dyximan

I read a post a little while back about Lind's calibrating and some software focus 1 or something like that. I have a nikon D 500 with the 16 to 80DX lands and the 18 to 300 DX lens. I use the 18 to 300 extensively and it actually has begun to get Lens creep. I can live with that that just shows you how much I use it but I took some recent photos of a bird in flight bald Eagle in very few were in focus looking for suggestions and help software firmware programs etc or do you just suggest that you send the lands in to nikon and have them calibrate it. As I understand it is sometimes best to have it calibrated with the body as well. Any and all advice or suggestions would be appreciated except of course the snarky ones. Thank you in advance for your help.

Drbobcameraguy Loc: Eaton Ohio

Post a pic with the exif included and we can help answer your questions better. Thanks Bob

Grahame Loc: Fiji

Have you placed the camera on a tripod, selected mirror up, used remote or timed release and undertaken tests with a static target which you then viewed on screen to confirm if you have a focus problem yet?

dyximan

No I have not. I will give that a try in the morning

dyximan

Here is one

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CO

Here's a quick test you can do. Take photos using the viewfinder and some with the camera in live view mode. When using the viewfinder, the camera is using its phase detection autofocus. Phase detection AF is error prone. When in live view mode, the camera is using its contrast detection autofocus. There are no focusing errors when using contrast detection AF. The camera adjusts the focus until it achieves the highest contrast at the sensor. Compare the images side by side.

I think the software you were asking about is Reiken FoCal Pro. I don't have it but I understand it's excellent. I use the DataColor SpyderLensCal to calibrate mine.

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Nalu Loc: Southern Arizona

One of the things I don’t miss about my now replaced Canon gear was the need to fine tune my lenses with various bodies. I always wondered whether I was getting the best out of my lenses. I don’t have to do that with my Sony gear.

Sorry, just had to say it.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

Be careful in your use of the words “best” and “Canon”. Instead of comparing “Canon” and “Sony”, you should compare “PDAF” and “CDAF”, since every MILC , even Canon’s, uses the main sensor to focus {it is all it has}

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Thank you for posting an actual example as this example confirms 'lens calibration' has nothing to do with your focus issues.

Rather, change your focus mode and AF area mode. You can obtain detailed instructions from https://backcountrygallery.com/ for your specific camera.

You might confirm too the 18-300 will 'drive' at the speed needed to autofocus on a moving subject.

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clherms

CO:

Can you tell me how you use the Spyder....like the steps you walk through to use it? I would imagine it's the same for greyscale? I have always wondered. Thank you!

Cynthia

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

Lens "calibration" is best left to those trained to this with professional tools and software. While you "can" improve focus for a particular subject distance, and in the case of a zoom lens, a focal length, focusing errors are rarely linear in nature. By this I mean that a lens that has front focus issues at 10 ft may be fine at 30 ft but won't focus at infinity because of back focus. If you then consider zoom lenses, this can happen differently at various focal lengths. The problem with in-camera focus tuning is that it will only be 99% valid for one focal length and one distance - and if you really want to get technical, at one aperture, because stopping a lens down to a smaller aperture is usually accompanied by a little bit of focus shift. All of this makes fine tuning an 18-300 DX lens a task that is harder than herding cats.

So . . .

I do with my current gear what I have always done since my first 35mm SLR camera in 1967 - check for focus errors using whatever tool you prefer, then send in the camera or the lens or both if you suspect both are contributing to errors - to the mfgr's repair service. In the old days things were easier - you could ensure that the mirror and the groundglass, focusing screen and lens mount were correctly aligned, and the lens was physically able to actually focus at infinity - and that was it. With rangefinder cameras it was a little dicier because of the coupling between the rangefinder focusing system and the lens - but it could still be tuned. These days in addition to some of the above, there are focus sensor alignment, focus sensor mapping and a host of other things that a simple in-camera focus tune is not able to address.

The goal is to be able to use any lens on any camera at any focal length and at any distance. With 18 lenses and 5 camera bodies I can't be bothered individually tuning each lens to each of my camera bodies.
However, if your camera(s) and lens(es) are tuned correctly to a known standard - then swapping lenses between multiple bodies becomes a piece of cake. Keep in mind that the fine tune utility in the camera is just a focus offset - it is not magic. if your 18-300mm lens is front focusing at 300mm and you introduce a focus offset to fix it, there is a chance it may not focus correctly at closer or further distances, or at different focal lengths.

None of the literature from Nikon or Canon suggest using their in-camera focus tuning for a permanent solution to focusing errors, btw.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

dyximan

Thank you, I had thought I was in AF-C. thanks again

dyximan

I also have the Tamron 150-600 G2 model and have had the same experience, I will heed your advice and look into Steves videos, I have watched some of his in the past, and understand he is quite the wildlife photographer and Nikon user. Thanks again

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

To make a judgement on the focus accuracy of a lens, it would be better to base it on a stationary object, not birds zipping through the air.