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Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 Di II LD Aspherical (IF) for Nikon

12/08/2007 02:11:41 PM · #2301

Left you a comment, Kelli.

So, Don, was I right? Do ya hate my glassware entries? ;)

quiet_observation

Canon EOS-7D

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM

12/08/2007 03:34:40 PM · #2302

It must be time for

posthumous thoughts on heaven and hell.

posthumous

Canon EOS-40D

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

12/08/2007 05:50:57 PM · #2303

Originally posted by levyj413:

Left you a comment, Kelli.

So, Don, was I right? Do ya hate my glassware entries? ;)

Hate them? I gave them an 8!! (that's the sum of both scores... ahem...)

posthumous

Canon EOS-40D

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

12/08/2007 05:56:25 PM · #2304

Originally posted by quiet_observation:

It must be time for posthumous thoughts on heaven and hell.

Heaven:

a cloud eating a rainbow.
a park with no dog doo.
a staircase made of marzipan.
a bridge to nowhere.

Hell:

a child whose mouth is bigger than his head.
black eggs.
a fish in an elevator.
a woman being chased by Frank Sinatra's teeth.

kashi

Nikon D60

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G

12/08/2007 06:55:26 PM · #2305

Intriguing

Is that spelled right, Jeffrey ? ;)

12/08/2007 11:07:46 PM · #2306

I need some help. (sorry this is long). My wife got me a D80 about a month back and gave it to me for a early xmas present (rather nice of her i thought). I been so busy the past few weeks i havnt had a chance to use if for much more then a few snapshots around the house. So today i took it out to shot the xmas parade. i used my 18 -200 vr lens that i bought for my D50 a few months back. when i got home after shooting about 150 shots all but 5 or 6 are soft or just plan out of focus. So my question is, is it something i am doing or is something wrong with the camera? If some of you could look at some of theese and give me some ideas i would apprecate it.
Thanks
Griz
[thumb]620725[/thumb]
iso 200 120mm f5.6 1/60

[thumb]620727[/thumb]
iso 200 170mm f5.6 1/60

[thumb]620728[/thumb]
iso 200 52mm f4.8 1/60

[thumb]620729[/thumb]
iso 200 105mm f6.3 1/80

Message edited by author 2007-12-08 23:08:14.

Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 Di II LD Aspherical (IF) for Nikon

12/08/2007 11:10:49 PM · #2307

Originally posted by kashi:

Intriguing

Is that spelled right, Jeffrey ? ;)

Yeeeeesssss, it's spelled right ... why do you ask? *scratches head in confusion*

Message edited by author 2007-12-08 23:12:06.

meyers

Canon EOS-6D

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM

12/08/2007 11:12:58 PM · #2308

Originally posted by posthumous:

Heaven:

a bridge to nowhere.

Doh, I'm too late with this one!

I was back there tonight getting another shot of it, and with a wind chill down to about 5 degrees it didn't feel heavenly..

Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 Di II LD Aspherical (IF) for Nikon

12/08/2007 11:22:01 PM · #2309

Originally posted by griz210:

I need some help.

I'm afraid I can't diagnose it from here, so I'd recommend taking it to a local camera shop and ask them to try it. Not a formal maintenance investigation, just ask someone there to shoot a couple of shots and see what happens.

Several things can cause soft focus, most of which are the photographer's fault (poor technique or poor setting choices), but some of which can be the camera/lens (defective lens, the camera focusing in front of or behind the thing under the chosen focus point).

The setting combinations you provided should be able to create sharp images, so I don't think it's a too-wide aperture or too-slow shutter.

Here are a couple of tests I can think of to eliminate a few of the other possibilities. I don't know the differences between the D50 and the D80, so please don't take offense if any of these seem too simplistic.

1) Are you sure you were in autofocus, not manual? I find the little switch is easy to hit by accident, esp. if you were wearing gloves or mittens on a cold day.

Were you in continuous focus as opposed to single shot? If so, and you were trying to prefocus, press the shutter halfway, and then recompose the shot, the camera was refocusing on whatever happened to be under the chosen focus spot before you clicked the shutter.

2) Were you in the normal autofocus mode? I think the D80 has the same four focusing modes as the D200. On the D200, the best focus mode for a single shot is the bottom one on the dial. One of them (at the top of the dial) will focus on the closest object, regardless of where you point the center of the frame.

3) Was the chosen focus point on the subject? You can move the focus point within the frame, so if you inadvertently moved it off-center you might have focused on something you didn't mean to.

