Has anyone got a cure for Nikon Softness, I noticed Canon pics are sharper

I wish, I got it as a gift and my husband bought it locally from best buy, but he lost the receipt when I asked him for it to register it for the warranty, so I am screwed. After fighting with this issue over the year, I am done with Nikon. Seems most people who use it or see the pics either suggest that I buy a lens that is over 1000.00 to TRY and see if that will help or say that THEIR much more expensive Nikon works just fine and I need a better body. My old D40X was much better and more crisp. This one takes hours to edit the pics so they are presentable and it seems that they look better after that but still are not really in focus. I recently submitted some photos on-line and it seemed to be in focus although had the soft look that I speak of, all I got was a rejection saying it is not in focus. I NOW hate Nikon. I go pick up my daughter's lower priced Canon T2 and use it even on automatic mode and the pictures are sharp and beautiful. I can't even unload this camera for 425.00 and it is in pristine shape, have never gotten wet or been dropped and has been well cared for. And with no warranty it would cost me half the price of the canon that she has just to get back something that may or may not ever get crisp pictures. I have looked at Nikon D5000 samples on other sites and they all look fuzzy around the edges (or soft) not crisp, I always have to boost the color and contrast too of most things I take. and i have the most colorful setting on in the camera but I have used others also I still have to add. I think it would be better off thrown in the trash than to give this POS to another photographer who would probably hate it too,

No solution I guess either the model stinks or Nikon has gave up on quality for their under 1000.00 lower end cameras.
I got it as a gift and my husband bought it locally from best buy, but he lost the receipt when I asked him for it to register it for the warranty, so I am screwed. After fighting with this issue over the year, I am done with Nikon. Seems most people who use it or see the pics either suggest that I buy a lens that is over 1000.00 to TRY and see if that will help or say that THEIR much more expensive Nikon works just fine and I need a better body. My old D40X was much better and more crisp. This one takes hours to edit the pics so they are presentable and it seems that they look better after that but still are not really in focus. I recently submitted some photos on-line and it seemed to be in focus although had the soft look that I speak of, all I got was a rejection saying it is not in focus. I NOW hate Nikon. I go pick up my daughter's lower priced Canon T2 and use it even on automatic mode and the pictures are sharp and beautiful. I can't even unload this camera for 425.00 and it is in pristine shape, have never gotten wet or been dropped and has been well cared for. And with no warranty it would cost me half the price of the canon that she has just to get back something that may or may not ever get crisp pictures. I have looked at Nikon D5000 samples on other sites and they all look fuzzy around the edges (or soft) not crisp, I always have to boost the color and contrast too of most things I take. and i have the most colorful setting on in the camera but I have used others also I still have to add. I think it would be better off thrown in the trash than to give this POS to another photographer who would probably hate it too,

Your story is very similar to a friend of mine. Except he was mad at Canon, and switched to Nikon.

I always have to boost the color and contrast too of most things I take. and i have the most colorful setting on in the camera but I have used others also I still have to add.

I like to use the in-camera picture controls myself (making me an outcast). This was a key reason for my switch from Sony DSLR to Canon. Canon beats Sony on saturation. I think Canon also has an edge for this over Nikon, but it's a very thin edge, not so big a gap as with Sony. Also, that has nothing to do with focus, sounds like you got a duff lens. Which can also happen with the cheaper Canons.

no help Kelly

I think it must be a setting problem or a lens problem. If you're seeing "fuzzy around the edges" this is probably due to a cheap lens or the edges not being within the DOF.

If the pictures are generally "soft" then you probably have your sharpness turned down (if shooting jpeg) or you have forgotten to sharpen the RAW files. Most likely too your daughters camera is shooting in jpeg and has the sharpness turned up more by default.

Honestly I've never heard one person complain about the D5000 and softness (apart from on this thread). I can't even find complaints looking at google.

No offence, but it's probably user error.

