romanticf16 Loc: Commerce Twp, MI

Your camera doesn't offer the adjustment. You'd have to go to the D7---series of bodies for that feature in DX, or a D500; or any of the FX bodies. SEARCH will tell you how it is done(and how you can test for front or back focus). If you find it you'd have to send the camera and lens to Nikon for adjustment. I don't think it'd still be under warranty on that older model?

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Some bodies allow separate MAF adjustment at both ends of a zoom range

RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA

I'm very particular about my focus point, and with the equipment I have I trust autofocus 100%. Even at 200mm and f/2.8, whatever it locks on will be sharp on the screen and sharp in the print. I'd actually like to have a lens that didn't autofocus properly, just so I could try AF fine tuning.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Unfortunately, the AF adjustment mechanism (contrast) for live view is typically not the same AF adjustment mechanism (phase detection) used for the actual shot, so being in focus in live view does not guarantee being in focus for the exposure. Note my comments apply only to AF, not manual focus, and only to DSLRs, not mirror less bodies.

Tigger1 Loc: Surrey, BC Canada

Hi filzfotoz; You cannot do it with the D5100 as there is no such menu in the D5100. In the Nikon line of cameras, this function is only available in the D7XXX and higher level camera lines. As you probably already know, this function is used to correct back or front focusing of lenses on a particular camera body but the function has to be built into the camera body and your D5100 (like mine does not have that function). If you really feel that you have a back or front focus issue with your camera and a particular lens, then the only way to resolve that issue is to send the camera and offending lens to Nikon for service. However, be aware that any re-set that Nikon Service does for a particular lens such as your 50mm f1.8 may cause an issue with one of your other lenses! My suggestion is if you have an issue, you should speak to a Nikon Service tech for guidance.
Good luck, Garth

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

The good news is that you don't need to worry about it.... Your camera doesn't have the Micro Focus Adjustment feature.

Only Nikon D7000 series and higher models do. Among Canon, all the Rebel/xxxD and lower models don't have it, while all the recent and current xxD and higher models do.

I can't speak for Nikon, but Canon has significantly improved Micro Focus Adjustment feature on the current and most recent generation of cameras.... to handle more lenses, be lens-specific (by serial number) and to better handle zooms. The earlier version worked fine, but was more primitive and didn't allow as exact adjustment.

No, doing the Micro Focus Adjustment doesn't necessarily effect other lenses used on the camera (although Canon does have option to do a global adjustment such as that... I just can't imagine much use for it... if you are going to MFA, it just makes sense to do it on a lens by lens basis).

The camera "recognizes" the lens and utilizes adjustments that are specific to it, as were set up by the user. Older version of Canon MFA adjusted by lens model... if, for example, you stored settings for a Canon EF 50/1.4 USM lens... the camera would apply that adjustment to any and all EF 50/1.4 USM lenses that were attached to it. Current "version 2.0" of Canon MFA is lens-specific, recognizing individual lenses by serial number. So if, say, you use two different EF 50/1.4 USM lenses, you now can have two different sets of adjustments.

In most cases and for most people, Micro Focus Adjustment is just a little extra fine tuning.

MFA is more likely to be needed on fast, large aperture lenses and longer telephotos, both of which render shallow depth of field effects where minor focus errors can be more noticeable. For example, MFA would generally be more useful and needed with a 300/2.8 lens, than it would be with an 18-55mm f3.5-5.6. Plus, with most lenses you'll see the most benefit from MFA if you shoot them "wide open" a lot. When you stop down a lens that increases depth of field, which in turn will tend to hide the minor focus errors that MFA is used to correct.

I can't say about Nikon, but on Canon some of the more entry-level and "kit" lenses weren't worth doing an MFA on, even if you had camera model that could. For example, the now discontinued micro-motor-focused Canon EF 50/1.8 II lens doesn't focus consistently enough to be able to MFA it very accurately. The EF 50/1.8 STM that's superseded it is more consistent and may be worth fine tuning with MFA.

Also, MFA is generally less helpful with zooms than it is with prime lenses.

For one, many zooms today, especially the more affordable ones, are varifocal designs. They don't maintain focus when you change the focal length. Any time you zoom the lens, if you want a sharply focused image you need to re-focus the lens. If using a single shot method of focus (One Shot, in Canon... Single Servo AF in Nikon, I think. etc.)... intended for use with stationary subjects and that achieves focus then stops and locks... you have to consciously re-focus the zoom by lifting off the button, then reapplying pressure. If using a continuous method of focus (AI Servo in Canon... Continuous Servo AF in Nikon, etc.), such as is used with moving subjects, the camera will automatically correct for the loss of focus when you zoom.

