Why do my Nikon D3000 photos look soft even when focus seems correct?
Asked 6/25/2014
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I’m shooting a Nikon D3000 and many images look soft on a computer monitor, even though they seem fine in the viewfinder and on the camera screen. I’ve tried tripod use, different ISO and aperture settings, autofocus and manual focus, multiple lenses (18-55mm and 55-200mm), and even had the camera checked. Example shots include a landscape taken at f/22 and a butterfly image that still looks soft in the areas I expected to be sharp. Is this likely a focus problem, or are there other causes of softness with this camera/lens setup?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
12y ago
2 Answers
6
I see no problem in either of these images. They both appear correct. Lenses are not 100% sharp to begin with and on cheaper lenses it is not atypical for the resolution of the camera to outpace the resolution of the lens, particularly on entry level and kit lenses like the two you are using.
This is even further compounded by using high aperture on a crop body camera. The smaller point you try to focus light on, the more of an issue diffraction becomes when shining the light through a small hole. The smaller the hole, the more impact diffraction has and this reduces what level of quality is possible to capture. Try shooting at or above f/8 or so and diffraction limiting shouldn't be a problem. You might be able to go a bit higher than that based on your resolution, but I didn't do the calculations to figure out exactly when it is a problem. (There are calculators online if you want to check exactly when it should theoretically start being an issue.)
The first one certainly has a shallow depth of field, but it appears as sharp as expected for your choice of aperture and lens. Your unsharp masked version seems over-sharpened. It over-exaggerates the edges and makes things "jump out" more, but is unnaturally so.
Originally by user11392. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user11392
12y ago
0
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Based on the examples and replies, this does not sound like a clear autofocus defect. The more likely causes are normal lens softness, diffraction, and expectations from viewing files large on a monitor.
A few key points:
- The 18-55mm and 55-200mm are entry-level kit lenses, and they are not perfectly sharp, especially when examined closely.
- Shooting at very small apertures like f/22 can reduce sharpness because of diffraction, particularly on a crop-sensor camera like the D3000.
- You’ll usually get better sharpness around mid apertures, roughly f/8 or so, rather than at the smallest aperture.
- Very wide focal lengths can show more edge softness and distortion than more moderate focal lengths.
- Some sharpening in post-processing is normal for digital images; light output sharpening can help.
So the issue is probably not a focus failure, but a combination of lens limitations, diffraction at small apertures, and wide-angle behavior. Try comparing results at moderate focal lengths and around f/5.6-f/8, then apply mild sharpening in post.
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