Beginner Nikon D750 Not Autofocusing in view finder

HobbiestEquinePhotography

HobbiestEquinePhotography

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Stephanie
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Hi all!

I've recently just upgraded my Nikon D3500 to a Nikon D750. I've spent the last four days playing around with it and trying to get to grips with the new features etc.
However, my only gripe so far is that it seems I'm unable to autofocus with it by using the view finder? If I switch to live view it focuses well and will seemingly refocus on a new subject with ease when I half press the shutter. (I would like to use back button focus but I'd like to get this sorted first.)

When I apply the same method without changing any settings in the view finder mode the camera hunts for focus before eventually becoming static with a blurry capture.
I'm confused as to what I'm doing wrong, I've watched hours of youtube tutorials and I can't seem to find the solution.

Many thanks!
 
HobbiestEquinePhotography said:
Hi all!

I've recently just upgraded my Nikon D3500 to a Nikon D750. I've spent the last four days playing around with it and trying to get to grips with the new features etc.
However, my only gripe so far is that it seems I'm unable to autofocus with it by using the view finder? If I switch to live view it focuses well and will seemingly refocus on a new subject with ease when I half press the shutter. (I would like to use back button focus but I'd like to get this sorted first.)

When I apply the same method without changing any settings in the view finder mode the camera hunts for focus before eventually becoming static with a blurry capture.
I'm confused as to what I'm doing wrong, I've watched hours of youtube tutorials and I can't seem to find the solution.

Many thanks!
Click to expand...
Sorry not had that issue with my D750, can I check

1. What lens.are you using?
2. Does it happen with all the lens you have?
3. If you bought used I presume you have fully rest the camera?

Thank you
 
sep9001 said:
Sorry not had that issue with my D750, can I check

1. What lens.are you using?
2. Does it happen with all the lens you have?
3. If you bought used I presume you have fully rest the camera?

Thank you
Click to expand...
1. Nikon AF-P DX Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3G ED VR
2. Yes, but these lenses work fine with my Nikon D3500
3. By fully rest do you mean ensure it's been fully charged for 48 hours? If so, yes. If not could you let me know thank you!
 
HobbiestEquinePhotography said:
1. Nikon AF-P DX Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3G ED VR
2. Yes, but these lenses work fine with my Nikon D3500
3. By fully rest do you mean ensure it's been fully charged for 48 hours? If so, yes. If not could you let me know thank you!
Click to expand...
I think rest should be reset! As in reset to default settings.
 
This may help for the reset

seventrumpet.com

How To Reset Nikon D750 DSLR Camera To Its Factory Settings

How To Reset Nikon D750 DSLR Camera To Its Factory Settings - These instructions are based on the Nikon D750 owner's manual.
seventrumpet.com seventrumpet.com

Do you have any other lens that are fx? Not sure if you 70-300 is the new dx only version in which case you may have to set the camera in dx mode.
 
sep9001 said:
This may help for the reset

seventrumpet.com

How To Reset Nikon D750 DSLR Camera To Its Factory Settings

How To Reset Nikon D750 DSLR Camera To Its Factory Settings - These instructions are based on the Nikon D750 owner's manual.
seventrumpet.com seventrumpet.com

Do you have any other lens that are fx? Not sure if you 70-300 is the new dx only version in which case you may have to set the camera in dx mode.
Click to expand...
Ah reset, yes I have reset the camera and all the settings too. I have the exact same 70-300 attached to my D3500 and a Nikon AF-P DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G but I have the same problem with all three lenses. It's happy to focus via live view but not the view finder.
 
It could be set to back button focus, try hitting the rear af button.
 
The dx lens should work on the d750 but they would be in dx mode. Not sure if that has anything to do with it. Can you borrow a FX lens to test?

To get the best out of a d750 you do need a FX lens.
 
You could try this checklist:-
digital-photography-school.com

Nikon Autofocus Not Working? Try These 7 Troubleshooting Steps

If your Nikon AF system is having problems, these steps should do the trick! Learn how to identify lens glitches, fix viewfinder issues, and more.
digital-photography-school.com digital-photography-school.com
However since viewfinder focus and Live-view focus use different modules, it could be a camera fault.
 
Return the body for refund or replacement.
 
Might be daft but I assume the Nikon D750 has a diaopter adjuster dial round the viewfinder somewhere?

Thats not set to a setting either extreme + or - which would make the image look out of focus?
 
sep9001 said:
The dx lens should work on the d750 but they would be in dx mode. Not sure if that has anything to do with it. Can you borrow a FX lens to test?

To get the best out of a d750 you do need a FX lens.
Click to expand...
It does register that it's in DX mode however it's not focusing in the viewfinder so I'm assuming it's a fault. I understand an FX lens would allow me to get the full effect of full frame but I'm not in a position to grab one just yet.



Knikki said:
Might be daft but I assume the Nikon D750 has a diaopter adjuster dial round the viewfinder somewhere?

Thats not set to a setting either extreme + or - which would make the image look out of focus?
Click to expand...
This is a very good shout and it was extremely out when it arrived but even once I'd played around with it trying to find the sweet spot it simply won't focus.

Nod said:
Return the body for refund or replacement.
Click to expand...
I think I'll have to at this point. I thought it was slower because of older technology or something but after reading through more D750 reviews I think it's just broken and the dealer website didn't pick up on it/test it thoroughly enough.

