Focus Calibration?

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Orange Elephant

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Hi

Does anyone use Focus Calibration & if so, what would be your advice for kit? I am thinking of getting the LensAlign unit. Has anyone used this?

(My camera is capable of fine-tune)
 
Orange Elephant said:
Hi

Does anyone use Focus Calibration & if so, what would be your advice for kit? I am thinking of getting the LensAlign unit. Has anyone used this?

(My camera is capable of fine-tune)
Click to expand...


There's plenty free to print charts on the internet. I did a micro adjustment with one such print last week on my Canon 1D MK IV and 500mm f/4L. Piece if cake.
 
I've just bought a lens align. I messed about with various DIY efforts but in the end bought one of these for a very cheap price. I've got it set up on an old tripod permanently so using it is less time consuming than my other methods.

It works well and I'm glad I bought it.
 
Thanks for the feedback, Gary.

Do you need 2 tripods for the job? Do you have a UK source for Lensalign? I can only find it in the US.
 
I've used Reikan Focal, which can be fairly straight forward, you can download the test charts for free from there website. Yesterday I tried using the Dot Tune method, which was really easy. Heres a link for it

View: https://youtu.be/7zE50jCUPhM


I don't know what camera you use but if its Canon, then the Magic Lantern firmware includes an automated version.

Here are a few threads from here about it as well
https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/af-micro-adjustment.584384/

https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/af-micro-adjust-made-easy.466800/

Edit: Just looked on your profile and see that you are a Nikon user (someone has to ;) ) Reikan Focal has automated AFMA (you have to pay though)
http://www.reikan.co.uk/focalweb/
 
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I don't sorry. The Datacolor Spyder LensCal is very similar and stocked in the uk. I only have mine on the tripod because I can vary the height easily when I'm calibrating different lenses.
 
Chris
Hat's off to you! I hardly understood that at all & got a headache! Green dot? I'm going to have a drink! :jawdrop:

Gary
I saw that the Datacolor is available on Amazon. I wasn't sure if to go the whole hog & import from the US or just get the Datacolor & hope it's ok. :nailbiting:
 
I've used the Datacolor one and it's fine. In fact I managed to buy both on a well known auction site and kept the Lensalign.
 
Orange Elephant said:
Chris
Hat's off to you! I hardly understood that at all & got a headache! Green dot? I'm going to have a drink! :jawdrop:

Gary
I saw that the Datacolor is available on Amazon. I wasn't sure if to go the whole hog & import from the US or just get the Datacolor & hope it's ok. :nailbiting:
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  1. Pre focus lens using live view
  2. Switch to manual and switch off live view
  3. Adjust lower micro adjustment and half press shutter check for AF confirmation light in view finder
  4. Repeat 3 until you no longer get the AF confirmation light.
  5. Record setting
  6. Repeat 3 but this time increase the settings until you no longer get the light.
  7. Record setting
  8. The middle point of the settings obtained in 5&7 is the correct AFMA setting.
Once you've tried it, it makes sense :D
 
ChrisHeathcote said:
  1. Pre focus lens using live view
  2. Switch to manual and switch off live view
  3. Adjust lower micro adjustment and half press shutter check for AF confirmation light in view finder
  4. Repeat 3 until you no longer get the AF confirmation light.
  5. Record setting
  6. Repeat 3 but this time increase the settings until you no longer get the light.
  7. Record setting
  8. The middle point of the settings obtained in 5&7 is the correct AFMA setting.
Once you've tried it, it makes sense :D
Click to expand...

I might do this this pm

Silly question, what are you pre focussing on?
 
Thank you everyone for your advice.

I've decided to import the LensAlign unit from the US. It seems nice & simple for me to get my head around. :wacky:
 
ChrisHeathcote said:
I've got Reikan too, but I struggled to get consistent results with my 120-300
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That could be the sigma not focussing consistently

I have found that Reikan has worked well for me but has thrown up lenses that focus inconsistently for some people.
 
I've tried the green dot method on my D7100 and subsequently the D7200. The method seems to work ok on most lenses but my Nikon 300mm F2.8 consistently front focussed, native and with teleconverters. The point of maximum contrast as determined by Live-View for this lens was not the sharpest point but a little in front. I got closer simply by photographing a test chart at various settings and choosing the sharpest. I then tweaked it further while out in the field. One thing is for sure, with high performance lenses taking the time to do this is well worth the effort, whichever system you use.
 
You don't use live view AF, you use it in MF at 100% so you can get a "perfect" focus.
 
If canon, Id vote for Magic Lantern, Ive used it to do my tamron 24-70 and it worked perfectly and only about half a hour of fiddling
 
N01Chris said:
If canon, Id vote for Magic Lantern, Ive used it to do my tamron 24-70 and it worked perfectly and only about half a hour of fiddling
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How is this done in ML I have it loaded but cannot see how you do it
 
mark2002 said:
How is this done in ML I have it loaded but cannot see how you do it
Click to expand...

You need to load the program, its in the extras tab or something, go into the ML menu and scroll right until you see DotTune MFMA and set it to load next boot by clicking on it, then when you restart your camera it should be there in the focus tab of the magic lantern menu.

You'll have to set up the camera first before you set the program away tho, basically set it up on a tripod and focus it manually to achieve perfect focus on your target (I used a brick wall but anything will do) then make sure MF is selected on your lens and start the program from the focus menu. It'll do everything from there and you get a nice graphic of what its doing (going up and down the MFA adjustments and then working out an average)

Hope this helps, they dont have a tutorial on their website or instructions which is a bit surprising but theres this quick video that kinda shows it that I've found:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58enf18Q0l4&spfreload=10
 
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