Nikon D850 & 28-300mm: Hi, I recently purchased a D850 & 28-300mm. My dilemma is I don’t seem to be getting photos that are as sharp as I think they should be. Any suggestions would be...

Jeffrey C.

Hi, I recently purchased a D850 & 28-300mm. My dilemma is I don’t seem to be getting photos that are as sharp as I think they should be. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Just a little info, I have been Shooting pictures for over fifty years. Puzzled. Thanks in advance. Jeff

Lucius Loc: Denver, Colorado

You need the nikon 24-70 and the 7-200. The more flexabilty with the len the less sharp it is. Rent a 24-70 and try it out

Kmgw9v Loc: Miami, Florida

Buy a better lens. The 28-300 is the weak link.

Jeffrey C.

I have a 17-35 2.8, 35-70 2.8 and a 70-200 2.8. I was trying to cut down on gear and weight. I read a lot of reviews on the 28-300 and most said it was very sharp. But maybe not!?

Quixdraw Loc: x

Hate to agree - took the 28-300 on a trip because it fit in my favorite travel camera bag (a more successful for me older lens did not). I had a particular bird in mind as a major objective. Got better captures with the 24- 120 F4 even with crop. Truth be told, it has given me useful "reach" on other trips - but knew I would be stretching its capabilities this time. Went for convenience in air travel.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Jeffrey C. wrote:

Hi, I recently purchased a D850 & 28-300mm. My dilemma is I don’t seem to be getting photos that are as sharp as I think they should be. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Just a little info, I have been Shooting pictures for over fifty years. Puzzled. Thanks in advance. Jeff

Have you done a focus calibration?? Are you hand holding?? Are you shooting wide open aperture ?? Are you using double the focal length for a shutter speed if hand holding ??
.

PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

Jeffrey C. wrote:

Hi, I recently purchased a D850 & 28-300mm. My dilemma is I don’t seem to be getting photos that are as sharp as I think they should be. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Just a little info, I have been Shooting pictures for over fifty years. Puzzled. Thanks in advance. Jeff

Post an image so we can see and analyze it for you. Make sure to check original, add attachment before sending. Welcome to the forum.

Jeffrey C.

Thanks you all. I will answer all your questions and post pictures tomorrow. Thanks again!

Kmgw9v Loc: Miami, Florida

The 28-300 is not a recommended lens for the 850 for a reason.

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

The Nikon 28-300mm is a FX lens that is beloved on my friend's crop sensor D7100. I've heard good results from it on the D700 and the D750. Both full frame cameras. But neither of those cameras have the 45.7 megapixels sensor that the D850 has. That could possibly be the reason you are dissatisfied? That particular lens just isn't a good match for the D850.

User ID

imagemeister wrote:

Have you done a focus calibration?? Are you
hand holding?? Are you shooting wide open
aperture ?? Are you using double the focal
length for a shutter speed if hand holding ??
.

Agreed all those concerns are important with
this lens, except the shutter speed advice. Its
VR is extremely effective. The lens is capable
of excellent results if you avoid the extremes.
IOW, stop down when using the last 25% of
the marked zoom range, etc etc.

BTW, the lens only reaches 300mm at long
distances. At medium distances it's about
200mm. In portrait range it's under 150mm.
The 24-120 suffers waaaay less FL losses, so
for those whose usage seldom involves focus
near infinity, the 24-120 is the clear choice.

It's a very useful capable lens but is quirky.
Used carelessly, results will vary. And if you
avoid filters cuz they might rob you of a bit
of sharpness, the 28-300 is toxic to you. As
a user of both lenses, I'm not moved to let
go of the 28-300 for reason of results. If I'd
think of parting ways, it would be about its
size and weight.

.

cameraf4 Loc: Delaware

Jeffrey C. wrote:

Hi, I recently purchased a D850 & 28-300mm. My dilemma is I don’t seem to be getting photos that are as sharp as I think they should be. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Just a little info, I have been Shooting pictures for over fifty years. Puzzled. Thanks in advance. Jeff

Jeffrey, this has been brought up here many times, usually with the comments you see. Think of it this way: a lens (any lens) that reaches from 28mm all the way to 300mm is a "one-size-fits-all". In your own experience in life, is that EVER really a "good fit?" The D850 is a great, exacting camera. 28-300 is a compromise. Bottom line, you could do better.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Jeffrey C. wrote:

Hi, I recently purchased a D850 & 28-300mm. My dilemma is I don’t seem to be getting photos that are as sharp as I think they should be. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Just a little info, I have been Shooting pictures for over fifty years. Puzzled. Thanks in advance. Jeff

You have a Honda body and a Yugo lens. Get a Honda lens for your Honda Body.
I am not saying the 28-300 is not a good lens, it may be YOU that is the issue.
You SHOULD be able to get decent results from that combination. Make sure your TECHNIQUE is good. Mount on a tripod and check things out from 10 feet on a bottle of DAWN. Bring up the images on your computer and enlarge.
Many of my buddies have gotten good results with that combo. I smell USER error.

chrisg-optical Loc: New York, NY

Jeffrey C. wrote:

Hi, I recently purchased a D850 & 28-300mm. My dilemma is I don’t seem to be getting photos that are as sharp as I think they should be. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Just a little info, I have been Shooting pictures for over fifty years. Puzzled. Thanks in advance. Jeff

I have the 28-300 lens on my DX 7200 sometimes but I find that it is not the best at sharpness at the 300mm end especially; this lens performs better on a DX body but still not the best choice - sorry I bought this lens. I am not a big fan of the 10x+ "superzooms" - it's better to split the zoom ranges into wide-normal, short tele-tele, super-tele...but of course nothing beats a prime. The D850 or any hi-res FF especially will emphasize lens aberrations.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Jeffrey, I have an 850 and a 28~300. That combination has produced very sharp images for me. However, the lens has a dodgy reputation. I'm very happy with mine and haven't researched reasons for any deviation from that.
--Bob

Jeffrey C. wrote:

Hi, I recently purchased a D850 & 28-300mm. My dilemma is I don’t seem to be getting photos that are as sharp as I think they should be. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Just a little info, I have been Shooting pictures for over fifty years. Puzzled. Thanks in advance. Jeff