[pschlute]

Shoot RAW and use sharpening... you'll see the difference.

That is not helpful I am afraid. Look at the last image he posted. foreground and background sharp...middle ground unsharp.

Either the lens is faulty, or there is wind in the middleground of his scene, or there is an atmospheric explanation.

[BigMackCam]

The K1 has a shutter shock issue in the 1/60 to 1/200 shutter speed zone. With a long lens and I very much suspect with the 28-105, using a tripod at those shutter speeds without using the LV Electronic shutter, will only make the shake worse.

Whilst I agree with the shutter shock speed range (and, again, this is not uncommon with other cameras at similar - but not necessarily the same - ranges), I'd suggest that shutter shock is most prevalent with wider angle lenses - which would make sense given the focal lengths for these shots. I believe previous reports of shutter shock issues with the K-1 and 28-105 have mostly (all?) been at the wider end.

Either the lens is faulty, or there is wind in the middleground of his scene, or there is an atmospheric explanation.

I'm happy to be corrected on this, but I can't think of a lens fault that would allow a lens to be sharp in the foreground and background but not in between. It has to be wind and/or atmospheric, but - in my view - wind...

[jamespentax]

Thank you all. One more picture which may help to sort it. Please notice the left portion of the picture. I appreciate all of the valuable input received so far.

[pschlute]

Whilst I agree with the shutter shock speed range (and, again, this is not uncommon with other cameras at similar - but not necessarily the same - ranges), I'd suggest that shutter shock is most prevalent with wider angle lenses - which would make sense given the focal lengths for these shots. I believe previous reports of shutter shock issues with the K-1 and 28-105 have mostly (all?) been at the wider end.

At the risk of taking this thread away from its focus, i would just say i dont see shutter shock at all when handheld with any lens ( DA 300; DA 60-250; DFA 24-70; FA; FA LTD; etc).Note I dont have the 28-105mm.
I only see shutter shock on a tripod with a longer lens ...300/60-250.

---------- Post added 10-01-2017 at 10:09 PM ----------

I'm happy to be corrected on this, but I can't think of a lens fault that would allow a lens to be sharp in the foreground and background but not in between

Bit of peanut butter smeared on the glass ?

---------- Post added 10-01-2017 at 10:14 PM ----------

Jamespentax...can you take some pictures of a diffrent scene, say a cityscape that encompasses the same distances. Use a similar f stop but vary the shutter speed to include below 1/30 and above 1/250.

[BigMackCam]

Thank you all. One more picture which may help to sort it. Please notice the left portion of the picture. I appreciate all of the valuable input received so far.

James - if there is blurriness generally on one side (or in one quadrant) of images from a particular lens, it can point to a de-centering issue. However, the other images you've posted don't suggest (to me, at least) that this is a problem. I do see the lack of sharpness you're referring to, but again we have to be able to rule out movement from a breeze in that distant area to the left, since closer parts of the scene seem to be sharp enough - and I don't think we can rule it out. If it were a field curvature issue (one possibility I was considering), I'd expect to see the same effect reflected on the right-hand-side of the image, and I don't. And, as I say, your other images don't show a bias towards the left-hand-side for blur, so I don't think it's de-centering.

To convince yourself that there's no problem (or, alternatively, that there is), you need to shoot some test shots on a very still day, but use a fast shutter speed just in case more distant areas are affected by even slight wind.

[BigMackCam]

Bit of peanut butter smeared on the glass ?

Doh! Of course... you nailed it!

[BigMackCam]

Jamespentax...can you take some pictures of a diffrent scene, say a cityscape that encompasses the same distances.

This is a great idea, since it removes the potential for movement in the subject

[BigMackCam]

James - I'm sure you'll have read this already, but just in case you haven't...

https://www.nikonimgsupport.com/eu/BV_article?articleNo=000006352&configured=1&lang=en_GB

[jamespentax]

Thanks everyone, including BigMackCam, for all of your suggestions. You've given me a lot to digest and discover. What a wonderful forum.

[jpzk]

Looks like it was a windy day?

[Madaboutpix]

I'm viewing this thread on a reasonably serious monitor optimized for image editing and just can't shake the feeling that without high- or even better full-res samples it will be next to impossible to determine the exact cause of the blurriness in the OP's images.

The image display quality offered by sites like SmugMug or Flickr, if you upload full-res JPEGs, may already do the trick.

That said, the factors causing the blurriness, or some combination of them that may be the culprit, will likely have been mentioned by the other posters (my best guess, too, would be wind ruffling the foliage).

One factor that is often underestimated in discussions of this kind is the quality of the light in the scene. Light can go a long way in lending definition to an image, and pixel-peeping sharpness in dull light is somewhat hard to achieve.

[jamespentax]

Sorry, I failed to answer the question regarding wind. These three pictures were taken on 3 different days. I recall wind one of the days but not the others.

[builttospill]

I agree with bickmackcam. A shutter speed of 1/200 is not fast enough to freeze motion, especially in a scene with tall trees exposed to a light breeze.

A shutter speed of 1/500 is the minimum to freeze motion. There are areas in focus in your photos, and areas with a little blur. This solidifies the idea of a requirement for faster shutter speeds.

If this doesn't correct it, and depending on the areas not sharp, I'd stop down a bit and try again. This will tell us if the issue is more serious with the lens.

[Adam]

Wow! I cannot believe the responsiveness on this forum. Thank you all very much. I will attempt to bump my shutter speed above 1/250 when possible. To note, these pictures are taken in raw .pef and are converted via Lightroom to the highest quality .jpg. I had a Nikon d610 before this and did not experience this problem although I did not like the camera itself and therefore traded up for a K1. I've considered getting a prime as well. I just wanted to make sure this wasn't a defective lens/camera and something I should return within the first 30 days.

Another thing, are you applying baseline sharpening? A raw without any sharpening at all will often look pretty soft.

[Na Horuk]

a) I don't think those sample photos are so terrible.
b) Environmental effects. Wind might have been a problem. Feel free to use TAv mode in such situations. The other problems might be haze, condensation, humidity, and diffused light. Diffused light such as on overcast days makes things look softer
c) Did you use 2 sec timer with tripod? This avoids mirror slap and also the shake that happens when you press the shutter button. Using tripod and 2 sec timer will add a lot of sharpness to your photos, if your stance and button-pressing technique are less than perfect.

Shoot RAW and use sharpening... you'll see the difference.

This is a great tip, as well. If you shoot jpeg, you can increase the incamera sharpening and even change its type. If you shoot raw, you can use more advanced sharpening. And adjust things like contrast, clarity, which add to the perception of sharpness.

Remember, sharpness is not just resolution. Other factors can play a big role. Telephoto shots on hazy days will not look as sharp as closeups on bright, sunny days.

I'm happy to be corrected on this, but I can't think of a lens fault that would allow a lens to be sharp in the foreground and background but not in between. It has to be wind and/or atmospheric, but - in my view - wind...

James - if there is blurriness generally on one side (or in one quadrant) of images from a particular lens, it can point to a de-centering issue

I agree with these points, as well. Decentering could be an issue, but I don't think these photos show it.
Sometimes something like a fingerprint smudge on the back lens element can cause odd blur. Or a filter mounted to the lens. Try inspecting the lens, check its aperture lever, check the back element