Subject is blurry while the background is clear

hatgirlhatgirl
edited May 2012 Posted in » Nikon D3100 Forum
I'm having issues with my subject being out of focus, while the background is clear? What am I doing wrong? I seem to have this often, even in bright daylight. I currently only shoot with the kit lens. Thanks!

Comments

  • timthetortoisetimthetortoise
    edited May 2012
    Make sure you have auto-focus enabled. If it's enabled, set your mode to single point and make sure your focus dot (the one that turns red on a half press) is on your intended subject.
  • MooseMoose
    Howdy @hatgirl - As @timthetortoise mentioned, the issue could be tied to the A/M switch on your lens and your AF-Area mode. Ensure the switch on your lens is in the 'A' position. In addition to that, set the AF-Area mode to Single-point AF (refer to page 58 of the D3100 manual).

    With these settings in place, half press to focus on your subject, confirm the subject is in focus and then fully press the shutter. Happy shooting! :)
  • hatgirlhatgirl
    okay, I've got all that already. I wasn't really paying attention to where the red dot was and that point helped out but is there any reason the red dot is off to the right?
  • PoolkasPoolkas
    Yes there is a reason why the red dot is off to the right. See the little grid to the bottom left of the LCD? This shows where the red dot is pointing. Now look at the button on the right of the LCD. Round that is a circle. Try pressing the left side of the circle, the right, the top. The point on the little grid will move around. So if while taking a shot you accidentally nudge the circle with the base of your thumb you will inadvertantly shift the focus point. This can happen in several but not all shooting modes eg A S, Sports, Macro. Have a go.
  • jldoodyjldoody
    THANK YOU!!! I've had my camera for about a month and use it to take photo's for my son's baseball team and the focus point had been driving me crazy and I couldn't figure out how it was changing. I should be able to save a ton of time by not having to crop the pics when I download them on my mac! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
  • PhotosbyjojoPhotosbyjojo
    edited July 2012
    Great info! I wasn't paying attention to that either. Thanks for the tips.
Sign In or Register to comment.