[HLP] AF Focus Issues?

Carl Feather · May 22, 2003

My problem is that, with a zoom (28-105), the camera gives a different focus on the same object at wide and telephoto settings. The wide focus shots are always off. I don't even try to use manual focus on this camera; it is really unreliable, and the autofocus is close behind.

Carl Feather
Photographer/Writer
Wish I was in West Virginia

jacques · May 22, 2003

Hi Mark,

Do you realy use Tamron 28-300 ?

BTW did you also use it for th efine geese family fotographs ?,

jacques.

GodSpeaks · May 22, 2003

I have had exactly the same problem with my Tamron 28-300. You, like me, 'fixed' the problem by accident.

Actually, the problem is a result of low power levels in your CR123's. When you replaced your batteries, including the CR123's, you now had full power available for the autofocus, and the lens worked correctly. The problem WILL reoccur when the CR123's get low again.

Solution: replace your CR123's on a regular basis or get and use the MB16 battery pack.

Once I realized what the problem was, I opted for the MB16. Now I have an all AA camera (no more CR123's). When I head out for a days shooting, I put 8 freshly charged AA NiMH 2100 mAh batteries into my S2 and no longer have focus problems.

There have also been some threads recently about VR problems with certain VR lenses, also related to low power in the CR123's.

The focus problem you experienced is limited to certain lenses only and not all lenses. It seems that the N80 is not Nikon's best autofocus mechanism and that some lenses put too much of a demand on the autofocus circuit, and if the power level is too low, then the autofocus fails, but not in a manner that causes an ERR message in the camera.

Declan

Mark127996 · May 22, 2003

I do have the lense, its ok, but I will probably sell it soon.

Not sure which photo you are refering to on the geese.

These shots were though:

I still was learning when I took all of these so that is why the second 2 are not as sharp as the first.

jacques said:
Hi Mark,

Do you realy use Tamron 28-300 ?

BTW did you also use it for th efine geese family fotographs ?,

jacques.

--
--
Be friendly to your fellow forum user, prefix your messages:

[PIC] for posting pictures [EQP] for equipment related posts
[LENS] for discussion on lenses [HLP] for when you need help
[ADV] Advice being seeked [CHLG] Challenges, Photo Assignments
[RQST] Requests, favors, etc.
[OPIN] for expressing your opinion, thoughts and Philosophy

Thanks!
Mark

Fuji S2 Pro - Tamron's 19-35, 90 Macro, 28-300 XR and Nikon 70-200VR
S2 Pics @ http://www.kcastronomy.com/FujiS2Pro/Page.html

Mark127996 · May 22, 2003

Manual focus works great for me on all my lenses. The only time I had a problem was when my diopter setting got moved once causing me to poorly manually focus. I am assuming though that this could not be the case since you all sound very expereinced.

The other times I have had focus issues were due to cheap filters, like Hoya and Crystal. Again i am sure that you would take that into account.

I just find it hard to believe that auto would work and manual would have a problem.

Good luck!
Mark

Scott D. Hamilton said:
thanks,
scott

Mark Abraham said:

Maybe they'll find something.

Mark Abraham said:

After I returned from shooting pics today upon checking my images,
I became alarmed because many more than normal seemed out of focus.

I decided to setup a test. Here is what I did:

Tamron Lens - 28-300 AF XR
Laptop, Firewire, Shooting Software, PC Controlled
Tripod, target was a ruler on a slant, tape on target spot
ISO 800, F 6.3, Full Zoom, Flash On
I did not touch the camera, shots were triggered by the PC, Camera
did the focus.

These are the results, resize and cropped, no additional processing.

Thanks!
Mark

Click to expand...