4) Was VR on? On my 70-200VR, I can turn it off. Was it in "normal" VR mode or the other mode (active, maybe?). The other mode is intended for when you're bouncing around a lot, like in a car.

5) Put the lens on the D50 on a tripod and take a timer shot of a large, high-contrast, still object, like the edge of a chair. Is it sharp? Does the answer change when you do the same thing on the D80? If it does, it's the camera. If they're both sharp, then the issue was either how you hold the camera or your shutter speed.

6) Put a different lens on both cameras on a tripod and take a timer shot of the same object. Are the shots sharp? If the answers for both cameras change when you change lenses, it's the lens.

Message edited by author 2007-12-08 23:30:59.

see

Canon PowerShot S95

12/08/2007 11:29:16 PM · #2310

David, 1/60 seems a little slow for action, even as in a parade. Maybe bump up your ISO a little bit so you can increase your shutter speed. I hope that helps.

12/08/2007 11:32:58 PM · #2311

Originally posted by griz210:

Ok, May I ask a question? If you are shooting a parade, and I believe all the photos you have shown are of parade participants, is there a reason you shot it all at about 1/60 of a sec? The vr lens may compensate for any shake in your hands, but not for a moving subject. Did you take photos of people on the sidelines that were not moving, and if so, how did they turn out? I cannot imagine shooting something that is moving, even at walking speed, and getting it to be not blurred.

I think that would be my first suspicion. :)

Ernie

12/08/2007 11:36:06 PM · #2312

Also in the very bottom photo, the wall behind the girl is totally in focus. In the next to last photo the pavement is in focus. I am going to say that those things were not moving. :)

Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 Di II LD Aspherical (IF) for Nikon

12/08/2007 11:38:38 PM · #2313

Um, yeah, Redneck and basssman are probably right, so do that test with a nonmoving, high-contrast large item first. If they're both sharp, the problem was too slow a shutter speed.

12/08/2007 11:44:20 PM · #2314

Originally posted by levyj413:

Originally posted by griz210:
I need some help.

I'm afraid I can't diagnose it from here, so I'd recommend taking it to a local camera shop and ask them to try it. Not a formal maintenance investigation, just ask someone there to shoot a couple of shots and see what happens.

Several things can cause soft focus, most of which are the photographer's fault (poor technique or poor setting choices), but some of which can be the camera/lens (defective lens, the camera focusing in front of or behind the thing under the chosen focus point).

The setting combinations you provided should be able to create sharp images, so I don't think it's a too-wide aperture or too-slow shutter.

Here are a couple of tests I can think of to eliminate a few of the other possibilities. I don't know the differences between the D50 and the D80, so please don't take offense if any of these seem too simplistic.

1) Are you sure you were in autofocus, not manual? I find the little switch is easy to hit by accident, esp. if you were wearing gloves or mittens on a cold day.

Were you in continuous focus as opposed to single shot? If so, and you were trying to prefocus, press the shutter halfway, and then recompose the shot, the camera was refocusing on whatever happened to be under the chosen focus spot before you clicked the shutter.

2) Were you in the normal autofocus mode? I think the D80 has the same four focusing modes as the D200. On the D200, the best focus mode for a single shot is the bottom one on the dial. One of them (at the top of the dial) will focus on the closest object, regardless of where you point the center of the frame.

3) Was the chosen focus point on the subject? You can move the focus point within the frame, so if you inadvertently moved it off-center you might have focused on something you didn't mean to.

4) Was VR on? On my 70-200VR, I can turn it off. Was it in "normal" VR mode or the other mode (active, maybe?). The other mode is intended for when you're bouncing around a lot, like in a car.

5) Put the lens on the D50 on a tripod and take a timer shot of a large, high-contrast, still object, like the edge of a chair. Is it sharp? Does the answer change when you do the same thing on the D80? If it does, it's the camera. If they're both sharp, then the issue was either how you hold the camera or your shutter speed.

6) Put a different lens on both cameras on a tripod and take a timer shot of the same object. Are the shots sharp? If the answers for both cameras change when you change lenses, it's the lens.

thanks for the reply. yes my vr was on and i was in autofocusm, I learned that the hard way on my d50. I will try you test on both cameras, I dont think it can be the lens for i took some with my 50mm and they were the same. I am thinking that maybe 1/60 of sec is too slow for hand held. I normaly use a tripod so i never thought it might be too slow.

