Help please

[hame]

Hope this is the correct section to post this question in and hope pic works

I recently brought a old push pull nikon 2.8 80-200 lense while in hong kong earlier this month after checking out prices etc and remembering what i thought were good coments on it (have been away from forum for a few months after computer crash after joinging and lost link to site )

I have noticed a few people have the lense and have thought some have posted excelent or very nice pics of action shots of cars e.t.c. with it

I could nto really aford the price of the new 70-200 vr model and took some pics with my camera in shop and out of shop of both the vr and non vr and even with the sb800 flash etc..... thought the pics looked not to bad on back of camera and the aperance of the elements/glass each end was spotless and not a scratch on the out side adn looked well looked after.....

Anyway i not sure if it is my camera settings of my computer or perhaps missing something basic on the lense (looks like only 2 switches on it but no manual with it)..... the pics just dont look really really sharp like i was expecting them to be and after checking out other posts of pics with 80-200 lense.. or perhaps just expecting to much from it ( or my eyes or computer screen not right but saying that i checked out some pics from a poster a day ago with a 300 f4 nikon of the back of a bold persons head and a lock and i thought man thats sharp what am i doing wrong..)

here i hope is a link to a pic of a rose which was taken a week or 2 ago on a trypod i think from memmory and hops the settings of the camera are attached as well to see if anything stupid or obviously wrong )


will post i hope in the folder some action shots from a hockey match over easter were i was trying it out as well that look i think not to bad but perhaps not crystal clear...just try and click on other pic in pixspot gallery under my name/folder


thanks in advance and any help or sergestions as to what may over come it greatly apreciated

Hamish


pss lense has a kenko uv (o) filter on it if that makes a dif.

http://www.pixspot.com/displayimage.php?pos=-2891

http://www.pixspot.com/displayimage.php?pos=-2893

http://www.pixspot.com/displayimage.php?pos=-2899

http://www.pixspot.com/displayimage.php?pos=-2897

http://www.pixspot.com/displayimage.php?pos=-2898[/url]

[digitor]

I think the only problem with the rose shot is that it's out of focus - a bit of flare as well, but that could be from some stray light hitting the front element - it's a tad overexposed too, but I wouldn't give up on this lens just yet!

Cheers

[christiand]

Would you like to give us some more detail such as shutter speed, handheld ?.
How did you (the D70) focus ?
I s this the first time you are using a SLR or DSLR ?

Cheers
CD

[hame]

thanks for comment's

the rose was at 200 mm on the 70-200 2.8 lense and f2.8 for1/800 sec on try pod i think (the bottom right leaf looks like it has a halo around it edge but can see spider thread under neath leaf going to bottom right so dont quite understand why can see that but leaf seams out of focus..

and auto focus.. iso 200white balance auto and set to portrait program

i think i would have had the flower centered for focus as well(and set in camera to that setting)




The hockey pics were mostly shot at f 4 at 1/1500 sec and the one at 4.8 at 1/2000 sec

All at iso200 auto focus mode AF/C , White balance auto


is there a test to see if your camera is out of focus or not focusing properly?

just been looking at some pics taken with normal 18-70 lense you get with it that were taken on 27/2/2005 in plane and they look cristal clear ....... only think i can think of was blow dust off sensor and updated new version 1.3 i think in camera

and i had a old pentax mz80 that was stolen last year i had for years and had the d70 since sept last year

thanks again for coments
hamish

how come this clip golf swing hitting grass and lifting it up is nice and clear and foot out of focus (was trying to freeze it when hitting ground but missed the stick.. settings 125mm on the 80-200, 1/200sec f4.8 iso200 white balance auto

http://www.pixspot.com/displayimage.php?pos=-2903

http://www.pixspot.com/displayimage.php?pos=-2904

[Matt. K]

Hames
I use that lens all of the time and I love it. You need to test the lens to make sure it's OK. Put the camera/lens onto a tripod. Tape up a copy of the Sydney Morning Herald Classified adds onto a wall and square up the camera to it. Work from about 6 metres away and shoot the page at different F/stops at 200mm. The images should be very sharp at f/5.6 or smaller. They should be acceptable at f/2.8 and f/4. Take the filter off for the tests. Put the filter on for a couple of shots at F/2,8 and F/4. If the filter is having an effect on sharpness then throw it away. If the lens is in good working order then you will fall in love with it....but handle it with some expertise. Also....use auto focus single...center point. Try a couple of shots using manual focus...just to be sure.

[hame]

Thanks matt.I will try that tomorrow and perhaps like you said i should not expect it to work razer sharp at f2.8

do you have a gallery of your pics used with the lense or with info saying what lense was used and f stops e.t.c to see what settings you have used