[Bob in St. Louis]

Hey all,
I'm (quite) the novice photographer. That being said, when I get a bad batch of shots, I generally chalk it up to the idiot banging on the shutter button (me).
Problem is, I've been getting a lot of bad ones recently, and I think I got a strong clue recently.
I shot this pic the other day. The four of us are all on the same plane. Meaning that no one is closer to the camera than anybody else.
Notice the two gals are fuzzy? The image in clearer the further to the left it is.

I have three lenses for two different Nikon DSLR bodies. The lens I used on this photo is the newest lens, a 18-55 VR lens. I noticed that the (pardon my lack of proper nomenclature) end of the lens, the part that extends as you zoom in and out has the ability rock back and forth and has a dent in the end of it.

I checked my other two lenses, and they all have the same lack of solidity, but this VR lens is the worst one. I've been thinking my pics have been crappy for some time now, and think it's because all my lenses are broken.

Is this repairable? Or are lenses suppose to have movement and I truly am a crappy photographer? 

Thanks all!
Bob

[thunderbrick]

Bob, to use an automotive term, your lens is out of alignment.  That dent indicates the lens elements are no longer parallel to the sensor, and is, unfortunately, fatal.  Probably been dropped or had something dropped on it.  Just as easy to replace it.

In your posted sample shot several things are combined to make it more noticeable.  Low light (wider aperture) means not much depth of field/area of focus, so the  problem is more obvious. 
The distance to the subjects is relatively close, which further exacerbates the problem.  If you shot a distant scene on a bright sunny day the problem may not be so bad, as a small aperture might mask the issue.

And NEVER, EVER put the ugly subject closest to the camera!!!!  Women belong in the foreground for a REASON!!!!

Edit:  Try this test.......put your camera body in a tripod and focus on a flat scene in your home.  Make sure the camera is level and parallel to the scene (a sheet of pegboard will do nicely), and take a series of shots using all three of your lenses.  Odds are the 18-55 is the only one with the problem.

[low.pfile]

Bob,
Thunderbrick's advise is good...you need to test the lens. you are fortunate enough to have two bodies and a few lenses. Even if you do not have a tripod, you can use the self-timer. but you need to try this without the jumpy variable [named Bob], so having a fixed camera is ideal. you should shoot on Manual once you establish the right exposure.

Just shoot your kitchen or bathroom tile, garage door or anything that has a good amount of detail and contrast. you can find test images to download and shoot.

because your 18-55 is a VR I do wonder if you had VR activated because that type of blur on the right side of your sample image is confusing. it looks like motion blur caused by camera movement. but if VR was on it should be minimized. maybe it was worse and VR actually corrected SOME of it?

[low.pfile]

...lenses do have a bit of play. even my $1800 zooms do. but it is all relevant to the user. if you are an engineer you notice every .25mm.

[thunderbrick]

Just shoot your kitchen or bathroom tile, garage door or anything that has a good amount of detail and contrast. you can find test images to download and shoot.

What he said.   

I do think it's a bent lens.  Look at the trees in the background.  All of them should be equally out of focus, but on the right side they are much softer.  That's more evidence of a problem.

[Bob in St. Louis]

Well first off, thank you guys very much for the advice.

That's not good news, but it's what I expected. It's a shame, because the VR isn't very old. 
Today, I'll venture outside and take some pictures of vinyl siding and see what happens.

Anybody interested in seeing a half dozen pictures of my siding?    ......   

Bob

[Guy 13]

Well first off, thank you guys very much for the advice.

That's not good news, but it's what I expected. It's a shame, because the VR isn't very old. 
Today, I'll venture outside and take some pictures of vinyl siding and see what happens.

Anybody interested in seeing a half dozen pictures of my siding?    ......   

Bob

Why not ?

[JohnR]

Ouch.

Hey, I know someone selling a nice 60mm portrait lens.... 

[Bob in St. Louis]

Hhmm.....I might have to take that "someone" up on that offer.
Would that "someone" be in OZ? 

[JohnR]

Yeah. Might be a bit long for that shot actually... was that on a tripod?

[Bob in St. Louis]

Yes, that was on a tripod. Maybe three or four meters away.

[JohnR]

Hm.

What are your other lenses?

[jtwrace]

Ouch.

Hey, I know someone selling a nice 60mm portrait lens.... 

Nikon brand? 

[Bob in St. Louis]

- DX AF-S 18-55 1:3.5-5.6 G VR (pictured above)
- DX AF-S 18-55 1:3.5-5.6 GII ED
- DX AF-S 55-200 1:4-5.6 G ED

Regarding the earlier comment about the VR being on or off for the photo posted, it was turned on, and it was on a tripod.

Soon I'll take the toys outside. I think the concrete wall is the largest flat, unobstructed surface I have.

Bob

[Bob in St. Louis]

Well....
I'm thinking my choice of subjects wasn't as good/helpful as I could have found.
The concrete looks "soft" everywhere.

"AUTO" settings on. Flash on. Used tripod. 'VR' on. Used timer to eliminate shake.

They don't do anything for me. Maybe one of your trained eyes can find something useful here.
Let me know if I need to try something else.

18-55 VR tight;


18-55 VR wide;


18-55 tight;


18-55 wide;


55-200 tight;


55-200 wide;

[JohnR]

I believe you're supposed to have VR turned off when using a tripod - ?

[Bob in St. Louis]

Oh....  I didn't know that.   

Do those pics do anything with regard to the possible mis-alignment, or should I go find a better subject?
(with the VR off)

Bob

[thunderbrick]

C'mon, Bob. you promised us VINYL SIDING photos!   

First, turn the flash off and put the beer down.   

Maybe put the camera in aperture priority and run through the f-stop settings and don't worry about shutter speed.  Tripod, self timer, etc.  Make SURE the back of the camera is perfectly parallel to the wall you are shooting.  If not, the test doesn't work

Pick a contrasty subject in sunlight so you see the sharp shadows on the siding lines.  The concrete has way too much detail and the lighting is so flat nothing jumps out at you as good or bad.  Maybe try a brick wall?

See if that helps.   

[Bob in St. Louis]

First off, the only "brick wall" I know of, is your head. 

Good point about the flash. That was really dumb. 

Ok fine....I'll give you some juicy vinyl siding porn. Give me a few minutes.

Bob

p.s. Oh....and the beer stays.

[Bob in St. Louis]

Waste of time....be right back.