D90 with Zoom-NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G IF-ED

<p><strong>I just started using this glass and I am having a lot of problems with focus. The ambient light has caused no problems at all but the focus is terrible. It just does not even want to AF on none moving object??? I have tried many conbinations of settings. what am I doing wrong. My 18-105 3.5 glass which is my prime glass works wonderful except in low light which is expected. It has fast focus and fine quality. When I take single or multiple shots with my 70-200, there may ONE good one in 25 shots and that one is not the high quality that I expect. I worked last night in the full sun shine and after the lights came on with the same results. VERY LITTLE SUCCESS</strong><br>

<strong>HELP HELP</strong><br>

<strong>Bill</strong></p>

<p>Are you using the lens with the VR mode turned on? If you don't give the VR time to settle down, you're going to have blurry results. Or, turn the VR off. It will help if you post an example, so that we can see if you're having focus issues, or motion blur issues.<br /><br />Also: are you shooting with the lens wide open at f/2.8? If so, you've got very shallow DoF. If your D90 is picking up on the wrong subjects, or can't track moving objects fast enough, you'll get what appear to be focusing problems, made more dramatic by the shallow depth of field that comes with shooting a faster lens.<br /><br />Remember: your D90 isn't like a D300 (in terms of AF agility). To first understand what's happening, you need to work with some controlled, static objects and circumstances. Once you understand what you're seeing, you can adapt that to more dynamic subjects, and learn to work within the limits of the D90's AF system speed and sensor coverage.</p>

<p>OK I will post photo</p><div></div>

<p>Here is a bd one to look at</p><div></div>

<p>I'm guessing that you're showing the top image as an example of one that worked, and bottom image as one that didn't? <br /><br />The bottom image appears to be a combination of the camera possibly having picked up on a subject in the background (for focus) and quite a lot of motion blur because of the low shutter speed. With a D90, under those circumstances, you'd certainly want to crank up ISO to 1600 to squeeze out a little more shutter speed.<br /><br />Your JPG files don't have most of the EXIF data intact, so I can't see what focal lengths were involved, or where the focus point was. I'd have to see the RAW file for that - and those are too big to post here. On the presumption that you were using the lens out at 200mm, and at f/2.8 (which gives you quite shallow DoF, making it critical that your camera has the focus point right), I think the biggest problem here is the effect of hand-holding and subject movement as further magnified by a DX sensor.<br /><br />If you're shooting at 1/125th like that, and panning quickly, try the "active" VR mode - making sure that you've depressed the shutter button and given the VR a moment to stabilize (you can easily see that through finder).</p>

<p><em>"If you don't give the VR time to settle down, you're going to have blurry results."</em> - Matt, I use this lens with the the VR on all the time when shooting at a high frame rate and don't have any issues. Can you elaborate on this?</p>

<p>I agree with Matt that the likely cause of your issue is motion blur. In addition to the suggestions he gave, I suggest you use only the center focus point (it is the only cross type) and keep that point positioned on your main subject. A monopod will likely elliminate some of your issues when shooting at slower shutter speeds if you are unable to hold your camera steadier. Keep in mind that VR works for minor camera shake only.</p>

<p>Elliot: If you have the camera set up for anything other than focus priority, the shutter may go before the lens has announced to the camera that it's ready to go. It <em>does</em> take the lens a moment to get VR settled down. If the shutter releases while this is happening, you'll get visibly compromised results. I've seen it many times - and always when I'm set up for shutter release priority, not focus priority.</p>

<p>I have tried all of the suggestions given without ANY success. Most all photos were@ 135 to 200 mm. It seems that when I take a close up at 70mm the focus works great and the photograph is excellent?? I am using the 3D focus as recommended. I have used panning,active mode,I have tried them ALL. Could there be a problem with the lens as the other one I mentioned works just fine?? It is still under warranty, just a thought.<br>

Bill</p>

<p>So when you use the lens at 200mm, and focus (using the single, center focus point - not 3D!) on a stationary object 10 feet away... you can't get it in focus?<br /><br />Test this with nothing moving, and with good light. In fact, use your flash. You're just testing to see if the lens <em>can</em> work, not how it works while shooting moving subjects with a slow shutter speed.</p>

<p>Ok, I will do that tomorrow or Thurs. as I have to work tomorrow, but maybe can find time.<br>

Bill</p>

<p>The trick is to test one thing at a time, under controlled circumstances. When you remove all of the variables, you can determine what you're up against (whether it's learning curve, or hardware issues). Just take it slow! First stop is to check the lens in the driveway, as it were. Keep us posted on your next test.</p>

