Hopeless first outing with my new D7000

Daysleeper40

Daysleeper40

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Hi All,

I've just upgraded from a Nikon D60 to a D7000 and took my new camera to the zoo today. I am so disappointed with the pictures - they all seem soft and just not what I was expecting.

I have realised that I was using AF-A instead of my usual AF-S... I was also using wide apertures and the full zoom on my Nikon Af-s 70-300 VR - but this is something I used to do regularly with the D60 with good results.

I have taken a few test shots this evening and seem to be getting sharp pictures so I don't think it is a camera issue - more technique and a lack of understanding of the settings. I didn't expect there to be such a steep learning curve with this upgrade - anyone got any handy tips to help me get the best out of this camera. Feeling a bit intimidated by it now!
 
The D7000 can be a bit of an interesting camera in terms of focus to get your head around. I had one for a little while (upgraded from a D90) and it took me a while to get used to it.
I found a thread on DPReview somewhere which gave some recommended AF settings to use. Once you've hit that sweet spot then you can get some fantastic results from it and coming from a D60 it's a great upgrade.
I won't lie though, it took an element of photography away from me as I was never happy with shooting with it and a lot of settings I would never use. It could be a back focus issue which you hear a lot of talk about on the net although I would have thought they would have rectified that by now.

Edit: Have a look here - http://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3110833 and here - http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/37491958

Those settings may help you out :) All the best.
 
I just bought a D7000 and it is really sharp and very good despite it's age.Similar to D60 in many ways but lots of changes as well.Spend some time to read the manual and then try it out, which will make a big difference.
 
Thanks All,

I've just been out in the garden trying some shots of the cat. This was taken in RAW and then sharpened in ViewNX - what is the verdict? I've been staring at it too long to tell now!


Albie 125 20140419 by Daysleeper40, on Flickr
 
Looking at it in my post it looks oversharpened now...
 
Stick with it... have you tried the micro adjust for your lens? It allows you to set a certain value for each lens you use and can be great for really nailing the focus.

Plenty of videos on YouTube to show you how to do it.
 
minnnt said:
Stick with it... have you tried the micro adjust for your lens? It allows you to set a certain value for each lens you use and can be great for really nailing the focus.

Plenty of videos on YouTube to show you how to do it.
Click to expand...

Thank you, I will have to have a look at that later.
 
You could try pushing up the sharpness in picture controls too. I found that help with my D7000 when I had it..I would definitely look at the focus tests for back/front focus issues as I had problems with that also.
I never got to love it like my D90 but lots of friends love their D7000, so don't despair to much, stick at it.
 
Not a great deal to add to the above really, just stick with it and you'll get used to it. Compare it to climbing in to a different car and finding out where the clutch and brakes bite and which side the filler cap is. The camera is just a tool - you know what to do with it and should soon find out how to get the best from it. Hopefully you will get some good weather for the next few days to play with the new toy!
 
Daysleeper40 said:
Thanks All,

I've just been out in the garden trying some shots of the cat. This was taken in RAW and then sharpened in ViewNX - what is the verdict? I've been staring at it too long to tell now!


Albie 125 20140419 by Daysleeper40, on Flickr
Click to expand...

This image looks ok, the depth of field is going to be pretty low at this distance to a subject.

Regarding the soft zoo images, how many focus points were you using? Was it a single focus point or 39 focus points? It could be easy to focus on the wrong part of an image/subjects with 39 active points. For moving animals like in zoos I would use AF-C with single point focus so I can choose where the I focus. AF-S is good for stationary subjects. Majority of the time I use single point focus and occasionally all of the points for hard to track birds in flight.
 
The image looks fine to me at this size and on flickr.
As Gary noted above, AF-S for a moving subject isn't going to be good (unless doing something like zone/trap focus).
Looking at your exif of 185mm, f/7, 1/200, 250 and 4m distance I see several contributors to possible issues.
The 70-300 is (probably) going to be sharper at f/8-11.
The 1/FL ROT for SS is crap... especially w/ the D7000 (D800/D7100/etc). I try for 2/FL minimum if possible/suitable.
I SWAG the DOF as ~ 3"... you could mess that up just by swaying a little.
Don't be afraid to push the ISO to 800 if necessary... 1600 is about my limit with the D7000 (and D800) without significant noise reduction or downsampling.
 
sk66 said:
The 1/FL ROT for SS is crap... especially w/ the D7000 (D800/D7100/etc). I try for 2/FL minimum if possible/suitable.
Click to expand...
I think you mean 1/2FL there. 1/FL as minimum SS only applies to FX. For DX the 'crop factor' needs to be applied so we should be looking at 2/3FL as a starting point. But with VR lenses 1/FL or 2/3FL as appropriate shouldn't be a problem.
 
Thank you all for your comments / help - I have spent some time this morning fine tuning the focus with my various lenses and I am now MUCH happier. Thank you David for that tip - it has made a big difference!
 
Could be the lens. The D7000 will show up more imperfections than the D60 I imagine. Being higher res. The cat looks sharp at least. You were probably just missing focus with moving animals. Practice ...
 
