Focus Issues with Nikkor 50mm f/1.8

TheSolicitor · Mar 19, 2010

Good afternoon, gang.

I have a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 that I've been playing with for a while for some portraiture stuff and the like. However, one of the biggest issues that I'm having with it is that sometimes I get it right, and sometimes the focus is WAY off. When I say way off, I'm not talking about "oh that's a little blurry" I'm saying that it's way off in a way that is frankly embarrassing. The shot looks clear through the view finder and then looks clear on the LCD screen. I load the photos onto my computer and they are blurry, from time to time they're actually clear, and my they are tack-sharp.

Additional Information:
The lens is a manual focus, I am shooting with a D5000, and I have the diopter correction on the lens to -1.0. I do wear contacts and glasses and have noticed no difference between the two as far as hit or miss. I use Photoshop Bridge, Photoshop Elements 7, and iPhoto (depending on what I am doing with the photographs).

Any advice? Fixes? Just get better and don't screw it up?

Thanks in advance!

matfoster · Mar 19, 2010

do you have a photo buddy you can hand the camera to, have them trim the diopter for their use and then see if they experience the same problem?

mrpink · Mar 19, 2010

are you seeing the 'focus light' (green circle in the bottom left of viewfinder) light up when you believe the subject to be in focus?

p!nK

TheSolicitor · Mar 19, 2010

matfoster said:
do you have a photo buddy you can hand the camera to, have them trim the diopter for their use and then see if they experience the same problem?

I do. That didn't even cross my mind! I'll do that this evening and report back with additional information.

mrpink said:
are you seeing the 'focus light' (green circle in the bottom left of viewfinder) light up when you believe the subject to be in focus?

Again, I'll have to do this tonight. I've got a 10-24 mounted right now and won't be home for a little bit, but I'll do that and see what happens.

Thanks to both of you for your responses. I'll see what I can diagnose!

matfoster · Mar 19, 2010

ok. good luck

Dominantly · Mar 19, 2010

When you're having focus issues, are you shooting wide open at f/1.8? Does it vary with your shutter speeds? Do you experience the same problem when shooting on a tripod?

TheSolicitor · Mar 19, 2010

I got it out and tried to focus it on my own ignoring the green light in the lower left hand corner of the viewfinder and low and behold, I was just a touch off. My girlfriend's hair was in focus, but her face wasn't all of the time. I shot her from f1.8 all the way up to f22 just to see how it would turn out.

As it is, it was user error, and I wasn't even aware of the green light (chastise away) and was just a hair off. She used it too and had no issues getting it to focus (and she knows nothing about cameras, save P&S cameras).

Thanks to everyone for all of the help! Now I have to make her brownies to make up for forcing her to be my model...

mrpink · Mar 19, 2010

TheSolicitor said:
I got it out and tried to focus it on my own ignoring the green light in the lower left hand corner of the viewfinder and low and behold, I was just a touch off. My girlfriend's hair was in focus, but her face wasn't all of the time. I shot her from f1.8 all the way up to f22 just to see how it would turn out.

As it is, it was user error, and I wasn't even aware of the green light (chastise away) and was just a hair off. She used it too and had no issues getting it to focus (and she knows nothing about cameras, save P&S cameras).

Thanks to everyone for all of the help! Now I have to make her brownies to make up for forcing her to be my model...

well now that you involved a model...

:addpics:

:mrgreen:

p!nK

TheSolicitor · Mar 19, 2010

Unfortunately, she asked me to delete them. I'll do better next time!!

Sw1tchFX · Mar 19, 2010

you're manually focusing a fast lens, on a camera with a viewfinder the size of a pinhole, it's really no wonder you're not getting 100% sharp pictures.

I can barely MF my 50mm on my D700, it's just the DOF is so narrow, and my eyesight is so bad, it's almost impossible for me to see critical focus.

iBats · Mar 19, 2010

guess what
the d5000 doesnt have an af motor built in

Dominantly · Mar 19, 2010

Captain obvious to the rescue. :lol:

SushiWarrior · Mar 20, 2010

It is VERY hard to focus, I have the same lens/similar camera and in order to get good focus I just turn the ring a bit and hold down and take a burst of pics.

TheSolicitor · Mar 20, 2010

SushiWarrior said:
It is VERY hard to focus, I have the same lens/similar camera and in order to get good focus I just turn the ring a bit and hold down and take a burst of pics.

That's priceless. I tested it tonight with my girlfriend both on a tripod and off the tripod. I hope, though, whenever you're doing that, you yell "BUCKSHOT!" (both for your amusement and for the amusement of those around you)....God, I'm such a redneck...

mrpink · Mar 20, 2010

Sw1tchFX said:
you're manually focusing a fast lens, on a camera with a viewfinder the size of a pinhole, it's really no wonder you're not getting 100% sharp pictures.

I can barely MF my 50mm on my D700, it's just the DOF is so narrow, and my eyesight is so bad, it's almost impossible for me to see critical focus.

MF has nothing to do with it as long as you choose the correct AF point and twist the focal ring until the green dot appears (you are doing just what the lenses AF motor would do if it had one). I used the 50mm 1.8 on my D40 for some time, it was/is my favorite lens. I would choose AF points just as I would with an AF-S lens, then simply turn the focal ring until I saw that dot appear... presto- sharp picture. Now missing your focus is another story all together.