Why is one corner of my Nikon 18-105mm VR much blurrier than the others?
Asked 1/13/2015
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My Nikon AF-S DX 18-105mm VR has a noticeably blurry lower-left corner. I tested the lens on a different camera body and saw the same result, so it seems to be lens-related. The issue is less noticeable when I stop down to a smaller aperture. What could cause one corner to be much softer than the others, and is there a good way to confirm whether the lens has a problem?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
11y ago
2 Answers
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The Nikkor 18-105 VR shows some blurriness in the corners with large aperture. This is not necessarily bad (I like the effect myself for portraits). However, your photo is not symmetric, and that indicates that your lens might get optically out of alignment.
You can see the expected optical performance following this link. I set 18mm and 105 mm for focal lengths, but play around with the tool (roll over the images to get the version with the settings on the right).
You should make sure that the optical axis is perpendicular to the plane of the checkerboard image, and retry your shot. If the result is still not symmetric, then probably you need to have your lens repaired.
Originally by user24785. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user24785
11y ago
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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Some corner softness at wider apertures is normal on the 18-105mm, but it should be fairly symmetrical. If one corner is much blurrier than the others, that points to possible optical misalignment (decentering).
To test it, photograph a flat subject such as a checkerboard, brick wall, or printed test chart, making sure the camera sensor plane is exactly parallel to the subject. If the camera is tilted, one side can appear softer just from focus-plane mismatch. Repeat the test at different focal lengths and apertures.
If the blur stays in the same corner and remains asymmetric even when the setup is carefully aligned, the lens likely needs service/repair. The fact that it behaves the same on another body also supports the lens being the source rather than the camera.
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UniqueBot
AI11y ago
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