Also, with zooms there might be some compromise with MFA. Even with more modern MFA that allows two adjustments on a zoom. Say you adjust a 70-200mm lens to be perfect at it's extremes.... one at 70mm and the other adjustment at 200mm... Probably will be very close, but there's no guarantee those settings will be perfect at 85mm, 100mm, 135mm settings of the lens.

Can't say what Sony, Oly, Pentax, etc. might offer. I have no idea.

All lenses and cameras autofocus systems are calibrated within some range... within some pre-determined tolerances. In fact, so are other things such as the metering system and aperture controls.

Back in the old days, we used to have cameras and lenses calibrated rather regularly, by professional technicians. They would adjust all of it. And, so long as you were willing to pay for it, you could even have things fine tuned to a higher level of accuracy than the factory new tolerances.

Modern cameras and lenses are held to a much tighter standard, right from new. Design and manufacture have advanced to the point that tighter tolerances are possible and will be held better. And, some of these systems are now even self correcting or self adjusting to some extent, correcting for wear and tear over time and other factors. A simple example: Think of your cell phone or computer, which accesses refers to an online source to check and reset it's internal clock, as needed, on a regular basis. Another, more complex one: Our modern cars and trucks use adaptive computer controls that self-adjust for ambient changes as well as wear and tear over time in their own systems. Cameras today are computers, too.

RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA

Interesting. I admit I haven't used live view, or thought much about it. Would fine tuning likely be more necessary with live view than viewfinder focusing?

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Sorry - I probably didn't make that very clear since I thought you were using the LCD screen in live view rather than the viewfinder.

First, for manual focus, none of this matters - it only affects auto-focus. In DSLRs, there are 2 autofocus sensor mechanisms: for live view (with the LCD screen), the camera uses contrast detection for autofocus which is very accurate, but slow - it doesn't need any MAF correction. For the actual photo (and what you see in the optical viewfinder), the camera uses 2 phase detection sensors. They are not as accurate as contrast detection, but much faster, hence the reason they are used for the actual exposure. Unlike contrast detection, they are also subject to errors from several sources - mechanical tolerances from both the body and lens as well as the tolerance on placement of the sensors. This error can be corrected by MAF correction and is specific to the particular lens you are using. You may not see this error in the viewfinder (since it is relatively small), but depending on the aperture (it's worse with wide aperture and shallow DOF), it may show up in the final print or on your larger monitor as front or back focusing, where the actual focus point is in front of, or behind the subject you intended. It's worse with long telephoto shots and wide aperture. If your camera supports MAF adjustment, and depending on the lens, it can make a notIcable difference. I recently calibrated a 50mm macro, that without calibration, was actually very soft, almost blurry, which was tack-sharp after calibration. Is it absolutely necessary? No. But if you shoot where the DOF is shallow, it can make a visible difference. If you're using a thousand dollar lens, as many of the long teles are, it's a small cost to get the best out of your lens. I cal every lens I use, and I feel it's money very well spent, but that's just my opinion. BTW, none of this applies to mirror less bodies.

Cheers,
Chris

ballsafire Loc: Lafayette, Louisiana

Wow!!! You are really an expert in my opinion!

RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA

I thought you must have missed where I said focusing screen, but it's good you got me thinking about live view. I shoot mostly 6x7 & 6x9 film, but it won't hurt to learn more about my DSLRs. Thanks!

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

You're right, I did completely miss that. I still shoot my RB67 ProS, and since the price of lenses has declined dramatically, I'm considering adding more. It's amazing what a bargain MF film has become. I used to pay $300+ for a back... Do you scan your film? If so, what do you use?

pmackd Loc: Alameda CA

This link is NOT from Nikon, nor is the method described here anything like the simpler method Nikon recommends. For that matter the other methods described or linked here, some of which require that you buy something, are NOT what Nikon recommends.

Nikon, on their Global Professional Services site http://nps.nikonimaging.com/technical_solutions/d4s_tips/af_fine-tuning/
recommends taking a series of pictures using varying AF Fine Tune values from -20 to +20 and studying them on your computer to see which one is the sharpest. This method does not require a tripod so long as you shoot at high enough shutter speeds. Unlike other methods, no special angle target is required and you can do it for any object distance, though Nikon suggests using a distance for which a human standing up fills the vertical frame. This is the simplest method and it works, though other methods may be more precise.

The one thing I would add from experience is that because of scatter in autofocus results you might want to take three or more shots for each AF Fine Tune value and use the sharpest one.

RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA

Love the RB67, but we're off-topic now and this thread may not yet have run it's course. How about I send you a PM in the morning and we can continue then? Gotta run now!

filzfotoz Loc: Nashville, TN

Thanks, everyone!

OnDSnap Loc: NE New Jersey

With Fo Cal Pro you can select the Fine Tune method by selecting either Contrast detection or Phase Detection, also Auto which is recommenced.