<p>Go back to single point focus.<br /> Turn VR off.<br /> Set the camera in aperture priority, auto ISO, maximum ISO 1600 and minimum shutter speed 1/800 for any sort of sport that involves people older than about 6.<br /> I find that with sports I get far more keepers with VR off because you don't have time for it to settle and at 1/800 or thereabouts I doubt that it has much effect anyway.</p>

<p>Richard;<br>

I have not tried it that way. That is about the only option that I have excluded. I will try on a tripod with a controlled object at max 200MM @ about 50 meters with ALL variations that I am capable of working. (there is a lot of things that I am unsure of doing). I switched from SLR's with all my lens that I understood for the last twenty years, so this is a confusing ballgame at this time. We hike and Jeep the mountains of the SW over the winter and work the canyons and washes looking for unusaul compositions. We have moved our trailer to Elephant Butte, NM. along the Rio Grande for next season. We will be there from around Oct. 20 to April 15. We have lots of small mountain and riparion areas to explore for more compostions. I am going to purchase a good Macro lens as I like that kind of work, but I must understand more about DSLR's before I go there. All the help I can get is appreciated. I do have a samll web site, a freebie!! Just go to Google and type in<br>

<strong> mountainanddesertadventures</strong> and that will get you to my web sites.<br>

I did have a Nikon 8800 before the D90 and really enjoyed it. I DID take a lot of daytime sports shots and they were OK and no blur problems, in fact they were nice quality(keeping it at about 340MM or less) . I took nearly 20K photo's and it was still great. I gave it to my son and he is a coach and really likes the sports shots it can do. Makes one wonder if I made a mistake???<br>

OH well time to go to work. I work for the Walt Disney Hometown Museum as a tour guide and do most of the Photography.</p><div></div>

<p><strong>I took this photograph while at work at the Walt disney Museum for comparison of my Prime lens.</strong><br>

<strong>

<p><br />Amtrack passing @ 71 MPH<br>

Nikon lens 18-105MM with VR NO tripod, hand held, Multishot group of 11 photo's<br>

Shutter priority @1/1000 , F4.5 , lens 34MM, ISO 400, Auto focus with 3D setting VR on</p>

</strong></p>

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<p>But how has it gone pointing the longer lens at a static subect? Try the exact same shot you just attached, but with your longer lens. That high shutter speed you just used (1/1000) is, of course, going to freeze motion a lot differently than the 1/125th in your earlier example.</p>

<p>Here we go again I have three sample photographs<br>

sample 1 I was standing at the approx same place<br>

DSC8186 200MM , 1/1000, F5, ISO400, VR on, focus AF, 3D, handheld<br>

DSC8190 200MM, 1/1000, F5.6, ISO400, VR on, Focus AF, 3D, hand held<br>

DSC8196 135MM, 1/1000, F4, ISO400, VR on, focus AF, 3D, handheld</p>

<p>8196 was first as it did not except all three at once??</p>

<p>8186 last one</p>

<p>I would consider ALL to be of poor quality!!!<br>

Bill</p>

<p>I would consider ALL to be of poor quality!!!<br>

Bill</p>

<p>DSC8197 back yard trial ON TRIPOD <br>

200MM, 1/1000, F4, ISO400, VR on, focus FA, 3D , on Tripod, used timer for no shake.<br>

I also tried the same without VR on and little difference, plain poor quality stuff<br>

Bill</p><div></div>

<p>Do you have the camera set up for focus priority, or shutter release priority? Are you shooting in [C]ontinuous or ingle Servo mode?</p>

<p>Oh, and when you're on the tripod you DO NOT want the VR on. Per the manual, that will actually <em>cause</em> blur just like you're seeing. When you're on the tripod, always turn the VR off.<br /><br />Speaking of VR - when you mention whether you have it on or off, you'll also want to mention if it's in Active or Normal mode.</p>

<p>I used with VR on normal and with VR OFF, no diff.<br>

<strong>BUT Revelation!!! I had just gotten an inexpensive polarization filter. I took it off and guess what, this seemed to correct the blur problem?? I need to understand more about filters I guess. DSC8205 with 1/1000, VR on, AF on , F6.3 ISO400, Dynamic ON TRIPOD, same 100' distance. I have been beating on the wrong cow!!! Looks like <em>I need lots of help????</em></strong><br>

<strong>Bill</strong></p><div></div>

<p>Well, the first thing you don't want to do is pollute a fabulous lens like that with a cheap filter of ANY kind. A polarizing filter, in particular, involves four new glass surfaces, plus the polarizing films, to get in the way of a clean image. Further, the polarization itself can really confuse the AF system, or reduce the transmitted light enough to prevent the AF system from even having enough to chew on.<br /><br />I also use a CP (circular polarizing) filter, and sometimes on that very lens. But it certainly doesn't <em>stay</em> on the lens - it only comes out when it must, for very specific reasons.<br /><br />Glad you're on the right track! Whew!</p>