AF-S DX Micro NIKKOR 85mm f/3.5G ED VR


The 85 VR Micro will help but you have to first determine if it is your technique that is causing the sharpness issue or you have already push to the limit of your current lens.

So normally and generally:

- Manual mode (my preferred way but if yours differs, use the method you are most comfortable with)

- Manual WB (meaning I don't use AWB, so use like sunlight etc.)

- Put body and lens on tripod, for macro, combined with Macro Focusing Rails can help you but it is optional.

- Turn VR off when on tripod (save power and life span of VR... and ultimately lens servicing in the future)

- If the distance is more than your current lens minimum focusing distance, you have use AF, else if less that your minimum focusing dist. you have use MF to see if you can achieve proper focusing. If cannot, it means you have to move backwards. To mitigate this, you have use close up filter (which can degrade IQ) or a dedicate macro lens (which can hurt your wallet)

- Fine tune your exposure, you might want your shutter speed to be at least 1/your focal length. So you have to adjust either your ISO or aperture. This is of course optional because that is what the tripod is for. To give your stability in long exposure. But sometimes if your tripod/tripod head has creeping issues or the tripod is not stable, you lose sharpness and IQ.

- Next after focusing, use a remote shutter trigger if not timer trigger, or Mirror Up (MUP) will also help to reduce camera shake while trigger.

- If lighting is an issue, use ring flash or any other lights that you want to brighten it up, more light also generally means less ISO required.



You do not have to go to f/22 because for some lens, at that kind of small aperture, they are known to suffer from diffraction and you lose sharpness as well as degrade the IQ.

For 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S ED-IF I / II / VRI / VRII on DX, the sharpest for focal length 24mm-45mm is at f/8.0, according to Nikon lens sharpness chart.

So give f/8.0 a try. I am assuming you have a proper concept of exposure, meaning you know how to balance your ISO, shutter speed and aperture.
 

Hi,
May i know where can i find "Nikon lens sharpness chart"
Got any link? Thanks in advance!
 

This taken from the NIKON 85mm/f3.5G MICRO Lens just bought

Is it considered sharp ? Picture had been PP

Compared to the D5000 18-55mm I see got marked improvement in IQ in RAW personally

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