Make Focus Adjustments in Camera or Lens? Hi! I am using a Tamron 18~400 on a Canon 80D. I'm still testing but think I need to tweak the auto focus a bit for my particular pair of...

barbie.lewis Loc: Livingston, Texas

Hi!

I am using a Tamron 18~400 on a Canon 80D. I'm still testing but think I need to tweak the auto focus a bit for my particular pair of camera and lens. That can be adjusted in either the camera or the lens.

Currently I only use the lens on this one body. And the Canon 80D will allow the adjustment on an individual lens basis without affecting other lenses.

So is it better to make the adjustment on the camera or on the lens?

Thanks!

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

barbie.lewis wrote:

Hi!

I am using a Tamron 18~400 on a Canon 80D. I'm still testing but think I need to tweak the auto focus a bit for my particular pair of camera and lens. That can be adjusted in either the camera or the lens.

Currently I only use the lens on this one body. And the Canon 80D will allow the adjustment on an individual lens basis without affecting other lenses.

So is it better to make the adjustment on the camera or on the lens?

Thanks!

Do you have other Canon bodies? If so, does the lens seem to need adjustment on them too. If so and the same direction, it is the lens that is off,
and so the lens should be adjusted. If it seems correct on another body. it is th 80D that should be corrected. If you have no other bodies, I doubt it matters which gets adjusted.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

barbie.lewis wrote:

Hi!

I am using a Tamron 18~400 on a Canon 80D. I'm still testing but think I need to tweak the auto focus a bit for my particular pair of camera and lens. That can be adjusted in either the camera or the lens.

Currently I only use the lens on this one body. And the Canon 80D will allow the adjustment on an individual lens basis without affecting other lenses.

So is it better to make the adjustment on the camera or on the lens?

Thanks!

I would do the body.
Why?
No reason other than that is the way I would do it.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

This Tamron lens can use a separate Tamron product to adjust the lens. However, where the camera body supports micro adjustment, the camera body is adjusted to the lens using the features of the body rather than purchasing another tool.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

I beleive that the 80D will allow 2 microfocus adjustments on a zoom. Typically, this would be done on the wide and the tele ends, but not necessarily - you can pick any two points in the range you like. What is most useful is to determine the MFA required at various points across the zoom range and then pick two points which come closest to the proper correction across all the FLs or in the range you use most. I use Reikan’s Focal system, but there are many other ways/systems to accomplish this, some which have no cost. Be prepared for the alternate point of view which is that only the manufacturer can do this properly for one camera and one lens or that it is completely unnecessary - it’s an old debate.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

barbie.lewis wrote:

Hi!

I am using a Tamron 18~400 on a Canon 80D. I'm still testing but think I need to tweak the auto focus a bit for my particular pair of camera and lens. That can be adjusted in either the camera or the lens.

Currently I only use the lens on this one body. And the Canon 80D will allow the adjustment on an individual lens basis without affecting other lenses.

So is it better to make the adjustment on the camera or on the lens?

Thanks!

Assuming the lens is not defective or was misadjusted at the factory, it is always better to adjust via the camera. Sending the lens in to be modified for a specific body will mean that lens may not focus properly on other bodies you want to use it with, including a future camera that you might upgrade to.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

What about checking with Tamron? If you have noticed any front or back focus with the lens and the lens in under warranty I would check with them first.
If it is not very expensive and indeed the lens is front or back focusing sending the camera and lens to them for calibration could be your best answer.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

barbie.lewis wrote:

Hi!

I am using a Tamron 18~400 on a Canon 80D. I'm still testing but think I need to tweak the auto focus a bit for my particular pair of camera and lens. That can be adjusted in either the camera or the lens.

Currently I only use the lens on this one body. And the Canon 80D will allow the adjustment on an individual lens basis without affecting other lenses.

So is it better to make the adjustment on the camera or on the lens?

Thanks!

Your lens is compatible with the Tamron Tap-In. It allows a great deal more precision for adjustment. It takes a good deal of time, but the results may be worth it, if you shoot regularly over the range of the lens. In camera you can only adjust for one length and distance. In the tap-in it is multiple lengths and distances.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

dsmeltz wrote:

Your lens is compatible with the Tamron Tap-In. It allows a great deal more precision for adjustment. It takes a good deal of time, but the results may be worth it, if you shoot regularly over the range of the lens. In camera you can only adjust for one length and distance. In the tap-in it is multiple lengths and distances.

