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what to do with my front focusing D90?

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Frenchy Freddy

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Hello there

I'm having a hard time deciding what to do with my Nikon D90. I bought in 2011 when it was only the ''previous'' model (d7000 was the enthousiast model at the time).

I have some good optics to go with it. Nikon 35mm 1.8g, Tamron 17-50 2.8 (non vr). Nikon 85mm 3.5 macro and the sb400 flash unit.

I must say that this camera is mostly for people pictures. For Landscape or travel photography, I prefer my sony Nex 6 kit (with 16-19-30-50 mm lenses). So the shallow depth of field of the 35mm 1.8 or the contant 2.8 of the tamron is important to me.

Since last year, the D90 has been front focusing when using the central AF point or full auto AF. It is only significant when using apperture of 2.8 or faster but enough that I don't see the point of using my 35mm anymore even if it is my favorite lens. The value of the D90 is not enough to justify sending it to nikon for AF fine tuning.

I found a lot of ''unofficial procedure'' on youtube to fix the focus myself.

The thing is, it is front focusing....most of time.....It nails focus just fine about 25% of time and when I use 3D focus with center point and recompose to any of the other AF point, it nails the focus everytime.

That is my dilemma....should I try to fix the front focusing myself, risking messing with the other 10 AF point accuracy, of should I leave it like this and learn to accept my old friend quirk ?

Replacing it was not my plan as its IQ is fine by me and my budget won't allow the price of a D7200.

I can get a D3300 (body only), for $379 CAN but I'm not fond of the viewfinder size and limited control of those entry level body.

Or should I sell everything and reinvest the money in the sony system? (I know i'm in the nikon forum so I can guess the answer)

Thanks for sharing your opinions !
 
If you're a handy kind of person, try the youtube video. If you break it, well, good focus 25% of the time vs risk of damaging camera.... I would risk damaging the camera.

The d7100 is a very good camera still at a lower price. Not knowing your budget or anything else, I would say try to fix the d90 and plan B is get a 7100.
 
Frenchy Freddy said:
Hello there

I'm having a hard time deciding what to do with my Nikon D90. I bought in 2011 when it was only the ''previous'' model (d7000 was the enthousiast model at the time).

I have some good optics to go with it. Nikon 35mm 1.8g, Tamron 17-50 2.8 (non vr). Nikon 85mm 3.5 macro and the sb400 flash unit.

I must say that this camera is mostly for people pictures. For Landscape or travel photography, I prefer my sony Nex 6 kit (with 16-19-30-50 mm lenses). So the shallow depth of field of the 35mm 1.8 or the contant 2.8 of the tamron is important to me.

Since last year, the D90 has been front focusing when using the central AF point or full auto AF. It is only significant when using apperture of 2.8 or faster but enough that I don't see the point of using my 35mm anymore even if it is my favorite lens. The value of the D90 is not enough to justify sending it to nikon for AF fine tuning.

I found a lot of ''unofficial procedure'' on youtube to fix the focus myself.

The thing is, it is front focusing....most of time.....It nails focus just fine about 25% of time and when I use 3D focus with center point and recompose to any of the other AF point, it nails the focus everytime.

That is my dilemma....should I try to fix the front focusing myself, risking messing with the other 10 AF point accuracy, of should I leave it like this and learn to accept my old friend quirk ?

Replacing it was not my plan as its IQ is fine by me and my budget won't allow the price of a D7200.

I can get a D3300 (body only), for $379 CAN but I'm not fond of the viewfinder size and limited control of those entry level body.

Or should I sell everything and reinvest the money in the sony system? (I know i'm in the nikon forum so I can guess the answer)

Thanks for sharing your opinions !
Click to expand...
The problem with that video telling you how to adjust your AF with that hex-head screw in the mirror box is...that it introduces other problems, like throwing off focus for focus points other than the one you used to tweak that screw.

