Newbie with a (no-doubt) silly question!

[bulldogspike]

Hey everyone. Just discovered this fantastic site. So much information here which for a novice like me is amazing!

Anyway, I have a bit of a problem. I have a Nikon D40 and have just purchase a 55-300mm lens as I'm off on safari to South Africa in 2 weeks and my 18-55mm just wouldn't have cut it. I'm basically a bit of a novice with the camera and photography generally - but I've been trying to have a play around with the Manual mode (keen to get some Macro shots) but every time I slip from Auto to Manual on the lens and then turn the lens focus ring nothing happens. As in the image doesn't get any clearer through the viewfinder. The green dot flickers on and off in the viewfinder and when I take a picture they are just a huge blurry mess. I'm sure that there is something pretty simple that I have missed but I just don't have a clue so any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Spike

[inkista]

That sounds odd. The focus should change in the viewfinder. Are you trying to focus inside the minimum focus distance? with the 55-300, the minimum focus distance is 4.6 feet. You cannot focus the lens on any subject closer than that.

[ravncat]

Also make sure your diopter adjustment on the viewfinder is properly set?

[bulldogspike]

Thank you so much. I feel like a complete idiot as I've obviously been looking at things too close. It works absolutely fine on objects further than 4 ft away. I think I'm even more of a novice than I first thought.

Thanks again

[inkista]

Hey, if this your first dSLR, and you've been shooting with a digital compact before this, it's a very easy mistake to make.

A P&S camera typically has a sensor about 1/5th-1/6th the size of an APS-C sensor (like the ones in a dSLR), and the lenses (and minimum focus distances) are proportionately 1/5-1/6th as small as well. This is why P&S cameras can have macro modes, but dSLRs need macro lenses. There's also the fact that usually the longer your focus distances become, the larger that minimum focus distance also gets. I shoot with a 400mm f/5.6 prime lens, and the minimum focus distance on it is 10 feet. Took me a while to figure it out, too.

[bulldogspike]

Thanks inkista. That makes a lot of sense. Off out tomorrow to take a few shots (weather permitting) so I'll see how I get on!

Thanks again