12/08/2007 11:48:56 PM · #2315

Originally posted by basssman7:

Originally posted by griz210:
I need some help. (sorry this is long). My wife got me a D80 about a month back and gave it to me for a early xmas present (rather nice of her i thought). I been so busy the past few weeks i havnt had a chance to use if for much more then a few snapshots around the house. So today i took it out to shot the xmas parade. i used my 18 -200 vr lens that i bought for my D50 a few months back. when i got home after shooting about 150 shots all but 5 or 6 are soft or just plan out of focus. So my question is, is it something i am doing or is something wrong with the camera? If some of you could look at some of theese and give me some ideas i would apprecate it.
Thanks
Griz

Ok, May I ask a question? If you are shooting a parade, and I believe all the photos you have shown are of parade participants, is there a reason you shot it all at about 1/60 of a sec? The vr lens may compensate for any shake in your hands, but not for a moving subject. Did you take photos of people on the sidelines that were not moving, and if so, how did they turn out? I cannot imagine shooting something that is moving, even at walking speed, and getting it to be not blurred.

I think that would be my first suspicion. :)

Ernie

I used 1/60 because it was a cloudy day and i had to slow it down to get the exposure. I didnt take many shots of people on the sidelines but i will go look at the few i did, I think they are soft too.
what speed would you recomend for shooting a parade, i normaly use a tripod so this is new to me

Message edited by author 2007-12-08 23:51:55.

12/08/2007 11:49:43 PM · #2316

Originally posted by griz210:

With the vr lens, you can likely get away with the 1/60 sec. The problem is not with the handholding so much as with the subject actually moving, even if it was slow. If it was the handholding that was the issue, the bottom two examples would not have anything at all that is in focus, and they both do.

Congrats on the D80, it is a great camera. I loved my D70s, and wish I could have been able to afford to keep it when I bought my D200. Have fun with it!

12/09/2007 12:01:10 AM · #2317

thanks for the help

Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 Di II LD Aspherical (IF) for Nikon

12/09/2007 12:07:49 AM · #2318

David, I think Redneck's right: try bumping the ISO to 400 or even 800 on a cloudy day. I do regularly, and with that, your shutter would've been 1/120 or 1/240. The latter should've been fast enough, although the one of the girl waving her hand still might have her hand blurred.

12/09/2007 12:31:19 AM · #2319

Originally posted by levyj413:

when i go higher then 200 iso it get real grainy if you look at it at 100% dont know if that is just this camera or not i could use 400 on my d50 and it wouldnt be too bad but i get more noise with the d80 at 400. at least thats the way it seems so far. i just need to spend more time playing with it.

Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 Di II LD Aspherical (IF) for Nikon

12/09/2007 12:37:21 AM · #2320

Originally posted by griz210:

when i go higher then 200 iso it get real grainy if you look at it at 100%

Right, it will. But almost no one ever sees the equivalent of looking at it at 100%. That's like looking at a print on the wall from a few inches away. At smaller sizes (or less zoomed in), the noise tends to disappear.

Even so, there's software that can remove noise to some extent, and some of it is free.

12/09/2007 12:44:41 AM · #2321

Originally posted by levyj413:

Originally posted by griz210:
when i go higher then 200 iso it get real grainy if you look at it at 100%

Right, it will. But almost no one ever sees the equivalent of looking at it at 100%. That's like looking at a print on the wall from a few inches away. At smaller sizes (or less zoomed in), the noise tends to disappear.

Even so, there's software that can remove noise to some extent, and some of it is free.

thats true kind of like at it with a magnifing glass. what software do you use for noise. all i have is what came with lightroom and cs3. so far i havent been too impressed with them

see

Canon PowerShot S95

12/09/2007 12:55:02 AM · #2322

This is off my first card with my new camera.
[thumb]620765[/thumb]
And this is what my cat thinks about it LOL.

Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 Di II LD Aspherical (IF) for Nikon

12/09/2007 12:56:08 AM · #2323

I use the Neat Image plugin for Photoshop. Looking at their pricing page, it must've been the home+ version.

Other options I've heard of are Noise Ninja and Noiseware.

You have to decide whether you want to make it part of your Photoshop workflow or use a standalone application. I used the free "community" edition standalone version of Noiseware for a while before buying Neat Image, and I use the plugin exclusively, not the standalone.

The trick is to not overdo it or you end up with plastic-looking skin and textures. And sometimes, noise is quite nice in a picture.

12/09/2007 01:05:28 AM · #2324

Originally posted by levyj413:

I use noiseninja and it is a great app. I use the photoshop plug in for it.