More real world photos showing back focusing problem with 100% crops

Is it really that much trouble to use AF fine tune?

Because the D4 uses the same focus module as the D800. So, the D4 should be having back focus issues too. Unless it is software related..... But like the previous poster, use AF fine tune!
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I would like to see you do a more controlled test with a focus apparatus like a ruler and some parallel flat targets, not dimensional targets and then report your findings with your camera to see if is actually the same problem as the others have reported.

Also, where are you located? Did you get a unit out of an Asia batch?

Todd Hargis said:

Because the D4 uses the same focus module as the D800. So, the D4 should be having back focus issues too. Unless it is software related..... But like the previous poster, use AF fine tune!

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It could be an alignment issue, meaning that the module is improperly installed which could easily be an issue specific to D800 assembly.

Also, since the focus is not consistent between the left sensor and the middle sensor, fine-tuning the AF would not help at all.

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Steve

shzygjrmdwg said:

lordbeau said:

Not quite sure whether you're saying you have fine-tuned your lenses or not. I'd be very interested to see results at defaults - no lenses fine-tuned at all. I once set about fine-tuning lenses with my D700 and thought I had made a huge difference but at the end of the day I had made things worse and put everything back to 0. Things improved then!

I'm not saying your camera doesn't have a problem. I don't have the money for a D800 so am fairly neutral on any apparent issues at the moment.

I can sympathise with your frustration but give things a chance before you become stressed.

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To be clear I have fine-tuned my lenses. The centre-focus is sharp and accurate, 99% of the time. I also have some images taken with the 24-70 f/2.8G, which also exhibit back-focusing, but less often and not to the same degree. Overall I do believe there's something wrong with my body. I have used a D200 for over 5 years with half a dozen lenses, only one back focuses and I confirmed that it was a lens problem with another body, so I know when I see (and experience) back focus.

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If the lense has a back focus problem then you will have noticed this problem in all your images. Therefore the back focus problem is ALWAYS a problem... It does not become more often or less often.

If you experience this problem occasionally then that means that you don't have a back focus problem, but a problem with the technique that you use for focusing.

I really should've made it clear in my initial post that I have already fine-tuned my lenses, people are not reading the later posts...why DP doesn't allow me to edit my post the second time?

Another reason I am not blaming fine tuning is that this doesn't occur all the time. It happens occasionally, but frequently enough for it to be a problem. I was never a pixel creeper before with my D200, and I would rarely zoom in after taking a shot when reviewing a photo, because I was so confident that the camera was in focus, and over 99% of the time I was right. Now every time I take a shot I am compelled to zoom in 100% and see if it's in focus, and about 30% of the time it's out of focus. It's really frustrating. I am quite certain if I do a controlled test using alignment instrument it would yield the same result, but at the end of day photography is not about taking pictures of circles and thin lines. I simply wish my D800 to perform consistently.

Anyways, I bought the unit in the US, serial #3002xxx. However I do live in Canada, so it will be a pain in the ass to send it back.

Zoran K said:

If the lense has a back focus problem then you will have noticed this problem in all your images. Therefore the back focus problem is ALWAYS a problem... It does not become more often or less often.

If you experience this problem occasionally then that means that you don't have a back focus problem, but a problem with the technique that you use for focusing.

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Besides putting the focus dot over the subject that I wish to focus on, and making sure that it's contrasty enough for focus to lock, I don't know what other focus techniques I can use to improve my focus. I always press the shutter half-way 2~3 times to gradually lock focus, and I always make sure the green dot is on. And of course all my in-camera settings are correct.

I admit that I am no where near a pro and my photos don't look good, but I simply wish to have a camera with consistent performance across the board.

Since it doesn't happen all the time, you're likely to be blamed for the OOF shots. Just a warning, haha! So get ready!

Shooting wide open with the D800 is going to present more of a challenge than a D700, no doubt, but any steady hand should do. Like I said, in my tests, I shot at 1/60 to see how susceptible the camera was to shake, and I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.

I would encourage you to do more tests, why not, you have the camera, which is an achievement by itself. If there's a chance you're not remaining steady wouldn't you be relieved to discover there was nothing wrong with the camera? Really wish the best of luck!

These shots are not wide open, they are stopped down to f/2 or f/2.8.

I think you people are misunderstanding him. He is just trying to help the troves of idiots that, after they read some guy's blog that says they have a problem, go out and incorrectly reproduce the problem. Don't shoot the messenger. Maybe the OP has a problem, maybe he doesn't. It's clear he can't figure out how to reliably test for it.

Sorry to see your AF troubles. Hopefully Nikon will come up with a solution for those D800's with faulty AF sensors.

If you are in "auto" autofocus mode and not single/3d/etc..., then it may be trying to track a subject and shift focus points while you are pressing the shutter button from even the most tiny of movements. It does this incredibly quick and can be hard to notice. Auto mode cannot read minds...if it is not accurate for the situation use single point/9 point AF.

shzygjrmdwg said:

this doesn't occur all the time. It happens occasionally, but frequently enough for it to be a problem.

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The likely cause is poor selecting of AF targets when it fails - this guidance is in the D800 instruction manual
https://nikoneurope-en.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/4585

--
Leonard Shepherd

Photography could be easier - if cameras and lenses came with an increase in skill button.

reginalddwight said:

Sorry to see your AF troubles.

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Are you sure there are AF troubles - due to equipment failure?

Based on the variability of poor results the likely problem is not paying enough attention to following Nikon's user guidance when using a 36 MP camera.
--
Leonard Shepherd

Photography could be easier - if cameras and lenses came with an increase in skill button.

I dunno, the shot of the girl on a bench looks more like camera shake than being out of focus and those first lot of samples are at f2. Not shot at terribly slow shutter speeds but they are below 1/500th of a second which could explain at least part of it.

I did see a blurb about the D800 saying that the higher MP sensor can be more prone to camera shake if shot slower than 1/500th, i.e. the camera has to more steady when shooting.

I'd rather see more samples at faster shutter speeds and single point focusing before saying that there's definitely a problem.

Not saying that there isn't a problem, just saying that I can't judge from here with the samples already posted. Obviously there's something funny going on to produce shots like that.
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I purchase the D300 when it was first released, I had the same problem with back focus and I use the in camera fine tune to make adjustments but it just was not enough. Finally after two 1/2 years I took it to a Nikon Authorized Repair Station and the camera works great and needs no af fine tune in camera.
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Leonard Shepherd said:

reginalddwight said:

Sorry to see your AF troubles.

Click to expand...

Are you sure there are AF troubles - due to equipment failure?

Based on the variability of poor results the likely problem is not paying enough attention to following Nikon's user guidance when using a 36 MP camera.

Click to expand...

While AF inaccuracy reported by some D800 users may be due to user error, one cannot know with certainty the corollary is unfounded. Equipment failure with production defects are virtually inevitable.

for anyone who's interested, Nikon has identified this as a hardware failure that needs adjustment and/or possible repair; I am sending it in next week.