Need despirate help with D7000...I'm ready to give up. :(

I just got the Nikon D7000 this spring, and it is so much better than the D3100. However, I feel that over the coarse of the summer, i have either lost my way with it, or something is going on. My photos are very blurry. I did in camera sharpening which helped some, but it seems i have to sharpen in editing almost 30% every time! I don't remember having this issue so much when i first got the camera. Also, I just did an indoor church wedding, in a very small badly lit church, and NO flash was allowed except when they were walking up the isle. i used my sb-600 speed light and stood in the middle of the isle and every picture i took of them walking was burred beyond fixing in a program, with my speed light pointed right at them. What am I doing wrong???? Is there a better flash to use in these situations? Even when i did the posed wedding party pictures at the alter afterwards, my camera's shutter speed was so slow, with the speed light right at them, i was only 15 feet away, and had the exposure turned down to try to get the camera to shoot faster. I am so lost. i have been doing wedding s since 2006, maybe 8 a year but I am having such issues with lighting and bur from movement inside in dark lighting. I am ready to give up weddings.

Motion blur or out of focus blur? Do you auto-ISO turned on with perhaps ISO (Maximum Sensitivity) and Minimum Shutter values that are too low?

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Thanks

Post some examples along with the EXIF data

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I am referring to both. I am finding that even with the focus spot on a subjects face, the picture comes out blurry when i get over 15 feet away. If i am 5 feet away it is beautiful. I also have so much trouble with motion blur with people moving in dark lighting like at receptions, walking down the isle in a dark church etc. I never went o school, I learned everything on my own, and i have had a healthy fan base of return customers, but i am feeling lost these last few months. i want to get really good with this camera, but i live in a tiny town, and i have no clue where to turn to understand which modes are best for indoot weddings and the like.

Post some examples along with the EXIF data

First image was f stop f/5 exposure 1/15th sec.....second image was f stop f 4.8 with exposure of 1/8 sec. I had my sb-600 speedlight directly at them in both.

But outdoors, I feel like my photos are really nice. f/5..... 1/60 sec

Is your exposure compensation on 0.0 or - 0.7....If it has been moved it can cause some of the problems you have...

The shutter speed is to slow....

Shutter speeds usually are the main reason for blurry pics.
Also you need to check if you are on auto focus it manual in the camera.
More importantly you also need to check if the lens is in manual focus or auto focus mode.

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I have my lens set at auto focus, with VR on, and I am shooting P mode. I tried adjusting the Comp all different ways, and the only thing that gave me faster shutter speed was having it set at -2.0 or more. Then the images were very dark. What am I not understanding? Is there a better mode to have it set at for dark indoor weddings? I really need some hands on teaching. :/

Difference is definitely shutter speed. Common rule of thumb is your shutter speed should at least match your max focal length for handheld shots (i.e. 18-55mm lens = No lower than 1/60 shutter speed handheld). VR can easily compensate for a 1 stop difference (same example as above with VR = no lower than 1/30 shutter speed handheld), and up to 2 stop differences, although that's pushing it a bit.

Curious, what lens were you using in the above pictures? 1/15th and 1/8th of a second shutter speed seems quite slow for handheld sharpness.

Have a look at you tube....Up your ISO

AF-C or AF-A could help if you or your subject moves...

Leave the VR off. Because you're hand holding and there is little to no movement the VR is trying to work and is actually causing blur because you're not moving enough for it to work efficiently. Also if you're hand holding while shooting. General rule is you need to shoot at least 1/60th sec and faster for handheld. Also try Aperture priority And set the min shutter and ISO to the settings you don't want to cross.

I was using my 18-105mm lens which i love because it gives me the range I usually need, without having to change lenses. I usually use P mode. How do you change the f stop? I know it's a very newbie question, but maybe I have no clue. lol

juzwiak77 said:

I was using my 18-105mm lens which i love because it gives me the range I usually need, without having to change lenses. I usually use P mode. How do you change the f stop? I know it's a very newbie question, but maybe I have no clue. lol

Click to expand...

Pretzel's advice regarding upping the shutter speed/focal length is spot on. With that same 18-105mm lens, I have my minimum shutter speed at 1/125 and I do not use VR except in very rare instances.

I would suggest you get away from "P" mode and shoot in "A"perture priority instead with a minimum shutter speed of 1/125. Set your Auto ISO to "ON" and let it go from a low of ISO100 to a high of ISO6400. You will then use the command wheel to adjust aperture and your camera will automatically adjust ISO to keep you shutter speed at, or above, 1/125.

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I have all those setting for auto ISO. So if I want to shoot in A mode, should I have a smaller f stop number for low light?

Well, in P your camera is making all the choices. 1/8 and 1/15 is way too slow for anything moving. I can see the shadows behind them so can see that flash was pointed at them not sure if you had a white ceiling to bounce flash it might have helped some. Best way to get the photos you want is to choose your own iso, shutter and aperture. Guessing iso is too low here and should be higher so you can use a faster shutter speed and stop their motion

juzwiak77 said:

I have all those setting for auto ISO. So if I want to shoot in A mode, should I have a smaller f stop number for low light?

Click to expand...

Smaller numbers meaning bigger apertures *is* a little counter-intuitive I know, which is why you you need to think of apertures as fractions.

That being the case, and for a low-light situation you are going to want to use a wider aperture which means a lower number: f/4 is faster than f/11 because one fourth is more than one eleventh.

Got it?

Good!

......

juzwiak77 said:

I never went o school, I learned everything on my own, and i have had a healthy fan base of return customers, but i am feeling lost these last few months.

Click to expand...

Return customers? So you're charging for your photography?

Browncoat said:

Return customers? So you're charging for your photography?

Click to expand...

Seems he still has some to learn...