You don't say what lenses you are using & it would help to link to a photo with EXIF data to see what settings as well just to be certain it is a focus issue & not diffraction or something else.

oops

I have used the kit lens that comes with the camera, I use a af 18-135 most of the time and it was good with my D40X so were my other lenses ( ALL NIKON) ( I have sold the rest already) I used both VR and non VR and even gotten the same problems with it on a tripod.
I took my camera and My daughters Canon T2 even out them both on automatic and took a pic at the same time in the same room with the same light and viewpoint. Hers was much crisper. I keep my lens clean and even took off the clear filter I used to see if that was it. NOT. I don't know what to say, I got everything brand new too.

reply to stealthy ninja:
I just posted another reply so I hate to be redundant, sorry if i am. I used several different all new all Nikon lenses, both VR and non VR and don't notice the difference with any lens. That woule be a better and cheaper fix and I would love to keep the camera if the lens were the only problem (The menus on the D5000 are a pain compared to the other cameras and probably why they discontinued these models, I know they had a huge recall but my serial number wasn't part of it) I think it is just this specific model. I have handed it to other Nikon users during a shoot and they said mine was a pain in the A&& and I needed to get something else. I agree.
I do shoot jpeg most of the time and did the same with the clearer D40X, I am have seen a few other people shoot NIKON but it's always HIGH PRICED cameras, high end lenses thousands more that get the sharper pics, all these under 1000 bucks and their sample pics do not impress me.
I get told by people all the time, if you wanna take good pics then you have to buy the expensive Nikon equipment and it is funny that the Cheaper canon pics look just like the expensive Nikons so as I see it for those of us on a budget get crap from Nikon but Canon sees the light and understands why someone would buy a DSLR. I know die hard Nikon fans hate to hear this but I was one since 1985 and would own nothing else. NOW It's different, they only care about the quality in the high end cameras and lower the prices of their JUNK for us budget users.
For 6 months I was convinced it was user error, It had to be, after all this i a NIKON. but after combing the internet and all the forums including this one and using all their suggestions, changing settings, different lenses, manual verses auto focus, Lower ISO, VR verses non VR. Nothing has helped. and my old DSLR was not that complicated. And it is funny that it has less megapixels than this one but was sharper and is still worth about the same or more in resale than this one and cost less brand new.
I will only say I felt the Canon and it feels light and cheap and I know Nikon is very durable. I see more repairs for Canon than Nikon which kept me from buying canon, but in the end, when you do so much work to set up a shoot or get models to shoot and then produce substandard pictures that you have to spend hours editing just so you can give them something that doesn't stink. I feel that Canon does a better job. I just put this out there hoping that the few people that have had my problem ( and I have seen similar things in a few other forums)somehow got it fixed and can tell me what it is, so I don't have to buy a new camera that might break easier) But so far none of the suggestions have helped. Thanks everyone for the input though, it can't hurt to try and you never know if your suggestion could be the one small thing that I need.

Here are a couple straight from my card ( only rotated) with the uploads being so small in size the others are harder to pinpoint the problem. It always appears clear in the viewfinder but when you zoom in to a point, it's not. seems worse with low light or high contrast pictures too.
You may not see it in these small pics if anyone wants a direct email let me know.

Since there isn't EXIF data, it's hard to be certain, but I detect motion blur in the 3rd pic (look at the white flowers) which means too slow a shutter speed. Do you perchance know how to access the EXIF data to find the shutter speed , aperture & focal length settings you used ?

Here is a cropped pic of the same girl at the same shoot that my friend tool with his canon on AUTOMATIC mode

What lens & settings was he using?

Interesting comparison of the Nikon vs Canon shot of the eyes. Clearly these cameras were shooting at different settings. The differences seen are too great to be the fault of the lens, or the camera for that matter. Both appear to be flash shots? The Nikon flash seems stronger. Your Canon shooter may have dialed back the strength of his flash. The Canon shot has milder contrast and stronger saturation, which is to be expected if the Picture Style setting is on Portrait. Dunno just what the Picture Control setting for the Nikon shot was, but it sure wasn't Portrait!!!

If both cameras were in their Auto modes, then this is a greater difference than I would expect to see. Unless either (or both?) camera was set for the new Intelligent type Auto mode. But I'm positive the difference is settings, not the lens.

Kelly

This is why i will only buy canon products i personally dont like what nikon has to offer