Call for help with my Nikon D7000 focusing

[Benco]

This is a really obvious one but have you checked your IQ setting?

 

[goodguy]

Oh! How much experience doing photography do you have?

Which 1.8 lens(s)? Does the lens have VR? VR usually needs to be turned off, particularly when using a tripod.

Do you have a UV/Clear filter on the lens(s)?

In all honesty, most, but by no means all focus sharpness issues are user error.

How much experience ?

Not a lot.
Yes I know in many to most cases it is the operators mistakes and not the camera or lenses.
I dont have filters.
I used my 50mm 1.8G and my zom lens. With my zoom I tried it with the VRon and off, made no difference.
I have done quite the research on this and I think I covered most areas in regards to trying my camera and lenses focusing.
As I said I even tried manual focusing but it made no difference.

You still have not told us WHAT lenses you have... as in BRAND, FL, etc...? Is the Zoom lens a Sigma? Is that the one you are having the worst problem with?

When you ask questions like this, give ALL of the information you can... how you are shooting, Exif, amount of ambient light, flash or no, brands and focal lengths, everything and etc.... lol!

Edit: Ok.. I went back and checked some of your other threads... you have a Nikon 50 1.8G and the Nikion 18-105 kit lens, correct?

Yes those are my lenses, sorry about that, I am simply quite upset about this all thing and forgot to answer your question.

 

[goodguy]

what focus mode are you using? AF-S preferred for tripod! Have you tried manual focusing? If so, what happens then?

Are you using single point (spot)? Preferred! (by me, at least)

what are your other settings? Post some images with Exif. Also list your lenses.

Take off any filters you have on the lenses...

Of course I used AF-S and used the centre point for my focusing.
.

Using the Center Point ... and using Single Point (SPOT focus) are two totally different things. If you are using any of the AF area modes, the center focus point may not be what the camera selected as the Focus Point. Put the AF area mode into Single Point... and try again (this way, YOU select the Focus Point, not the camera).

You might want to read this.. a good explanation of the differences... http://www.pixelfinesse.com/_docs/D7000_AF_Explained.pdf

Yes to clearify I am using my camera always in AF-S mode

 

[goodguy]

This is a really obvious one but have you checked your IQ setting?

Not so obvious at all and to answer no I havent.
Being pretty new to this I really am not comfortable in touching every point in my menu so (and the D7000 has lots of stuff to adjust and change in its menu) so I didnt touch it and its in its factory settings.

 

[cgipson1]

Of course I used AF-S and used the centre point for my focusing.
.

Using the Center Point ... and using Single Point (SPOT focus) are two totally different things. If you are using any of the AF area modes, the center focus point may not be what the camera selected as the Focus Point. Put the AF area mode into Single Point... and try again (this way, YOU select the Focus Point, not the camera).

You might want to read this.. a good explanation of the differences... http://www.pixelfinesse.com/_docs/D7000_AF_Explained.pdf

Yes to clearify I am using my camera always in AF-S mode

AF-S mode was not the question.

Does your viewfinder / focus settings look like this ????



or one of these ????

 

[Mully]

You just may have to send the camera in for service..... let a photographer friend use it and see if they get the same result as you are getting. If it is soft in manual at f8-11 then something is a very much off.

 

[shefjr]

This is a really obvious one but have you checked your IQ setting?

Not so obvious at all and to answer no I havent.
Being pretty new to this I really am not comfortable in touching every point in my menu so (and the D7000 has lots of stuff to adjust and change in its menu) so I didnt touch it and its in its factory settings.

This implies to me then that you haven't read your owners manual which means you don't have a clear understanding how your camera works. You should read the owners manual.

 

[cgipson1]

This is a really obvious one but have you checked your IQ setting?

Not so obvious at all and to answer no I havent.
Being pretty new to this I really am not comfortable in touching every point in my menu so (and the D7000 has lots of stuff to adjust and change in its menu) so I didnt touch it and its in its factory settings.

This implies to me then that you haven't read your owners manual which means you don't have a clear understanding how your camera works. You should read the owners manual.

I also highly recommend this : Amazon.com: David Busch's Nikon D7000 Guide to Digital SLR Photography (9781435459427): David D. Busch: Books Useful for beginners especially, as it goes into much more detail than the users manual... and some "Why and when to use" along with the "How to use"

 

[goodguy]

Using the Center Point ... and using Single Point (SPOT focus) are two totally different things. If you are using any of the AF area modes, the center focus point may not be what the camera selected as the Focus Point. Put the AF area mode into Single Point... and try again (this way, YOU select the Focus Point, not the camera).

You might want to read this.. a good explanation of the differences... http://www.pixelfinesse.com/_docs/D7000_AF_Explained.pdf

Yes to clearify I am using my camera always in AF-S mode

AF-S mode was not the question.

Does your viewfinder / focus settings look like this ????

View attachment 37922

or one of these ????

View attachment 37923

The first upper pic

 

[cgipson1]

Yes to clearify I am using my camera always in AF-S mode

AF-S mode was not the question.

Does your viewfinder / focus settings look like this ????

View attachment 37922

or one of these ????

View attachment 37923

The first upper pic

Ok.. then I will assume you are in Spot Focus mode, which give you the most control of the AF. Good so far! As said, let your more knowledgeable friend try it out, and see what happens.

