things, I'd like to see some basic shots taken with the same 55-200mm lens. Outdoors, with full sun if possible, and shot using the Green Auto Mode. They don't need to be "art" photos, I'd just like to see some full size JPG's, taken outdoors in the best possible shooting conditions.

Most of your shots seem to clean up pretty well with a little post processing so I'm thinking this is a settings-related issue. Here are a couple I touched up lightly:



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[gustafson]

Yes, they were auto uploaded from my Mac to Flickr, from where I downloaded them in "Large" size to post here. Not sure why that stripped out the EXIF?! Good point on the vignetting, hadn't even noticed! I have noticed exposure issues though, and feel that something is off with the D3300 metering with this lens (or maybe in general).

I have re-posted a few of the above JPGs as you suggest, but had to downsample them they were originally "Fine" JPGs and too large to post. I'll work on taking a few more shots as you suggest in the next few days and post for your review.

 

[Horoscope Fish]

Yes, they were auto uploaded from my Mac to Flickr, from where I downloaded them in "Large" size to post here. Not sure why that stripped out the EXIF?! Good point on the vignetting, hadn't even noticed! I have noticed exposure issues though, and feel that something is off with the D3300 metering with this lens (or maybe in general).

I have re-posted a few of the above JPGs as you suggest, but had to downsample them they were originally "Fine" JPGs and too large to post. I'll work on taking a few more shots as you suggest in the next few days and post for your review.

Well we can rule out Exposure Compensation. That's a shame because it would have been a slam dunk of a fix.

I think resetting the Contrast setting will help and as for the vignetting it's funny, some images I clearly see it, others not so much. I edited my first post because I was unsure. I'm wondering now if it's not simply an issue with the 55-200 itself when shot at its longest focal length.

The exposure issue may be something you need to deal with by turning ON Exposure Compensation. The images seem pretty sharp already, but a little touching up in Photoshop isn't hurting them any either.
....

 

[gustafson]

Well we can rule out Exposure Compensation. That's a shame because it would have been a slam dunk of a fix.

I think resetting the Contrast setting will help and as for the vignetting it's funny, some images I clearly see it, others not so much. I edited my first post because I was unsure. I'm wondering now if it's not simply an issue with the 55-200 itself when shot at its longest focal length.

The exposure issue may be something you need to deal with by turning ON Exposure Compensation. The images seem pretty sharp already, but a little touching up in Photoshop isn't hurting them any either.
....

Thanks for the input. Will fix the contrast setting back to zero, and will keep in mind to consider EC with this lens. Great to hear that you find the sharpness satisfactory. Perhaps I'm a bit spoiled by the 200 f4 Nikkor-Q which gave me waaay sharper images at equivalent shutter speeds in similar lighting without the advantage of AF or VR. Your point about taking test photos with the 55-200 VR in bright sunlight is well taken. Most of my test photos have been indoors, and even a moderate reduction in light really seems to take a toll on the IQ with the 55-200 VR.

 

[Horoscope Fish]

Thanks for the input. Will fix the contrast setting back to zero, and will keep in mind to consider EC with this lens. Great to hear that you find the sharpness satisfactory. Perhaps I'm a bit spoiled by the 200 f4 Nikkor-Q which gave me waaay sharper images at equivalent shutter speeds in similar lighting without the advantage of AF or VR. Your point about taking test photos with the 55-200 VR in bright sunlight is well taken. Most of my test photos have been indoors, and even a moderate reduction in light really seems to take a toll on the IQ with the 55-200 VR.

Ah, so you're comparing results from your 55-200mm to your venerable (and handsome!) 200mm f/4 Nikkor Q? Wow... I'd love to get my hands on THAT piece of glass for a day with my D750, I tell ya what. But, yeah; this is almost an apples to oranges comparison. You're seeing a prime (ha!) example of why camera bodies come and go, but good glass is considered an investment.

I think we can get better results out of your 55-200mm but lets keep those expectations in check.
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[gustafson]

Haha I know! Funny thing is the 200 f/4 Nikkor-Q, while solid mechanically, isn't even considered a primo optic like the 105 f/2.5 or the 180 f/2.8. The 55-200 VR, on the other hand, enjoys generally favorable reviews. But in my testing, that old Nikkor runs big circles around my 55-200 VR. I suspect I might just have a subpar copy, or perhaps the 24MP resolution on the D3300 is exposing its shortcomings. Shoulda listened to the advice on here and saved up for a 70-300 VR.

 

[gustafson]

For starters, I suggest you put the Contrast setting back to zero. I'd ask that you make sure you don't have any Exposure Compensation enabled. To check this setting press the "+/-" button near the shutter and turn the rear Command dial. The "+" numbers lighten the exposure, and "–" numbers darken it; make sure the setting reads "0". Also, if you haven't already, set the File Size setting to "JPG Large" and, lastly, while we're troubleshooting issues, turn off the VR function and leave it off (for now).

Once you've done those things, I'd like to see some basic shots taken with the same 55-200mm lens. Outdoors, with full sun if possible, and shot using the Green Auto Mode. They don't need to be "art" photos, I'd just like to see some full size JPG's, taken outdoors in the best possible shooting conditions.
.....

Got a chance today to take some photos as per your instructions. I wasn't able to upload the full-size OOC jpegs, so proceeded to downsample them to 2048 pixels wide using the Mac Photos App. You will see several pairs of the same subject taken at 55 and 200mm. Looking forward to your feedback / verdict, thanks so much!