Are these images unexpectedly soft? (D500 / 500pf)

[Ever]

Thanks a bunch, Eric. I value all the detail and guidance here, as well as the expectation-setting

I hope you will let us know if there are images with a DX or deeper crop

I think they're technically a DX crop since they're shot on a D500? That said, the ones in that post above are the original, unedited photos.

Note: FWIW images are shot handled using IR-Sport with lens hood. I tried to include examples that felt like high enough shutter speed for sake of the discussion. Captured RAW, imported into LR, unedited, and exported to JPG using 2,048px long, 100% quality.

I think the one that made me scratch my head was the one of the kestrel. The focus point on the bird, yet nothing in the frame is really in focus. Perhaps it's due to atmospheric conditions. It was starting to get warm.

Here's an example of the focus point. Another one is right on the bird's chest, and it's the same result. Note the photo below is a lazy screengrab of nX Studio taken while zoomed in bunch - not an export. But I think it shows how nothing is in focus.

To your point, given the fact that I'm getting some that are in focus, hopefully I can chalk the misses up to technique, etc. I'm also prepping to make the jump to a Z8, so there's that, too

 

[EricBowles]

Here's an example of the focus point. Another one is right on the bird's chest, and it's the same result. Note the photo below is a lazy screengrab of nX Studio taken while zoomed in bunch - not an export. But I think it shows how nothing is in focus.

To your point, given the fact that I'm getting some that are in focus, hopefully I can chalk the misses up to technique, etc. I'm also prepping to make the jump to a Z8, so there's that, too

View attachment 92502

We always have some images that are soft or not sharp enough. This seems to just be missed focus since nothing is sharp. There is some level of randomness with focus. LensRentals had a blog post demonstrating the variation. Even in a controlled environment, there are better and worse images in terms of focus. That's why I always take more than one photo if possible. It increases your odds in case of random misses. The other challenge with this subject is the mottled colors of the kestrel. The camera is looking for a simple high contrast area, and may have been confused by something else in the scene. Since the tail feathers seem sharper than the head, I suspect it focused 8 inches nearer the camera.

Personally, I might just focus on the fence post rather than the eye of this subject. It's almost exactly the right focus plane and is an easier to find high contrast target.