Retired CPO Loc: Travel full time in an RV

Despite what Paul from Chicago says you don't need to go mirrorless to fix your problem but you may need to spend some money.
I'm thinking that part of your problem is not getting enough pixels on the target. When I went full frame with a D850 I learned from experimenting that 46 Megapixels allows me to crop (that hated word) into a very small portion of the original image and come up with some very nice results. As you said, I can get an image from far enough away that I can barely see eyes, and still get the shot. I typically use a Nikon 200~500 5.6 zoom and use auto focus but I do use manual focus with 2 second delay and all the care to keep movement at a minimum including mirror lock up and I'm happy as a pig in mud!

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

HAHAHAHA - The longer you read UHH, the more expensive it gets.

Don't use the LiveView option of your camera.

Don't seek a used 150-600 AF capable lens for current camera in the $700-$800 range.

Don't seek a used mirrorless body in the $500 range.

No, look at all new equipment jumping from entry level D3200 and cheap lens to

D850 - $2,996
Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR - $1,396

We see yet again that many of the UHH community believe inferior equipment is for the inferior photographer.

olddad60

Any lens that you use on your D3200 must have the focus motor in the lens to auto focus. Also, have you tried using Live VI on your intended subject?ew to focus

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

Very dark, too dark to judge much of anything else. Yes, that does make sense if that is a totally fixed aperture zoom lens. Personally I would have no use for such a thing. It also appears it does not AE with your D3200 body either. What are your images like with the proper lens for the camera? Try one somehow.

gessman Loc: Colorado

Tacks aren't easy to focus on either, are they?

gessman Loc: Colorado

I am not simply trying to be a troll here but after what happened in the first thread today, it makes it very difficult for me to want to say anything and the last thing I want to do is be unkind so I'll just ask a question - should something be said about this post and if so what, and is there any way to say anything without the risk of embarrassment? Should this post just be ignored? We're not talking simple typos and omissions here. We're talking gibberish that creates confusion. I can imagine that this thread could really confuse a newbie who might spend the rest of his/her life looking for the "few finder button left," and "didn't work because my eye signs aren't 100%."

What is "few finder button left?" Is it in the manual or should I just Google it? What is an "eye sign," how many does one person have and where and how do we find them? Those two simple things on top of the irrelevant comparison to another camera not involved in this discussion leads to almost total confusion to a new person who might think they are legitimate photography terms. I might be able to think I know what is being said here but do I really?

Are we looking at the words of a person having a stroke or is this person inebriated and should they be advised to not give advice that only creates more confusion while under the influence? I personally think there is a reasonable limit as to what is acceptable to those here who are trying to help people and I think this post exceeds that reasonable limit.

Should this kind of thing just go unchallenged? A person trying to learn probably isn't going to just ignore this but will want to know what exactly is being said and embark on a mission to have it deciphered for them. As a learner, you have to know the right answer in advance in order to be able to know when something is gibberish and should just be ignored and I think everyone who presumes to help learners should be held to a higher standard than this. Am I in this alone or does anyone have another answer?

Picture Taker Loc: Michigan Thumb

If you want to continue with what you are using keep your f: stop up to f8 or above to give a larger range of in focus area.

BurghByrd Loc: Pittsburgh

I didn't read all of the replies, just the first page, so this may have been mentioned elsewhere. I did not see anybody mention a tripod or monopod. Stabilizing your gear for the shot goes a long way toward improving sharpness and opens up options for exposure (shutter speed, aperture and ISO).

An auto focus lens would be easier but you can use the camera body auto focus capability to indicate when you are in focus. I'm not familiar with your specific model camera but most will indicate when the subject is in focus (single focus mode assumed here) by lighting up or showing < or > to assist with focusing. Not quite as easy as auto focus but still do-able.

gessman Loc: Colorado

As stated, his lens has a fixed aperture that cannot be "opened up." Would that alter your answer to the problem?

gessman Loc: Colorado

Perhaps you should.

gessman Loc: Colorado

He is using a fixed aperture lens f/8 at one focal distance and f/16 when zoomed. No other choices.

cahale Loc: San Angelo, TX

The aperture, when listed with details of the file show f/0, which is not possible. In file info, the aperture is shown as f/>1024, and I have no idea what that means. Also, the histogram is crowded toward the middle in all 3 basic colors. Focal length is shown as 0. For those who asked, it is a NIKON D3200, and I cannot determine the lens. It might be that the lens is not truly compatible to the camera, or possibly damaged or has dirty contacts. I'm including a copy of image 1 after clean-up. It's still fuzzy, however.

(Download)

A. T.

I beg to differ with the advise of not using manual focus lenses on DSLRs. I use manual (non-CPU) lenses all of the time on my D4s and D850 with fabulous results. Now it is correct that you are wasting your time trying to manual focus wildlife but using your manual focus lens on static subjects is fine in fact, I find it fun and more interactive with my camera. It takes some practice to get the feel of rotating the focus ring and finding that sweet spot but with time and practice, you'll be just fine.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

It's a tack. And it's sharp. . . .

IDguy Loc: Idaho

Aperture isn’t fixed. That is only the minimum aperture. But min aperture is usually fine for small birds and what you should use when focusing.