I have my d70s for 5 mos now and this is the only lens that I have. I noticed that for every shoot that I make, I always need to post-process my pix using the sharpness mode of the nikon software. for those who have this lens, do you do the same? I haven't tried to use other lens, hence not sure if lack of sharpness is caused by my lens or my cam.

Could be the lens, could be the cam, could be you.

Assuming the lens and the camera aren't defective, I'd check:

1. what shutter speed were you shooting at?
2. what focal length were you shooting at?
3. what focusing mode did you use?
4. was the subject stationary?
5. how did you judge 'sharpness' - pixel-peeping via a 1:1 crop on your screen or subjective judgement on a print?

Do provide more details so we can help you assess sharpness. Sharpness can also be affected by image contrast, so do share your pic.

I agree with Jerry. It could be a variety of factor. Sharing a photo would help us understand what you perceive to be lack of sharpness.

I had that kit lens and thought they were pretty sharp.

same here it is a very sharp lens, check mo din sa menu, baka naka soft ang setting or vivid . . . :)

I have this lens and its sharp but there are copies out there that lemons too.

Mine is pretty sharp for a kit too :) f8 to f11 is the sweet spot right?

I recommend that, make a variety of shot using different f/ stop.., i read some article that some lens you need to discover by "your self" the best f stop that lens can deliver a very sharp picture, I discover on some of my lenses cannot give me sharp image in very big Aperture (means f/smallest number), sometimes ineedtostep down one or two..

It's just my two cents:)

i had the same issues for all lenses in general. several factors affect sharpness other than the lens. having a d70s (my first dlsr), i discovered that my primary problem was poor white balance setting. i normally shot in "automatic" white balance mode which generally rendered the photo good, but fuzzy. setting the proper white balance rendered better colors (better acuity or better color separation) which produced a sharper picture. the other things you can check are - setting enhancements to "sharper", turning off the noise reduction, or limiting your f-stops in the mid levels (8-15) whn you take photos.

you can also double check with a friend if your photos are likewise under or overexposed - since these also affect the sharpness and the color. here, you just need to tweak the compensation. make sure white is white (not grey). Even with matrix metering, the camera can be tricked by a predominatly light subject to make a white wall turn grey. In the same light, the camera can turn a black to dark grey.

And lastly, the culprit could actually be your PC/notebook monitor. Check you photos using a new PC or notebook. Baka ok naman. Some photo editing sofwares help tweak monitors to help produce the real colors of the photos.

i had this lens for some time now.. it is a sharp lens.. better than 18-135 and 24-85.. and 18-55 :D

i had this lens for some time now.. it is a sharp lens.. better than 18-135 and 24-85.. and 18-55 :D

Jerry took the words right off of my mouth. :D hahahahahahaha

Not to mention tough. My kit lens has survived a fire and a drop from about 3ft. Defintely a gem of a keeper. FYI it's the only non-pro lens in Nikon's lineup that has a rubber o-ring for weather/dust sealing. :D

Peace!

Not to mention tough. My kit lens has survived a fire and a drop from about 3ft. Defintely a gem of a keeper. FYI it's the only non-pro lens in Nikon's lineup that has a rubber o-ring for weather/dust sealing. :D

Peace!

I still remember the account on another thread... a real survivor story... galing. :)

ohh, i agree the 18-70 is a real keeper. i dont actually consider it as a "kit lens" as it performs way beyond what we usually see in kit lenses. it would definitely stay in my bag till the price of the 17-55 drops big time:)