Focus issues, beyond the norm.

FaithfulCountryGirl said:

Thank you Alistair. Awesome feedback!! I hadn't considered turning the tracking to OFF! I am used to it with my sports, but you are right! Duh! Not needed (or wanted) for my portrait work. I bet this has been a contributing factor!

Yes, I was dealing with some guys at the very top at Nikon on this issue and they were pretty adamant about the AF-S. Sounds like you are also suggesting AF-C like another contributor here? Ironically, that's what I always used to shoot in (with exception to landscapes), until I started having these issues, and then switched solely to AF-S to meet the requests of Nikon. I know it seems like the sure fire way to go at low apertures, but I swear, I'm getting better results with AF-C + AF-On only (back button focus).

I'm with you. The huge amount of AF Fine tuning is disconcerting to me too (even though for now, it seems to be solving my issue). The 50mm is a brand new Sigma Art and I've heard that complaint before on that lens, and figured that might be normal for a third party lens. But it seems to be pretty dialed in now at +17. (note, I have the Nikkor 50mm 1.4, but it's my least favorite of all my lenses, hence the jump to the Sigma Art).
I was more surprised at the +20 needed on the Nikon 85mm. Seems like Nikon+Nikon should be compatible out of the box. I'd be ok with a small variance of +/- 5 or so. But maxed out at 20?? Yet, it seems to be working so I'm baffled. This could be why the guys at Nikon were adamantly telling me I should keep that turned off, with the values at zero. Gah. Now I'm worried again.

Something interesting I forgot to note, is that during this LOOOOOONG process of troubleshooting and multiple send-in's for repair, Nikon actually replaced my 85mm. (I swear I had problems with that lens out of the box). The one I'm using now is brand new (not refurbished) straight from Nikon). I've had it for 2 months, but the problems are identical. Which is when I started suspecting it was either the body, internal settings (not obvious stuff like shutter speed) or just me.

I'll try your great suggestion of turning the Tracking OFF to see if this impacts anything. I'd be grateful if you think of anything else, based on this new/additional info. Thank you so much for your time!!

www.ksetterfield.com

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FaithfulCountryGirl said:

Thank you Alistair. Awesome feedback!! I hadn't considered turning the tracking to OFF! I am used to it with my sports, but you are right! Duh! Not needed (or wanted) for my portrait work. I bet this has been a contributing factor!

Yes, I was dealing with some guys at the very top at Nikon on this issue and they were pretty adamant about the AF-S. Sounds like you are also suggesting AF-C like another contributor here? Ironically, that's what I always used to shoot in (with exception to landscapes), until I started having these issues, and then switched solely to AF-S to meet the requests of Nikon. I know it seems like the sure fire way to go at low apertures, but I swear, I'm getting better results with AF-C + AF-On only (back button focus).

I'm with you. The huge amount of AF Fine tuning is disconcerting to me too (even though for now, it seems to be solving my issue). The 50mm is a brand new Sigma Art and I've heard that complaint before on that lens, and figured that might be normal for a third party lens. But it seems to be pretty dialed in now at +17. (note, I have the Nikkor 50mm 1.4, but it's my least favorite of all my lenses, hence the jump to the Sigma Art).
I was more surprised at the +20 needed on the Nikon 85mm. Seems like Nikon+Nikon should be compatible out of the box. I'd be ok with a small variance of +/- 5 or so. But maxed out at 20?? Yet, it seems to be working so I'm baffled. This could be why the guys at Nikon were adamantly telling me I should keep that turned off, with the values at zero. Gah. Now I'm worried again.

Something interesting I forgot to note, is that during this LOOOOOONG process of troubleshooting and multiple send-in's for repair, Nikon actually replaced my 85mm. (I swear I had problems with that lens out of the box). The one I'm using now is brand new (not refurbished) straight from Nikon). I've had it for 2 months, but the problems are identical. Which is when I started suspecting it was either the body, internal settings (not obvious stuff like shutter speed) or just me.

I'll try your great suggestion of turning the Tracking OFF to see if this impacts anything. I'd be grateful if you think of anything else, based on this new/additional info. Thank you so much for your time!!

www.ksetterfield.com

Click to expand...

FaithfulCountryGirl said:

I've been shooting sports at for a long time and almost never miss focus. For example, a football game (poor light, high ISO), I maybe get 10 out of 800 that are out of focus at f 2.8. So yes, this problem is it's definitely with lower apertures and when I'm closer-to-subject. But thank you for conforming that my keep rate should still be very high. I always considered my 85mm 1.4 G and 50mm 1.4 lenses to be "fast". Your'e saying they're slow. Am I missing something?

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