New D500: Photos Blurry

[bluegrassman]

I've been shooting for about 4 years now, mostly birds and wildlife. I have a Tamron 200-600 mm and formerly had a Nikon D3400. Loved it. I would put it on Aperature Priority and go shoot all day with confidence. I'd shoot maybe 700 photos per sessions and 80+% of them would be ones where the camera and lens did what I wanted, even if they were poorly composed, subject matter not cooperating, etc.

I am a cheapskate but last week I splurged and bought a Nikon D500. This was a BIG purchase for me. I was/am very excited about it, but 99% of my photos are VERY blurry. It almost looks like the composed image is the a faint picture of one shot superimposed over another picture taken. In most cases, things are blurry, but in some cases, the best ones, and just a little blurry, but still blurry.

It seems to do the best in situations where I'm shooting the subject and there is very little else to complicate things, but in nature, this rarely happens. If I have that scenario, SOMETIMES I can get a crisp shot, but it is very rare.

It seems like even a little bit of low light exacerbates the problem.

I basically started with factor settings and then switched over to aperature priority, but I can't hardly get a clean shot that way, even though that's exactly how I shot 90% of my photos with my D3400.

I thought maybe it had something to do with all the autofocus settings. I've tinkered with those and maybe it seems a little better, but not seeing major progress.

I'm getting a little worried that the camera isn't quite right. Don't get me wrong, I know I have a LOT to learn and this is forcing me to get to know my camera better, but something just doesn't seem right.

I've tried restoring back to factory settings a few times, and then flipping over to aperature priority. No dice. I know the problems aren't with my lenses, because I've been using them for years and they work beautifully with the D3400.

Can anyone offer me any advice. I am super disappointed. I suspect the problem is with my lack of knowledge and I know I need to get better, but I am hoping there is some sort of setting where I can realiably set it and have confidence the camera will be forgiving. I can't find it on the D500, but aperature priority on the D3400 was like it could read my mind what I wanted.

I shoot mostly birds in moderate to heavy brush. I love deer too and shoot them when I can. I love any sort of raptors and any predators I can get, but they are more rare for me, although I get some. The D3400 was just so wonderful, and not I have this expensive camera that I know can do so much more, but I'm very depressed that I can't even seem to take a non-blurry photo.

I'd be so grateful for any advice.

 

[Robert Cohen]

An example photo would help. I assume from your prior Nikon experience that you should know what you're doing.

Why don't you make things as simple as possible from an operator's viewpoint. Use Program mode instead of Aperture preferred. Let the camera set as much as it can. Give it plenty of leeway with respect to ISO. Use a shorter lens instead of a long-ish telephoto. See if things don't improve at least a bit. Maybe you can use a process of elimination to rule out things that are causing problems.

 

[TOF guy]

Many are getting sharp pics with a D500 in all sorts of situations, therefore we know the camera should work.

First possibility : an incorrect setting, or other user error. It would be extremely useful if you posted an example with EXIF data. Otherwise it’s like trying to guess a disease without seeing the patient

2nd your lens need calibration

3rd but very unlikely: your camera is defective. You need to return it to Nikon.

 

[Warkari]

What aperture are you using for your aperture priority setting? My guess would be that you are somehow ending up with too low a shutter speed.

As suggested by everybody else, please post a photo with all its parameters: lens used, shutter speed, aperture, ISO. Would also be helpful if you posted more than 2 photos in different settings to help diagnose if there is a pattern.

Amit

 

[TankGuy]

This might be a silly question, but is the camera, not the lens, set to auto focus?

 

[N Deacon]

Just post some examples with exif data intact or no-one will be able to give you any informed advice. There is nothing wrong with the D500, and on balance there is probably nothing wrong with your D500 - but at the moment we have nothing to go on.

Blurred images can be too-low shutter speed, shallow depth of field or missed focus - but we need to see what you are seeing.

 

[FrankG]

I've been shooting for about 4 years now, mostly birds and wildlife. I have a Tamron 200-600 mm and formerly had a Nikon D3400. Loved it. I would put it on Aperature Priority and go shoot all day with confidence. I'd shoot maybe 700 photos per sessions and 80+% of them would be ones where the camera and lens did what I wanted, even if they were poorly composed, subject matter not cooperating, etc.