Unfortunately, if you want to maintain the best AF across the field, you have to have Nikon do it, because proper AF calibration involves both a bit of mechanical adjustment (to make sure that the mirrors and other optics are at the proper angle for full-field accuracy) and some rewriting of internal firmware codes that model the AF system's behavior using software only Nikon has. You're right, service on the D90 would probably cost you about as much as the D90 is now worth...perhaps $150-200.

The D90 body size and style is no longer made by Nikon - the D7K series that replaced it is bigger and a bit heavier, but far more competent. The D5K series, particularly the D5500, is the sweet spot in the Nikon lineup, and the D3K series is about equal to the D90 these days in IQ terms. But it's only the 7K series that gives you 2 control wheels and a big viewfinder.

If you want to stay in the Nikon camp, picking up a nice used D7K would give you several benefits.

But if you don't want to get anything larger than a D90, your choices are D3/5K. Buying a Sony product is fine - an A6000 is a great small camera with nice AF, but with limited lens choices that rapidly escalate in price. On the other hand, if you're not shooting Swallows, it may serve both your IQ and size needs.
 
Frenchy Freddy said:
Hello there

I'm having a hard time deciding what to do with my Nikon D90. I bought in 2011 when it was only the ''previous'' model (d7000 was the enthousiast model at the time).

I have some good optics to go with it. Nikon 35mm 1.8g, Tamron 17-50 2.8 (non vr). Nikon 85mm 3.5 macro and the sb400 flash unit.

I must say that this camera is mostly for people pictures. For Landscape or travel photography, I prefer my sony Nex 6 kit (with 16-19-30-50 mm lenses). So the shallow depth of field of the 35mm 1.8 or the contant 2.8 of the tamron is important to me.

Since last year, the D90 has been front focusing when using the central AF point or full auto AF. It is only significant when using apperture of 2.8 or faster but enough that I don't see the point of using my 35mm anymore even if it is my favorite lens. The value of the D90 is not enough to justify sending it to nikon for AF fine tuning.

I found a lot of ''unofficial procedure'' on youtube to fix the focus myself.

The thing is, it is front focusing....most of time.....It nails focus just fine about 25% of time and when I use 3D focus with center point and recompose to any of the other AF point, it nails the focus everytime.

That is my dilemma....should I try to fix the front focusing myself, risking messing with the other 10 AF point accuracy, of should I leave it like this and learn to accept my old friend quirk ?

Replacing it was not my plan as its IQ is fine by me and my budget won't allow the price of a D7200.
Click to expand...
Have you considered that the problem that started last year may be due to the lens being bumped? The cheapest way to check this is to buy another 35mm f/1.8 (or two), used. Since they're used lenses there should be no moral qualms about returning them if they don't do any better than your current lens. But it's certainly possible that another 35 mm f/1.8 lens may focus more accurately and repeatedly. If it works, the cost should be about $150 or less, nowhere near the cost of a D7200. And if the problem is due to your current lens now being defective, it may not even work well with a D7200 that has the ability to AF fine tune its lenses.

It may be worth blasting the lower part of the D90's mirror box with something safe, like a Rocket Blower. Sometimes crud can accumulate in the AF sensor module, preventing precise AF. When this happens, it can be a problem with some but not all lenses, because their geometries are usually different.
 
mosswings said:
The problem with that video telling you how to adjust your AF with that hex-head screw in the mirror box is...that it introduces other problems, like throwing off focus for focus points other than the one you used to tweak that screw.

Unfortunately, if you want to maintain the best AF across the field, you have to have Nikon do it, because proper AF calibration involves both a bit of mechanical adjustment (to make sure that the mirrors and other optics are at the proper angle for full-field accuracy) and some rewriting of internal firmware codes that model the AF system's behavior using software only Nikon has. You're right, service on the D90 would probably cost you about as much as the D90 is now worth...perhaps $150-200.

