Nikon lens problem

[gregj1763]

Hi all,
A friend has been having focus issues with his 18-55mm Nikkor AF-S DX lens on his D7000.
It seems to focus only centre of the image and the image soften badly towards the edges.
I went round today to have a look and took a few test shots to see what was going on.
I'm not a Nikon user and couldn't come up with a solution for him. Is there something in the camera settings that may cause this or is the lens knackered.
The below images are all taken at 1/125 f5/6 iso 100 @ 55mm and the last shot is a comparison image with my camera Sony A65 with a Tamron 18-200mm using the same settings.

This image I used the far right focal point in the viewfinder to focus on the man under the lamp


This one the centre focal point


This one the left focal point


This one the centre focal point with my Sony


In the first three images you can see that regardless of where I'm focusing the only sharp part of the image is in the centre.
He used his 70-200mm lens to take the same shot and they were all tack sharp across the image, so I suspect a lens problem?
Any help would be appreciated.
Cheers, Greg

[Manfred M]

I assume that the autofocus swtiches are on (lens and camera) and that you are using a centre point for focus?

If so, send the lens back to Nikon. Something could be wrong with it. It is the low-end kit lens and does not have a particularly robust build (I've broken one)..

[gregj1763]

I assume that the autofocus swtiches are on (lens and camera) and that you are using a centre point for focus?

Thanks for the reply Manfred, Yes on both points and I tried manual focus as well so I guess I can tell him it's a bin job as the lens would be two to three years old.
I think I will suggest it's time for him to move up to a better quality lens and will have a look at his options. Any suggestions as to what might suit him.
He is mainly taking portrait photo's of work college's, family photo's etc.
Cheers, Greg

[Manfred M]

My wife loves her 18-200mm and rarely shoots anything else. I have the 18-55mm and the 55-200mm and performance wise, I would say that they are on par, but the 18-200mm has a better build quality.

I started buying pro glass so most of my lenses are actually full-frame ones that I bought anticipating that I would go FF (which I did). The f/2.8 24-70mm works beautifully on a crop frame, but is not stabilized, so that might put some folks off (as will the price).

[gregj1763]

Thanks mate, i will look into the lenses you mentioned

[PhotomanJohn]

The f/2.8 24-70mm works beautifully on a crop frame, but is not stabilized, so that might put some folks off (as will the price).

I have the Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 which is stabilized, rated equal to the Nikon lens by DXO and significantly cheaper. I use it on both a D7000 and a D800 and am very pleased with its performance. I would give it a look as well.

John

[gregj1763]

I have the Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 which is stabilized, rated equal to the Nikon lens by DXO and significantly cheaper. I use it on both a D7000 and a D800 and am very pleased with its performance. I would give it a look as well.

John

Thanks John, I have a couple of Tamron lenses myself and have always been pleased with their performance so I will have a look at them as well.

[qbengnpre49]

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