Blurry photos even on steady surface

So I own a Nikon D5100 with a nikkor 18-55mm lens. Something's off. Been months since I used it. Smudges tend to appear on my photos without strong light. I pictured pixels on a monitor to assure that it is taking sharp photos. Do you think it's the weather or something? Room temperature? Anything?

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Actually the images just look to me like they are just out of focus

do you have VR on? I found recently that it makes my pictures worse when its not needed
do yo uhave your lens switched to auto focus?

Other basic question really is what happens when you set your camera to Auto, with the lens set to Autofocus and take a pic through the viewfinder (as opposed to using live view)?

What mode are you shooting?
Is the lens in 'A' mode or M?

In order to troubleshoot, we need details.

What f-stop and shutter speed were you using in those shots?

Were you shooting handheld or using a tripod or what?

VR... On or off?

.....

So here is a picture of it using auto mode without flash:



F-stop f/4.5
Exposure Time 1/30 Sec.
ISO Speed ISO-3200
VR Off

This picture was taken hand held. The first one was taken on a flat surface.

Do you have a UV filter on it? If so, is it a "good" one? If you don't know, take it off and try shooting without it and see if this goes away. The stereo photo simply looks out of focus. The monitor photo seems focused in the center but soft on the edges. Cheap filter could definitely be a problem. Dirty element could be another issue.

If it's been months since you used it I'm assuming it must have been OK prior to that? If so, was it stored in a hot place, someplace warm enough to warp something? Again, more details would help.

Auto mode with flash:



F-stop f/5
Exposure Time 1/60 sec.
ISO Speed ISO-3200

Picture was also taken hand held.

Look I've been taking low light shots with my Lumia 920 with a max ISO of 400. I think I know that something's a bit off a camera. Wasn't like this a few months ago. SD card slot got broken. I asked for a replacement of the board at a service center. I don't think they could replace it with a fake?

No uv filter.. It was just there inside my cabinet. More details on the photo on auto mode with flash.

Going to my cousin's place in a few. I am going to try her lens, it's the same as mine we have the same model too.

Sample of a photo I took a year ago. I was totally clueless on how to use program or manual mode. So I used auto mode back then.

Neslo22 said:

So here is a picture of it using auto mode without flash:

View attachment 53471

F-stop f/4.5
Exposure Time 1/30 Sec.
ISO Speed ISO-3200
VR Off

This picture was taken hand held. The first one was taken on a flat surface.

Click to expand...

This one is still out of focus.

Tried my cousins' lens. Worked like a charm. She said she had the same problem. She told me to wait it out. I think it is the humidity. Cause she went to a cold palce and all of her pictures had the same result. Now it is okay.

I do find that my lenses will "fog" up when going from airconditioned to humid or vice versa. You need to wait for the lens to become the same temp as the environment. I am not looking forward to our build up due to this.

​First photo is with my cousin's lens. Second is from my lens.

Unless you're talking extreme changes in temperature or humidity the lens should be fine within hours of any change. It's possible an element is out of line. Did it get bumped in any way? Can you focus manually and achieve a good result?

I'm wondering if your metering is out of whack. Are you using spot metering? Matrix? Is the front of the lens smudgy or dirty? What about the rear lens? Make sure everything is spotless clean, then try again using Matrix metering.

By the way...you're a senior member here. It would be nice if you finished filling out the rest of your profile by now. Thanks.

Could you try a few images outside in daylight? Aperture 8.
Focus on a thing, simular to your stereo.

On the image without flash, you write 1/30, thats a pretty low shutter so easy to shake.