How to take crisp pictures with a Nikon d3000?
I have a Nikon D3000 camera. I love taking photos and I really have a flair for it. I also have the Kit lens, and a 55-300mm zoom lens. When I take photos, regardless of lighting or movement, they look great on the camera, but when I zoom in to edit and look closer at the photo, it just looks grainy and blurry. I want to take crisp clear photos. What should I do. I can't even achieve the clearness I would like when using a tripod.
Lower the ISO to 200.
Light plays a huge factor. The better lighted the scene is, the faster you can set shutter speed lessening the chances of blur from occurring. Set ISO to the mid-lows (200, 400) to help raise shutter speed further to freeze action faster. Usually, above ISO 1600 values will make grain/noise very prominent on the picture. Learn how to stay completely still while clicking. A heavy hand on a camera mounted on a tripod will still result to shake. Use VR lenses. Turn VR on when hand-held and off when tripod-mounted. On a tripod, a remote shutter release would help a lot.
One thing you don't understand, your lens is too big. At 55mm you're magnifying everything including hand movement.
Get an 18-55 and shoot at higher shutter speeds. There's many other tips but I don't have room here.
So do some reading and for heaven's sake don't use the screen as your view finder.
You must learn the basics of exposure if you want to get the most out of your camera. If you are using it in auto mode, you only have a glorified point & shoot, and will get such results.
Buy Bryan Peterson's book "Understanding Exposure", and you will be well on your way in advancing your skill level to that necessary to get the most out of your camera.
My son has a D3000, and he has taken some outstanding photos with it. So I can verify that the camera is up to the task.
In good light certainly use low ISO (100, 200) and hold the camera steady. You may need to change the 'sharpness' setting in the camera's menu, but don't overdo it. You can always sharpen later in software, and that is what professionals do.