Soft photos even on tripod

[kkdji1]

I have the d500 and the new 500 prime lens. I’m learning to shoot on my tripod rather than handholding and am still finding my photos soft even with shutter speed at 1000 and above. Two questions. To use VR mode while on tripod. I’ve heard both arguments and am looking for personal experience. I’ve been leaving it on. Next shoot I’ll try both ways. Second question. Could my lens need calibrating? Thanks.

 

[hark]

You don't need VR on a tripod. VR is to offset shaking that might happen when holding the camera in your hands. Since the tripod is stationary, when VR is on, you it can definitely soften the photos since it offers a type of counter shake to stabilize a slightly moving camera.

 

[Replytoken]

You lens/body combo may need adjusting, but I would concur with @Amadeo Arts about leaving the VR off on the tripod. My understanding is that VR was mostly effective until about 1/500th and not very helpful for IS after that. Some people, though, like to use it to stabilize the image in the VF.

--Ken

 

[brachypelma44]

When you first press the shutter release, it can jar the camera slightly and affect sharpness. If you aren't already, shoot in bursts (continuous H) and often the 2nd, 3rd, 4th photos are sharper than the first, because your finger has settled into where it's going by that point, and the camera isn't being jarred any longer.

VR isn't really doing anything for you at 1/1000, and I would definitely turn it off on the tripod.

AF fine tuning could be needed, but it can also make things worse. I would exhaust every other possibility before messing with it.

It's also possible that you're doing everything right and turbulent air between you and the subject is causing softness. Anyone who shoots at long distances will encounter this from time to time.

 

[bleirer]

Without seeing the image it's just guesswork, but if you are viewing at 100% that camera could theoretically start to show diffraction even at f5.6. Not saying this is your issue but a consideration of what else might make an image look soft. Other possibilities with a long lens are heat distortion or just plain out of focus.

Diffraction Calculator | PhotoPills

This diffraction calculator will help you assess when the camera is diffraction limited.

www.photopills.com

 

[DRwyoming]

I agree with what's posted above but in my experiences on photo workshops a lot of folks don't employ the best long lens techniques when shooting from a tripod and that is often the cause of blurry long lens photos. The basics are draping your left hand up and over the lens barrel applying just a bit of soft down pressure to absorb vibrations, gently rolling your finger over the shutter release instead of jabbing straight down with a fingertip and pressing your cheek against the back of the camera can also help to stabilize things. All of this is done with the tripod head left a bit loose and not locked down hard which can also cause shutter slap vibrations to travel up and back down a big lens.

Steve has a good video on long lens technique you should check out if you haven't seen it:

 

[RickW]

When you first press the shutter release, it can jar the camera slightly and affect sharpness. .

at 1/1000 sec on a tripod? Unless he is stabbing at the shutter release, I would guess that the problem is with the tripod head or legs or both not being robust enough to handle the weight of the gear. If tripod is adequate, I would look to the lens/body themselves. My money is on insufficient tripod/head combo. 1/1000 sec on capable platform should not yield constantly unshared images.

 

[kkdji1]

I have a Peak Design carbon frame tripod. I am using trying to keep my left hand on top of the lens and I am shooting in continuous. I’m going to try turning off VR and see what happens. I can show a raw photo. I just need to figure out how to attach one.

 

[kkdji1]

Without seeing the image it's just guesswork, but if you are viewing at 100% that camera could theoretically start to show diffraction even at f5.6. Not saying this is your issue but a consideration of what else might make an image look soft. Other possibilities with a long lens are heat distortion or just plain out of focus.

Diffraction Calculator | PhotoPills

This diffraction calculator will help you assess when the camera is diffraction limited.

www.photopills.com

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You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.

 

[DRwyoming]

I can show a raw photo. I just need to figure out how to attach one.

A full raw file will be too big to post on this site. Just crop out a 1200 pixel wide x 800 pixel tall portion of the image that shows critical sharpness, save it as a jpeg and post it here.

 

[kkdji1]

A full raw file will be too big to post on this site. Just crop out a 1200 pixel wide x 800 pixel tall portion of the image that shows critical sharpness, save it as a jpeg and post it here.

I posted a photo to another comment. Can you see it? I think it actually posted twice! Oops!

 

[DRwyoming]

I posted a photo to another comment. Can you see it? I think it actually posted twice! Oops!

Yup, that came through but do to forum size limits it's hard to get a good view of the eye to check sharpness. If you crop out a 1200x800 pixel portion of the original image centered around the eye and beak you can post that as an image which will let folks assess sharpness.

 

[kkdji1]

When you first press the shutter release, it can jar the camera slightly and affect sharpness. If you aren't already, shoot in bursts (continuous H) and often the 2nd, 3rd, 4th photos are sharper than the first, because your finger has settled into where it's going by that point, and the camera isn't being jarred any longer.

VR isn't really doing anything for you at 1/1000, and I would definitely turn it off on the tripod.

AF fine tuning could be needed, but it can also make things worse. I would exhaust every other possibility before messing with it.

It's also possible that you're doing everything right and turbulent air between you and the subject is causing softness. Anyone who shoots at long distances will encounter this from time to time.

You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.

 

[kkdji1]

I am not very good with LR yet so I'm not sure I did this right or not. But here is what I hope will help. The feather detail is so soft and that is a big concern f mine.

 

[hark]

Have you performed the Auto AF Fine Tune first? If not, you should consider doing that first.