--
--
Be friendly to your fellow forum user, prefix your messages:

[PIC] for posting pictures [EQP] for equipment related
posts
[LENS] for discussion on lenses [HLP] for when you need help
[ADV] Advice being seeked [CHLG] Challenges, Photo Assignments
[RQST] Requests, favors, etc.
[OPIN] for expressing your opinion, thoughts and Philosophy

Thanks!
Mark

Fuji S2 Pro - Tamron's 19-35, 90 Macro, 28-300 XR and Nikon 70-200VR
EverStar Photo Gallery at:
http://www.kcastronomy.com/FujiS2Pro/Page.html

Click to expand...

--
--
Be friendly to your fellow forum user, prefix your messages:

[PIC] for posting pictures [EQP] for equipment related posts
[LENS] for discussion on lenses [HLP] for when you need help
[ADV] Advice being seeked [CHLG] Challenges, Photo Assignments
[RQST] Requests, favors, etc.
[OPIN] for expressing your opinion, thoughts and Philosophy

Thanks!
Mark

Fuji S2 Pro - Tamron's 19-35, 90 Macro, 28-300 XR and Nikon 70-200VR
S2 Pics @ http://www.kcastronomy.com/FujiS2Pro/Page.html

Hugensjr · May 23, 2003

Hi Declan,

I always work with the S2 without the CR-123A's and without the MB-16. The only disadvantage of this is, that I cannot use the built-in flash anymore. Do you think this configuration may also cause focus problems (too less power available for the AF-system)??????

Thanks for any response!

Patrick

Declan said:
........Solution: replace your CR123's on a regular basis or get and use
the MB16 battery pack...........

Mark_A · May 25, 2003

jacques said:
Hi Mark,
Do you realy use Tamron 28-300 ?
BTW did you also use it for th efine geese family fotographs ?,

Hi jacques.

You are confusing us ... Mark Abraham (as in the guy who posted these very sharp pictures in fuji slr) is a different mark abraham to the mark_a who posts mainly quickly taken pictures in samples ... of no where near the sharpness and clarity of his namesake in here

we have spoken ... and I now have the same camera as he ... are not related and I amusingly think he and I and stan .. also an Abraham should form an unrelated family group for some game or other ... it not important only amusing .... grrrr he got my name before I did

for Mark Abraham

Very fine sharp pictures you show here .. I dont know how or why but I rarely get the sharpness and clarity out of my s2 at the moment that you did on this flag picture ... it may partly be because I dont often shoot in good light .. at all good

but I suspect it is because I have a lot of things to learn about which I am presently unsure .... possibly one of them is about the value of a really top image processing software for the web because in print I get sharpness like I never get on screen

fwiw . I read another of your posts .. I am also finding mixed feelings now about the large investment that is the 80-400Vr ..... while it sometimes is stunning ... other times I am left wondering why I get so many failures .... I read a note from derrel in here that low cr123s may be a cause of some .. I really hate that high a level of scrap as it now only happens with this lense on my s2 .. otherwise an amazingly consistent tool .....

--
Mark

Mark127996 · May 25, 2003

Thanks for the nice comments, but I am not sure I am worthy of them.

I have been taking a course and can safely say that my problems are my problems and not the cameras.

You can roughly tell whether your problems with focus are more camera shake than focus by seeing if everything is fuzzy or of some parts of the pic are in focus. Generally shake makes it impossible for any part of the picture to be in focus.

I am impaitent and this is my major downfall in this art form. People who boast that they never use a tripod and get great pics are rare or either too proud or lying (or have used a VR). I plan to use a tripod a lot more now. If possible, I intend to insure my shutter speed is at least equal to the focal length or double if pratical. (Thats how the flag was done BTW and just about any other sharp picture I ever did that was hand held and came out decent)

I think the guy here having problems probably needs to send his body in, because the problem he is having does not seem right. To fix my manual problems I made sure I synced my Diopter with AF and all was well afterwards.

My 70-200 has none of the issues that I had when I breifly used a 400 VR on it. I think they need to update the design on the 400 VR to that used on the 200 VR. I can shoot as many pics on a set of batteries with the VR as I can with any of my other lenses. I always feel disturbed when people say their batteries get eaten up quick when using these lenses. It sounds like something is wrong. I could believe a 25% reduction in battery life, but not a whole lot more. Maybe they leave VR active at all times, I don't.

