[lonoise]

the meter looks ok, the landscape kinda meh.

imo the lens is letting you down.

[twitch]

The one of the meter I think is fine. I posted it for kh1234567890 to show that I don"t think the focus calibration is off.

Twitch, I see you own the 55-300. Like it? If I keep the Kr was thinking of getting it for extra reach.

Yes it's a very good consumer zoom, but realistically it would be a "small" improvement on the 18-135. My DA*50-135 is sharper (as it should be for the cost), but to my eyes the 55-300 is acceptable given it's reach.

[New Englander]

Eastern side of Lake Winnipesaukee. Just about mid-state. Your offer is very generous but quite far for me.
Have some time off end of May so you may hear from me......

[Alizarine]

The meter shot looks good enough, the landscape, sharp enough for web viewing, in my opinion (not much a pixel peeper here...)

btw New Englander, do you use Auto AF points or just center-focus?

[New Englander]

Mostly center point.

[kenafein]

Kind of unethical to dump a camera on the market if you think it is defective unless, of course, you mention it up front. I'm glad you are giving it another go. Flash, higher iso or a faster lens should help you bolster that shutter speed.

[JohnBee]

The mushroom shot is as taken out of the camera in jpeg, no tweaking. Perhaps the lens sucks at longer than 50mm and is
only best used 18-50?

Look at the areas of focus on the ground.

[Alizarine]

Hmm I see... from there, yes I agree something must be off with the lens, at least with shots in relation to big DoF. Your earlier shot of the mushroom will look OK to most people. The landscapes are where the problem becomes more pronounced.

[JohnBee]

The landscapes are where the problem becomes more pronounced.

That's a valid point.
As a long time landscape shooter, I'd like to offer a few recommendations that maybe helpful.

1. Get a prime with a good resolution score - I prefer a 35mm though many people do very well with other focal lengths(it's really up to you). Though you'll be better off with a lens that can deliver at higher aperture values such as 11-16.
2. Calibrate your equipment. - I know this may sound tedious to many people but if you're going for detail then the best place to start would be at the source. Most camera's are all off to some degree on the microadjustment stage of things which can add a layer of difficulties in landscape photography.
3. Avoid shutter blur. - Forget SR if your going for clean crisp shots. Get a good head on a HD tripod and stop worrying about shutter blur and vibrations. And most of all, mirror-up!
4. And finally, keep that ISO as far down as possible and Shoot RAW!

I could write more but these were the things that stood-out the most.

Hope this helps.
~JohnBee

[kh1234567890]

Ok, so your camera can focus well. Once more : without access to 'as shot' image file complete with EXIF information no-one on this forum will be able to help you. All you'll get is speculation and old wives' tales.

Just one more stupid question : You are saving the shots as something sensible, not as for example 2M one star jpegs ?

[New Englander]

12mp, 3 star.
Have tried some RAW shots, then taken a jpeg immediately afterwards with no discernible differences.

[geru2000]

Eastern side of Lake Winnipesaukee. Just about mid-state. Your offer is very generous but quite far for me.
Have some time off end of May so you may hear from me......

Spent many a summer day on lake Winnipesaukee fishing and swimming. My Grandfather lived in Meridith, love the area.

[geru2000]

12mp, 3 star.
Have tried some RAW shots, then taken a jpeg immediately afterwards with no discernible differences.

With the exception of the Mushroom shot I see nothing that jumps out indicating a lens or even a camera focus problem and
without the Exif data the mushroom shot can't be diagnosed.

What I see is an inexperienced photographer going through the growing pains of photography. We all do it,
I certainly did. I could take 200 photos and after culling the out of focus, horribly exposed, missed framing, on & on,
I'd literally end up with maybe 20 or 30 so-so shots and one or five good ones.
I've thrown away whole folders of bad shots in the beginning.

If you're shooting in P mode I'd suggest shooting in either Tv or Av depending on whether depth of field is important.
Try keeping your Aperture between F5.6 and F8 these are the sweet spots for most lenses and try to keep shutter
speed @ no less than 100 to avoid shake. There are times when these numbers become impractical such as in bright
sun or in poorly lighted buildings. One other suggestion is to turn off auto ISO use this function in areas that aren't well lit
and set the maximum to an ISO that produces an acceptable (for you) level of noise and keeps your shutter speed above 60
at 60 and below the camera needs to be on a tripod. most people can't hold the camera steady enough to avoid shake blur.

Above all shoot tons of photos even if it's photographing nothing more than a pair of sneakers. The more photos you take the
better you'll get. When I first started shooting I'd watch TV and shoot sneakers at the same time , really.

[New Englander]

Here's the pic and exif data on the mushroom pic mentioned in an earlier reply.

exif data is iso 400 / 78mm / f/7.1 / shutter 1/80. Handheld as I couldn't use a tripod because
the mushroom was only about 2" high.
As I mentioned earlier, close ups are pretty good, it's getting mid-range and towards the long end things
get bad.

[JohnBee]

I couldn't use a tripod because the mushroom was only about 2" high.