Two MFA adjustments per zoom lens on this body, but more is certainly better if available using the tap-in.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

TriX wrote:

Two MFA adjustments per zoom lens on this body, but more is certainly better if available using the tap-in.

Thanks for the correction. And I actually have that camera! The Tap-in does somewhere between 16 and 20 adjustments for that lens. I use the Sigma USB Dock (not as clever a name as "Tap-In" but Sigma came out first) for my Sigma 150-600 that handles 16 adjustments for 4 lengths and 4 distances for each length.

Jim Bob

barbie.lewis wrote:

Hi!

I am using a Tamron 18~400 on a Canon 80D. I'm still testing but think I need to tweak the auto focus a bit for my particular pair of camera and lens. That can be adjusted in either the camera or the lens.

Currently I only use the lens on this one body. And the Canon 80D will allow the adjustment on an individual lens basis without affecting other lenses.

So is it better to make the adjustment on the camera or on the lens?

Thanks!

Only adjust if you are absolutely certain it is not human error. If it is not, make micro adjustment on camera body.

TomV Loc: Annapolis, Maryland

I had a previous generation Tamron 28-300 (AFA010) and was not able to calibrate across the whole distance correctly. My camera has a wide and tele setting. However, when adjusting and then testing the results I noticed a knee at about 70mm that resulted in a need for 3 adjustment points instead of 2 end points. 1 slope between 25-70 and another slope from 70 to 300. When set for 25mm the lens was out of focus until about 250, and when set for 70mm the 25-50 was out of focus. I had to get rid of the lens. The Tap-In feature may solve that type of problem, at least per the description.

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

barbie.lewis wrote:

Hi!

I am using a Tamron 18~400 on a Canon 80D. I'm still testing but think I need to tweak the auto focus a bit for my particular pair of camera and lens. That can be adjusted in either the camera or the lens.

Currently I only use the lens on this one body. And the Canon 80D will allow the adjustment on an individual lens basis without affecting other lenses.

So is it better to make the adjustment on the camera or on the lens?

Thanks!

If both the lens and the body are within spec, there will be no need to fine tune autofocus. If you look at your camera manual, it will tell you that the in-camera AF fine tune function is not a permanent solution, and it offsets the entire focus ramp, so that all focus will be affected, including nearest focus and infinity. If you suspect a problem, have the body brought up to spec, then have the lens done if there is still a problem.

There are some advocates of in camera tuning, but when you think about it, the procedure cannot yield a result that is consistent across all focal lengths and camera-subject distances. Factory Authorized service has better tools and procedures that can give you that consistency.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

Gene51 wrote:

If both the lens and the body are within spec, the... (show quote)

I don't want to get into a protracted argument over this question with you, but we completely differ on this subject. Second, Canon says nothing about this not being a permanent solution. Its permanent for that body, which is all I want. And while it offsets the entire focus ramp, (whatever that is) so that all focus will be affected, including nearest focus and infinity, that has never been a problem in my experience. Most professionals I know fine tune most or all of their lenses . I have owned very few lenses over the years that couldn't benefit from fine tuning. The main reason for the need to apply focus adjustments is a result of manufacturing tolerances which means there can be slight differences between two lenses of the same model and two cameras of the same model, not to mention cameras and lens representing different models. Frankly most people are unaware their lenses are front or back focusing a bit unless the problem is very bad and very obvious. The last thing I would want to do is have the lens serviced and modified for a particular body because then it will likely be off on other bodies. Been there, done that. Never again .

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

mwsilvers wrote:

I don't want to get into a protracted argument ove... (show quote)

👍👍 I will just add that calibration can make a big difference for lenses that need it. Go to the following thread ( http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-448768-1.html ) and DOWNLOAD the 2 test chart images taken with a Canon 135 f2L on a FF Canon and compare the two. One was taken with zero correction and one with -10 MFA. Of my 7 Canon lenses (5 Ls), the required corrections for max sharpness varied from +14 (50mm f2.5 macro) to -10 (135 f2L), so no way you could achieve proper calibration on all 7 by calibrating one lens to one body. Only one of the 7 (24-105L) required no significant calibration (0 on wide and -2 on tele).