Anyways, my rant could be summerized as such, you'll generally get out what you put into taking the picture. A tripod is a true pros best friend. Even cheap glass can take great pictures if used correctly. This last one I find is very true of my cheap Tamron 19-35 AF, which as of late has taken some very satisfying pics like this one.

On a final note, I plan on doing a lot more manual focus and setting up for the hyperfocal distance on any landscapes I do, and I will force myself to use a tripod. I figure its hardly worth taking a picture that I want to be great without it!

I don't post messages or pics here much anymore because I am so busy trying to learn how to be better. I find though that a lot of the things a few of the people said here that I ignored or failed to pay attention to properly are very true and thank those folks for their help.

--
Be friendly to your fellow forum user, prefix your messages:

[PIC] for posting pictures [EQP] for equipment related posts
[LENS] for discussion on lenses [HLP] for when you need help
[ADV] Advice being seeked [CHLG] Challenges, Photo Assignments
[RQST] Requests, favors, etc.
[OPIN] for expressing your opinion, thoughts and Philosophy

Thanks!
Mark

Fuji S2 Pro - Tamron's 19-35, 90 Macro, 28-300 XR and Nikon 70-200VR
S2 Pics @ http://www.kcastronomy.com/FujiS2Pro/Page.html

Mark_A · May 25, 2003

Mark Abraham said:
Thanks for the nice comments, but I am not sure I am worthy of them.
I have been taking a course and can safely say that my problems are
my problems and not the cameras.

Hi Mark .. I feel the same way ... my kit is now much more capable than I and I blame it at my peril

Mark127996 said:
You can roughly tell whether your problems with focus are more
camera shake than focus by seeing if everything is fuzzy or of some

I have no problem with focus ... its more when I go snapping I may expect one like a tripod shot taken with great care - it rarely happens

I get a bigger percentage of handheld shots I like from a 50mm 1.8 than I do from my 80-400vr now .. for 2.6% of the cost !!

That makes me want to solve my own issues with it !!

There is an extra dimension of complexity .. of preplanning when the 80-400VR is on the camera as I often walk about with it and also a tripod .. of course its another switch to switch ...... off when on the tripod on perhaps when off and therefore yet another thing to get wrong

Its going to be user error my issues I am sure of it !

Mark127996 said:
I am impaitent and this is my major downfall in this art form.

Mark I am not an artist

for me sharpness is only one aspect of a picture ... often I do not care much ... more that I catch the moment as it appeals to me the most ..

Mark127996 said:
My 70-200 has none of the issues that I had when I breifly used a
400 VR on it. I think they need to update the design on the 400 VR
to that used on the 200 VR.

I gather it may be a better generation VR on that later lense .. I want the 400mm reach .. A new acquaintance has some long lenses in Nikon mount, I expect to learn something from it

Mark127996 said:
you'll generally get
out what you put into taking the picture. A tripod is a true pros
best friend. Even cheap glass can take great pictures

I agree completely ...

Mark127996 said:
On a final note, I plan on doing a lot more manual focus and
setting up for the hyperfocal distance on any landscapes I do, and
I will force myself to use a tripod. I figure its hardly worth
taking a picture that I want to be great without it!

Interesting to see you write this .. I guess we have different objectives .... yes for landscapes I think a tripod makes a big difference ... I have a solid one and like it .. I also enjoy subjects where even a monopod is just too slow to deploy

.. so I now get around more ... lie on the ground ... think of getting in the water up close to things .. more kit = more complexity ....

Mark127996 said:
I find though that a lot of
the things a few of the people said here that I ignored or failed
to pay attention to properly are very true and thank those folks
for their help.

Yes I dont spend much time in here (fuji slr) .. I stay mainly in samples .. when I do pop in to have a look I usually pick up some snippet that is of value to me ..

