 Sharon Day |
Soft Focus with Nikon 105mm Macro I have a problem I am not sure is with my equipment or my eyes so hopefully someone can shed some light on the subject. I can focus my Nikon 105mm macro on a subject and the little green focus light in the viewfinder will come on and the image will appear tack sharp. I'll take the photo and get it on the monitor and it will look very soft. Today I've been taking photos of old slides so it's not a DOF issue either. I'm shooting at f/16 and the film plane is level and the subject flat so it can't be a DOF problem but my slides aren't coming out sharp. BTW, it's not the slides either. LOL. They are sharp as well. I really do not think it's the monitor because most of my images that are sharp look sharp on the monitor. Is there any way of knowing if it's the lens somehow? I don't understand why it would look sharp through the viewfinder then not sharp after the image has been taken. Thanks!
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- Usman M. Bajwa Contact Usman M. Bajwa Usman M. Bajwa's Gallery |
Check the diopter setting on the view finder, it might have accidentally changed. UB.
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John H. Siskin |
Hi Sharon, Could it be camera shake? Especially for slide copies, as you might be using long exposures? I normally use a self-timer when I do slide dupes, as well as in other macro/micro situations. If your camera focus system says the image is sharp, that should be independent of your eyes. Thanks,
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Sharon Day |
Thanks, UB & John! The diopter setting is good. I check that by checking the viewfinder against something I know is in focus then adjust the diopter until things look sharp again so all is good there. I have the camera on a tripod with a cable release. Today the light was getting low so I was shooting at 1/4th of a second with just the cable release. I didn't use mirror lockup. I will borrow a Nikon 60mm soon and see if that makes any difference. I just don't understand why it would look sharp in the viewfinder (with the in focus green light on) then be soft on the monitor. Thanks for the input and help!
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John H. Siskin |
Hi Sharon, If you're using a mechanical cable release, it really could be camera shake. You need a very stable platform to photograph something very small at ΒΌ second. Thanks, John
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Sharon Day |
Thanks, John! Still having issues so I will try that too.
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Sharon Day |
Again, I appreciate the help! This morning I borrowed my daughter's Nikon 60mm macro lens and the results are much sharper photos of the slides. I guess my 105mm is having issues but it seems to be mainly with slides for some reason. I have not noticed it when shooting nature since the DOF is so shallow anyway. I also took some test shots of text which looked fine with the 105mm. It just seems to be the slides somehow that causes the focusing problems both on manual focus and auto focus. I appreciate all the suggestions. I did give those a try before going for the 60mm lens. Thanks again!
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Bob Cammarata |
When photographing a processed slide, you are creating a second generation so it can never be as tack-sharp as the original. You can get better results though by following John's advice of a sturdy platform for both the camera and the slide. A copy-stand setup is more stable than a tripod...and definately lock up the mirror and trip the shutter hands-free.
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Sharon Day |
Thanks, Bob! After switching lenses things are going well. I hope my 105mm isn't having issues. I find it really strange it won't focus on the slides as well as the 60mm but it just doesn't. Other subjects work well with that lens so I keep thinking it's just something pecular about shooting the slides.
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