Sleepless in Moab

[mavalos]

Hi all!

Bought my first DSLR after struggling with which one, and now I'm not so pleased with my choice. Hope it's pilot problem but so far I'm not finding the sweet spot.

Camera: Nikon D3100
Lens: AF-S 18-55 G
Problem: Not focusing properly. Photos come out looking soft.

I Googled it and found that it's a known / common problem. Some say that the lens is a "cheapie". ? Send it back to Nikon for a looksy?

I've tried many different settings such as disabling AF and VR. Tried RAW. Also went the full route with F stops and shutter options. Still soft.

It takes great close-up pix, but the distant scenery ones are the problem. Unfortunately, that is what I will be shooting the most. I was going through the process of deciding which tele lens to go with but now I'm thinking of going with a comparable Canon (xti?). So far I'm not (Google) finding any focusing issues with that model.

Most of my photography will be using a (400mm max.) zoom lens at this time. So do I gamble on the problem being the 18-55 and get new glass? Or is it the processor? I still want to use an 18-? lens but won't use it very much.

Whachu think? .......... Thanks in advance for any suggestions.