Nikon D500 and 200-500mm lens: I have an issue with my D500 and a 200-500mm lens...situation that I c here a lot but getting frustrated....I have read all of Steve Perry's books cover...

Ruby's GD

I have an issue with my D500 and a 200-500mm lens...situation that I c here a lot but getting frustrated....I have read all of Steve Perry's books cover to cover and shoot and shoot manual at various apertures and shutter speeds with auto iso....and AP from time to time...with and without tripod and still get soft images at various/all distances.....Im sure its me but any advice would be welcomed ....don't mind snippy and condescending remarks they might help

Haydon

Upload an image you're unhappy by using "store original" to maintain the EXIF data to receive serious help. Without that you will get mostly speculations that will only create further uncertainty.

Quixdraw Loc: x

Just about everyone gets soft images sometimes. You would be best served to post downloadable sample, half a dozen of the images you are dissatisfied with. There are certainly people here that can offer assistance and technical advice.

Strodav Loc: Houston, Tx

I have the same setup and am pleased with the results. I recommend setting up a target with sharp edges at about 15 to 20 yds and shoot it using a tripod and remote release at 500mm f/5.6 through the view finder and then in Live View. LV will give you the best image the lens and camera are capable of and should be sharp in the center of the frame. If not, you may have a bad copy. If the viewfinder image is softer, use the AF fine-tune feature to walk it in.

Ruby's GD

thanks Ill do that ...should have done it with post

CO

When you upload photos be sure to check the "store original" box. We can see the metadata that way.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

quixdraw wrote:

Just about everyone gets soft images sometimes. You would be best served to post downloadable sample, half a dozen of the images you are dissatisfied with. There are certainly people here that can offer assistance and technical advice.

Agree.

tcthome Loc: NJ

Ruby's GD wrote:

I have an issue with my D500 and a 200-500mm lens...situation that I c here a lot but getting frustrated....I have read all of Steve Perry's books cover to cover and shoot and shoot manual at various apertures and shutter speeds with auto iso....and AP from time to time...with and without tripod and still get soft images at various/all distances.....Im sure its me but any advice would be welcomed ....don't mind snippy and condescending remarks they might help

Also watch some of Steve's you tube videos on long lens use . Moose Peterson (I believe a 3 part vid series on this )has some to.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=moose+peterson+sharpness

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=steve+perry+long+lens

tcthome Loc: NJ

Strodav wrote:

I have the same setup and am pleased with the results. I recommend setting up a target with sharp edges at about 15 to 20 yds and shoot it using a tripod and remote release at 500mm f/5.6 through the view finder and then in Live View. LV will give you the best image the lens and camera are capable of and should be sharp in the center of the frame. If not, you may have a bad copy. If the viewfinder image is softer, use the AF fine-tune feature to walk it in.

A bad copy is possible. Do the above with your subject in good light. Are you using back button focus continuous? D the above thru the view finder with back button focus. Take a few shots & check the playback on your camera screen at 100%. Then do the same (without moving the camera in between shots) & focus manually. If you can get good focus in manual & your camera has good focus with other lenses, send it back or in for repair. You might be able to do a camera/lens calibration fine tune yourself if needed but, take it one step at a time.

Good luck.

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

Ruby's GD wrote:

I have an issue with my D500 and a 200-500mm lens...situation that I c here a lot but getting frustrated....I have read all of Steve Perry's books cover to cover and shoot and shoot manual at various apertures and shutter speeds with auto iso....and AP from time to time...with and without tripod and still get soft images at various/all distances.....Im sure its me but any advice would be welcomed ....don't mind snippy and condescending remarks they might help

1. use continuous auto focus
2. use either center or matrix metering
3. use GROUP AUTO FOCUS (important)
4. for BIF use at least 1/3000 sec. or higher
5. hand holding is very possible, however, I strongly suggest a Gimbal Head for a tripod and or the Wimberly MH-100 head if your on a mono pod. I do not use VR when on a tripod and use VR when hand holding or on a monopod and shooting less than 1/500 sec.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1513932-REG/wimberley_mh_100_monogimbal_head.html
6. practice panning on cars going past you. Remember to keep firing as you pan, DO NOT STOP the camera movement as you shoot.
7. When hand holding I rotate the tripod foot so it is on top of the lens, this will help you when putting your left hand under the lens.
8. Also, when hand holding, place your left hand as far forward on the lens as possible, just behind the lens hood. OH, keep the lens hood on your lens.
9. When out in questionable environments, carry a Walmart bag with you incase it rains.
10. Good luck and keep on shooting until the end.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Ruby's GD wrote:

I have an issue with my D500 and a 200-500mm lens...situation that I c here a lot but getting frustrated....I have read all of Steve Perry's books cover to cover and shoot and shoot manual at various apertures and shutter speeds with auto iso....and AP from time to time...with and without tripod and still get soft images at various/all distances.....Im sure its me but any advice would be welcomed ....don't mind snippy and condescending remarks they might help

Are you using a "protective" filter ?? Have you done a focus calibration ??
.

IDguy Loc: Idaho

Check the Nikon site to see if yours is subject to firmware recall. Mine came back yesterday.

photoman43

Here are some other thoughts and suggestions.

I turn off VR for any shutter speed 1/500 or faster. That means if hand holding the camera and lens, VR is off 99% of the time.

Moving the focus square is very important. Even if you have the right dynamic AF setting, if the focus square is not properly placed, focus might be off.

My experience has taught me that these two items account for 99% of images not up to my standards.

Set up a test. Use a solid tripod. Set focal length to 500mm. Set aperture to wide open. Use various AF settings like S, D 25, Group, etc. You subject should have a dominant focal point and less dominant ones near it. Take a series if images using Mirror UP, self timer, and regular shutter button. Record your results. Then look at them carefully and see if you can determine if all is working correctly.

Then repeat at 200mm. You get the idea. Google front focusing and back focusing. You may need to set some AF Fine tuning adjustments.

IDguy Loc: Idaho

I see you read the Steve Perry books but perhaps this link is most direct to the subject at hand:

https://youtu.be/gEDzAMm1FCc

His Wildlife book he mentions is very good and includes many topics other than focus.

I also found his “Secrets to the Nikon Autofocus System” very good. I thought I knew it all. Far from it!

One advantage of my new Mirrorless cameras (Z6 and Z50) is that focus calibration isn’t needed because focus happens on the sensor.

Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

Like Larry said "Have you done a focus calibration ??"
This is always first in my workflow before I attempt to use an optic in real-time...
The real issue here is that zoom optics are not constant in acuity across their entire zoom range...
For the D500 you will have to choose that which you feel is the most "important" focal length and fine tune for this.

The new nikon D780 allows you to fine tune at both near and far ends of the focal range... Something that Canon users have enjoy for quite some time...

Food for thought... The center focus point is the most sensitive and reliable one on the D500... it is a "Cross Type" where as the outer focus points are "Line Types"... enough said