Returning Camera to Adorama (Page 2): You know we ship to over 200 countries, worldwide? :D...

HelenOster Loc: New York

bsprague wrote:

Helen,

I should point out that I live in Washington State. I'm a long ways away.

I should also add that I have purchased from you through Amazon, but I forgot!

It is nice to see a Customer Service Ambassador monitor a forum like this.

You know we ship to over 200 countries, worldwide?

:D

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

bsprague wrote:

Adorama, also in New York, is said to be good too.[/quote]

HelenOster wrote:

I hope so!

bsprague wrote:
I've never bought from them.[/quote]

HelenOster wrote:

:shock: :shock:

Yes...there are one or two left who haven't shopped at Adorama...this is one of the two :)

I've returned a lot of things to Adorama and never had a problem, I keep the boxes and included info and stuff until I'm SURE that I'll like whatever it is.

I'm sure that they won't complain about different bubble wrap.

John Lawrence

I recently returned a camera to Adorama and found the process extremely easy. They have a one page on-line form you just print and fill out. Send it to the address on the form along with the completed form and a copy of the purchase invoice. They do all the rest. Nice people to do business with. They live in the shadow of the big guy and are working very hard to be number one.

MtnMan Loc: ID

Kmehrzad wrote:

Thanks for the replies everyone. Reason I'm retur... (show quote)

We may have different criteria but I found the pictures from the Nikon D5100 with the kit lenses to be quite sharp.

You seem to be experienced so I doubt you'd make rookie mistakes like not have the VR turned on but I wonder if something in the camera settings you used caused the difficulties. It took me some time to get comfortable with the myriad settings of the D5100 and I found some worked better than others in certain situations.

One thing I settled on quickly was spot focus.

I actually feel my D5100 with kit lenses took shaper pictures than my D800 with $1,000 lenses.

Maybe you just got defective lenses?

PhotoBiker Loc: Charleston, SC

As mentioned earlier, I compared both of my camera's photos taken at the same settings with camera on a tripod, looking at the same object, same distance. I left auto focus on and both were kit lenses. I took pics and saw the distinct difference, the Sony NEX was very sharp and the Nikon was much softer, significantly so. I shared the photos with a coworker who is a much more experienced photographer than I am ... In fact I didn't tell him which pic came from which camera. His immediate response was to return the 'Nikon' (unknown to him). I really was hoping both cameras would produce sharp pics as I really liked some things about the Nikon, but I returned the camera and lens after some decision making.

MtnMan Loc: ID

Kmehrzad wrote:

As mentioned earlier, I compared both of my camera... (show quote)

Since it happened with both lenses it probably was a defect in that particular camera.

Did you turn off the VR on the Nikon lenses when on the tripod? If not the VR can actually make the pictures soft.

PhotoBiker Loc: Charleston, SC

No, the VR was on.

MtnMan Loc: ID

Kmehrzad wrote:

No, the VR was on.

Ah, that likely explains it.

Sorry bout that.

Realized I should amplify. The VR on the Nikon is truly excellent...when the camera is handheld.

On a tripod, though, most lenses, including the kit lenses, tell you to turn it off. The reason is that the VR is looking for something to R. So when you stop the V with the tripod it will try to R anything or nothing, thus actually moving the image and making it soft.

There are some lenses now that autodetect the tripod and adjust the algorithm to not do that. The kit 18-55 and 55-200 aren't among them. I have seen conflicting info on the kit 55-300, which was the one I had. The lens manuals tell you to turn it off on all of them when on a tripod.

PhotoBiker Loc: Charleston, SC

Yes, I usually turn my Auto Focus off when on a tripod but I was following instructions I'd read from DPReview on how to check for back focus issues and they said to leave the VR on. Thing is, I had my Sony AF on too, so I believe they were both comparably set. I had a self timer trigger the camera. But it's quite possible that could have had a lot to do with the lack of clarity.

MtnMan Loc: ID

Kmehrzad wrote:

Yes, I usually turn my Auto Focus off when on a tripod but I was following instructions I'd read from DPReview on how to check for back focus issues and they said to leave the VR on. Thing is, I had my Sony AF on too, so I believe they were both comparably set. I had a self timer trigger the camera. But it's quite possible that could have had a lot to do with the lack of clarity.

I don't know how the Sony works. With some cameras I believe it is OK to leave it on when on a tripod. I know with some lenses it is. But not most.

I wonder why dpreview suggested that?

PhotoBiker Loc: Charleston, SC

I tried to quickly find the review but don't have time to run through all the posts. It has to do with 'auto focus nightmare,'

With the Sony you're supposed to turn the AF off when on a tripod.

MtnMan Loc: ID

Kmehrzad wrote:

I tried to quickly find the review but don't have time to run through all the posts. It has to do with 'auto focus nightmare,'

With the Sony you're supposed to turn the AF off when on a tripod.

Perhaps the Nikon VR is more susceptible to making blur than the Sony.

At least you can feel OK about your eyes and interpretation of the information. The Nikon test shots really were soft.

BTW if you ever try a Nikon again and have an issue with it I recommend trying their tech support. I have done so on two issues and been impressed.

lee5030 Loc: Pennsylvania

I have purchased several items from Adorama over the past year including a new Canon camera. I have found their shipping to be lightening fast,(received the item the next day) and packaged securely. Their prices were "ball park" with other vendors. Never had a problem.

wrr Loc: SEK

huh? this whole thread has got me confused...
is VR and AF the same on these two makes of cameras?
always thought AF stood for autofocus
can't imagine why any camera maker would have you turn autofocus off when on a tripod.

MtnMan Loc: ID

wrr wrote:

huh? this whole thread has got me confused...
is VR and AF the same on these two makes of cameras?
always thought AF stood for autofocus
can't imagine why any camera maker would have you turn autofocus off when on a tripod.

Good catch. I read what I thought was there and not what he wrote.

AF (autofocus) and VR (Vibration Reduction) are two different things indeed. You can leave AF on when on a tripod. And I can see why you need to leave it on to test it!

There are a number of names for VR including OS and IS.

The issue is with overall softness with VR on using a tripod.

If it was a focus issue usually some part of the image is in focus...just not what you wanted to be.