I am a cheapskate but last week I splurged and bought a Nikon D500. This was a BIG purchase for me. I was/am very excited about it, but 99% of my photos are VERY blurry. It almost looks like the composed image is the a faint picture of one shot superimposed over another picture taken. In most cases, things are blurry, but in some cases, the best ones, and just a little blurry, but still blurry.

It seems to do the best in situations where I'm shooting the subject and there is very little else to complicate things, but in nature, this rarely happens. If I have that scenario, SOMETIMES I can get a crisp shot, but it is very rare.

It seems like even a little bit of low light exacerbates the problem.

I basically started with factor settings and then switched over to aperature priority, but I can't hardly get a clean shot that way, even though that's exactly how I shot 90% of my photos with my D3400.

I thought maybe it had something to do with all the autofocus settings. I've tinkered with those and maybe it seems a little better, but not seeing major progress.

I'm getting a little worried that the camera isn't quite right. Don't get me wrong, I know I have a LOT to learn and this is forcing me to get to know my camera better, but something just doesn't seem right.

I've tried restoring back to factory settings a few times, and then flipping over to aperature priority. No dice. I know the problems aren't with my lenses, because I've been using them for years and they work beautifully with the D3400.

Can anyone offer me any advice. I am super disappointed. I suspect the problem is with my lack of knowledge and I know I need to get better, but I am hoping there is some sort of setting where I can realiably set it and have confidence the camera will be forgiving. I can't find it on the D500, but aperature priority on the D3400 was like it could read my mind what I wanted.

I shoot mostly birds in moderate to heavy brush. I love deer too and shoot them when I can. I love any sort of raptors and any predators I can get, but they are more rare for me, although I get some. The D3400 was just so wonderful, and not I have this expensive camera that I know can do so much more, but I'm very depressed that I can't even seem to take a non-blurry photo.

I'd be so grateful for any advice.

From your description of the problem it sounds like your shutter speeds are far too slow.

Try this:

from the Menu options select the "Photo Shooting Menu"

scroll down to "ISO sensitivity settings" & press OK

Select "Auto ISO sensitivity control" and set it to ON

Select "Maximum Sensitivity" and set it to 3200

Select "Minimum Shutter Speed" and set it to 1/1600

Leave the camera on Aperture priority and try to shoot at at widest or near widest possible apertures. The camera will try to automatically set the shutter speed up to 1/1600th sec and will float the ISO automatically to achieve that. If the light level is too low then it will got up to ISO3200 and then achieve the best shutter speed it can. If the conditions you are trying to work in are still too dark then set a higher max ISO (you can easily push the D500 higher if need be).

If you are still getting the same blurry results with such high shutter speeds then the problem lies elsewhere.

Frank

 

[bluegrassman]

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions! I will try them.

I wasn't sure the best way to share pics with EXIF, so I took a snapshot of the screen with the EXIF data showing. Yes, I am a newbie skill-wise, but this means a lot to me.

First off, I did a lot of research on the camera before buying. I know it's a very well respected camera and capable of extraordinary shots, much moreso than my previous camera. I am not in any way trying to disparage the camera. I know the issue is with my expertise, although the aperture priority issue is confusing to me (me below).

I have 4 examples with their EXIF data showing. I think the first three all show similar things. Anyway, they are VERY representative of all the shots I get with factory settings reset and switched to aperature priority. The light doesn't seem to matter too much (although performs poorer in lower light situations), the lenses (one of which is tried and true) don't seem to matter much, nor does the subject, not the background (although a less busy background does some better).

Lenses tried, both with very similar results and same settings:

Tamron 150-600mm, good antivibration

Nikon DX 16-80,DX, VR ($1000 lens that came with the camera)

I know a lot of suggestions will come in to lower shutter speed or whatnot, and I respect those comments and will explore them. But I feel like I should be able to put it in aperture priority mode and not get a 99% blurry issue under a lot of different conditions. This is what I've always done, and for the type of nature photography I like, where I hike 6 miles and might get 10 - 50 good opportunities for shots and I have an instant to make the capture.

The last one is all black and that's the first time I've seen that. I think I was toggling back and forth between continuous low and continuous high. I've used Ch in the past without issue, but I believe the black photo resulted from switching to Ch in the indoors.

