2mishka wrote:
On kits or digital software to calibrate my camera and lens. Any suggestions?
The above statement is hard to understand........but, it sounds like you want to calibrate a lens to the camera?
1) which camera and lens? It does make a difference. Some you can not calibrate. Check your manual.
2) fixed (prime) or zoom lens
Some have already told you not to waste your time, it is not worth it. They are wrong (IMHO).
It is a fairly simple thing to do but can take some time. IT can cost some money but not if you do it my way. I use batteries, 5 of them, (photo attached) lined up about 30-45 degrees. I like the smaller angle, as long as you see each battery in full. You can also print out a sheet of paper with printed lines the full length. Focus on the dead center of the middle battery. As you can see in the photo, the center battery was mostly in focus and part of the one after (depth of field). the front part of the middle battery was a little off, the center was on, and the next one was a little off. I made no adjustments to the camera and accepted my test as GOOD. I probably could have more light.....I did not use a flash.
as you see in my photo (this is just one of many in the test), Mine was real close I made no adjustments. Some say 4-5 feet away, some say minimum focus distance for the lens, some say the distance you normally shoot.
The camera on a tripod, and level with the subject. Do not shoot down or up. You can try different apertures or just test where you normally shoot.
I was 4 feet away at F5, 35mm (prime) lens...
For zoom lenses, it is a little more time-consuming, and more distance to subject.....this stuff is not hard to do, just takes time. On a zoom lens, I would pick either mid-range or where you would normally shoot at. The procedure is the same, shoot at different apertures and compare. Follow the manual for your camera to make adjustments and store them (if your camera allows fine tuning). You do not store or make any changes to the lens.
Here is a good write up...
https://photographylife.com/how-to-calibrate-lensesIT IS WORTH THE TIME, especially if you are having problems with focus.
This method is good for checking, but as some have mentioned, FoCal is not so expensive....