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Lens calibration issues ?
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Nov 29, 2018 17:17:50   #
darekstudio Loc: Minnesota
 
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II
The question do I shoot calibrate or 70mm or right in the middle or 200mm?
I was trying 130mm, a result was excellent, but after calibration when I go to 70mm - later the quality of pictures is low, I mean not the same it's not the same like 130mm or 400 ,
what is the problem?
Do I shoot calibrate zoom what I'm usually use and compromise the rest zooming,
or something wrong with this lens?
this is typical normal or ......?

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Nov 29, 2018 17:37:27   #
robertjerl Loc: Corona, California
 
darekstudio wrote:
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II
The question do I shoot calibrate or 70mm or right in the middle or 200mm?
I was trying 130mm, a result was excellent, but after calibration when I go to 70mm - later the quality of pictures is low, I mean not the same it's not the same like 130mm or 400 ,
what is the problem?
Do I shoot calibrate zoom what I'm usually use and compromise the rest zooming,
or something wrong with this lens?
this is typical normal or ......?


What camera? The high end bodies allow 2 calibrations for a zoom lens to be stored. Most will do the extremes of the zoom.

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Nov 29, 2018 17:53:36   #
darekstudio Loc: Minnesota
 
Nikon D500
Nikon D700

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Nov 29, 2018 18:11:57   #
robertjerl Loc: Corona, California
 
darekstudio wrote:
Nikon D500
Nikon D700


You will have to check your manuals to see how many calibrations your bodies can store - my Canon 5DIV will store 2 per lens. My 80D will store a total of 40 but I don't remember if that is 1 each for 40 lenses or if it will do 2 each for zoom lenses.

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Nov 29, 2018 18:15:41   #
User ID
 
`

Welcome to the sorry world of SLR AF :-(

SLR AF is very fast. If the subject has
multiple options for a decent point of
best focus, then the subject will look
well focused. This works OK for sports
action and such. OTOH if there is only
one dominant detail that MUST carry
the day focus-wise, SLR AF is sketchy.
Use the live view to focus. If that isn't
practical, given subject matter, action,
skill level etc, then life sux SLR AFwise.

.

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Nov 29, 2018 21:08:52   #
TomV Loc: Annapolis, Maryland
 
I had a zoom lens (28-300 I think) that had such a problem. The 300mm was adjusted for one value and worked OK when shooting at my typical long range. However my new camera allows for a wide and tele value. When I adjusted for the wide setting I had a value that was 7 units lower than the tele setting. More testing showed that the lens adjustment was flat from 300 to 70 and then dropped dramatically from 70 to 28. The 'knee' in the adjustment is not accounted for in the calibration. A smooth monotonically increase or decrease between the endpoints is expected. For my lens if I had a separate value for the extremes all of the intermediate settings were hosed. Essentially the lens was not usable below 70 in AF mode unless I was shooting with small apertures and had a deep DOF. I got rid of it.

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Nov 30, 2018 01:00:18   #
darekstudio Loc: Minnesota
 
Thank you I will try again , 70-20mm my sweet spot is 130mm, 200mm - looks also great 🤗but the 70mm..... I'm not happy about it 😐.
Thank you anyways .

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Nov 30, 2018 09:43:36   #
billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont
 
darekstudio wrote:
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II
The question do I shoot calibrate or 70mm or right in the middle or 200mm?
I was trying 130mm, a result was excellent, but after calibration when I go to 70mm - later the quality of pictures is low, I mean not the same it's not the same like 130mm or 400 ,
what is the problem?
Do I shoot calibrate zoom what I'm usually use and compromise the rest zooming,
or something wrong with this lens?
this is typical normal or ......?


Most lens calibrations are for one distance and one focal length. A zoom gets complicated. I have owned 4 versions of that lens and NEVER have I had to do a lens calibration. Nikon techs advise against lens calibrations on a zoom lens (on any lens for that matter). I personally have owed over 30 Nikon AF lenses that gave me tack sharp images on 20X30 prints, I have never had to calibrate once. LEAVE THE LENS ALONE.

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Nov 30, 2018 10:35:30   #
bpulv Loc: Buena Park, CA
 
darekstudio wrote:
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II
The question do I shoot calibrate or 70mm or right in the middle or 200mm?
I was trying 130mm, a result was excellent, but after calibration when I go to 70mm - later the quality of pictures is low, I mean not the same it's not the same like 130mm or 400 ,
what is the problem?
Do I shoot calibrate zoom what I'm usually use and compromise the rest zooming,
or something wrong with this lens?
this is typical normal or ......?


It is normal to have different results at different focal lengths on zoom lenses. There is probably nothing wrong with your lens or camera. I would look at the metadata on many of your previous pictures and determine what focal length you most frequently tend to use with that lens and calibrate it around that focal length. Although I am a Nikon user myself, I know the Canon cameras can be calibrated for multiple profiles on the same zoom lens. I think the limit is three points, but I may be wrong. Maybe Nikon will add that feature in future DSLRs. With the new mirrorless cameras, calibration will no longer be necessary.