The D90 body size and style is no longer made by Nikon - the D7K series that replaced it is bigger and a bit heavier, but far more competent. The D5K series, particularly the D5500, is the sweet spot in the Nikon lineup, and the D3K series is about equal to the D90 these days in IQ terms. But it's only the 7K series that gives you 2 control wheels and a big viewfinder.

If you want to stay in the Nikon camp, picking up a nice used D7K would give you several benefits.

But if you don't want to get anything larger than a D90, your choices are D3/5K. Buying a Sony product is fine - an A6000 is a great small camera with nice AF, but with limited lens choices that rapidly escalate in price. On the other hand, if you're not shooting Swallows, it may serve both your IQ and size needs.
Click to expand...
I've adjusted the mirror stop on Nikons for years and I have never seen the other focus points out yet. It actually works very well and is easy to do. You can't break anything unless you hit something with the wrench or the mirror comes down while adjusting. If the camera body is front or back focussing then the other focus points are already out of adjustment.

James
 
jbarber said:
mosswings said:
The problem with that video telling you how to adjust your AF with that hex-head screw in the mirror box is...that it introduces other problems, like throwing off focus for focus points other than the one you used to tweak that screw.

Unfortunately, if you want to maintain the best AF across the field, you have to have Nikon do it, because proper AF calibration involves both a bit of mechanical adjustment (to make sure that the mirrors and other optics are at the proper angle for full-field accuracy) and some rewriting of internal firmware codes that model the AF system's behavior using software only Nikon has. You're right, service on the D90 would probably cost you about as much as the D90 is now worth...perhaps $150-200.

The D90 body size and style is no longer made by Nikon - the D7K series that replaced it is bigger and a bit heavier, but far more competent. The D5K series, particularly the D5500, is the sweet spot in the Nikon lineup, and the D3K series is about equal to the D90 these days in IQ terms. But it's only the 7K series that gives you 2 control wheels and a big viewfinder.

If you want to stay in the Nikon camp, picking up a nice used D7K would give you several benefits.

But if you don't want to get anything larger than a D90, your choices are D3/5K. Buying a Sony product is fine - an A6000 is a great small camera with nice AF, but with limited lens choices that rapidly escalate in price. On the other hand, if you're not shooting Swallows, it may serve both your IQ and size needs.
Click to expand...
I've adjusted the mirror stop on Nikons for years and I have never seen the other focus points out yet. It actually works very well and is easy to do. You can't break anything unless you hit something with the wrench or the mirror comes down while adjusting. If the camera body is front or back focussing then the other focus points are already out of adjustment.

James
Click to expand...
That's not a given thing.

You are maybe right - if - the out of alignment is due to the AF-mirror and the AF-mirror alone.

If it's the AF-module, or it's a combination of mirror and AF-module - then the outer focus-points isn't necessarily out of adjustment - or not as much - and messing with the mirror will make things worse.

Some video's is showing DIY adjustments of the AF-module too - but none, that I have seen, has showed the result of the adjustments :-)

Go ahead - try.

At every time, I will consider mosswings advice far better than any of those YouTube-video DIY advices.

BirgerH.
 
BirgerH said:
jbarber said:
mosswings said:
The problem with that video telling you how to adjust your AF with that hex-head screw in the mirror box is...that it introduces other problems, like throwing off focus for focus points other than the one you used to tweak that screw.

Unfortunately, if you want to maintain the best AF across the field, you have to have Nikon do it, because proper AF calibration involves both a bit of mechanical adjustment (to make sure that the mirrors and other optics are at the proper angle for full-field accuracy) and some rewriting of internal firmware codes that model the AF system's behavior using software only Nikon has. You're right, service on the D90 would probably cost you about as much as the D90 is now worth...perhaps $150-200.

The D90 body size and style is no longer made by Nikon - the D7K series that replaced it is bigger and a bit heavier, but far more competent. The D5K series, particularly the D5500, is the sweet spot in the Nikon lineup, and the D3K series is about equal to the D90 these days in IQ terms. But it's only the 7K series that gives you 2 control wheels and a big viewfinder.