 

[goodguy]

This is a really obvious one but have you checked your IQ setting?

Not so obvious at all and to answer no I havent.
Being pretty new to this I really am not comfortable in touching every point in my menu so (and the D7000 has lots of stuff to adjust and change in its menu) so I didnt touch it and its in its factory settings.

This implies to me then that you haven't read your owners manual which means you don't have a clear understanding how your camera works. You should read the owners manual.

I just looked at that huge thing called owners manual and my mind already started to wonder off.
English is my second language and a book like that would be a real struggle for me, I doubt I will be able to go through it. Even in my mother tongue I doubt I would have the patience, I learn best through experience and not through books.

 

[KmH]

Then you're pretty much screwed. :er:

By relying on experience you will essentially be re-inventing the wheel. By reading books, you can learn what you need to know 1000 times faster than discovering it by trial and error (experience).
You only have 1 lifetime. Books contain the knowledge gained and condensed from many, many lifetimes.

As it is, the psychological notion of 'learning styles' (I learn best by.....) first theorized in the early 1970's has repeatedly been proven in controlled studies to be utter nonsense.
People though immediately latched onto 'learning styles' as a handy excuse for avoiding doing the work it takes to actually learn. Learning styles - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Good luck. :thumbup:

 

[goodguy]

Then you're pretty much screwed. :er:

By relying on experience you will essentially be re-inventing the wheel. By reading books, you can learn what you need to know 1000 times faster than discovering it by trial and error (experience).
You only have 1 lifetime. Books contain the knowledge gained and condensed from many, many lifetimes.

As it is, the psychological notion of 'learning styles' (I learn best by.....) first theorized in the early 1970's has repeatedly been proven in controlled studies to be utter nonsense.
People though immediately latched onto 'learning styles' as a handy excuse for avoiding doing the work it takes to actually learn. Learning styles - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Good luck. :thumbup:

Thank you very, very much for your help and feedback and everyone else who were kind enough to sat and replied for my cry for help.

I know I have plenty of learning to do and I think also from this experience I have learned a lot and I keep learning as I go along.
I read a lot but not in English, English is a language I use everyday, read and write but its not a natural process, for fun or educational I always try to read in my mother tongue, it is simply 10 times easier and natural for me. Reading in English is work for me, reading in my mother tongue is easy and natural.
I doubt I will be able to find a manual in my mother tongue.

As for living only once, well in this body yes but I believe we come here again and again but thats a completly different issue so I will leave it at that.

Thanks again!!!

 

[TheLost]

This is what i would do...

1) Put the 50mm 1.8 on the camera
2) Go outside into the sunlight
3) Find a good subject (flower, tree, wife, husband.. something that's not going to move like a dog/cat/kid)
4) Turn on the focus conformation BEEP on your camera (menu settings.. D1..)
5) Set your camera to AF-S and Single point AF mode (!!!!!! You are going to have to learn how to do this !!!!!)
6) Set your camera to A(perture) priority mode.
7) Set your aperture to f/8
8) Set your ISO to 200
9) Move around until you find enough light that your shutter speed can be above 1/250.
10) Aim your camera at your target.. put the center focus selector on a selected spot
11) Half press the shutter.. make sure you get the focus conformation BEEP..
12) Take the picture..
13) Repeat steps 10-12 a few times.. MAKING SURE YOUR SHUTTER IS OVER 1/250

Post your results here... If your images still aren't sharp maybe you should send the camera back.

On a side note: You HAVE TO LEARN about your camera. you cant just figure it out on your own. The D7000 has a very complex focus system. If you don't understand it you'll never get it to work. As somebody already posted... You should read this http://www.pixelfinesse.com/_docs/D7000_AF_Explained.pdf until you understand everything its talking about.

On a second side note: Somebody who pixel peeps won't ever be happy with their pictures. Don't expect razor sharp images at 100% magnification. It just doesn't work like that.

On a third side note: Read my first side note again!! Reading is FUN-DA-MENTAL!

 

[goodguy]

I think I do understand how the focus of the D7000 works but the terminology that the more senior people then me here use still confuses me so thats why it might look I dont know what I am talking about.
There are 2 fantastic clips on youtube made by the "Afro Guy" who really gets into most of the menu on this camera.
Here is the first one





I saw it few times before I started to get more serious about touching my camera and while I am certain there is plenty more to learn about the D7000 I think for now I have learned enough for my level and current newbie needs, I mean I dont even have a serious flash and my tripod is just a cheap basic one so I have tons and tons of stuff to learn before I will really need to go deeper into my cameras menu.

I have went to Nikon Service Centre in Toronto and now my camera is with the capable hands of the Nikon Techs.
I went back anbd checked older pictures I have from the Nikon and they simply look Sooo much better, I even tried to replicate one or two and they were not as good as the older one, all seem solf and unfocused.
I took few shots with my Nikon and then put on the Tripod my second camera the Canon G15 and tried for the best of my ability take same pictures and the Canons pictures just blows the Nikon out of the water, they just look so much better, sharper and focused.
All evidence+my own gut feeling made me understand and believe its not an operators mistake but a camera issue.
The tech at the Nikon service centre told me the issues I see in my camera are the most common with cameras and in many cases it is indeed a problem with the camera and needs professional attantion.