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Archive 2016 · D500 images soft??

  
 
amlsml
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · D500 images soft??


I have over 70,000 sports images with m D500. Compared to the same situations w0th my D3s I notice that the d500 is giving me darker and soft images. So i will post these images looking for help. They are static, I am on a monopod, and the settings are similar. I used ex comp to set them all at 1/3 over. Auto ISO, Manual settings. I get the same result when not using Auto ISO. Camera just came back from Nikon? looking at the grass, you can see that the focal plane is where I am focusing? Anyone else have the same experience? Thoughts? Thanks to my eye they look "muddy"? and underexposed.






















Nov 13, 2016 at 10:39 PM
Donzo98
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · D500 images soft??


They don't look bad to me.

FWIW...my D500 seems a touch on the overexposure side. I having been shooting jpg's... and in post I have been dialing the mid tones back anywhere from .05 to .25 EV. Not a big deal... just info for you.



Nov 13, 2016 at 10:51 PM
Steve Perry
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · D500 images soft??


It's really tough to see slight softness at web size, these don't look bad to me. Post a few 100% crops.

In any event, the images coming out of my D500 are very sharp - sharper than my D4 or D5 (due to the lack of an AA filter no doubt). I always need less sharpening on my D500 files.

Although - here's a thought...

There could be something wrong with your 400mm. Ostensibly that doesn't seem to be the case since you're happy with it on the D3s, however, the D3s has a much, much lower pixel density. The D3 is just over 5MP if you were to crop it to the D500 DX area (or the D500 would be a 48MP if it were an FX camera). That's a huge difference in density.

In a case like that, there's a possibility that a problem lens may look fine on the D3s but not so much when "stressed out" by the higher pixel density of the D500. (Note that the 400 2.8 should be tack sharp on the D500, it's never been accused of being a soft lens unless there was a issue).

I'd do some careful tripod-mounted, mirror up, live view tests with the 400 2.8 and eliminate any PDAF issues. If you can't get a razor sharp image that way, it might be a lens issue.

I'd also test the camera the same way with another lens. If both are soft, maybe there's something misaligned inside the camera (doubtful, but still a thought).



Nov 13, 2016 at 11:08 PM
TimMunsey
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · D500 images soft??


I'm interested in this one, I've had mixed results with my 400mm F/2.8 on the D500, which 400mm is it? I have the 400mm F/2.8 AFS 11 version, no VR.
In contrast I find the 300mm F/2.8 superb on the D500.

Tim



Nov 14, 2016 at 06:58 AM
ariot
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · D500 images soft??


I don't consider myself an expert judge of anything, but the D500 seems to require a shorter duration shutter speed than expected. This is my observation when taking marginal wildlife photos, but I've also read that same observation from people who are really good.




Nov 14, 2016 at 08:44 AM
CritterRacing
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · D500 images soft??


I read somewhere about slowing down the fps to 8 from 10 helps.


Nov 14, 2016 at 09:00 AM
amlsml
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · D500 images soft??


Guys thanks for the feedback. I use multiple lens and camera combos on assignment. i will swap the D3s and the D500 each quarter on the same lens. Here are a few and their crops from the first half on my 200-400. I would understand the the crop issue and it being "stressed out" compared to the full frame, is the fix a faster shutter speed as compared to the full frame? Do others see the same thing? Thanks





1







crop



















Nov 14, 2016 at 09:05 AM
Christian H
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · D500 images soft??


Your experience is more or less consistent with mine. Uncropped D500 images taken in good light look pretty good, but in a direct comparison with FX (D800/D810) they fall short (flat, grainy, smudgy details). There's no substitute for sensor size.

Christian




Nov 14, 2016 at 01:13 PM
elkhornsun
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · D500 images soft??


These show problems with focus accuracy and I would start by doing an autofocus fine tune (and not the auto autofocus fine tune) with your 400mm lens and using a target that is at the normal distance to your subjects on the field.

Greater resolution makes it easier to spot problems in technique or gear. A problem with a lens that might not show at 5MP (DX crop with D3s) is going to be visible with a image file that is more than 4 times as large and provides more than double the resolution.

As a side note the images shown are underexposed and so there is a lack of contrast which can be perceived as a lack of sharpness and certainly does not help with the IQ.



Nov 14, 2016 at 02:42 PM
amlsml
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · D500 images soft??


Elkhornsun- Thanks for the crit. All of me images are similar using the d500 with multiple lens's. I show the 400 2.8 , 200-400 and 70-200. I also shot these in Auto ISO with a 1/3 overexposure. You would surmise that they would be at least neutral. On the full res images, you can see the focus plane that looks like it should be spot on. I agree these look underexposed and "muddy" not what the Full frame looks like.


Nov 14, 2016 at 04:30 PM
ariot
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · D500 images soft??


Maybe during the lower pressure times of the game, shoot a bit more over on the D500 and put a shutter speed floor at 1/2000 sec. on the longer glass?

Back in the day, we never dared shoot hot, but these Nikon sensors seem to deal with it better than trying to recover the darker skin tones under helmets and pulling up shadow detail.

Of course, I could be totally wrong. Most guys on here could outshoot me with an Iphone, and I haven't had to shoot a football game since forever (I think I last shot the ProBowl in Honolulu in like 1995 or so! Hahaha)



Nov 14, 2016 at 06:20 PM





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