jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Here's a list of (too many?) focus-checking links. What you have to do is see if the lens is focusing on any plane. It might be able to focus, but not exactly where you want it to focus.

Focusing Charts
http://mansurovs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Siemens-Star-Focus-Chart.pdf
http://mansurovs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Focus-Test-Chart.pdf
http://regex.info/blog/photo-tech/focus-chart

How to Check Focus
http://photographylife.com/how-to-quickly-test-your-dslr-for-autofocus-issues
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/are_your_pictures_out_of_focus.shtml
http://regex.info/blog/photo-tech/focus-chart#features
https://photographylife.com/how-to-quickly-test-your-dslr-for-autofocus-issues
http://cameralightlens.com/newsblog/?p=264

Adjusting Camera/Lens
http://www.nphotomag.com/2013/03/05/how-to-recalibrate-your-nikon-dslrs-af-autofocus/
https://photographylife.com/how-to-calibrate-lenses
http://www.canonrumors.com/tech-articles/this-lens-is-soft-and-other-myths/
http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-do-autofocus-fine-tuning-on-your-nikon-dslr/

Lille Loc: Upstate, NY

Hello Linary,

Thanks much for taking the time for me.

I'll go shoot a bit today and do as you've suggested. I"ll shoot at f8 again and use a bit higher ISO. On that photo I adjusted the exposure by using aperture mode, with f8, and adjusting the EV to 'shoot to the right'. I thought the exposure looked about right but surely a higher shutter speed can't hurt. Also the stabilization was turned off and I used a 2 second delay for the shutter. No wind and no mirror.

I do have a question for you though. If there were wind or anything else that caused some slight camera movement and therefore caused the photo to be blurry, would not the entire photo be blurry ? What might cause some of the photo would be sharp and some not ?

Thanks again

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

Were you on a tripod or hand held? I did not see where you addressed that.

lwerthe1mer Loc: Birmingham, Alabama

Interested in the topic

Teutsad Loc: Inverness, Fl

I hv the Sony A7 and the first lens you mentioned purchased new in Jan 2015, and it shoots sharp. I am wondering if yr camera was set up by the original owner for back button focus? If the focusing function was decoupled from the shutter button it might be the issue?

Lille Loc: Upstate, NY

Hi again,

I was in aperture mode and in fact the camera was spot focused on that very fence post just to the right of the bottom center. This Depth of Field calculator ( https://www.photopills.com/calculators/dof ) tells me that with a 30mm lens at f8 a point 13 feet from the camera is the hyper focal distance. Therefore at f8 focusing on something 13 feet from the camera should render everything from about 6 feet from the camera to infinity in focus. That fence post was 14 feet in front of the camera. So unless I'm misunderstanding what the calculator is telling me ( quite possible ! ) that fence post and everything beyond it should have been in focus.

More practice is obviously needed !

Lille Loc: Upstate, NY

Hi,

I have the camera set up for back button focus. This lens seems to be quite soft regardless of how I focus the camera. Weather I use one of the 5 auto focus modes ( via back button focus ) or manual focus I still can't seem to get a sharp shot.

Thanks !

Lille Loc: Upstate, NY

Hi,

The camera was on a tripod with it's vibration reduction turned off and with a 2 second time delay.

Thank you !

Lille Loc: Upstate, NY

Hello pecohen,

Although I've still go much to learn about Lightroom the photo is post processed.

Thanks

applepie1951 Loc: Los Angeles,California

I have not idea as to what you are doing, I have the same camera and the exact same lens, I went to Earth Day Jazz Festival in INGLEWOOD CA this past Saturday and shot over 800 images using both those lens and out of 800 there was only 20 that we’re out of focus, the 24-70 is my everyday lens, so in my opinion it’s not the lens nor the camera you need more practice and reading, only my opinion, good luck

chapjohn Loc: Tigard, Oregon

Leave steady shot on and OSS on when using a tripod. These systems are made to work together and to work when on tripod. As technology in photography advances our previous rules need a rewrite to include these advances.

These lenses will focus on the nearest thing. You need to something to focus on when setting the hyper focus.

Lille Loc: Upstate, NY

OK I"ll leave them on. I had read online that it was best to turn them off when using a tripod but I'll take your suggestion.
I spot focused on the fence post in the lower center of the photo which was just one foot beyond the hyper focal distance. I thought that would do.

Thanks !

Lille Loc: Upstate, NY

LOL ! Thanks Jerry. I'll go read all of those and get back to you sometime before June or July !

Seriously though.... Thanks :)

gwilliams6

I owned a A7RII and now an A7RIII and A7III and you should not be having these issues. You need to try this camera with a different lens, any E-Mount lens, back at a camera store or from anyone you know who has Sony gear. My guess, beyond too slow a shutter speed to handhold, is it may be the camera. Highly unusual, but possible you have a damaged sensor that is out of alignment, or an IBIS that is gone bad. Again I have NEVER heard of this in ANY Sony ASeries camera.

Even if your camera and lens are out of warranty, or have none, I would still contact Sony support for help with your issues: https://esupport.sony.com/US/p/select-system.pl?DIRECTOR=CONTACT

Again, your case is the first I have ever heard about this camera, and I never had any focus issues when I had the A7rII and none with my A7RIII and A7III. Please keep us informed here, ok.

If when you try another lens, the problem is gone, then it was the two lenses. Again the odds are against both lenses being bad.

gessman Loc: Colorado

You've been around this stuff for some time, a uhh member for over 5 years now, and used other equipment enough to probably know that there's something wrong with your lenses, or camera, but you might be able to give them a little better test and answer your own question a little more definitively. Rather than aim the lens at a wide open field, as you have in that image you posted, I'd like to suggest that you perform a more specific test. Get something like an eye test chart, a rifle target, something with distinct and fine lines on it, tack it to a fence a few feet away in good light, with no wind, and do the tripod thing with a remote control or use the 10 second timer rather than the two second, getting some images that you can blow up and see whether or not your lenses are focusing properly. It is often said that many lens are sharpest a couple of steps up from wide open. Don't just shoot at f/8 but rather, try other f/stops and see if there are other stops that give you sharper images than f/8 - maybe from f/4 to f/16, for instance and compare them against f/8. Some people use a newspaper or a magazine cover as targets even. It doesn't look to me like you're giving your lens much of a test, aiming them into a wide open field like that, with no particular discernible subject even though you say you did roughly use the bottom of that fence post as a tentative subject. It certainly isn't all that evident just what you were shooting at upon first glance.