If you want to stay in the Nikon camp, picking up a nice used D7K would give you several benefits.

But if you don't want to get anything larger than a D90, your choices are D3/5K. Buying a Sony product is fine - an A6000 is a great small camera with nice AF, but with limited lens choices that rapidly escalate in price. On the other hand, if you're not shooting Swallows, it may serve both your IQ and size needs.
Click to expand...
I've adjusted the mirror stop on Nikons for years and I have never seen the other focus points out yet. It actually works very well and is easy to do. You can't break anything unless you hit something with the wrench or the mirror comes down while adjusting. If the camera body is front or back focussing then the other focus points are already out of adjustment.

James
Click to expand...
That's not a given thing.

You are maybe right - if - the out of alignment is due to the AF-mirror and the AF-mirror alone.

If it's the AF-module, or it's a combination of mirror and AF-module - then the outer focus-points isn't necessarily out of adjustment - or not as much - and messing with the mirror will make things worse.

Some video's is showing DIY adjustments of the AF-module too - but none, that I have seen, has showed the result of the adjustments :-)

Go ahead - try.

At every time, I will consider mosswings advice far better than any of those YouTube-video DIY advices.

BirgerH.
Click to expand...
Sure if your willing to pay for it you can send it out to get it fixed. All I can say is that I have adjusted three cameras now and there was no further problems. The back screw is just an oval screw and is the bottom mirror stop, it can be easily set back. I still have one of these cameras and it takes much better pictures than the factory set it to. The hard part is closely matching the result to the live view. I do not use a 45 degree angled chart, that is far to uncertain and difficult. When you match your live view then it is dam good.

James
 
jbarber said:
BirgerH said:
jbarber said:
mosswings said:
The problem with that video telling you how to adjust your AF with that hex-head screw in the mirror box is...that it introduces other problems, like throwing off focus for focus points other than the one you used to tweak that screw.

Unfortunately, if you want to maintain the best AF across the field, you have to have Nikon do it, because proper AF calibration involves both a bit of mechanical adjustment (to make sure that the mirrors and other optics are at the proper angle for full-field accuracy) and some rewriting of internal firmware codes that model the AF system's behavior using software only Nikon has. You're right, service on the D90 would probably cost you about as much as the D90 is now worth...perhaps $150-200.

The D90 body size and style is no longer made by Nikon - the D7K series that replaced it is bigger and a bit heavier, but far more competent. The D5K series, particularly the D5500, is the sweet spot in the Nikon lineup, and the D3K series is about equal to the D90 these days in IQ terms. But it's only the 7K series that gives you 2 control wheels and a big viewfinder.

If you want to stay in the Nikon camp, picking up a nice used D7K would give you several benefits.

But if you don't want to get anything larger than a D90, your choices are D3/5K. Buying a Sony product is fine - an A6000 is a great small camera with nice AF, but with limited lens choices that rapidly escalate in price. On the other hand, if you're not shooting Swallows, it may serve both your IQ and size needs.
Click to expand...
I've adjusted the mirror stop on Nikons for years and I have never seen the other focus points out yet. It actually works very well and is easy to do. You can't break anything unless you hit something with the wrench or the mirror comes down while adjusting. If the camera body is front or back focussing then the other focus points are already out of adjustment.

James
Click to expand...
That's not a given thing.

You are maybe right - if - the out of alignment is due to the AF-mirror and the AF-mirror alone.

If it's the AF-module, or it's a combination of mirror and AF-module - then the outer focus-points isn't necessarily out of adjustment - or not as much - and messing with the mirror will make things worse.

Some video's is showing DIY adjustments of the AF-module too - but none, that I have seen, has showed the result of the adjustments :-)

Go ahead - try.

