...POLL... Autofocus Fine-tune

This is the worst part of getting a new camera. Just wondering how others go about this. I'm leaning towards giving FoCal a try.

Thank you for your input...

How about a choice called "I've tried them all and none have proven reliable".

Tilted rule a nice graphics card seems to work for me. Why should I spend money when I got all the objects to easily do for free.

D810 dead on WOW...

D800e was all over the place, sold it after two shoots, but loved the resolution ( see above )

D4x3 needed between -5 to +5 and changed with focal length so I just left it at 0.

D600x3 2 of the 3 seemed to need similar to my D4s, the last I didn't even bother, got it as a trade and sold that piece of $hit as fast as I could.

D3s needed between -10 ( 200F2 ) to a various range

D700 new about it but didn't bother, maybe that was why my keeper rate was lower??

I tried FoCal and I have the Lens Align; however thus far I have always found the un-tuned state better or just as good as the tuned one.

Hi,

I am using LensAlign and only if I see a problem in real life pictures.

I thought more people would be using software here. I ran across this video which makes it look rather easy to do compared to setting up a target and trying to dial it in that way.Maybe I'm just looking for the easy way out.. ;-)

If only it was actually that easy.

You have to manually change the AF Micro-adjustment. It cannot do it automatically.

Enter menu, left left, ok, up one (or down), ok, take next picture then start again.

Peter Mueller said:

I tried FoCal and I have the Lens Align; however thus far I have always found the un-tuned state better or just as good as the tuned one.

Click to expand...

+1

I use Lens Align with great success. Once I grasped a full understanding of its mechanics, along with a strong knowledge of Autofocus, calibration, DOF, etc. I could not do without it.

If you appreciate focus accuracy with todays DSLR's, it is a must to have a full understanding of how calibration works. Personally, I cannot stand when my intended focus point is not where I intended it to be....I want my camera working for me, NOT against me. It is certainly too bad that you have to accomplish this on your own...but it is what it is.

Mike

I use dot tune method with D800E. That works for me.

Two lenses I have (old 105 macro and 18-35G) need no fine tune. The 18-35g is also perfectly parfocal - but of course it's not a fast lens so not much of a challenge.

Nikkor 80-200 AF-D two-ring is always a challenge - and a compromise is needed to suit what you do with it. With -14, mine is spot on at 135mm close range and infinity, still slight backfocus close at 200mm. At 200mm f2.8 at infinity it's got very slight front-focus, but at infinity I'd almost always use it stopped down - or need to remember to turn off AF fine tune. I don't believe that this is "sample variation" as several 80-200s I've tried on various bodies have behaved the same. My 80-200 on D810 showed exactly the same back-focus as it has on every other Nikon body I've tried it on. So with this lens, I need to think about what I'm doing. It would be nice to have a 70-200 f2.8 or 4, which don't exhibit this issue, but I think I'll keep it, and supplement it with an 80-400g.

I Canon 500D attach close-up filter to the lens and check AF using ruler @45 degrees.

Using this approach I can test lens at all distances while target is no more than 500 mm from the camera.

Explained in details here:

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/54661226

I use the dot tune method to get close, then shoot real subjects and adjust if needed. Most of my lenses do not require af fine tuning, mostly when using a tele converter, then the auto focus can be off a long ways ugh!!!

In this so called modern age why do we have to manually tune our equipment by a hundred different method choices. It seems to me cameras should be able to automatically tune to whatever piece of glass that is in front of them. Auto fine tuning for me can be a real hassle, wear out shutter releases and drives me crazier than I am.

Larry

... Larry: I am with you.

... Having to "fine tune" our very expensive equipment is BS. Everything else that we buy new works perfectly out of the box.

dima65 said:

I Canon 500D attach close-up filter to the lens and check AF using ruler @45 degrees.

Using this approach I can test lens at all distances while target is no more than 500 mm from the camera.

Explained in details here:

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/54661226

Click to expand...

No one replied to the post at that link. So I'm not sure if fellows figure you're crazy or too brilliant to mess with Sounds promising if it actually works as it would eliminate the long camera to target distance for telephotos. Did you try this with anything other than the 24-70 and does anyone else have any idea if this makes any sense??

I've tried to check 30-700 VR, 17-55 f2.8, 12-24 f4. The last 2 are DX, but I just tested the approach.

With close-up filter (in this case Canon 500D, which is just 500 mm lens) your lens is already at infinity, while the testing target is only 500 mm away. Camera and lens 'do not know' any thing about the filter and work like target/subject is far away.

Since lens focus range looks like 'compressed', AF focus tuning is much more sensitive.

I can tune AF just switching between LV and normal mode.

It only takes about 15 minutes from setting up the tripod to completion. I think many people are trying to over engineer the process.

abcdefghijklmnop said:

It only takes about 15 minutes from setting up the tripod to completion. I think many people are trying to over engineer the process.

Click to expand...

I doubt if you could do it in 15 min. Multiply that by a bunch of lenses and 2 or 3 bodies and you have a weeks work. By the time you get it all done, you've upgraded your bodies.

This is how I go about it:

HOW TO USE THE LENSALIGN SET-UP TO ALIGN YOUR CAMERA’S AUTO FOCUS FOR A PARTICULAR LENS

1) Set the camera to shoot monochrome images

2) Set the camera to either Manual Mode or Aperture Priority Mode

3) Set the camera to use only a single auto focus point in the center of the viewfinder

4) Set the camera to shoot only a single image when the shutter is pressed

5) Turn the camera’s Fine Tune setting to “Off” for your test shot

6) Set the aperture to F/8 for your test shot and in order to see if the LensAlign target is centered

7) Set the camera to shoot Large, Fine, JPEG images

8) Use a tripod and a cable release

9) Set the front of the camera body (not the front of the lens) at the correct distance from the front of the LensAlign target (actually, it is measured from the "sensor plane", which is usually

marked on top of the camera body. The D800 has it in white, next to the top LCD window as an

oblong circle with a line through it).

10) Make sure the LensAlign target is perfectly centered (view a test shot on your computer screen

to make sure-see 12, below)

11) Make sure the background, behind the LensAlign is black, or dark

12) Shoot a test shot to determine if the LensAlign target is correctly centered

13) If satisfied the LensAlign target is perfectly centered, change your aperture to its lowest number (i.e.; F/1.8 or 2.8, etc.- as long as your highlights are visible in the image; and not blown out)

14) Turn the camera’s Fine Tune setting back to “On” for your Fine Tune adjustment shots

15) Defocus the lens by manually moving the lens focus all the way to one side. Half-press the shutter to reacquire autofocus. Shoot an image; and look at it on the computer screen for accuracy of the “O” being in focus. The smaller numbers on the ruler give a better evaluation.

16) If necessary, go into the camera’s Fine Tune menu and adjust the focus point at various “+” or “-“settings. Defocus the lens, again; and re-shoot at those various new settings. After each test shot, re-evaluate the sharpness of the “O” on the LensAlign ruler. Keep adjusting your Fine Tune settings until the “O” on the LensAlign ruler is its sharpest.

17) Once properly adjusted, leave the camera’s Fine Tune setting “On”.

18) Go out; and take a few "field" shots; and evaluate them accuracy on your computer.