You could also try a different handholding technique and shoot three shots at a time. The three shot thing usually works for dodgy shuttertimes. I don't think 1/100 is an unreasonable speed though...
Opening up the lens would solve your problem AND put that background out of focus. Try it at f/2.8. It's a win-win situation. Your shutter speed would then be 1/400. Focus carefully.
My suggestion for that particular shot would've been to open up the aperture and bump up ISO, one stop each. At f/4, your DOF wouldn't have changed too much, and there should virtually be no IQ difference between ISO 200 and 400 on the D700. But with that, you've got 1/400 shutter speed, which is plenty for a nice sharp still portrait.
The 105/2.8VR has beautiful bokeh and is a macro lens, and yes I think it would have done better, both because it's a great lens and because of VR. The 105/2DC would have also done very well. But I wouldn't start by switching lenses.
You're at f/5.6 on this lens in the first place... you have three full stops of wider apertures all the way to f/2, plus at least another two stops of ISO with still near-zero noise (lower than low). All this shot needed to be silly-sharp was 1/500 f/2.5 @ iso200. But you could have gotten 1/3200 f/2 @ iso800 if you really wanted the edge of every pore -- and a racecar blowing past behind her from left to right -- in perfect sharpness.
You're not using your current tools to full advantage.
I quite often shoot with the same setup as you and I find that 1/100 does not give me a 100% keeper rate... judging by your choice of settings you had plenty of options to choose more reliable settings without taking VR into consideration.
pnmd wrote:
1/100
I could've increase the shutter speed but wanted to grab more ambient light
now call me old fashioned here, but why, if increasing the iso higher and therefore raising your shutter speed to 200th sec by increasing the iso to 400, why would you not catch the same ambient light? did the sun go in?
in my view yes, VR is nice and usefull, but why not learn to use the equipment you have and learn about iso,shutter speed and aperture relationships
A: How do you hold your camera?. I regularly see many people shooting with improper technique, which will result in "soft " focus. With proper technique 100th should not be a problem.
B: Doubt anyone will look at a print of this shot at 300% - so no worries. It'll print just fine at 8X10