It is a friendly place and it seems a good bunch in here.
Nice to speak to you Mark.

--
Mark

Brent Madison · May 25, 2003

Quick Question for Declan first - Did you mean 6AA Bats - doesn't the hand grip still hold 4 in the base and 2 where the CRs should have been?

My focusing problems are ongoing. I spend alot of extra time, energy and missed shots due to focus. I have found that my S2 (as opposed to comparisons with my F100) will focus in 2 drastically seperate spots depending on zoom. If I am shooting a subject from about 15 feet to infinity with my 80-200 2.8, at 80mm focus is far short and the image is always blurry. I have to zoom into 200mm lock focus, zoom back and then take the photo. This is a fine solution for once, but I;ve got to do it over and over if I'm going to get more than one shot of a subject...

Any suggestions here - bad focus sensors, etc...?

--

What profits a man if he wins the world but loses his soul?

GodSpeaks · May 26, 2003

Sorry for the delay in responding. I was upcountry in Udon Thani for the weekend. Local home made rocket festival. What a blast. The do gooders in the U$A would have a heart attack if they saw this. They would have safety issues . And they would also take all the FUN out of it

.

You are asking a lot of one set of batteries, but as long as the batteries have lots of capacity and are fully charged to start, I don't see any problems, at least not until the AA's drain down a bit.

But also remember, the focus/VR issue only occurs with certain lenses, not all lenses. So if you do not own one of the problem lenses, then you should not have a problem.

Declan

GodSpeaks · May 26, 2003

BMattias said:
Quick Question for Declan first - Did you mean 6AA Bats - doesn't
the hand grip still hold 4 in the base and 2 where the CRs should
have been?

No, I did mean 8 AA's - 4 in the camera tray, and 4 in the MB16.

Brent Madison said:
My focusing problems are ongoing. I spend alot of extra time,
energy and missed shots due to focus. I have found that my S2 (as
opposed to comparisons with my F100) will focus in 2 drastically
seperate spots depending on zoom. If I am shooting a subject from
about 15 feet to infinity with my 80-200 2.8, at 80mm focus is far
short and the image is always blurry. I have to zoom into 200mm
lock focus, zoom back and then take the photo. This is a fine
solution for once, but I;ve got to do it over and over if I'm going
to get more than one shot of a subject...

Interesting, with me it was the exact opposite. Blurry at the long focal length (300mm) and sharp(er) at the wide end (28mm). I assumed it was making the same focusing error at both ends, just better depth of field at 28 produced acceptable results.

A lot of todays zoom lens are of the varifocal design, meaning the focus shifts as you zoom, so the old technique of zooming in to focus and pulling back to shoot may not always work.

Declan

Brent Madison said:
Any suggestions here - bad focus sensors, etc...?

--

What profits a man if he wins the world but loses his soul?

Artichoke · May 26, 2003

Ray Lander said:
Glad you fixed it; I was reading this post and thinking "darn, I
should cancel my order now", because I just ordered the camera
based on this forums good recommendations.

By the way, Mark, you have shot some amazing pictures with it !!
Of course the inspiring captures from you and other memebers of
this forum helped me make up my mind. Thank you for the info. I
will remember the main reset now

I think you will be quite happy with your camera

one of the assests of the S2 is sound design & a responsive engineering team at Fuji

they even have painted green circles adjacent to the two buttons you depress in order to do a two button reset ...I had the S1 and purchased my S2 prior to the reviews coming out because I was impressed by the design improvements Fuji incorporated ...they were extremely responsive to S1 issues raised in this forum and tried to improve them (and generally suceeded) in their new model

the S2 is a complex piece of equipment (the greater degree of control, the greater the chance to screw up), but I believe the Fuji design team did an excellent job making this hybrid work

this forum is an asset of the S2 as well ...most problems are answered rapidly and generally accurately