 

[soundbyte]

A RAW file would be best to investigate sharpness etc, unfortunately loading a RAW file is not possible on this site.
Perhaps you might put one on another platform such as Dropbox so that it can be downloaded and suggestions of what may be wrong can be forthcoming from that?
On my screen the images look too dark to assess with any certainty.

@Amadeo Arts Doing an in camera auto fine tune you will have camera shake as you need to press 2 buttons at the same time in that process, not an easy task.
Never been able to get that working satisfactorily with any of my Nikon cameras with that feature.
The DOT Tune method can be done with a remote shutter release (wired or wireless - preferred) which eliminates that part of the equation, its easy and reliable.

Lets see if there are other issues identified before trying auto fine tune?

 

[Palouse]

View attachment 17663

For one thing, it's underexposed; that will affect sharpness and detail.

 

[Palouse]

Here is a slightly adjusted version:

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[Abinoone]

So many variables to consider! Definitely don't use VR on your tripod. Is your tripod completely stable? Are there any extenuating environmental circumstances? What AF area mode are you using? For the heron, I'm hoping single spot, but if another AF area mode it's possible one of the sensors has picked up some other part of the bird. What is your shooting technique? Are you firing off single shots or continuous bursts, and are you gently pressing the shutter release? You might want to consider experimenting under controlled conditions (e.g. something simple in your yard) before heading out for more live action. My guess is that it's something related to your technique than it is your camera/lens combination or your tripod. Best of luck, and let us know how you make out!

 

[DRwyoming]

I second the recommendation above to shoot some static test targets at home in good light to assess lens sharpness and to minimize technique issues you can run into in the field with live subjects and changing light. Targets can be as simple as household goods with fine text printed on them set up in good light. That kind of testing can tell you if the lens itself is fundamentally sharp and if you use 3D objects or stagger a few front to back you can see if the lens has a front or back focus issue.

IOW, eliminate lens sharpness issues under a controlled environment first and then if you still see soft images in the field, focus on your techniques including things like shutter speed, longs lens techniques, exposure, etc.

 

[Andrew Lamberson]

I always use a remote trigger with my D500 and 200-500 lens (especially at 500mm!).

I use this bad boy and leave the fancy expensive trigger in the camera bag! $8 !!

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[Karl]

I have a Peak Design carbon frame tripod. I am using trying to keep my left hand on top of the lens and I am shooting in continuous. I’m going to try turning off VR and see what happens. I can show a raw photo. I just need to figure out how to attach one.

I also have the Peak Design tripod and it is not what I would consider a stable platform for the equipment you have. I have the aluminum model that I use with a Sony a7R4 plus 200-600, sometimes with 1.4TC. I haven't seen any problems even at 840mm. My theory is that with the body and lens stabilization you don't need a rock-solid tripod, especially because when I handhold, which is most of the time, there's a lot more movement than without a tripod. For me, a tripod is a nice place to rest the camera. So I'm not sure if your "flimsy" tripod even matters since you have IS in the lens. Following the tips others have suggested might help if the problem is related to the tripod.

 

[Pistnbroke]

If you are a raw shooter then try raw and jpeg with the picture control set at +9. This will give you a quick reference point and take out all your adjustments, then like me you might forget the raw on many occasions

 

[Rassie]

A number of folks in this thread have suggested turning VR off on the lens when on tripod. I believe that statement needs qualifying a bit.
I always have VR turned on in sport mode on my 200-500mm lens when on tripod and I can honestly not say I've had any unsharpness result when using shutter speeds of up to 1/1000 sec. I tend to turn VR off when shutter speeds go above 1/1500 sec. The combo is mounted on a gimbal with both friction knobs relatively loose. It has also been said that some lenses tolerate VR being turned on better while on a tripod than some other lenses. I have no experience with the 500mm PF F/5.6 so perhaps it behaves differently to my 200-500mm. I would experiment with VR on the tripod only after you've managed to get the lens performing consistently and repeatably. That way you'll know whether VR affects your sharpness or not.

Eliminate as many variables as possible to begin with; VR off, high shutter speed, practice long lens technique, ensure that exposure is optimal and try to keep ISO as low as possible. High ISO and underexposure will rob you of sharpness. Once you've convinced yourself that your tecnique is not at fault, then perhaps experiment with fine-tuning autofocus. I fine-tuned AF on most of my lenses when I used DSLR's. Now that I'm using a Z6II I've had no need to fine-tune the AF. Also remember, if you mess up the fine-tuning (many folks are afraid of that) you can just turn fine-tuning off again and you're back to where you started, so no harm done.

 

[kkdji1]

So many variables to consider! Definitely don't use VR on your tripod. Is your tripod completely stable? Are there any extenuating environmental circumstances? What AF area mode are you using? For the heron, I'm hoping single spot, but if another AF area mode it's possible one of the sensors has picked up some other part of the bird. What is your shooting technique? Are you firing off single shots or continuous bursts, and are you gently pressing the shutter release? You might want to consider experimenting under controlled conditions (e.g. something simple in your yard) before heading out for more live action. My guess is that it's something related to your technique than it is your camera/lens combination or your tripod. Best of luck, and let us know how you make out!

I’m shooting in single point high burst continuous. I’ve watched and tried to learn from all of Steve’s videos. I’m going to try doing some testing on stable objects as suggested here. I really appreciate all the feedback and support. This is a hobby for me so I’m still learning and trying to figure out all the balances when in the field. This heron was shot in early morning light and I should have upped the iso but I always fear that! Will be going back and trying different combinations to see what works best. Thank you all!