Soft focus problem- help please

[Alexandra]

I did a photo shot for a friend today and i seem to have messed it up badly. Thats my opinion, as my friend is quite happy with the pics...

I cant figure out what i did wrong as i took pics with the same settings before and the focus was spot on. However, all the pics done today have a really soft focus that doesnt work for me...

I offered to re shoot at any time convenient for her, which is ok with her.

Can someone please tell me what i did wrong in terms of camera settings? The only other thing i can think of is that the camera might have fogged up somehow. I had it in the boot of my car for about two hours, in the sun and the temperature was somewhere at about 35 Celsius...possibly more in the direct sun. Could have that affected the lens somehow?

Anyway, im attaching a pics and the exif as an example... Can you please help?

ISO 100
Shutter Speed: 1/25
Aperture: f/5.6
Focus length: 55mm
No Flash

camera Nikon D60

Thank you so much.

Alexandra

[WooD]

I'm guessing you used a tripod?

[milosh]

Try to make a few new shots with the same settings, that way you'll know if it's because of your equipment.

[Alexandra]

I did use a tripod Wood... and i did take pics with the same settings of my kids (without a tripod) about two weeks ago... and the focus was right... So i dont get it... The first few i did handheld and i blamed the focus on hand shake, then i put the camera on the tripod... Then i thought that my friend was moving and i told her to stay still... But i got the same soft focus problem throughout all the pics...

Could have been a problem with the intense heat?

Im having a lot of confidence issues at the moment because of it right now....

[Sime]

Shutter speed - 1/25th

Was there any reason you wanted such a slow shutter speed? Try again with 1/60th...

Sime

[inkista]

Did you turn the VR off when you put the camera on the tripod?

[Alexandra]

I had a shutter speed of 1/25 because i wanted a really large aperture (basically the smallest number my lens allowed) and because the sun was very bright i had to keep adjusting the shutter speed to obtain a proper exposure... Shutter sped is one thing that i had to change in nearly every pic as from an angle to another there where major light differences. However, even in the pics with faster shutter i had the same soft focus problem.

VR off? Nope... Didnt cross my mind... Looks like i have to read my camera manual again... What does that do???

Im stressing...

[icewater]

Originally Posted by inkista

Did you turn the VR off when you put the camera on the tripod?

i agree on this suggestion... try to turn off VR when using a tripod.

[kencaleno]

When bringing camera out of a hot situation,leave for 30 minutes before using,for condensation to settle. What I did here was to apply a "defog",then shadow/highlight on jeans (underexposed) Then a smart sharpen. Regards, Ken

Defog:

Ctrl+J
Filter> sharpen> Unsharp Mask
Amount 10
Radius 50 pixels
Threshold 0
Flatten and save

Smart Sharpen:

Ctrl+J
Unsharp mask amount 18%
Radius 40 pxls
Threshold 0
Unsharp mask amount 150%
Radius 0.3 pxls
Threshold 0
Edit> fade Unsharp mask 100% Darken
Unsharp mask amount 150%
Radius 0.3 pxls
Threshold 0
Edit> fade Unsharp mask 50% Lighten

[RLucas]

Originally Posted by Alexandra

I did a photo shot for a friend today and i seem to have messed it up badly. Thats my opinion, as my friend is quite happy with the pics...

I cant figure out what i did wrong as i took pics with the same settings before and the focus was spot on. However, all the pics done today have a really soft focus that doesnt work for me...

I offered to re shoot at any time convenient for her, which is ok with her.

Can someone please tell me what i did wrong in terms of camera settings? The only other thing i can think of is that the camera might have fogged up somehow. I had it in the boot of my car for about two hours, in the sun and the temperature was somewhere at about 35 Celsius...possibly more in the direct sun. Could have that affected the lens somehow?

Anyway, im attaching a pics and the exif as an example... Can you please help?

ISO 100
Shutter Speed: 1/25
Aperture: f/5.6
Focus length: 55mm
No Flash

camera Nikon D60

Thank you so much.

Alexandra

If was that dark, you could have also bumped your ISO up to 200. That will give you an extra stop of shutter speed.
I never thought I would say this, but Ken, your edit was nicely done!