Originally Posted by
Alan Stankevitz
Joe,
I'm not a Nikon user, but the best advise I can give you is to eliminate the variables. As others have mentioned, the resolution of this camera is very high. Any flaws in the lenses will be magnified. Nonetheless, it could be a number of variables causing your problem.
I suggest that you set up your camera/lens on your sturdy tripod indoors and do some focus tests. Use mirror lockup and a remote control to prevent any vibration whatsoever. Turn vibration control off on all lenses. It would be preferable to have the setup on a concrete floor or other floor that does not cause vibration. Use a dollar bill or whatever high resolution printed material you might have on-hand, tape it flat to a wall and make sure the camera/lens is exactly perpendicular to the test subject. Take a number of images using the camera's autofocus system and also in live view.
When using live view, you are bypassing the camera's autofocus system and focus is direct via the camera's sensor. By focusing in live-view, you are eliminating any kind of misalignment with the camera's autofocus system. If live view images are sharp, but those taken through normal shutter operation are not, calibration of the autofocus system is the problem. If your images are still not sharp in live-view, then the lens is probably the problem.
Please do no overlook atmospheric conditions that can cause blurring. Do the test indoors and after the camera/lens has had a chance to adjust to the indoor temperature.
Hope this helps,
Alan
iwishicouldfly.com