Focus not sharp

You did not say which lens or lenses you are using, but most auto-focus lenses have a switch for selecting manual or auto-focus. First, check your camera's menu settings to make sure auto-focus is enabled and then your lens to make sure you did not accidently leave it in the manual focus position? If it is in the auto-focus position and still not taking sharp pictures, switch it to manual and see if you can get it to focus correctly. It is also possible that your auto-focus alignment is out because your camera was bumped, jolted or dropped. If realignment is necessary, you can send the camera and lens to Nikon for repair or find a knowledgeable camera repairman.

Turn on auto focus and when you are taking a shot let Auto-Focus adjust the blurry image in the viewfinder beforeyou take a shot. If you do not know how to do it please let me know and I will give you detailed instructions.

Sai.

Okay looking at the back of the camera where the viewfinder eye piece is right side upper corner you will see a small wheel partially covered by the rubber rim of the viewfinder by the side of it you will see a small line with a + and - that is a diopter that actually tunes the camera viewfinder to your shooting eye. Pretty fancy eh? Anyway what I do is set the camera in auto focus and focus on an object in a brightly lit room and when the little green light come on in the lower right corner of the viewfinder which is the auto focus confirmation light start turning this wheel one way and another until the image you see come into sharp focus. I don't know about you but I need about three clicks to the + side before everything looks sharp.

you could be doing nothing wrong, These cameras have auto focus and when there pas there prime, you need to get them fixed basically.

If the output is out of focus more then likely the auto focus is your issue.

Hope this does help, would be considerate if you do leave a rating or feedback before you go, Thanks

Btw, I’m available to help over the phone in case u need at https://www.6ya.com/expert/edwy_1a56970cf1ea4620

This may sound silly, but make sure that you haven't put the camera into manual mode. There is a switch on the outside if I remember this model correctly.

Check to see if the motor is trying to focus by placing your hand over the focus sensor and then releaseing your hand with the camera next to your ear. If the auto focus motor is trying to focus the lens, you should hear the motor. If you hear nothing, then either the motor is bad, the focus ring is stuck, or the motor driver IC is defective. If any of these is the problem, the camera will require professional service. This is not a DIY repair.

Dan

This camera is ancient by today's standards, at least 8 years old.

Your focus problem is that the back display is very low resolution, so it will never show a sharp image. 9MP should give a decent image when you view it on a computer. If not, you probably need to part with the camera. it is not worth much these days anyway.

Set focus on manual and see if the jumping stops. If it does, check to make sure there is nothing which could obstruct the auto-focus when your filming i.e. your finger, the camera strap, etc.

I don't know about any misaligned focus feature on the D80. Have you checked to see what focusing mode you are using, ie. single auto focus, closest subject, or wide area focus. Closest subject can really throw off your focus. I would switch to single auto focus mode. Another reason for poor focus would be dust on the auto focus sensor which is located under the mirror box.

Check on the focus mode, if it's not a mechanical problem, I'd be willing to bet that's what it is.

Hi, there are many reasons why a camera may produce less then sharp pictures.

1) Dirty, oily or damaged lens: Check for dust and fingerprints.
Clean lenses with extreme caution, using dry lens paper.
Use only minimal pressure and gently wipe from the center
outwards, NEVER in circles.

If the lens is really dirty, ask a professional photo dealer to
clean it for you as a free courtesy.

2) Check to see if the auto-focus is working correctly, this could
be an electronic or mechanical problem requiring servicing.
Focus the camera on sharp image at various distances,
to see if it responds by moving the lens.

3) Can you focus the camera manually?

4) Can you focus by moving the camera back and forth
in regards to the object of interest?

5) Is the auto-focus feature somehow disabled in the menus ?

6) Are the batteries up to snuff, they may be strong enough to
turn on the camera, but too weak to move the focus motor.

7) Is the subject you are trying to focus on out of the
focus range of the lens: i.e. too close ?

8) Is the subject you are focusing on too bland, with insufficient
detail to activate and lock the auto-focus.

9) Do you have enough light for the auto-focus to operate.

10) Does the flash unit project an red pattern to help with
focusing.

11) Are you mistaking sharpness (focus) for depth of field.
In low light conditions, the lens iris opens wide, just
like your eye, to let more light in.

This results in a loss of focussed depth of field. This
means that focusing becomes much more sensitive
and critical, such that (when) the main subject is in focus,
everything behind and in front of the subject is not.

This is a theoretical limitation of all optical lenses:
The greater the focal length and the greater the aperture,
the shorter the depth of field.

This can actually be very beneficial when shooting a
portrait: Focus on the eyebrows, blur the background,

or it can be very detrimental: When trying to magnify
a butterfly on a tulip in low light conditions, getting
everything in focus is impossible.

12) Are you mistaking motion blur with lack of focus,
due to slow shutter speeds.

13) Are you shooting in very low light conditions,
causing the picture to become more noisy,
due to the way the digital camera sensor works.

14) I you come up empty on all these suggestions,
you probably have a defective camera and it is
warranty time:

a) Defective electronics
b) Defective auto-focus mechanism
c) Defective lens, loose internal elements
d) Detached sensor chip
.... etc

Try to isolate the problem. Try to manually and
automatically focus on a wide range of subjects,
at various distances, in bright daylight conditions.

If you are still unable to focus the camera,
it is probably defective and requires replacement
or servicing

BTW
Quick review of the internet, indicates that
this particular model is notorious for high battery drain
and battery connection problems. This may be the cause
of poor auto focus as indicated above.

Also this camera has insufficient internal memory, and
and an add-on memory card is required. It is possible
that without the memory card, the camera is defaulting
to a very low pixel resolution, in order to save memory
space, thus creating the appearance of poor focus.

The nominal resolution of the camera = 7.2 Mega Pixels
is respectable for such a low cost camera, but the
reliability reviews are not good.

Martin

Well, if EVERYTHING'S unsharp, it's camera movement. If it's the subject that's unsharp (and flash wasn't needed) it's subject movement, or else your camera is set for manual focus and isn't focused at the right point. Set the flash for AUTO, so it'll go off if needed. Set the focus for AUTO to make sure the main subject will be sharp (with people and animals, if the eyes are sharp, everything will look sharp). While I'm at it, some conditions will fool an autofocus sensor, like shooting through glass or at a subject with no features, like a plain white cloth, for instance. Some cameras have a "focus lock" feature where you can choose what you want to be sharp, hold THAT, and reframe before shooting. Your manual will have specifics on features. If none of the above work, it's probably time to have it serviced (if its worth more than, say US$150 or so).