DX 17-55 latest infinity news?

[Ilari Laine]

I tried to search for an answer to the infinity problem with DX lenses but there was just too many "answers" for that. Could somebody tell me that should I send my new lens, camera or both to the service or do I just live with this thing?

 

[maflynn]

If your not happy with the performance then I wouldn't just live with it.

I'd take the camera and lens to you local camera store and take some test photos using youir current lens and a different camera, then using a new lens and your camera. See what combinatins work and what doesn't, send in what failed.

for me, the 17-55dx failed on different cameras (2 D70 and 1 D70s) and my kit lens out performed the 17-55. because my kit lens (and other lenses) were working fine that led me to believe it was the lens and not the camera. testing the lens out on different camera just confirmed that hypothesis.

For the record (if you didn't see my rant against this lens) my problem is specific to focusing on infinity as some have, but rather sharpness of the lenss off center (center is tack sharp 1/3 off center is horribly soft).

Mike

 

[Leo L]

I tried to search for an answer to the infinity problem with DX
lenses but there was just too many "answers" for that. Could
somebody tell me that should I send my new lens, camera or both to
the service or do I just live with this thing?

I tried 4 17-55 on my D70 all have the same infinity focus problem. I also send my D70 to Nikon for service, after replaced the AF sensor the problem still exist. I bought a D50 a month ago, the same lens work fine on my new D50 but have problem on my old D70. I also tried two D70 in Nikon service center and all have the same infinity focus problem. In my case it clearly is a D70 AF problem and Nikon seem can't fix it.

--
Leo L

 

[Bjorn Rorslett]

Pardon me for asking, but what is the "infinity" issue with the 17-55 DX? It cannot be that the infinity mark won't line up at the corresponding dot on the scale when you focus to infinity, because this is a lens without a fixed infinity focus point, due to its ED design.

Just for the record, I do own the 17-55 (and 17-35) and use both on D1,D1H,D1X,D2H,D2Hs,D2X,D70 and never had any "infinity" issue. Neither has any pro photographer I know personally. So this must be something elusive.

 

[RaidenCraig]

There is a focus technique/trick for varifocus lenses that some have mentioned, but cannot find it at the moment... sorry-- maybe someone else can chime in (?)

It is AMAZING how many such problems get reported with the 17-55... one MUST suspect the lens rather than the camera, because other lenses typically do fine on the same camera, even the bargain fellow DX sibling 18-70. Nikon is getting a HUGE black eye with this-- for $1,200+, it is difficult to be tolerant and patient with attempted repair. They need some "crisis management" for PR purposes.

I note that inveterate and ubiquitous contributor here Phil Youngblood (who likes his copy of the 17-55) says that he cannot (in good faith) recommend it without reservations because of the focus problem so often noted.
--
Craig in Ga. (USA)
As you go thru life, don't forget to stop along the way to smell the roses.

 

[RaidenCraig]

Bjorn

There have been lots of posts about focus problems with the 17-55-- skilled shooters who do not report it with other pro glass lenses sometimes get exasperated w/the 17-55, but the problems are not omnipresent-- some simply report the usual softness wide open... I do not have the lens, but watch here, and you should see others explain the frustration...
--
Craig in Ga. (USA)
As you go thru life, don't forget to stop along the way to smell the roses.

 

[Bjorn Rorslett]

I was just curious because I haven't got any issue with this lens at all.

 

[Ed]

I am on my second copy of this lens. The first one front focused very reliably at shorter focal lengths. I had given up on the design and moved to the 28-70.

But I missed this lens and bought another. This new one does the same thing. For example, focus at 17mm on a building some 200 feet away and the building ends up far beyond the DOF and objects in the foreground some 10-20 feet away are sharp.

I think it is a design issue.

PS, I see this on the D2X, D70 and D50. Most obvious on the D2X because of the higher resolution.

 

[Ed]

I plan on keeping the lens. It lives on my D2X. It is worth the trouble, IMHO.

 

[Zerstorer]

Personally, I find the 17-55 excellent in centre sharpness even at wide but its performance towards at the 17mm end is rather lacklustre unless aperture is stepped to below f5.6.

Much of the sharpness issues with this lens seems to be misfocus issues, but I'm leaning to towards it being a body AF limitation rather than it being the lens itself. On the D70 I'm using, the AF is simply not precise enough to precisely focus the lens at 17mm in most situations and especially in low light. This situation is made worse if there is insufficient edge contrast or detail for the AF to lock. In almost all cases it ends up front focusing which makes the entire image blurry.

However, I've found that focusing at 55mm before racking it back to 17mm seems to work almost all the time and results in a very high number of properly focused shots, but that may not be an option in some dynamic situations where you don't have the luxury of time.

 

[Zerstorer]

Personally, I find the 17-55 excellent in centre sharpness even at
wide but its performance towards at the 17mm end is rather
lacklustre unless aperture is stepped to below f5.6.

The above should have read "but its performance towards THE CORNERS at the 17mm end is rather lacklustre unless aperture is stepped to below f5.6."

 

[SFJ]

The problem is at 17-20mm. The lens is not able to obtain correct focus - it focuses to close. With manual focus you can obtain a much sharper image. I don´t have any problems with my 17-35mm it's pin sharp.

My 17-55mm is bought at a pro dealer in Copenhagen (Photografica). The dealer agrees that there is a problem with the lens. We tried a couple of other 17-55mm in the shop both on my D2h and on a D2x in the shop. They all showed the same problem. My sample is at Nikon for repair at the moment (have been there for over a month) but I'm not sure they are able to fix it.