I'm at all loss. I can diagnose the underlying issue, I believe, and also how to manually set the camera to adjust, but I would like a setup that lets me take the pictures on the fly, in an instant. I know that is probably distateful to some professionals, and I understand, but it's what I like to do, given my current skill-level.

Shot #1:



Shot #2:



Shot #3:



Shot #4:

 

[TOF guy]

Thank you for posting

About EXIF: files as output by the camera contain not just the data for image but also additional info such as what you show in the screen shots. I apologize for not mentioning it but out of camera pics have the EXIF data.

This being said what you did works

Now to the problem at end: the shutter speed is too slow. First image is worse because that subjects move and VR does not help at all with that.

You can increase the ISO to force the use of a faster shutter speed by the camera, or try to hold the camera more steadily, or both.

 

[Warkari]

From the pictures, it is clear that shutter speed of 1/2-1/6 seconds is not going to freeze any motion of the subject. You need at least 1/60s for subjects standing perfectly still. For walking or moving subjects, at least 1/250 depending on the speed at which they are moving.

I cannot see the ISO values for the pictures posted, but I am guessing all are taken at ISO 100. That's because in your last photo, you have a shutter speed of 1/8000 and if the ISO is 100, then sufficient light isn't hitting the sensor and your picture is black.

Solution: You have to turn AutoISO on. Frank has provided the steps in his post above.

Amit

--
https://www.flickr.com/photos/warkari/

 

[greenmanphoto]

BGM,

As others have stated, you're simply trying to shoot at too slow of a shutter speed for your ability to handhold the camera. Many, if not most, pros would have difficulty getting a good shot at 1/2 second handheld.

Also as others have said, either manually raise the ISO or set it to Auto ISO and let the camera do that for you. Set a shutter speed for NO SLOWER than 1/60th (as you get better technique, you can try to lower that, if you want to) and whatever ISO you need to get there. But, as is clear with your first shot, in particular, the movement of the subject(s) isn't the problem: it's YOUR movement, as things like the stair railing and the walls are also blurred. NO vibration compensation on the camera and/or lens is going to compensate enough for that amount of movement on your part!

Good luck,

Sam

 

[historianx]

Photo Shooting Menu > ISO Sensitivity settings> Auto ISO on> iso sensitivity, set minimum to 100 max to 3200, then> back to previous menu and set your minimum shutter speed to 500.

You should be good to go. And invest in a book on the camera, written by a subject matter expert.

--
G.A.S.+ "Monkey Mind" are one in your mind, gear grasshopper

 

[TOF guy]

set your minimum shutter speed to 500.

That’s overly conservative for pictures taken at a moderate focal length , not to mention for some images w/o subject motion + vr on (assuming the o/p had it turned on)

 

[Nikon33]

I think you have the ISO stuck at 100. Therefore, since you are in Aperture Priority mode, there is no way for the camera to properly expose the photo unless the shutter speed is 1/2, 1/5, and 1/6 sec. The last photo is at 1/8000 of a second. Even if it is bright and I am outside, my D4 can't even do 1/8000 of a second without the ISO at 1000. So if you have 1/8000 sec, you are inside, and your ISO is 100, you will get nothing but a black frame. Turn on AUTO ISO. Inside, you got to have at least 1/60 sec on non-moving, and likely at least ISO 1000. If moving, then higher shutter speed. Your camera will produce good images at ISO 10000, so don't worry.

 

[greenmanphoto]

set your minimum shutter speed to 500.

That’s overly conservative for pictures taken at a moderate focal length , not to mention for some images w/o subject motion + vr on (assuming the o/p had it turned on)

Thierry,

I agree, and I think the ISO max of 3200 is also pretty conservative. But perhaps that's just me.

I decided not to respond initially, as I thought perhaps it was done because it appears the OP needs to do some work on his technique, and to help rule it out somewhat, the higher shutter speed. <shrug>

Sam

 

[n057]

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions! I will try them.

I wasn't sure the best way to share pics with EXIF, so I took a snapshot of the screen with the EXIF data showing. Yes, I am a newbie skill-wise, but this means a lot to me.

If you upload the out-of camera (or phone) jpg, the exif is there automatically. If you use software to post process the image (either to crop it or brighten it or anything), make sure that the software you use does not remove the exif. The images you posted do not contain the exif in the usual manner.