--
pbase & dpreview supporter
Fuji forum member since 5/2001
http://www.pbase.com/artichoke

Ray Lander · May 26, 2003

Hi Artichoke,

Thank you for the good words; everyone says I will be happy with this camera, and I think I will. Images produced speak for themselves. The camera was shipped by B&H three days ago, and I should get it tomorrow

I totally agree with you on this EXCELLENT forum. Indeed I feel this is probably THE BEST forum with up to date answers from members who care and are ready to help at a moment's notice. It is by far the most civilized, IMHO. I know your name for a long time here, so I am impressed to get a message from you saying "hi" and "welcome"

Thank you for your time, Artichoke

P.S. I will remember the two green buttons "reset"

Artichoke said:
Ray Lander said:

Glad you fixed it; I was reading this post and thinking "darn, I
should cancel my order now", because I just ordered the camera
based on this forums good recommendations.

By the way, Mark, you have shot some amazing pictures with it !!
Of course the inspiring captures from you and other memebers of
this forum helped me make up my mind. Thank you for the info. I
will remember the main reset now

Click to expand...

I think you will be quite happy with your camera
one of the assests of the S2 is sound design & a responsive
engineering team at Fuji
they even have painted green circles adjacent to the two buttons
you depress in order to do a two button reset ...I had the S1 and
purchased my S2 prior to the reviews coming out because I was
impressed by the design improvements Fuji incorporated ...they were
extremely responsive to S1 issues raised in this forum and tried to
improve them (and generally suceeded) in their new model
the S2 is a complex piece of equipment (the greater degree of
control, the greater the chance to screw up), but I believe the
Fuji design team did an excellent job making this hybrid work
this forum is an asset of the S2 as well ...most problems are
answered rapidly and generally accurately

--
pbase & dpreview supporter
Fuji forum member since 5/2001
http://www.pbase.com/artichoke

--
Ray Lander
Boston, MA

Brent Madison · May 27, 2003

A couple of months ago, there was a great post up on how to customize the MB-16. I'd like to get one now, but don't have the link. Any chance you can recall?

Thanks,
BMattias

Declan said:
BMattias said:

Quick Question for Declan first - Did you mean 6AA Bats - doesn't
the hand grip still hold 4 in the base and 2 where the CRs should
have been?

Click to expand...

No, I did mean 8 AA's - 4 in the camera tray, and 4 in the MB16.

GodSpeaks said:

My focusing problems are ongoing. I spend alot of extra time,
energy and missed shots due to focus. I have found that my S2 (as
opposed to comparisons with my F100) will focus in 2 drastically
seperate spots depending on zoom. If I am shooting a subject from
about 15 feet to infinity with my 80-200 2.8, at 80mm focus is far
short and the image is always blurry. I have to zoom into 200mm
lock focus, zoom back and then take the photo. This is a fine
solution for once, but I;ve got to do it over and over if I'm going
to get more than one shot of a subject...

Click to expand...

Interesting, with me it was the exact opposite. Blurry at the long
focal length (300mm) and sharp(er) at the wide end (28mm). I
assumed it was making the same focusing error at both ends, just
better depth of field at 28 produced acceptable results.

A lot of todays zoom lens are of the varifocal design, meaning the
focus shifts as you zoom, so the old technique of zooming in to
focus and pulling back to shoot may not always work.

Declan

GodSpeaks said:

Any suggestions here - bad focus sensors, etc...?

--

What profits a man if he wins the world but loses his soul?

Click to expand...

--
What profits a man if he wins the world but loses his soul?

TimT · May 27, 2003

here's one
http://www.pbase.com/dannerw/mb16s2

BMattias said:
Thanks,
BMattias

Declan said:

BMattias said:

Quick Question for Declan first - Did you mean 6AA Bats - doesn't
the hand grip still hold 4 in the base and 2 where the CRs should
have been?

Click to expand...

No, I did mean 8 AA's - 4 in the camera tray, and 4 in the MB16.

