Focus Problems: I am looking for insight on focusing with my D4 + 70-200 2.8. In shooting basketball when I focus on a player coming right at me one will be sharp and the rest not so...

Jules Karney Loc: Las Vegas, Nevada

I am looking for insight on focusing with my D4 + 70-200 2.8. In shooting basketball when I focus on a player coming right at me one will be sharp and the rest not so much. 1/1000 at 2.8. Left to right much better, what am I missing?
Lens is calibrated, focus point 9 squares. I use bbf.
Looking forward to everyone's comments.

Jules
First shot without editing, 2nd shot went through Topaz Denoise and Sharpening

(Download)

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Jules Karney wrote:

I am looking for insight on focusing with my D4 + 70-200 2.8. In shooting basketball when I focus on a player coming right at me one will be sharp and the rest not so much. 1/1000 at 2.8. Left to right much better, what am I missing?
Lens is calibrated, focus point 9 squares. I use bbf.
Looking forward to everyone's comments.

Jules
First shot without editing, 2nd shot went through Topaz Denoise and Sharpening

Depth of Field limitation, no way around it. F/2.8 has a very shallow DOF, but indoors you can't really use f-stops with greater DOF unless you go with slow(er) shutter speeds, and then the moving players will blur.

It is just the way optics work.

Jules Karney Loc: Las Vegas, Nevada

robertjerl wrote:

Depth of Field limitation, no way around it. F/2.8 has a very shallow DOF, but indoors you can't really use f-stops with greater DOF unless you go with slow(er) shutter speeds, and then the moving players will blur.

It is just the way optics work.

Your right, I just thought someone would have a magic solution.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Jules Karney wrote:

Your right, I just thought someone would have a magic solution.

You need to talk to Harry for that.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

I would have thought that AF-C would have tracked the subject as it moved towards you.

SnappyHappy Loc: Chapin, SC “The Capitol of Lake Murray”

In addition to your settings I would use continuous focus and hold the back button down continuously while I was shooting.

Grahame Loc: Fiji

Jules, you ask what am I missing?

Here's my thoughts as someone that shoots runners coming towards me.

1. The subject to camera distance is changing way faster when they come towards you than when they are crossing you.

2. Every camera lens combo has a 'dead band' in its AF system where it does not correct itself. If it did not have the dead band it would be forever 'hunting'. Camera/lens AF correction time is also affected by lens mechanical speed of response, newer lenses (Nikon Z) respond faster. I'm not in any way saying your lens/camera is not good enough.

3. How accurate is your lens fine tuning?

4. Putting the image in ViewNX no acquired focus point is shown. This may be due to Exif so look at your orig.

5. I have always found the Dynamic 9 point, as you have used, to be the best with D800 and Z6.

6. There is no magic solution

(Download)

User ID

Jules Karney wrote:

Your right, I just thought someone would have a magic solution.

Someone will tell you to get a Z9 ...
some someone OTHER than me.

And acoarst, that someone will have never used the Z9, but will have read lotsa reviews.

Bottom line, no magic :-(

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Use maximum fps and set the burst limiter to 3 or 4 frames. Those few frames will include one thaz perfectly focused, plus one best action moment, but those will seldom be one and the same frame.

Show the results to your therapist ?

frankraney Loc: Clovis, Ca.

Jules Karney wrote:

I am looking for insight on focusing with my D4 + 70-200 2.8. In shooting basketball when I focus on a player coming right at me one will be sharp and the rest not so much. 1/1000 at 2.8. Left to right much better, what am I missing?
Lens is calibrated, focus point 9 squares. I use bbf.
Looking forward to everyone's comments.

Jules
First shot without editing, 2nd shot went through Topaz Denoise and Sharpening

The first photo is too shallow. The second is a little better. 2.8 is a little wide.

frankraney Loc: Clovis, Ca.

Jules Karney wrote:

Your right, I just thought someone would have a magic solution.

No magic for too shallow dof.

frankraney Loc: Clovis, Ca.

R.G. wrote:

I would have thought that AF-C would have tracked the subject as it moved towards you.

It will, but the photo won't be any better if the dof is too shallow.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

When I pull the first image into NX studio, the 9-point AF is identified in the EXIF, but seems to have been striped by the software used to process this image. The "Bulldogs" logo and player number are in perfect focus, in the center of the frame, making me think that's where the AF zone was located. Shooting at f/2.8 places the player's face outside the DOF, where tracking their face may be needed, if that's where you're going to judge if the image is sharply focused.

agillot

Actually , pic num 2 is better with background blurred , it concentrate on the main subject .At f 2.8 you cant have everything in focus .

tcthome Loc: Keansburg , NJ

User ID wrote:

Someone will tell you to get a Z9 ...
some someone OTHER than me.

Show the results to your therapist ?

BobPeterson Loc: Massachusetts

At 200mm and f2.8 as the player moves towards the camera you lose about 6" of DOF in front of the focus point for every 10 feet of running. A running basket ball player can cover ten feet quickly.
I assume you are shooting in bursts. Are there no sharp shots in a burst? How many in a burst are you shooting? In 2 seconds you should have 20 to choose from.