Not overly happy

Since getting my camera I haven't really had the opportunity to get out and about much to take many photos, so on Tuesday, although I was at various meetings, I took my camera along just in case. On my way home, I came across a scene, and decided to photograph it. As can be seen it is a landscape shot.


Initially I thought, just by looking at it in the live view it looked a little soft focused. When I took it home and put it on my pc, I was a little taken aback by what I found. Maybe I'm just too fussy, but below is a crop from the photograph, when viewed at actual size (100%). Is it me, or does it look a little fuzzy, I must say I expected better.:numbness:

Please let me know what you think. The image was recorded at 1/400 sec @ f8 ISO 400 using my D7K with 18-105, at 18mm.

All I can think of is that a focal point locked on something in the foreground

Well I can see ISO 400 on aperture priority....the snap is definitely soft and like I have heard you say before AH Ireleand sure is handsome I can see why you stopped for the snap.

So my guess wide open aperture (on the 18 end too!) ISO really should have been 200. The first image is OK but damn that black cloud across the top! Like Rick said too Darn AF! To me landscape scenes like this are shot just as easily at ISO 200 shutter speed 200 F16 with manual focus on the nearest limit of DOF or maybe the farthest limit of DOF depending on what you want to do with the snap.

Agree with Rick, but also the 18-105 is a consumer lens, and it just may not be resolving the IQ at its widest setting. Its asking a lot of a big consumer zoom to give you the detail that a pro W/A prime might do.

If you think you can get down to a camera shop that has a pro wide prime you can test ( it means going outside the shop ) then you can satisfy yourself that its the lens, and not you thats the problem.

In a big way I miss the little window on the lens that lets you see where the focus is actually at; then I would see if it was focusing short. Thing about it is I also took other photos at the same location (about 50 snaps in total) and all the landscape ones are soft...what's more I actually seen all the little AF boxes light up in the viewfinder, and saw that it should have focused at infinity, which is exactly what I wanted to do (I noticed this before on some photos and just wanted to test it)

Antrim, why not try stuffing your 18-105 on a tripod, setting the lens to 18mm f8, auto focus to say 10ft in front of you. Then without removing your finger from the half press on the shutter, recompose to take in the landscape proper. This will give you in theory, everything from around 6ft to infinity, in focus.

Now do the same again, upto the point where you have auto focused at 10 feet. This time, initiate Live view, and change to manual focus without moving the lens at all, so you are still focused at 10 feet. Increase LV to 10X, and check how well the AF focused on the point at 10ft. If there is mis-focusing, manually focus till sharp as you can get it, then recompose for the full landscape and then fire off the shutter, and check your pics when you get home and see which is best. If there is little difference and the softness is still there, then its the lens

Shutter 1/400 sec, aperture f8, ISO 400, D7K & 18-105 at 18mm.

Your crop is about 1/16 of the actual image and taken from the edge and corners, which I believe are probably the softest part of the lens...Have you tried any other shots like a portrait or such...The softness could be a few things...Try the camera on Auto Focus Constant [AF-C] in case you moved between focusing and taking the shot..

My practice is to never use my zoom lenses at their extremes, always back it off a tad. Manual focus works best for pics like landscapes and viewed through the viewfinder. If you get a chance give it another try with some of the suggestions posted here, you'll get it dialed in. The D7000 should be fine at ISO 400 but lower is always better.

I take on board what you're saying and will try it again when I've more time on my hands. Unfortunately Pedroj, I dont see it's any better in the centre than at the edges, but I get where you're coming from.

centre crop -

And nothing to do with the photo, just thought I'd let you know - the big bump in the distance is Slemish mountain; an extinct volcanic plug where St Patrick tended his sheep as a slave.

When you get back, try using single point auto focus and focus on 3 or 4 different depths front to back. at f8 you should have a decent pic with that lens and settings.