At every time, I will consider mosswings advice far better than any of those YouTube-video DIY advices.

BirgerH.
Click to expand...
Sure if your willing to pay for it you can send it out to get it fixed. All I can say is that I have adjusted three cameras now and there was no further problems. The back screw is just an oval screw and is the bottom mirror stop, it can be easily set back. I still have one of these cameras and it takes much better pictures than the factory set it to. The hard part is closely matching the result to the live view. I do not use a 45 degree angled chart, that is far to uncertain and difficult. When you match your live view then it is dam good.

James
Click to expand...
Of course.

The problem, as I see it, with these kind of "advices", James - is that, they are been seen by a lot of people - which might think, this is the way to do it.

The number of times, they pop-up here, shows that I might be right.

And it's only the right way - if you by any mean can be sure, the issue is due to a misaligned mirror - otherwise you risk to destroy any alignments of the focus-system.

I think, that every time, someone mention this "way" - that warning should be included - that's all.

BirgerH.
 
I have my d7000, previous fine tune was needed to set up until -20, severely back focus, I have my diy project, involving hex screw, now my fine tune reaches -2, acceptable range to work with,

I am kind of do or die person, sending to nikon will cost me around 200++ while the value of the camera is only 500 something, decision is easy, upgrade or d.i.y, I go for d.i.y.

it is always a risk attached in every d.i.y, however if you want to try, it certainly worth, took me hours to adjust the camera, retest, adjust, retest, and finally in 4 hours I've nailed it, now I am a happy owner of D7000, though their af still miles below my friend d7200

I go to my friend repair center, he said turning hex screw is just to change the sitting of the sensor, there are 3 sitting, left, center, right, the problem is, it is difficult to obtain same amount of twist, if you have to do that by hand, without proper equipment
 
NDaniel said:
I go to my friend repair center, he said turning hex screw is just to change the sitting of the sensor, there are 3 sitting, left, center, right, the problem is, it is difficult to obtain same amount of twist, if you have to do that by hand, without proper equipment

--
Nis Daniel
http://www.facebook.com/nisdanielphotography
http://www.vogue.it/photovogue/Profilo/cd037f28-0213-4dcb-8154-4d8475b8fbcf/User
http://www.500px.com/nis_daniel
Click to expand...
That's almost right.

The Hex screw in the mirror-box adjusts the mirrors angle to the AF-sensor - but it's one screw adjusting a two-dimensional plane - has to be very accurate 90 degree in both planes.

The AF-sensor is set up like a floating point with three hex-screws (which are located inside the camera) - and is three dimensional hanging - therefor three screws to adjust the levels.

The sensor detectors are that tiny, that you can't separate them with your eyes - about same sizes as the photo sites on the image-sensor - and the light has to hit the right ones, for the focus to be correct - that's why your friend is talking about proper equipment - which people not normally have in their garage. Wise friend :-)

I don't know if $200 is too much to get it done by professionals - that's a privat case - but my D90 is worth a lot more to me, than the price, I could sell it for - so are my D7000.

:-)

BirgerH.
 
I don't know if $200 is too much to get it done by professionals - that's a privat case - but my D90 is worth a lot more to me, than the price, I could sell it for - so are my D7000.
BirgerH said:
:-)

BirgerH.
Click to expand...
indeed, value wise, my d7000 is worth much a lot more 500 :) without it I can't shoot anything :)repairing camera is very complicated here in batam, need to send to jakarta for any repair, and there is possibility to send to singapore, bad service indeed
 
BirgerH said:
NDaniel said:
I go to my friend repair center, he said turning hex screw is just to change the sitting of the sensor, there are 3 sitting, left, center, right, the problem is, it is difficult to obtain same amount of twist, if you have to do that by hand, without proper equipment
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
There are a couple variations of how to manually tune the d90. I did the 3 screw technique and it wasn't difficult at all. If you search for my user name and d90 I think I may have provided the links in those earlier posts. It was a night and day difference after tuning. It takes some patience because it's all trial and error tuning. I wouldn't use the very complicated tuning method personally because the fairly simple 3 screw method works well IMO. It was like having a different camera after tuning.
 