My 12-24 DX has the same error at 12-14 mm. None of my non-DX optics have any problems.

 

[Bjorn Rorslett]

Well, my sample does definitively not focus incorrectly. That is all I can say. I purchased a boxed brand-new lens and put it immediately to its intended use, so it wasn't cherry-picked in any sense. I do know a lot of other fellow Norwegian photographers with this lens and none of them has reported any errors with it. Strange. Very strange indeed.

My 17-55 has had a fair share of incidents being dropped onto rocks so its shade is pretty worn now, but it still functions flawlessly. It has big troubles with flare and ghosting when I shoot against the light, but these flaws were known to me before I purchased the lens, so don't come as a surprise.

 

[shudder]

After seeing Phil's thread (it filled up quick!), I posted this thread to continue the conversation with some example pics of the won't-focus-to-infinity prob:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1030&message=13909333

For Bjorn: I don't have any prob with the physical lens not actually being on the inifinity symbol when focused, it was just that it actually would not focus to infinity when set to 17mm, even though it 'appeared' to be doing so.

I did this folloiwng post after getting the repaired 17-55 back from Nikon, with more example pics included. I was not enthusiastic as it appeared things were stilll amiss with the lens after it cam back from them:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1030&message=14178320

After mulling it over for a bit, I redid my tests and posted the results here. I was much happier (and relieved) with the second go 'round of pics shown here:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1030&message=14199134

All in all, it appears the prob for me was with my copy of the 17-55, not my D70s (which works fine with my Sigma 80-400 OS and my Nikkor 60mm MICRO, always has). I use the repaired 17-55 all the time now and it seems to be performing nicely.

Here's a shot of my boy -- stitches included! -- taken with the 17-55 / D70s.



Good luck!

--
best,
shudder

Now shooting with the Nikon D70s / 17-55 DX / 80-400 OS / 60 MICRO / SB-800

PIX: http://www.mmcphoto.com
MIX: http://www.artistlaunch.com/mmc
Get the SDD*: http://www.mmcphoto.com

• • shudder's digital darkroom -- a PS atn written for Fuji cams, but it works for my D70s images as well!

 

[shudder]

Just for the sake of argument, I wonder what your results would be if you undertook the test with your 17-55 that I outline in my posts?

I would not be at all surprised if everything was fine with your lens (and it does sound like it is fine from what you have written!), but it makes me wonder if what some folks might perceive as 'softness' of this lens wide open at 17mm might in fact be a result of its inability to focus properly to infinity at 17mm, wide open.

--
best,
shudder

Now shooting with the Nikon D70s / 17-55 DX / 80-400 OS / 60 MICRO / SB-800

PIX: http://www.mmcphoto.com
MIX: http://www.artistlaunch.com/mmc
Get the SDD*: http://www.mmcphoto.com

• • shudder's digital darkroom -- a PS atn written for Fuji cams, but it works for my D70s images as well!

 

[Bjorn Rorslett]

That I can answer with confidence, because I've used the lens extensively under varied field situations, and never had any issue when focus wasn't where I wanted it to be. Thus, nothing in the direction you indicate by your test photos.

Did a quick shooting round in my living room now, very dimly lit just now (equivalent to 4-8 sec exposure at f/2.8 with ISO 100), shot a series with focus close to far away at f/2.8, using flash to get sharp images (but no AF assist on the flash), and all images had focus precisely where I had put it, even under such abysmal low light.

Like many other pro shooters, I do exclusively focus the lens with the AF-ON button while the camera is in AF-C mode, no AF through the release. Works like a charm, also with the 17-55

 

[shudder]

That I can answer with confidence

Good deal, Bjorn. Glad it works so well for you.

Like many other pro shooters, I do exclusively focus the lens with
the AF-ON button while the camera is in AF-C mode, no AF through
the release. Works like a charm, also with the 17-55

I don't follow you, exactly. Perhaps I am overthinking what you've written. Can you be a little more detailed, please? I would like to understand (seems like I do this as well -- just seems the right thing to do...). Thank you.

--
best,
shudder

Now shooting with the Nikon D70s / 17-55 DX / 80-400 OS / 60 MICRO / SB-800

PIX: http://www.mmcphoto.com
MIX: http://www.artistlaunch.com/mmc
Get the SDD*: http://www.mmcphoto.com

• • shudder's digital darkroom -- a PS atn written for Fuji cams, but it works for my D70s images as well!

 

[Bjorn Rorslett]

Just give it a try. Set AF to be activated only by the AF-ON button, put the camera mode to AF-C, and fire away.

 

[shudder]

Ah, I gotcha. Will do. Thanks, Bjorn.
--
best,
shudder

Now shooting with the Nikon D70s / 17-55 DX / 80-400 OS / 60 MICRO / SB-800

PIX: http://www.mmcphoto.com
MIX: http://www.artistlaunch.com/mmc
Get the SDD*: http://www.mmcphoto.com

• • shudder's digital darkroom -- a PS atn written for Fuji cams, but it works for my D70s images as well!

 

[JayR]

Bjorn,

I think the issue was actually focus at far distances in the 17-20mm range.

For example, put the lens at 17mm and try to focus on a object that is 200m away. With the "defective" lenses, infinity focus will not be achieved and focus would be set at something like 9ft or something.

If you lock focus at 55mm and then zoom out to 17mm, then infinity focus is achieved properly.

Atleast this was what I found when I tested my 18-70DX with my D70. This seems to be a issue with wide angle DX lenses.
--
--Jay