Help Calibrating Nikkor 200-500mm 5.6E ED VR: My 200-500mm appears to be focusing just beyond the focus point. I have tried to calibrate my lens with AF fine tune, and have it adjusted...

Road King Loc: Northern, IL

My 200-500mm appears to be focusing just beyond the focus point. I have tried to calibrate my lens with AF fine tune, and have it adjusted to +20 (the max).
Attached, is a picture of a cardinal I took with this lens, the bird is slightly out of focus, while the brick by his back foot is focused.
What is my next step? Thanks in advance!!

(Download)

WayneT Loc: Paris, TN

I'd contact Nikon and see if they can help.

mborn Loc: Massachusetts

Road King wrote:

My 200-500mm appears to be focusing just beyond the focus point. I have tried to calibrate my lens with AF fine tune, and have it adjusted to +20 (the max).
Attached, is a picture of a cardinal I took with this lens, the bird is slightly out of focus, while the brick by his back foot is focused.
What is my next step? Thanks in advance!!

If it is a new lens, have it replaced by the dealer or send it to Nikon for calibration

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Have you tried taking a series of exposures of a fixed subject (like a target) starting at -20 and going in steps of 5 to +20 and comparing. It's not clear to me from Googling multiple sources that a + MAF corrects for back focus or front focus, although you or someone else on the thread may know for sure. IF you're sure you're going in the right direction and reached the max, then a return to Nikon for adjustment is your best option unless you care to manually focus 😂.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72MQnHPu-04

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Road King wrote:

My 200-500mm appears to be focusing just beyond the focus point. I have tried to calibrate my lens with AF fine tune, and have it adjusted to +20 (the max).
Attached, is a picture of a cardinal I took with this lens, the bird is slightly out of focus, while the brick by his back foot is focused.
What is my next step? Thanks in advance!!

I don't see a focus issue as much as I see blur from movement. Some of the plumage on the side of the head has a double image. I'd bring the adjustment to zero and shoot a flat target with the viewfinder then repeat using live view. If you have a focus problem you'll see it there.

If you check your manual, you'll discover that AF Tune is not a permanent solution to focus problems. A tech has access to the camera firmware that you don't have, and they can also adjust the AF sensors and mirrors to meet factory spec. They can also adjust the lens in the event it is out of spec. When everything is in spec, it should be fine.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Gene51 wrote:

I don't see a focus issue as much as I see blur fr... (show quote)

But the exposure was 1/800 according to the EXIF on a relatively stationary target with a 500mm lens that has VR. I agree that testing against a flat target with a 0 MAF (including both + and -) should provide valuable information, and it wouldn't hurt to try a couple manually focused shots (since MAF only affects phase detection autofocus)

Jerrin1 Loc: Wolverhampton, England

Road King wrote:

My 200-500mm appears to be focusing just beyond the focus point. I have tried to calibrate my lens with AF fine tune, and have it adjusted to +20 (the max).
Attached, is a picture of a cardinal I took with this lens, the bird is slightly out of focus, while the brick by his back foot is focused.
What is my next step? Thanks in advance!!

Prior to purchasing mine, I had read that a couple of owners had focusing problems and had to exchange their original lenses. As a result, instead of buying mine from my usual, much cheaper on-line shop, I bought one from an excellent high street shop. I felt the extra cost was worth it in this case. As it turned out, I have an excellent copy of the lens. You might try one of the independent lens calibration charts. I believe there are a couple of free downloads available. Have a look on You Tube, there are a number of tutorials.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Road King wrote:

My 200-500mm appears to be focusing just beyond the focus point. I have tried to calibrate my lens with AF fine tune, and have it adjusted to +20 (the max).
Attached, is a picture of a cardinal I took with this lens, the bird is slightly out of focus, while the brick by his back foot is focused.
What is my next step? Thanks in advance!!

Don't calibrate this lens, REPEAT, DO NOT CALIBRATE THIS LENS. Simply go to GROUP AUTO FOCUS and use the center focusing spot, yes, you will be pleased with the result. When you recalibrate a lens you can only do it for a specific distance and you will mess that lens up for all other distances. ( and boy will folks disagree with me, but not Nikon, they warn against it in all their manuals) Nikon has spent a lot of money calibrating that lens in the factory. It is good to go. The problems with your Cardinal is that your camera focusing spot focused on the background and not the bird, if you use GROUP AUTO FOCUS and keep the four dots on the bird you WILL NOT HAVE THIS PROBLEM, the problem is in the focusing system you choose for your camera, NOT THE LENS. DO NOT RECALIBRATE YOUR LENS, STEP AWAY FROM THE LENS and go to GROUP AUTO FOCUS.

danoliver Loc: South Central Kentucky

billnikon wrote:

Don't calibrate this lens, REPEAT, DO NOT CALIBRAT... (show quote)

Thank you for this information, I will try this on my D500.

aflundi Loc: Albuquerque, NM

Road King wrote:

My 200-500mm appears to be focusing just beyond the focus point. I have tried to calibrate my lens with AF fine tune, and have it adjusted to +20 (the max).
Attached, is a picture of a cardinal I took with this lens, the bird is slightly out of focus, while the brick by his back foot is focused.
What is my next step? Thanks in advance!!

Your next step is to reduce the fine tune number. More positive numbers move the focus plane back, but since you want to move it forward, reduce the number.

cthahn

Contact Nikon. These are problems well past most photographers.

FiddleMaker Loc: Merrimac, MA

Gene51 wrote:

I don't see a focus issue as much as I see blur fr... (show quote)

Good advice. This is why I like reading the info that you post. ~FiddleMaker

Road King Loc: Northern, IL

Thank you, I think I have it!! I think it was a combination of factors (object movement, sloppy procedures while calibrating and bad info from a You Tube video).

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Road King wrote:

Thank you, I think I have it!! I think it was a combination of factors (object movement, sloppy procedures while calibrating and bad info from a You Tube video).

Good deal - you should post a new photo with the changes. Out of curiosity, did you end up using any MFA correction?