Newbie alert! Image blur reduction required

Ceege

Ceege

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Hi there

I’ve just recently bought myself a D200 complete with an 18-200VR lens which is a considerable step up in technology from the old Canon Powershot Pro1 I have been wielding for a few years now (nice lens though!). So feeling that I need to learn how use the new beast and with last weekends nice weather I took it out for a spin over to Slimbridge, taking similar shots to which I was accustomed with on my old camera.

Quite a high proportion of the shots I took were blurred. Granted, quite a high proportion of them were taken at the max 200mm range so the issue of focal length vs exposure comes into mind but the light was good for January. I’m pretty sure that the lens is ok as I’d taken some shots before this trip at home with the shorter range of the lens which were nice and crisp and also several of the 200 or so shots I took over the weekend are definite “keepers” at various extents of the zoom.

Anyway, all this confused me a bit as I had the VR set to Normal and all shots were hand held and in reasonable light. I had the focus set mostly to a single area rather than using the 11 point system as the budgies I was taking were all in the centre of the viewfinder. With the old Canon camera I used to either try and prop my arms/elbows against something to act as a virtual tripod or hold my breath when taking the shot to reduce any camera shake. I guess I was still using this method over the weekend and I’ve read somewhere that this can possibly induce problems with the VR.

I’m ashamed to say that I didn’t change the camera from its Programmed Auto mode so it was making all the decisions on exposure and aperture for me. ISO was set on 100 also.

So I guess what I’m asking all you talented individuals out there is, are there any things I could have been doing wrong as I’m sure it’s the idiot behind the camera that’s the problem. I’m new to this SLR game so please be as scathing / helpful as you wish in response!!!! I’m eager to learn :)

If I get a chance later, I’ll try and post some images up to illustrate what I’m waffling about.

**EDIT** Added pics

Nice and sharp one

Crop1.jpg


200mm
1/320th
ISO-100
F/9

Quite sharp though a little dark

Crop2.jpg


200mm
1/160th
ISO-100
f/6.3

Nice idea but I guess to slow exposure...

Crop3.jpg


200mm
1/320th
ISO-100
f/9

A fairly standard shot

Crop4.jpg


200mm
1/250th
ISO-100
f/8

Anyway, I had a great day out and saw some wonderful birds in great light, even if I couldn't get them on camera quite as I wished.

Thanks for all the advice so far - greatly appreciated!!!!
 
Aye. That's where you've gone wrong. You've switched from a Canon to a Nikon. :lol:

:canon:

yes, post some pics, or else we don't really have much to go on. One way to test is to just set your camera on top of a post or rock or something and set the timer to take the same shot to rule out camera shake.

What was the exposure time at 200mm?
 
im guessing its the old 'new camera sucks away you skill' problem, i had it with my 300d...

post some pics
 
also, have you got the MF/AF switch set to auto-focus? :D
 
I don't know much about your D200, but I seem to remember many new owners struggling with the sophisticated focus system, perhaps that’s where your problem lies..... Loads of owners will answer shortly probably.

I do have the VR 200 like yours and it does need to settle slightly before you can take the shot, if you just snap away with it on, its possible you didn't give it enough time to 'hold' the image...try shooting with it turned off to see..?
 
EXIF data from one of your images will help and if you can't post an image explain what type of images were you taking?

I believe that Nikon claim that VR II manages to get you four stops beyond what you'd normally be able to handhold. So sharp images at less than 1/30th should be achievable however at less than 1/30th, you're definitely going to be fighting subject motion. If your subject is absolutely static, fine, should be no worries.

Jim
 
Most of the subjects were birds. Some of which were moving, some not.

Yep, I did have the AF set on :p

I'm at work atm but I'll try and post up a few piccies when I get back. Thanks for reading!!!

**EDIT** Shutter speeds were in the range from 250th down to 60th iirc.
 
You've made a huge leap from a Pwershot to a D200 so expect to take some time to settle into the new camera. I went from the D70 to the D200 and because the D200 is a semi-pro model it is less forgiving and highlights any mistakes you might make.You will have steep learning curve with it and the only advice I can give is take as many shots as possible in differing conditions, you will learn so much which can only be for the best.

If you have any problems, remember to ask on here as someone will know the answer, it is one of the best resources on the net for friendly advice imo.
 
If you were shooting moving subjects, then you should have the focus mode set to continuous, so that the AF can track the sbject.

For handheld shots (assuming no VR) then you should have shutter speed equivalent to 1 / the focal length. (There is some debate as to whether this includes crop factor).

Looking forward to seeing the pics.
 
Joe T said:
If you were shooting moving subjects, then you should have the focus mode set to continuous, so that the AF can track the sbject.

For handheld shots (assuming no VR) then you should have shutter speed equivalent to 1 / the focal length. (There is some debate as to whether this includes crop factor).

Looking forward to seeing the pics.
Click to expand...

I agree with the above. VR does not help when the subjects are moving though. To get a sharp image of a bird in flight (or any fast moving subject) you may require faster than 1/200th sec.

You can use TV mode and set the shutter speed you need and the camera will select an appropriate aperture. You may require to bump up the ISO to get the required shutter speed/aperture required.

Focusing on birds in flight is a hard job and takes a lot of practice. Even more difficult when you don't have a fast lens.
 