Brent Madison said:

My focusing problems are ongoing. I spend alot of extra time,
energy and missed shots due to focus. I have found that my S2 (as
opposed to comparisons with my F100) will focus in 2 drastically
seperate spots depending on zoom. If I am shooting a subject from
about 15 feet to infinity with my 80-200 2.8, at 80mm focus is far
short and the image is always blurry. I have to zoom into 200mm
lock focus, zoom back and then take the photo. This is a fine
solution for once, but I;ve got to do it over and over if I'm going
to get more than one shot of a subject...

Click to expand...

Interesting, with me it was the exact opposite. Blurry at the long
focal length (300mm) and sharp(er) at the wide end (28mm). I
assumed it was making the same focusing error at both ends, just
better depth of field at 28 produced acceptable results.

A lot of todays zoom lens are of the varifocal design, meaning the
focus shifts as you zoom, so the old technique of zooming in to
focus and pulling back to shoot may not always work.

Declan

Brent Madison said:

Any suggestions here - bad focus sensors, etc...?

--

What profits a man if he wins the world but loses his soul?

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

--
What profits a man if he wins the world but loses his soul?

scott hamilton159798 · May 27, 2003

Hey all

Just talked to Fuji repair regarding the manual focus issue. They (tom) were very helpful and there are a few issues but none having to do with the body but to do with the new AF lenses. The gearing ratio on the focusing mechanism is very high so that the body can focus the lens quickly so manually focusing the lens demands a very precise turn of the ring. the old non af lenses are easier to determine focus because the degree of turning necessary to find focus is greater sorta like the fine tuning knob on older audio receivers. He too has these issues and there are ways for Fuji to bias the shift and taylor the focus to the individual. because the focus screen / relies on electronics they can bias the shift in any direction via a computer workstation and re-program the body to act accordingly. since my images are consistently off in the same direction, this may work for me. I am going to shoot a test with a ruler and indicate where my intentions of focus were and then he will make the appropriate shift. According to Fuji this alteration will not effect the way the AF performs. I am guessing that this is just re-programing the way the lens gives feedback to the body's electronics while in the manual focus mode. I mounted an older non af ai 50mm and yes it works real nice and is accurate. too bad i unloaded the whole line up of those lenses not to long ago. okay i am ready for an old leica now.
Scott

Mark_A said:
jacques said:

Hi Mark,
Do you realy use Tamron 28-300 ?
BTW did you also use it for th efine geese family fotographs ?,

Click to expand...

Hi jacques.

You are confusing us ... Mark Abraham (as in the guy who posted
these very sharp pictures in fuji slr) is a different mark abraham
to the mark_a who posts mainly quickly taken pictures in samples
... of no where near the sharpness and clarity of his namesake in
here

we have spoken ... and I now have the same camera as he ... are not
related and I amusingly think he and I and stan .. also an Abraham
should form an unrelated family group for some game or other ... it
not important only amusing .... grrrr he got my name before I did

for Mark Abraham

Very fine sharp pictures you show here .. I dont know how or why
but I rarely get the sharpness and clarity out of my s2 at the
moment that you did on this flag picture ... it may partly be
because I dont often shoot in good light .. at all good but I
suspect it is because I have a lot of things to learn about which I
am presently unsure .... possibly one of them is about the value of
a really top image processing software for the web because in print
I get sharpness like I never get on screen

fwiw . I read another of your posts .. I am also finding mixed
feelings now about the large investment that is the 80-400Vr .....
while it sometimes is stunning ... other times I am left wondering
why I get so many failures .... I read a note from derrel in here
that low cr123s may be a cause of some .. I really hate that high
a level of scrap as it now only happens with this lense on my s2 ..
otherwise an amazingly consistent tool .....