Last edited:
saaber1 said:
There are a couple variations of how to manually tune the d90. I did the 3 screw technique and it wasn't difficult at all. If you search for my user name and d90 I think I may have provided the links in those earlier posts. It was a night and day difference after tuning. It takes some patience because it's all trial and error tuning. I wouldn't use the very complicated tuning method personally because the fairly simple 3 screw method works well IMO. It was like having a different camera after tuning.
Click to expand...
these 3 screws methods, works well on my D7000, I am a satisfied d7000 owner, and as you said... it is very simple, ccw for front focus, ( lens facing you), cw for back focus, I did over doing it on the first time, too much turn, however if you continue do and retest, it is pretty easy to adjust without any damage done
 
Frenchy Freddy said:
Hello there

I'm having a hard time deciding what to do with my Nikon D90. I bought in 2011 when it was only the ''previous'' model (d7000 was the enthousiast model at the time).

I have some good optics to go with it. Nikon 35mm 1.8g, Tamron 17-50 2.8 (non vr). Nikon 85mm 3.5 macro and the sb400 flash unit.

I must say that this camera is mostly for people pictures. For Landscape or travel photography, I prefer my sony Nex 6 kit (with 16-19-30-50 mm lenses). So the shallow depth of field of the 35mm 1.8 or the contant 2.8 of the tamron is important to me.

Since last year, the D90 has been front focusing when using the central AF point or full auto AF. It is only significant when using apperture of 2.8 or faster but enough that I don't see the point of using my 35mm anymore even if it is my favorite lens. The value of the D90 is not enough to justify sending it to nikon for AF fine tuning.

I found a lot of ''unofficial procedure'' on youtube to fix the focus myself.

The thing is, it is front focusing....most of time.....It nails focus just fine about 25% of time and when I use 3D focus with center point and recompose to any of the other AF point, it nails the focus everytime.

That is my dilemma....should I try to fix the front focusing myself, risking messing with the other 10 AF point accuracy, of should I leave it like this and learn to accept my old friend quirk ?

Replacing it was not my plan as its IQ is fine by me and my budget won't allow the price of a D7200.

I can get a D3300 (body only), for $379 CAN but I'm not fond of the viewfinder size and limited control of those entry level body.

Or should I sell everything and reinvest the money in the sony system? (I know i'm in the nikon forum so I can guess the answer)

Thanks for sharing your opinions !
Click to expand...
I wouldn't spend any money on the D90, but I'd try the DIY video since your setup doesn't work any more. I do assume that the focus issue works with all lenses, right?

I got a hell of a bargain on the D7100, it was selling for $480 with wireless adapter. Until that, I had replaced my D200 and D90 with the D5200. Do I like the larger viewfinder of the D7100, as well as some of the control set? Absolutely. If the deal hadn't come along, would I have continued to "make do" with the D5200 as I had for 18 months, shooting everything from sports to my cats sleeping? You bet your butt!

To me, the "lesser" controls and viewfinder of the D5200, while I knew that they were inferior because I read that was the case exhaustingly on countless reviews and forum discussions, they never really got in my way for actual taking photos. It worked just amazingly with my 16-85mm, 70-200mm f/2.8, and my 35mm. One thing to keep in mind is that the D3x00 and D5x00 are still pretty quick to change settings with their rear menu system, and they have overall the same image quality as the "big boys." Also, depending on your shooting style, you may not miss some of the controls. For example, considering that I shoot in aperture priority mode most of the time, I don't mind having only one control dial.

I own the Sony system as well. I would not recommend re-investing, as you lose so much money, especially considering your lens setup. Keep in mind that Sony lenses are overall more expensive than the Nikon counterparts as well.
 
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