Nikon 55~200 AFS

[Quovadis]

Hi guys,
I do product photography inside with box lighting. I only photograph luxury handbags.
I have been using this lens with a D3300. I have taken about 12'000 shots so far and noticed that not one shot is 100% in focus. All shots at 100% magnification in PS, I have to smart sharpen or unsharp mask a few times before they are tack sharp. I have tried thousands of distances and f stops.
With bags, the whole subject has to be sharp (no bokeh), so I normally use F11, f13, f16 and f22 for larger bags.
Impossible to take a tack sharp photo. Needless to say I use a rock solid tripod and a wireless shutter release.
Another point. before taking a shot I will place a card with writing in front of the bag where i want to focus, to ensure the lens is in focus. I only use manual focus. Any suggestions or should I trash this lens for a better one?

 

[Designer]

Is there anything like a filter of some kind screwed onto the front of your lens?

 

[Quovadis]

no just the hood

 

[Quovadis]

I will take some shots today at f13 which in my opinion is the sharpest point on this lens, and you will see what I mean.

 

[jcdeboever]

I will take some shots today at f13 which in my opinion is the sharpest point on this lens, and you will see what I mean.

List all the settings. Metering, focus, ISO, etc.

 

[Quovadis]

can i upload a small raw pic on this site? Or is it too large?

 

[coastalconn]

You are probably seeing diffraction at 100% when you are stopping down that far... Diffraction Limited Photography: Pixel Size, Aperture and Airy Disks

 

[KmH]

The Nikon AF-S 55-200 mm lens is a consumer grade lens ($350).
It is not designed like, nor is made using the better glass, as Nikon's professional grade lenses.
Which is why Nikon's AF-S 70-200 mm lens is $2100.

I agree that you are using to small a lens aperture and at anything smaller than f/11, like f/22, you are losing focus sharpness because of diffraction.

You need a much better understanding of how to control depth-of-field - DoF:
Understanding Depth of Field in Photography

Lens focal length, point of focus distance, and lens aperture all have to be managed to control DoF.

Lastly. If you are using a tripod VR needs to be turned off.
Nikon VR explained

 

[KmH]

can i upload a small raw pic on this site? Or is it too large?

Raw files can't be posted on the Internet, regardless the file size.
The Raw file has to be converted to a file type the Internet can handle. JPEG, PNG, TIFF, etc.

 

[astroNikon]

I don't know about the AFS version but my nonAFS 55-200 wasn't tack sharp no matter what I did even though other lenses I had were sharp. I didn't keep it too long.

 

[Quovadis]

Ok.. I have my answer. It's a crappy lens. No matter what I do it's close to impossible to get a tack sharp image. I cannot afford a $2000 lens. What i need is a sharp lens (Manual) no AFS.
I do not need VR or any other sort of image stabilization.
Maybe the Tokina 100mm? Any suggestions? I can spend up to $700

 

[Quovadis]

There is still something I do not understand. I need the bag, the whole bag to be in focus with as little bokeh as possible on one part of the bag. I was told to use F22. The problem is that at f22 there is a significant loss of sharpness. It's a catch 22 (no pun intended).
The other alternative is to make the bag look much smaller in the view finder, and use a lower f number. But then i do not get the fine details on the leather...yet another catch 22

 

[astroNikon]

you should do some test shots of where you focus on.
The Depth of Field is the amount in focus before and after the focus spot.
If you are focusing at the direct front of the object then you are losing half of your focused area.
Use a ruler and determine that total in focus depth ==> A Flexible Depth of Field Calculator

If you have the 18-55 lens combo try that lens too as that one is normally really sharp.

 

[Designer]

Ok.. I have my answer. It's a crappy lens. No matter what I do it's close to impossible to get a tack sharp image. I cannot afford a $2000 lens. What i need is a sharp lens (Manual) no AFS.
I do not need VR or any other sort of image stabilization.
Maybe the Tokina 100mm? Any suggestions? I can spend up to $700

Why manual? Are you now focusing in manual mode? If so, why? That lens should be better than that, and I'm pretty sure mine is, which is the "S" version. I do not understand why you are trying to focus manually.

Figure out your DOF (plug in all the variables) and select a point about mid-way in the DOF. Say the handle or clasp, for instance. Place the focus point on that spot. Keep your aperture about in the midrange. If the tripod is completely stable, and the shutter speed is moderate, it should produce an acceptable photo.

 

[Quovadis]

Here is a pic i just shot, and as you will see at 100% magnification it's not sharp. ISO 100 f/13 1/3s 55-200@92mm.
Actually this is one of the better focused shots at F13. To get it tack sharp I have to apply a few unsharp masks.