Used my new 70-300 VR. EEK!! Help needed please.
Discussion
Hi guys,
I used my new Nikon 70-200 f2.8 VR for a mates wedding at the weekend, and I have to say that I am a little dissapointed with the results!
I have found all the shots to be very soft at 100% and am not sure if I am just expecting too much from it, or if I had the settings wrong or if the lens/camera are actually faulty.
This is a shot straight out of the lens at 125mm f4.5 and 1/125th. Its not bad but not as good as I hoped either. I shot most of the day with this lens and had the cam set to A for apature priority and used it open full at f2.8 or down to 4 or 4.5 when people were further away.
At 100% crop below, you can see how the edges are not really sharp at all! Not impressed. I had VR set to on and normal and was hand holding. I thought this would be fine at 1/125th.
This is the sharpest shot I can find. Again this is straight out of the camera. Its good and I am pleased with the sharpness. 200mm f2.8 1/400th (both/all shots at iso200)
100% crop here shows good detail, but as I say, this is about the only shot (of 500) that is really sharp. I was expecting that all the shots from further away and of 2 or 3 head and shoulders would be this sharp!
Please help me before I take a hammer to all my gear and give up photography! Boy this is a tough hobby!!
Greg
I used my new Nikon 70-200 f2.8 VR for a mates wedding at the weekend, and I have to say that I am a little dissapointed with the results!
I have found all the shots to be very soft at 100% and am not sure if I am just expecting too much from it, or if I had the settings wrong or if the lens/camera are actually faulty.
This is a shot straight out of the lens at 125mm f4.5 and 1/125th. Its not bad but not as good as I hoped either. I shot most of the day with this lens and had the cam set to A for apature priority and used it open full at f2.8 or down to 4 or 4.5 when people were further away.
At 100% crop below, you can see how the edges are not really sharp at all! Not impressed. I had VR set to on and normal and was hand holding. I thought this would be fine at 1/125th.
This is the sharpest shot I can find. Again this is straight out of the camera. Its good and I am pleased with the sharpness. 200mm f2.8 1/400th (both/all shots at iso200)
100% crop here shows good detail, but as I say, this is about the only shot (of 500) that is really sharp. I was expecting that all the shots from further away and of 2 or 3 head and shoulders would be this sharp!
Please help me before I take a hammer to all my gear and give up photography! Boy this is a tough hobby!!
Greg
when I got the 24-70L I realised I had to learn the lens. Hard to explain.
Were you using all or just centre AF points?
1st shot.. ladies hand seems sharper..
RAW or jpg? remember all digital images need a small amount of shapening applying for either print or web. Most manufactures say this.
Were you using all or just centre AF points?
1st shot.. ladies hand seems sharper..
RAW or jpg? remember all digital images need a small amount of shapening applying for either print or web. Most manufactures say this.
Looks ok to me, a bit of sharpening and no-one is likely to notice unless they print it at 30"x20".
Perhaps your expectations were set too high based on the price of the lens?
Sharpen them up, send off for them all at 7x5 and I'll bet you (and the happy couple) are pleased with the results.
Perhaps your expectations were set too high based on the price of the lens?
Sharpen them up, send off for them all at 7x5 and I'll bet you (and the happy couple) are pleased with the results.
Teasing out the levels to give a tad more contrast and a light sharpening might hit the spot for the second one, sometimes contrast is illusory for soft/sharp and you've a little way to go to crispen it up a bit.
Doesn't help with the first but then the chap could have done his tie up properly....
(..and Greg, YHM btw!)
Doesn't help with the first but then the chap could have done his tie up properly....
(..and Greg, YHM btw!)
All shot in Raw. Sharpenning auto applied in RSE too. I wonder if its the body that is wrong as thinking aboutit now, I have never found any of the shots I've taken to be brilliantly sharp.
I know the one about the bad workman and all that but I just don't see what I did wrong! (not that its really wrong, the couple are delighted with all the shots but I am not that pleased.)
Greg
I know the one about the bad workman and all that but I just don't see what I did wrong! (not that its really wrong, the couple are delighted with all the shots but I am not that pleased.)
Greg
I agree actually. (started writing post above an hour ago)
They are not that bad. I think its just that I have seen some great shots on here taken with the same lens and expected mine to be as sharp.
Maybe I should have been using shutter priority and set it to 1/400th all day.
Thanks for the advice.
G
They are not that bad. I think its just that I have seen some great shots on here taken with the same lens and expected mine to be as sharp.
Maybe I should have been using shutter priority and set it to 1/400th all day.
Thanks for the advice.
G
VR or no VR, that's camera shake (are you sure it was turned on ?.) That's not a lens I would choose to lug all day, especially as there aren't many wedding shots where you'll need to go much over 135mm.
Perhaps your expectations were set too high based on the price of the lens?
If it was the lens causing the problems in the first pic, I'd take the camera back if it was a £79 compact. This is not a 'budget' lens !
_dobbo_ said:
Perhaps your expectations were set too high based on the price of the lens?
If it was the lens causing the problems in the first pic, I'd take the camera back if it was a £79 compact. This is not a 'budget' lens !mr noble said:
used it open full at f2.8 or down to 4 or 4.5 when people were further away.
I'm generalising because I dont have that lens, but most lenses (apart from multi £1000 pro ones) are soft wide open. do some tripod mounted test shots at every apature and with/without Image stabalisation on (also use mirror lockup + fixed/manual focus).