--
Mark

Brent Madison · May 29, 2003

Thanks for sending this link - it does show how to modify the MB-16 for the S2, but isn't there another little bit that needs doing to fit the AAs in the CR123 slot?
Thanks in advance - I'll also put a new post up seeing if I can get more links.
Best,
BMattias

TimT said:
BMattias said:

Thanks,
BMattias

Declan said:

BMattias said:

Quick Question for Declan first - Did you mean 6AA Bats - doesn't
the hand grip still hold 4 in the base and 2 where the CRs should
have been?

Click to expand...

No, I did mean 8 AA's - 4 in the camera tray, and 4 in the MB16.

TimT said:

My focusing problems are ongoing. I spend alot of extra time,
energy and missed shots due to focus. I have found that my S2 (as
opposed to comparisons with my F100) will focus in 2 drastically
seperate spots depending on zoom. If I am shooting a subject from
about 15 feet to infinity with my 80-200 2.8, at 80mm focus is far
short and the image is always blurry. I have to zoom into 200mm
lock focus, zoom back and then take the photo. This is a fine
solution for once, but I;ve got to do it over and over if I'm going
to get more than one shot of a subject...

Click to expand...

Interesting, with me it was the exact opposite. Blurry at the long
focal length (300mm) and sharp(er) at the wide end (28mm). I
assumed it was making the same focusing error at both ends, just
better depth of field at 28 produced acceptable results.

A lot of todays zoom lens are of the varifocal design, meaning the
focus shifts as you zoom, so the old technique of zooming in to
focus and pulling back to shoot may not always work.

Declan

TimT said:

Any suggestions here - bad focus sensors, etc...?

--

What profits a man if he wins the world but loses his soul?

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

--
What profits a man if he wins the world but loses his soul?

Click to expand...

--
What profits a man if he wins the world but loses his soul?

TimT · May 29, 2003

BMattias,

This link should really be good enough. You don't put the AA's into the CR123 slot but into the md-16. If you take a look at the pictures you'll see MB16-Step 1a.jpg and MB16-Step1b.jpg show you how to file or sand or... modify the MB-16 so that it will allow it to fit tight with the S2. MB16-Setp2.jpg show that you need to modify the thickness of the part that goes into the S2 so that it will trigger the switch in the S2 and allow the S2 to use the batteries in the MB-16.

I did a quick search and here are a few other links in case this isn't clear.
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1020&message=4434950
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1020&message=4440466

If you need more..just do a search in this forum for MB-16 and you'll find pages and pages on it.

Another option would be to order CR123a's from Botach Tactical ....right now they are $1 each.... I ordered 40 this weekend and then arrived ups ground today...total price was about 53 dollars(if i remember right) including tax and shipping/handling. If you do order from them make sure you change the type of shipping to ground or you'll be paying ~~22 dollars for Air shipping.~~

http://botachtactical.com/toscr123a3vo.html

I just checked and the sale has ended for the CR123a's...so its $25 for 20..still a good price and you won't have the added weight of the MB-16 to carry around.

Tim

BMattias said:
TimT said:

BMattias said:

Thanks,
BMattias

Declan said:

BMattias said:

Quick Question for Declan first - Did you mean 6AA Bats - doesn't
the hand grip still hold 4 in the base and 2 where the CRs should
have been?

Click to expand...

No, I did mean 8 AA's - 4 in the camera tray, and 4 in the MB16.

Brent Madison said:

My focusing problems are ongoing. I spend alot of extra time,
energy and missed shots due to focus. I have found that my S2 (as
opposed to comparisons with my F100) will focus in 2 drastically
seperate spots depending on zoom. If I am shooting a subject from
about 15 feet to infinity with my 80-200 2.8, at 80mm focus is far
short and the image is always blurry. I have to zoom into 200mm
lock focus, zoom back and then take the photo. This is a fine
solution for once, but I;ve got to do it over and over if I'm going
to get more than one shot of a subject...

Click to expand...

Interesting, with me it was the exact opposite. Blurry at the long
focal length (300mm) and sharp(er) at the wide end (28mm). I
assumed it was making the same focusing error at both ends, just
better depth of field at 28 produced acceptable results.

