AF fine tune on Nikon

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Thegreatroberto

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Fine tuned all my lenes over the past few days using the Dottune method.

Some lenes are still on focus from +15 to -15 and hence are set at 0, whilst another goes from +3 to -3, again still set at 0.
Does this tell me anything about the lens/ body ?
Does this indicate anything about the sharpness of the lens?
Dunno, I can't help thinking that it indicates something!
 
I'm not sure I really understand your question, but it would not be abnormal to expect that different lenses will have different micro focus adjust tolerences. A f4 lens will have a different field of acceptable focus to a 2.8 lens or a zoom lens with a non constant aperture. If you get good focus without micro focus adjust, count yourself lucky !
 
The lenes that I have micro focus adjusted include a f/1.4, f/2 and a f2.8.
It was the span of what the camera considered acceptable that surprised me with some lenes and then again a relatively small span with a couple of others.
The f/2 had the largest span from +20 to -18 (from memory). This was my nikkor 105 Dc that I consider to be on of my sharpest lenes.
 
I've not tried any other methods of micro tuning to be fair, but happy to try one of these others. Any recommendations?
 
Right. So I've gone for the FoCal software. Bit of a pain that it's not full auto with Nikon, but anyway. ( i.e. set up, push the button, come back 15 mins later with the best setting applied)
Managed to micro adjust 6 of the lenses. Started with the primes and two of the zooms.
The settings that looked best on FoCal were very similar to those suggested by the Dot tune method. Not sure if that's good or not! ( Not least as the dot tune method, once set up, takes about a minute per lens to establish a figure. The FoCal software, once set up is around 10-15 minutes.
FoCal certainly likes a well light target, so I'll need to wait until the week end, when I can get the target outside and just confirm these figures.
Interesting, albeit perhaps with poorish inside lighting, how un-repeatable the tests were. The software manual, all 137 or so pages indicates this as well.
 
Thegreatroberto said:
Right. So I've gone for the FoCal software. Bit of a pain that it's not full auto with Nikon, but anyway. ( i.e. set up, push the button, come back 15 mins later with the best setting applied)
Managed to micro adjust 6 of the lenses. Started with the primes and two of the zooms.
The settings that looked best on FoCal were very similar to those suggested by the Dot tune method. Not sure if that's good or not! ( Not least as the dot tune method, once set up, takes about a minute per lens to establish a figure. The FoCal software, once set up is around 10-15 minutes.
FoCal certainly likes a well light target, so I'll need to wait until the week end, when I can get the target outside and just confirm these figures.
Interesting, albeit perhaps with poorish inside lighting, how un-repeatable the tests were. The software manual, all 137 or so pages indicates this as well.
Click to expand...
When I use focal, I find shining a modelling light on the target invaluable
 
Thegreatroberto said:
FoCal certainly likes a well light target, so I'll need to wait until the week end, when I can get the target outside and just confirm these figures.
Click to expand...

To keep things consistent you'd be better off indoors with a continuous light source - preferably something like a 300W (or more) tungsten lamp.
 
Ok. I did wonder about outdoors as the lighting can change. And the blurb in the manual does make some reference to that effecting the results. Need to find a lamp.
Interesting that some Canons allow different AF micro settings at either end of a zoom. Maybe that says something about their zooms. Luckerly of my three ( 2 nikon.1 tamron), the Nikon's are have similar settings at either end.
 
Thegreatroberto said:
Ok. I did wonder about outdoors as the lighting can change. And the blurb in the manual does make some reference to that effecting the results. Need to find a lamp.
Interesting that some Canons allow different AF micro settings at either end of a zoom. Maybe that says something about their zooms. Luckerly of my three ( 2 nikon.1 tamron), the Nikon's are have similar settings at either end.
Click to expand...
If you find that lenses have the same issue as each other it is most likely the body that needs an adjustment, My D7000 was needing -15 for the 3 lenses I own, so I sent it in under warranty to get adjusted and it has come back fine with only one out of the three lenses needing -5 to get the best from it the other two lenses do not need any adjustment now.
 
The lenses I've calibrated so far tend to need a bit of - adjustment, with one needing a bit of +.
I'm starting to wonder if it's really worth worrying about. Given that even the blurb says that the micro AF setting is really on valid for that lighting condition and at that distance to the target.
My macro 105d Nikkor was calibrated at around 1m to the target. I'm wondering now what it will be like when I use it as a regular 105mm lens?
 
Thegreatroberto said:
My macro 105d Nikkor was calibrated at around 1m to the target. I'm wondering now what it will be like when I use it as a regular 105mm lens?
Click to expand...

That's the snag with fine tuning - the adjustment is only really valid for one target distance - and with a zoom, it's only valid for one focal length as well.
 
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Ozei said:
That's the snag with fine tuning - the adjustment is only really valid for one target distance - and with a zoom, it's only valid for one focal length as well.
Click to expand...
And part of me says don't bother fine tuning the AF!
If you are anal enough to want to do it in the first place(like me), then you'll end up worrying that today's lighting and distance to subject does not match those conditions during calibration. And therefore your AF may be wrong!!!
Dunno. going to worry more about those lenses that have a calibrated AF further away from the default of zero. Like my 105d DC .it's currently +9. And I tend to use this lens inside of 3M to subject.
 
I have had to fine tune pretty much all my lenses with my D7000. They usually seem to be around -4 to -7 out so nothing major.
I never feel comfortable that it is 100% sharp however especially the more I read into it although I think some of that is me looking for issues which aren't there
 
Thegreatroberto said:
And part of me says don't bother fine tuning the AF!
If you are anal enough to want to do it in the first place(like me), then you'll end up worrying that today's lighting and distance to subject does not match those conditions during calibration. And therefore your AF may be wrong!!!
Dunno. going to worry more about those lenses that have a calibrated AF further away from the default of zero. Like my 105d DC .it's currently +9. And I tend to use this lens inside of 3M to subject.
Click to expand...

The best bet is to calibrate each lens following FoCal's distance instructions, then shoot some tests at various distances with fine tune on and fine tune off.

Then compare the 'ON' series to the 'OFF' series.
 
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