This will show you how sharp the lens is at its worst / best.
VR/IS can actualy make an image less sharp if its not needed.
Beano. Mail not recieved!?!
try again. greg @ gn1.co.uk (without the spaces)
I was actually just an extra shooter for the main photog who is also a friend of the groom like me. (thats not the groom with the bride above btw)
So I thought using this lens for a load of candid head shots would give pin sharp and vibrant results. As I said, they are all very happy with them, but I expected more.
Guess there is some skill involved after all!
Greg
try again. greg @ gn1.co.uk (without the spaces)
I was actually just an extra shooter for the main photog who is also a friend of the groom like me. (thats not the groom with the bride above btw)
So I thought using this lens for a load of candid head shots would give pin sharp and vibrant results. As I said, they are all very happy with them, but I expected more.
Guess there is some skill involved after all!
Greg
J111 said:
_dobbo_ said:
Perhaps your expectations were set too high based on the price of the lens?
If it was the lens causing the problems in the first pic, I'd take the camera back if it was a £79 compact. This is not a 'budget' lens !It's clearly not the lens causing the problem, that's exactly my point. At 1/125th with VR on, the lens isn't a magical cure for all camera shake.
However at that price, one might reasonably expect to have come home with 500 pin sharp images, and ultimately be disappointed to find that VR+expensive glass still doesn't make everything work the way you might hope!
I have to say I've been amazed at how good the 80-400 VR is. almost all these taken with said lens at the village fete (right up to 400 quite often):
www.stevecarter.com/2005fete/index.htm
(It was sunny mind)
www.stevecarter.com/2005fete/index.htm
(It was sunny mind)
_dobbo_ said:
However at that price, one might reasonably expect to have come home with 500 pin sharp images, and ultimately be disappointed to find that VR+expensive glass still doesn't make everything work the way you might hope!
Ah, I'm with you, I'd completely misconstrued what you were saying
.ok, i have studied your pictures and if i was in your situation i would either chose one of the following two options. I expect there are more but i dont know about them.
1, I would blur the background which that would make the subject appear sharper, increase contrast, lower brightness and use the healing brush to remove any blemishes.
or
2, I would sharpen the picture and increase the contrast and lower the brightness. I like this affect but its not for everybody.
I hope these help. It really only took me about 5 minutes including uploading so i would really reccomend you do this and have fun at the same time.
1, I would blur the background which that would make the subject appear sharper, increase contrast, lower brightness and use the healing brush to remove any blemishes.
or
2, I would sharpen the picture and increase the contrast and lower the brightness. I like this affect but its not for everybody.
I hope these help. It really only took me about 5 minutes including uploading so i would really reccomend you do this and have fun at the same time.
Edited by 2jamesl on Tuesday 25th July 10:43
Edited by 2jamesl on Tuesday 25th July 10:44
name said:
I wonder if its the body that is wrong as thinking about it now, I have never found any of the shots I've taken to be brilliantly sharp.
Actually, you might have a point there. It's almost usual, to find that a camera body could do with re-calibrating, from the factory. I've often heard of people being disappointed with their results - only to find that after calibration, eveything was transformed, and the gear performed as expected.
Calibration is essentially about factory-adjusting the focal plane of the film/sensor - relative to the lens, so that it is more optimally positioned. It's not AFAIK done for each lens you might use - just for the camera body overall.
There is definatly something wrong.
Today I have been testing the new 70-200mm VR lens on a tripod in the garden.
I did it with VR on and off and found it sharper when on.
I took shots at varying f numbers and found the shots at f2.8 to be terrible. f8 and over were better.
Then I got out the lens that I got the 70-200mm VR to replace at a cost of 5 times at much! And to my astonishment,
THE IMAGES FROM THAT OLD 70-300MM ED WERE MUCH BETTER!!!!! 
6110 is New lens, VR on f2.8 1/2000th ISO200
6112 is new lens VR on f10 1/160th
6121 is old 70-300 ED lens at f8 1/400th
6122 is old ED lens at f10 1/250th.
these are all full size straight out of the camera, just changed to 750 px wide.
Not quite sure what to do now!
Greg
Today I have been testing the new 70-200mm VR lens on a tripod in the garden.
I did it with VR on and off and found it sharper when on.
I took shots at varying f numbers and found the shots at f2.8 to be terrible. f8 and over were better.
Then I got out the lens that I got the 70-200mm VR to replace at a cost of 5 times at much! And to my astonishment,
THE IMAGES FROM THAT OLD 70-300MM ED WERE MUCH BETTER!!!!! 6110 is New lens, VR on f2.8 1/2000th ISO200
6112 is new lens VR on f10 1/160th
6121 is old 70-300 ED lens at f8 1/400th
6122 is old ED lens at f10 1/250th.
these are all full size straight out of the camera, just changed to 750 px wide.
Not quite sure what to do now!
Greg
also the new ones look slightly back focused.. there is sharpness.. but its behind the items on the table..
have you printed out a fucus chart?
put the items at diff distance from the camera.. but close.. shoot aiming down at about 25 degrees.. focus on the middle one and see if thats in focus.. or ones to front or rear are. Yours is to slight an angle to see front/back focus problem.
have you printed out a fucus chart?
put the items at diff distance from the camera.. but close.. shoot aiming down at about 25 degrees.. focus on the middle one and see if thats in focus.. or ones to front or rear are. Yours is to slight an angle to see front/back focus problem.
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