A lot of todays zoom lens are of the varifocal design, meaning the
focus shifts as you zoom, so the old technique of zooming in to
focus and pulling back to shoot may not always work.

Declan

Brent Madison said:

Any suggestions here - bad focus sensors, etc...?

--

What profits a man if he wins the world but loses his soul?

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

--
What profits a man if he wins the world but loses his soul?

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

--
What profits a man if he wins the world but loses his soul?

Brent Madison · May 31, 2003

Thanks Tim,

I'm talking a look at the links right now - thanks for looking them up. Also, good link for the CRs. The price sure beats Circuit City!....
Best.
BMattias

TimT said:
This link should really be good enough. You don't put the AA's
into the CR123 slot but into the md-16. If you take a look at the
pictures you'll see MB16-Step 1a.jpg and MB16-Step1b.jpg show you
how to file or sand or... modify the MB-16 so that it will allow it
to fit tight with the S2. MB16-Setp2.jpg show that you need to
modify the thickness of the part that goes into the S2 so that it
will trigger the switch in the S2 and allow the S2 to use the
batteries in the MB-16.

I did a quick search and here are a few other links in case this
isn't clear.
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1020&message=4434950
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1020&message=4440466

If you need more..just do a search in this forum for MB-16 and
you'll find pages and pages on it.

Another option would be to order CR123a's from Botach Tactical
....right now they are $1 each.... I ordered 40 this weekend and
then arrived ups ground today...total price was about 53 dollars(if
i remember right) including tax and shipping/handling. If you do
order from them make sure you change the type of shipping to ground
or you'll be paying ~~22 dollars for Air shipping.~~

http://botachtactical.com/toscr123a3vo.html

I just checked and the sale has ended for the CR123a's...so its $25
for 20..still a good price and you won't have the added weight of
the MB-16 to carry around.

Tim

BMattias said:

TimT said:

BMattias said:

Thanks,
BMattias

Declan said:

BMattias said:

Quick Question for Declan first - Did you mean 6AA Bats - doesn't
the hand grip still hold 4 in the base and 2 where the CRs should
have been?

Click to expand...

No, I did mean 8 AA's - 4 in the camera tray, and 4 in the MB16.

TimT said:

My focusing problems are ongoing. I spend alot of extra time,
energy and missed shots due to focus. I have found that my S2 (as
opposed to comparisons with my F100) will focus in 2 drastically
seperate spots depending on zoom. If I am shooting a subject from
about 15 feet to infinity with my 80-200 2.8, at 80mm focus is far
short and the image is always blurry. I have to zoom into 200mm
lock focus, zoom back and then take the photo. This is a fine
solution for once, but I;ve got to do it over and over if I'm going
to get more than one shot of a subject...

Click to expand...

Interesting, with me it was the exact opposite. Blurry at the long
focal length (300mm) and sharp(er) at the wide end (28mm). I
assumed it was making the same focusing error at both ends, just
better depth of field at 28 produced acceptable results.

A lot of todays zoom lens are of the varifocal design, meaning the
focus shifts as you zoom, so the old technique of zooming in to
focus and pulling back to shoot may not always work.

Declan

TimT said:

Any suggestions here - bad focus sensors, etc...?

--

What profits a man if he wins the world but loses his soul?

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

--
What profits a man if he wins the world but loses his soul?

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

--
What profits a man if he wins the world but loses his soul?

Click to expand...

--
What profits a man if he wins the world but loses his soul?

[HLP] AF Focus Issues?

Senior Member

jacques

Guest

Forum Pro

Veteran Member

Veteran Member

Member

Forum Pro

Veteran Member

Forum Pro

Forum Enthusiast

Forum Pro

Forum Pro

Forum Pro

Leading Member

Forum Enthusiast

Senior Member

Member

Forum Enthusiast

Senior Member

Forum Enthusiast

Keyboard shortcuts