Nikon 50mm 1.4G - soft/unfocused photos?
I got this lens last year but only really noticed around the end of last year that my photos are not as sharp as photos I've seen online from others who own this lens. My photos sometimes turn out badly focused with soft edges around a subject, this happens especially when the light on the subject is quite strong. This also usually happens when I'm around a metre or more from my subject, any further and I can't get the photos very sharply focused on my subject, or it won't be focused at all, the subject will just be a sharper blur than the background blur…
I often shoot with an aperture of 1.8 - 2.8 when I'm shooting models, and I try to never shoot with a shutter speed slower than 1/80 sec.
I'm not sure whether this is a problem with the lens, my camera, or due to my knowledge of both. I own a Nikon D5000 which I've had for two years.
Added (1). Wasn't sure whether to post this in Electronics > Cameras or Visual Arts > Photography…
It's not out unfocused, it's fluffy.
it's the flaws of a very open aperture.
i learned to live with it, or close the aperture when i want to be sure it's not fluffy!
Two possibles;
- lenses don't perform at their best either wide open or full stopped down - if this lens is tack sharp at smaller apertures (f8 or so) then it may just be an issue with wide apertures (although I'd expect a good performance at f2.8 tbh)
- the lens has a back focus or front focus problem. This can be checked by downloading a focus chart (Google this - there's plenty online) and shooting some test shots. If you find an issue, then it might be worth sending the lens to Nikon for adjustment.
Auto Focus does plays tricks in certain lighting conditions. Try focusing manually in such conditions and see if it works. And also put the lens on a tripod/table to eliminate the possibility of blur.
BTW this lens will have the sharpest focus at f/5.6
Two stops below a lenses wide open aperture is noticeably sharper on all lenses, I know you pay all the extra for a wide aperture lens and you find that…
Treat the wide aperture as you would high ISO settings, only to be used when absolutely necessary. If possible it's better to move the subject further from the background to get those 'selective focus' shots.
Another possibility is if you have a 'protection' filter on, apart from the increase chances of flare they can also be responsible for rear/front focus issues, especially if you haven't cleaned the lens lately by removing the filter and cleaning the 'void' between the object lens and the back of the filter, I once bought a Sigma 70 - 200mm f2.8 lens cheap from a friend because He was having front focus issues, throw the filter away and the focus problem went with it.
You have calibrated the optical viewfinder of your camera to your eye? Something that needs to be done on all DSLR cameras with an optical viewfinder. Place the camera square onto any well lit flat surface with detail, a brick wall is ideal, half press the shutter and allow the camera to auto focus, without moving anything (tripod advised) adjust the diopter adjustment till the image in the viewfinder is in focus, now when the camera says it's in focus, the view through the viewfinder will be in focus too.
It is possible that your lens is front/rear focusing, here's a PDF with a test chart and how to use it, (large file).
http://focustestchart.com/focus20.pdf
Some cameras (all Pentax for instance) have a micro adjustment built into the camera, and it can keep different settings for different lenses, but I have never had to use it all my lenses focus where they should.
There are several problems…
1) your skills with a camera/lens are lacking
2) the lens is damaged
3) you auto focus doesn't work
4) there's a difference between the manual focus and the eyepiece compensation
Post some examples, we might be able to help you better.
Assuming you know what you're doing when using the lens, it could be a back/front focusing problem in the lens. I'd do the following:
1. Setup on a tripod, and set the middle focusing point. Set to AF lock, and place an object the lens can focus on.
2. Take a series of photos, at least 20 of them in a row, and then pixel-peep the results to see if the focus is being consistent.
This said, Nikon's 50mm f1.4G is a fine lens, but like nearly all 50mm f1.4 lenses, it isn't tack-sharp at f1.4, but the images will be usable. Again, pixel-peep some results in the off-chance you have a bad copy of this lens.