Snapsh0t said:
I think you mean 1/2FL there. 1/FL as minimum SS only applies to FX. For DX the 'crop factor' needs to be applied so we should be looking at 2/3FL as a starting point. But with VR lenses 1/FL or 2/3FL as appropriate shouldn't be a problem.
Click to expand...
It depends on pixel pitch (pixel size/MP's) and not "sensor size" as such. And individual skill/technique of course. *My* limit for consistent results w/ 1/FL seems to be ~12MP DX and 16MP FX (probably higher for FX but I don't have an "in between" body). W/ both the D7000/D800 (same pixel pitch) I can't get consistent results at 1/FL.
And the ROT 1/FL is for "acceptable sharpness." If you want consistently "tack sharp" it's tripod or 2-4x FL. IMO, VR is not particularly reliable... I'll use it if I need to, but I try not to need it.
 
sk66 said:
It depends on pixel pitch (pixel size/MP's) and not "sensor size" as such. And individual skill/technique of course. *My* limit for consistent results w/ 1/FL seems to be ~12MP DX and 16MP FX (probably higher for FX but I don't have an "in between" body). W/ both the D7000/D800 (same pixel pitch) I can't get consistent results at 1/FL.
And the ROT 1/FL is for "acceptable sharpness." If you want consistently "tack sharp" it's tripod or 2-4x FL. IMO, VR is not particularly reliable... I'll use it if I need to, but I try not to need it.
Click to expand...

Well yes, but you originally said 2/FL when you meant 1/2xFL. That's what he's pointing out.


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Daysleeper40 said:
Thanks All,

I've just been out in the garden trying some shots of the cat. This was taken in RAW and then sharpened in ViewNX - what is the verdict? I've been staring at it too long to tell now!
Click to expand...

The cat looks totally fine to me even at full size in Flickr. Nice and sharp around the eyes. The only thing you could do is set a higher shutter speed in case the cat moves but in this case he looks still.

Why not post an example of a pic you're disappointed with (the "hopeless" in the title) so you can get more constructive advice?





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martsharm said:
Well yes, but you originally said 2/FL when you meant 1/2xFL. That's what he's pointing out.
Click to expand...
no, I actually meant 2/FL (or more)...
"Minimum" gets you minimum "acceptable sharpness." Sometimes better, sometimes worse... faster will always be sharper all else being equal. But you can't always have (or want) "everything."
 
sk66 said:
no, I actually meant 2/FL (or more)...
"Minimum" gets you minimum "acceptable sharpness." Sometimes better, sometimes worse... faster will always be sharper all else being equal. But you can't always have (or want) "everything."
Click to expand...

Righto. So you'd use 1/40 with an 85mm lens on DX? 1/40 handheld on a 24MP sensor at 135mm equiv? Rather you than me.


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Just gone through pretty much the exact same thing. I upgraded from a D90 which I've used for a few years to a D7100 and for the first couple of weeks I was absolutely convinced it was faulty as almost everything I did with a few exceptions was soft, out of focus and just didn't feel as good as previous shots I'd done with the D90.

I spent a lot of time reading, going through various peoples "favoured" setups and trying all sorts of things but what seems to have cracked it finally for me was fine tuning the lenses using the dot method below and using faster shutter speeds on average for most things. Of course that's over simplifying it, but in a nut shell that's the biggest changes I've made to my "technique" (if you can call it that). I do over-complicate things for myself by trying to shoot in full manual as much as I can (auto focus) to learn the way the camera and I together handle different lighting where on the D90 I almost always shot in Aperture priority mode unless in studio conditions, but I'm slowly learning its nuances and getting better and better results.

Check your auto focus settings, bear in mind that AF-A, AF-C and AF-S all have seperate focus point groupings, for example for studio lighting I always use single point AF-S but for fast moving birds I may use AF-C with a 9 point focus group to track it better.

It's a big learning curve compared to the D90, I thought I knew enough to get by (although I like to think I'm learning every single day), but the D7100 just basically kicked me up the arse and put me in my place and made me actually think about how I was doing my photography and I almost started again (although with a reasonable ground knowledge at least).

I still have a few frustrations, but most of them are ironing out slowly with more and more practice.

Don't give up. :)

 
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sk66 said:
no, I actually meant 2/FL (or more)...
"Minimum" gets you minimum "acceptable sharpness." Sometimes better, sometimes worse... faster will always be sharper all else being equal. But you can't always have (or want) "everything."
Click to expand...
From everything else you're saying you really don't mean 2/fl. Think about it for a moment and you'll see you've got the maths backwards.
 
I get it... my mistake.
I read "1/2FL" as "half FL." And everyone is reading it as an actual SS which *is* how it's meant I guess. I don't know why, but I always think of it as a ratio (and use the wrong symbology). Probably because you can't affect the "1."

I stand corrected.
 
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Have u checked if your D7000 need some AF fine tuning? D7000 tend to have back focus.

Af-s for stationary object or animals resting. If anything moving slowly then af-a or af-c. More dots will give the camera more bits to track focus and while your half press the shutter button you can see the focus dot light up across the viewer. Turn your VR off on your lens and aim at a stationary object and move around yourself then you can see how af-c and af-a works. And try snap a few pics then u can see if they are working.


Personally I have not any issues with focusing on D7000 and image returning out of focus. But I had d90 previously the centre focus dot is quite large, that sometimes will miss focus as it will pick up some random things around the object.

Also d7000 has a lot more pixels than d60, I am not sure about the performance of the 70-300 on 300end. But what used to be sharp pictures out of d60 may appear to be soft on d7000 I.e. 70-300 pushing to the limit of the lens resolution. So the soft image may give the impression of out of focus.
 
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