I agree with all that the above Nikon users have said already but would add that when I researched before making the jump from D50 > D200 it was the general concensus of opinion that images taken on the D200 (especially in RAW .nef format) often need "tweaking" in Capture or Photoshop to get a really sharp image so bear that in mind too ... Paul :thumbs:
PS - Focus / image sharpness is the single issue I find I struggle with with my D200
 
You have not chosen an easy subject to try and learn about your new kit with imo ... birds cause problems for even experienced 'togs most of the time ... it is quite possible your problem lies with leaving the camera on automatic and this could just result in movement blur rather than focus issues ... until you post a couple of shots with data it will be difficult to isolate the precise problem ... :shrug:

You are doing the right thing by asking on here though ... there is so much talent here that your problem will be resolved sooner or later and one way or another ... :thumbs:

As a general tip though ... and you can obviously take it or leave it ... but get off Auto modes of any sort as soon as you can and into Manual ... may sound daunting but you will soon pick it up if you persevere and you will have much more control over everything you do ... the D200 is actually quite a forgiving tool once you are aware of its foibles ... ;)

Stick with it ... it is just so worth it ... :D



:p
 
Well added some shots. These are quite heavily cropped in size down to max 800 pixels from around 2500 so some of the sharpness may be lost but it should give you talented 'togs an idea of what I was attempting!
 
seems ok to me. :shrug:
 
You'll need to give me a clue too ... they all look pretty much spot on in terms of focus ... :shrug:

Or am I missing something ... :thinking:





:p
 
Personally I can't see any real problems as far as shake goes, maybe its me eyes but they look fine just need some processing for levels and sharpening. The obvious blur is on the "swarm" shot but due to the subject thats not surprising.

Might be wrong but had a play with one below hope you don't mind, but only tweaked levels and sharpened. Think the pics straight from camera may just need a little more work than your previous camera.

BEFORE
Crop1.jpg


AFTER
Crop1.jpg


hard without original but you get the idea.
 
I can certainly see the improvements you've made PPP ... but there doesn't appear to be anything fundamentally wrong with those posted by Ceege imo either ... :shrug:





:p
 
If anything they look better full size, again with a level tweak and a sharpen and they look fine to me

100% crop round the bird from your big orignial

CJT_0103.jpg


CJT_0001.jpg


Think you should be happy with them mate :thumbs: :)
 
That is a sharp lens you have there my friend :-)

Just thinking though..... Is it the background you are worrying about being out of focus? With the Powershot, it has a great depth of field so everythig is sharp. With a DSLR the sensor is larger and you need to control the depth of field with the apperture.
 
That Pintail is a really super pic Ceege ... even before PPP got hold of it ... :thumbs:

JD has quite a good point there ... interested in the response to that one as there is nothing wrong otherwise here ... :thinking:





:p
 
the background blur is called the "bokeh". :lol: It's quite sort after to have smooth bokeh.
 
Thanks for the replies! Well I guess you picked out the sharper images and managed to make them super sharp and rather impressive!

Well I'll have another attempt this weekend (wife permitting) and post up some of my less flattering attempts. Hopefully you can tell me where I'm going wrong on those. I'm relieved that I've got a sharp lens but I guess another thing I now need to learn is post-processing as its another whole new bag of tricks I have yet to take into consideration. I guess the whole thing of taking the "perfect image" is a two part process now!!!!

:thankyou:
 
The post processing can be daunting but a little reading and a lot of question asking on here (as i did!) makes you realise it is certainly easier than it seems, there are some great tutorials on the forum and you will soon find other ways of processing and playing with your pictures.

It is realy no different to what you would have done in a darkroom with film, just more possiblities i guess.

One thing I learnt is that all digital pictures need to be sharpened at minimum a small amount it is just the nature of the beast, obviously the better the lens in the first place the less required etc.

You certainly have some great pics to start with and learn from. :)
 
Nothing wrong with those images and I'm very impressed with the lens, if this is how you are starting out I'm looking forward to seeing your shots in 6months time.
 
Hello, :wave:

I'm an expert at taking shaky photos, so believe everyone here when they say these are good! You've a long way to go to reach my level of shakyness :lol:

You mentioned you were at full 200mm and this will exaggerate any tiny camera movements. I also read somewhere NOT to hold breath as this makes you tense......breathe out gently and press shutter as you almost finish exhaling. (But I always forget to practise what I preach).

I have to agree with everyone else......switch off auto/prog and go to either shutter or aperture, or better still full manual. I am working through A and S seperately to get comfortable with what each do; I still haven't quite taken the plunge into fully manual, but it's just a question of time!

Keep posting cracking shots like these please.
 
Thanks again for the comments!!!

The comment about the Powershot having a greater depth of field makes a lot of sense to me. I have taken many nice sharp shots on that and considering how annoying I found the auto-focus system I generally wasn't too disappointed with the end results.

Stepping up to the D200 now, and from all the helpful comments you've all given to me, I can see why I found the sharpness "different". I also dug a bit further into the manual last night and also found a useful post from here to an article on the Nikonians website on the auto-focus system. I've tweaked a few settings and am now raring to go snap some more budgies!

We'll get the hang of this thing sooner or later :D
 
Just remember to use an appropriate apperture to keep the subject in focus. Smaller appertures (higher f numbers) will give you increased dof at the expense of slower shutter speeds. You need to keep the shutter speed high enough though to avoid motion blur.

And if you are shooting a moving subject use the AF mode that tracks the subject (Canon it's AI Servo - Not sure what Nikons is).
 
Thanks Joe :) Just shows I'm no racist - I don't mind helping Nikon users :D
 
:p

A wee bit tongue in cheek :razz:

I was kidding. :naughty:

We're all friends I hope :wave:
 
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