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Nov 30, 2018 11:21:00   #
Allenr
 
I shoot with D750’s and just completed calibrations for my 35mm 1.4, 85mm1.4 and my 70-200 2.8. Primes needed calibrations, but 70-200 was almost flat. I do not agree that lenses do not require calibrations, both my D750’s calibrated differently with same lenses being used on both. I calibrated my 70-200 @70 mm focal point. Not cheap glass, but still needed a bit of attention. I would also advise using the software by FoCal...spot on and easy to use.

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Nov 30, 2018 11:29:59   #
Dngallagher Loc: Wilmington De.
 
Allenr wrote:
I shoot with D750’s and just completed calibrations for my 35mm 1.4, 85mm1.4 and my 70-200 2.8. Primes needed calibrations, but 70-200 was almost flat. I do not agree that lenses do not require calibrations, both my D750’s calibrated differently with same lenses being used on both. I calibrated my 70-200 @70 mm focal point. Not cheap glass, but still needed a bit of attention. I would also advise using the software by FoCal...spot on and easy to use.


Reiken’s FoCal does a great job, even tests to find the sharpest aperture of each lens, which might not be f/8 :)


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Nov 30, 2018 12:46:31   #
billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont
 
Dngallagher wrote:
Reiken’s FoCal does a great job, even tests to find the sharpest aperture of each lens, which might not be f/8 :)



This product may be as good as you say, BUT, it does not get good reviews on the B&H website from the folks who have used it. If fact, many found it to cause further problems. Nikon Techs in California and New York caution against calibrating lenses because, according to Nikon, you can only fine turn for one distance.

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Nov 30, 2018 14:20:11   #
Dngallagher Loc: Wilmington De.
 
billnikon wrote:
This product may be as good as you say, BUT, it does not get good reviews on the B&H website from the folks who have used it. If fact, many found it to cause further problems. Nikon Techs in California and New York caution against calibrating lenses because, according to Nikon, you can only fine turn for one distance.


Nikon May only calibrate for one distance, but that is Nikon, my Canon calibrates at both the long end and short end of a zoom.

You are not calibrating the lens, you are calibrating the camera to the lens, if a problem is caused, gee, simple to reset the calibration back to zero, eliminating the “problem”.

I would wonder if the Nikon folks are talking about actually calibrating the lens, which would be far more work, expense and not easily reversible vs the micro focus adjustment in camera?

I have used the FoCal software very successfully on my Canon with Tamron, Sigma & Canon lenses, and am very happy with the results. BTW - MY 16-300 Tamron required a large adjustment, -15 on the long end, my Canon zoom lenses, 0 on the long & short end.

The report generated for each lens adjusted shows the results and they are very visually clear.

Edit: I went to B&H, seems there are 31 out of 71 reviews showing 5 star reviews.

Of course reviews are always questionable since we never know if the reviewer actually learned to use the product properly.



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Nov 30, 2018 14:33:58   #
bpulv Loc: Buena Park, CA
 
Dngallagher wrote:
Nikon May only calibrate for one distance, but that is Nikon, my Canon calibrates at both the long end and short end of a zoom.

You are not calibrating the lens, you are calibrating the camera to the lens, if a problem is caused, gee, simple to reset the calibration back to zero, eliminating the “problem”.

I would wonder if the Nikon folks are talking about actually calibrating the lens, which would be far more work, expense and not easily reversible vs the micro focus adjustment in camera?

I have used the FoCal software very successfully on my Canon with Tamron, Sigma & Canon lenses, and am very happ ofy with the results. BTW - MY 16-300 Tamron required a large adjustment, -15 on the long end, my Canon zoom lenses, 0 on the long & short end.

The report generated for each lens adjusted shows the results and they are very visually clear.

Edit: I went to B&H, seems there are 31 out of 71 reviews showing 5 star reviews.

Of course reviews are always questionable since we never know if the reviewer actually learned to use the product properly.
Nikon May only calibrate for one distance, but tha... (show quote)


No, Nikon calibrates the lens to the body, but at only at one point instead of two. Actually, what you are doing on either Nikon or Canon is calibrating the optics for the focus sensor, which sits below the CCD, so that it's focus point matches the point of focus of the image on the CCD.

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Nov 30, 2018 14:46:38   #
Dngallagher Loc: Wilmington De.
 
bpulv wrote:
No, Nikon calibrates the lens to the body, but at only at one point instead of two. Actually, what you are doing on either Nikon or Canon is calibrating the optics for the focus sensor, which sits below the CCD, so that it's focus point matches the point of focus of the image on the CCD.


Sounds confusing, but I believe you are confirming what was said, a MFA adjustment adjusts the camera to the lens to fine tune the focus, but does not affect the lens, but sending the lens to Nikon May have a change done to the lens to fine tune the lens to the camera?

My D7100 allowed 1 MFA per lens, my D80 allows 2 per zoom lens, at the wide and the telephoto ends.

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