I've found that I get the sharpest hand-held image when I shoot in bursts of 2 and it's the second image that tends to be sharpest. I'm not sure why this is but this phenomena seems to be consistent. And not that I think this applies to your problem but I would also convince myself that your lens is in perfect tune with your camera body. I realize it's a small issue, especially when you're shooting landscapes but all these little things can add up.

Seeing this result would force me to go back, something outside of your settings was not right, I feel strongly that it was the focal point, I only use single point now.

The imbeded data says 66mm at f5.3???

cnyram said:

The imbeded data says 66mm at f5.3???

Click to expand...

??? That's not what the camera reading says...

I also checked the EXIF on the first and last photo, and i get the same info as Rick - 66mm @ f5.3

What is pattern metering mode on the 7000?

Right - here's the update. I took some fresh photos today, with AF and cropped the centre of the image at 100%, and the same thing had happened - nothing unusual there. Then, however, I switched to manual focus, zoomed to 105mm, focused on my subject, took the zoom back to 18mm, and took the photo, and guess what - the image was pin sharp, like it should always have been. What's more I discovered that when I was focusing on the subject which was approx 800 yards away, I could focus BEYOND that, i.e. BEYOND INFINITY. According to the supplier this definitely should not happen. They are hazarding a guess that it is 80% lens fault, and 20% camera fault, but have admitted, based on the images I supplied, that it is not good enough. I'm totally not happy, and will visiting the store with the camera on Saturday with a view to total replacement of the product. A camera one month old, having only been used twice should not be doing this. I will let you know the outcome.

This is the crop from the AF shot


This is the crop from the manual focus shot

I'm not saying kit lenses are utterly useless, but having been through Pentax , Canon and now Nikon...i can say i've dumped the kit lenses pretty much as soon as I got the camera

Glad you are getting to the bottom of this. Sounds like the auto focus is having some issues, not right for such expensive hardware.

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You think when you go to a well known dealer with stores across the US and Europe that you will get superior service, right?

Wrong.

Having had the telephone conversation with the store, arrangement was made that I would call today to get the issues resolved. The person on the telephone had already mentioned 'total refund' so I guessed a replacement wasn't going to be an issue.

Wrong.

Called today to discover that the person I spoke to was off work. Manager wasn't available so I spoke to the Supervisor. She tested my camera and lens, followed by my camera with another lens, followed by my lens with another camera. None of the pictures were overly sharp, which I think would lead to the fact that both lens and body were faulty, right?

Wrong.

The storeperson then proceeded to tell me that this 18-105 lens wasn't 'top range glass', which I agree, it isn't, but that doesn't answer the issue with the camera saying the subject is in focus, when it very clearly isn't; nor does it answer the question why the lens, in manual focus, focuses beyond infinity.

The storeperson asked to keep the camera for a few days for further tests. I said I was under the impression with the manager on the telephone my 30 mile trip to the store would either result in new equipment or total refund, to which the reply came "That person isn't the manager and had no authority to offer a refund". I then asked what 'further tests' could be done that hadn't already been carried out, both by me and by the store. No real answer. I demanded action be taken, either replacement there and then or refund. The supervisor then replied "I have no authority"; only the manager has authority, and he isn't here this afternoon (it's a beautiful day 25°C, sunny, I probably wouldn't be there either). I then explained that surely the store knew I was coming, it had been arranged, so some sort of resolution was possible.

Wrong.

The supervisor had no authority to exchange or refund the goods. Tact then changed again to say that "only Nikon could authorise replacement or refund"; you have to be quick, responsibility keeps changing!!!

So I left the shop and tried the company's head office customer services, which is constantly engaged. So I'm back home with a faulty camera and lens, and no solution.

Very poor customer service from a company that recently received an award for exactly that. The Supervisor repeatedly said "but I don't want you to leave the store unhappy" to which my reply was "then either replace the goods, or give me a refund" followed by the reply "but I'm not authorised", which inevitably leads to the conclusion that I'm only going to leave the store unhappy!?!? Right?