Question:

I have just purchased a Nikon D2X and I am having a problem with one of my lenses. The 35 - 70mm is not sharp with the D2X, but it is working perfectly with the D100 and all of my film cameras. I had the lens tested and the camera technician claimed that there was nothing wrong with the lens. Please could you make a suggestion. Thank you! (Michael C.)

DD Answers:

First you need to determine if the lens is sharp when you are using it on a tripod. Set it up on a tripod using Aperture Priority mode. Set your aperture to f/8, and let the shutter speed fall where it may. Take a picture of something like a brick wall or a car license plate. (Something with detail) Use the mirror up function so that mirror slap is not a problem. Take a picture at the wide-zoom position, mid-zoom, and long-zoom.

Then take the camera off the tripod, and take some handheld shots of the same subjects, using whatever techniques you normally use to take handheld pictures. Compare the sets of pictures. If the ones from the tripod are sharp, and the handheld ones are not, then you need to look at your handholding techniques. Since the Nikon D2x is significantly higher resolution, it often takes a higher shutter speed to get the same sharpness that your Nikon D100 would give. This is a common problem with the high-megapixel cameras of all brands.

A new user of the D2x usually suffers from this problem for a while. Don't get discouraged, because, unless your camera has an actual defect, it is capable of taking pictures like you've never taken before. But, there is a distinct learning curve. It took me over 1000 pictures before I figured out what I was doing wrong. After that, the majority of my shots are very sharp. Don't give up!

The D2x does amplify lens problems. If the lens has chromatic aberration problems, or sharpness problems, the D2x will make that very apparent. It is best to use premium Nikkor lenses, or at least the professional versions of non-Nikkor lenses with the D2x. Otherwise, you will see things like Chromatic Aberration that are not very apparent with the D50/D70/D100 camera types. The D2x resolves like a microscope, in my experience, and requires high-quality glass to perform well.

In the majority of cases, though, unsharpness is caused by shutter speeds that are too slow. Camera movement of some sort is usually the culprit. YOU will have to determine if the camera/lens combination is sharp by using it very carefully on a tripod. If is can make sharp pictures on a tripod, then examine how you are handholding the lens. If it can't make sharp pictures on a tripod...sell the lens!

DON'T BE AFRAID TO USE HIGHER ISO SETTINGS! The D2x has very little noise up to and past 400 ISO. When handholding, use a shutter speed at least 2 times the focal length of the lens. If you are shooting at 70mm, use 1/250th. Slow shutter speeds off the tripod are death to sharpness! Since the D2x has a 1.5x lens factor, it is also 1.5x more likely to experience camera shake at slow shutter speeds, unless you are using a tripod. USE A TRIPOD FOR CRITICAL SHOTS!

Learn proper handholding techniques with the Nikon D2x and other high-megapixel cameras, and your images will make you very happy!

Keep on capturing time...