For an exemple, you can check images posted by our fellow Bill Ferris under this link:

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/61963175

That said, you figured out a creative way to show us some of the exif, and that gives us a clue

First off, I did a lot of research on the camera before buying. I know it's a very well respected camera and capable of extraordinary shots, much moreso than my previous camera. I am not in any way trying to disparage the camera. I know the issue is with my expertise, although the aperture priority issue is confusing to me (me below).

I have 4 examples with their EXIF data showing. I think the first three all show similar things. Anyway, they are VERY representative of all the shots I get with factory settings reset and switched to aperature priority. The light doesn't seem to matter too much (although performs poorer in lower light situations), the lenses (one of which is tried and true) don't seem to matter much, nor does the subject, not the background (although a less busy background does some better).

The exif shows that all images are taken a a very long exposure time. That gives you plenty of time to move the camera around thus cause motion blur. There is a rule of thumb that the exposure time should be the reciprocal of the focal length in use, for instance in the first image, the one with the dog head on the black sweater, the exif shows 1/6 second, but it also shows a focal length of 30mm. In order to be able to take a hand held picture, you would need at least 1/30 second (the reciprocal of the focal length). And even higher, since on a DX (APS-C) camera, the focal length appears as if it was multiplied by 1.5, so the equivalent focal length apears as if you had a 45mm lens, so the speed should be set at 1/45 second.

Lenses tried, both with very similar results and same settings:

Tamron 150-600mm, good antivibration

Nikon DX 16-80,DX, VR ($1000 lens that came with the camera)

I know a lot of suggestions will come in to lower shutter speed or whatnot, and I respect those comments and will explore them. But I feel like I should be able to put it in aperture priority mode and not get a 99% blurry issue under a lot of different conditions. This is what I've always done, and for the type of nature photography I like, where I hike 6 miles and might get 10 - 50 good opportunities for shots and I have an instant to make the capture.

The last one is all black and that's the first time I've seen that. I think I was toggling back and forth between continuous low and continuous high. I've used Ch in the past without issue, but I believe the black photo resulted from switching to Ch in the indoors.

For the black photo, the exposure time is 1/8000 second, and in his case, it is too short! That was decide by the camera

I'm at all loss. I can diagnose the underlying issue, I believe, and also how to manually set the camera to adjust, but I would like a setup that lets me take the pictures on the fly, in an instant. I know that is probably distateful to some professionals, and I understand, but it's what I like to do, given my current skill-level.

Now, remember that you used the camera with the default settings, except that you used A mode, Aperture Priority. But in the default settings, the sensitivity is set at ISO 100 (you can see the default settings in User Manual, starting at page 230). Also, Auto-ISO is OFF. If Auto ISO was ON, the camera would try to raise the ISO to bring the shutter speed at a usable level. In the case of image 1, it would rise the ISO to the vicinity of ISO 400, which would give you a fighting chance.

I suggest you also try to set AUTO-ISO to ON (leave the upper limit as it is now), and see what that gives you. Make only one change at a time, and see and analyse the result.

I don't know what the default settings are with the D3400, when you set it at default. If you can, check the exif of a picture that worked for you with the D3400, and try to set the D500 exactly the same, and see the result. That will give you a better feel on how to tackle the problem. By the way, how did you decide that Aoerture priority is what worked best for you with the D3400 ???

In any case, we will be there to guide you


JC
Some cameras, some lenses, some computers

 

[arniebook]

Here is a handy shortcut to turn Auto ISO on and off ... press and hold ISO button and rotate the front command dial one click.

Arnie

 

[historianx]

set your minimum shutter speed to 500.

That’s overly conservative for pictures taken at a moderate focal length , not to mention for some images w/o subject motion + vr on (assuming the o/p had it turned on)

1/500 was just a general low-end guideline. Once OP learns his camera and works on his technique, he can adjust minimum shutter speed as he sees fit.

 

[blurred GTA]

The Black photo was created not by switching to CH, it was from switching to Shutter Priority and your shutter speed was set to 1/8000 with (as everyone has suggested) your ISO set to 100.

 

[avogra]

As As others suggested, i would turn auto-iso on. But instead of dictating one minimum shutter-speed, i would set it to auto, so that the minimum shutter speed depends on focal length.

I could imagine that your D3xxx has auauto iso enabled by Default while the d500 has it disabled in factory settings.