Thank you all very much for your answers I'm glad to hear it's not just me and that there's likely a fault with the camera base!
 
Please post an update once you know what the issue is.

I still use my D750 and does provide good photos.

When I upgraded from D90 the first lens I bought was the old 28-105 f4 used and I still have it as a lens to use when we go on holiday and I don’t want to make may bigger lens.
 
When a DSLR focuses in live view the mirror is flipped up, out of the optical path, and focus is achieved by the camera oscillating the focus back and forth whilst evaluating the image data from the sensor. It seeks the position resulting in maximum contrast. Whilst highly accurate, the process takes a finite time - Nikons are sometimes criticised for this time being longer than some rivals. The fact that, you say, this works demonstrates to me that the lens and body are communicating OK - ie probably no problem with the contacts etc..
When focusing using the OVF, some light passes though a semi-silvered portion of the main mirror and is redirected down, via a sub-mirror, to a phase detect sensor in the base of the camera. Phase detection is MUCH faster than contrast detect (unless you have a Panasonic mirrorless - but that's another story).

It's just POSSIBLE that the phase detect sensor is dirty, or faulty, To put it in perspective I have a 10year old D800 with over 100 000 operations and never suffered from a dirty phase detect sensor.

DX vs FX lenses will have no affect on the performance of phase detect autofocus - that's a red herring.
 
Last edited:
Would the manual / autofocus button, on camera and lens, have any impact?
 
HobbiestEquinePhotography said:
Hi all!

I've recently just upgraded my Nikon D3500 to a Nikon D750. I've spent the last four days playing around with it and trying to get to grips with the new features etc.
However, my only gripe so far is that it seems I'm unable to autofocus with it by using the view finder? If I switch to live view it focuses well and will seemingly refocus on a new subject with ease when I half press the shutter. (I would like to use back button focus but I'd like to get this sorted first.)

When I apply the same method without changing any settings in the view finder mode the camera hunts for focus before eventually becoming static with a blurry capture.
I'm confused as to what I'm doing wrong, I've watched hours of youtube tutorials and I can't seem to find the solution.

Many thanks!
Click to expand...
Does what you can see in the viewfinder look in focus? If not then I think there's a good chance the camera has been dropped and the AF sensor is broken or out of alignment.

This happened to my D750 after I dropped it from waist height onto tarmac :( Nikon carried out the repair but it took a long time and two attempts to get it right :(
 
The AF-P version of this lens,which you have, is only compatible with certain Nikon cameras. Compatibility might include focusing issues, and I say might as I've never used this lens/camera combination. The Nikon website doesn't list any FX camera as being compatible with this lens.
 
The AF-P DX NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3G ED VR Lens (20062) is compatible with the D750. However, the camera does not have a menu option to turn optical VR On/Off so the VR cannot be disabled. Using the most recent version of D750 firmware is recommended. D750 firmware, along with instructions on updating your camera's firmware, can be found here: http://downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/products/175/D750.html . It's also important to note that this is a DX format lenses and therefore optimized for use on DSLRs with the smaller DX sensor. A DX lens does not transmit enough light to entirely fill the D750's FX sensor. Because of this the D750 will automatically will switch over to DX Crop Mode. In DX crop mode the D750’s largest available Image Size is reduced to 3936x2624 (approx. 10.3MP).

make sure you have the latest firmware which can be downloaded from Nikon site with instructions on checking current one( in menu) and installing it from an ssd card.

back button focusing isn’t set up on it I assume as the reset should have reset thst I assume?
 
Last edited:
From a Nikon forum
I was having a similar issue, while adjusting my menu settings. It seems you can only have a 'single' button chosen for focusing. If you chose one of the other buttons to have a focus function as well, it disables the half/shutter to focus! Not sure why that is, but the D750 has a few different nuances (possibly for good reason) where if one setting is chosen, it changes or disables another.
One quick one being to manually change your ISO. If the rear screen is set for showing a menu item, or a photo...you can't change ISO. You have to clear the screen (so it goes black) where you can 'then' push ISO on the left side, and use the rear rotator button to move to the ISO you wish to use. There may be other ways, but for now...having only had my D750 a short while, I've found this to be so.
Click to expand...
I had the same problem and tried removing duplicate functions, factory reset, and it still did not work. Turned on/off back button focus several times. Tried other lenses. Then finally took out the battery, waited a few seconds turned it on/off and then put the battery back in. Took my lens off and back on, and turned the camera back on. The camera focusing finally worked. i also had a glich on the top screen and had to remove the battery to fix it.
 
There are a few different possibilities that could be preventing the camera from autofocusing correctly. A lot depends on exactly how you are trying to tell the camera to initiate AF. All page number references below refer to the Nikon D750 User's Manual.

  • If the switch on the lens is set to "M" the camera will not AF.
  • If the switch on the camera body just below the lens release button is set to "M" the camera will not AF. (p.120)
  • If you are fully pressing the shutter button without prefocusing first in either AF-C or AF-S mode and AF-C Priority Selection or AF-S Priority Selection, respectively, are set to Release the camera will go ahead and take the shot without first confirming focus (p.326). It may well be trying to AF, but the results may be leading you to believe it is not.
  • If you are attempting to initiate AF using the AE-L/AF-L button and the custom setting f4 is set to "AE lock only" or "AE lock (hold)" AF will not be initiated. (p.361)
  • If you are attempting to initiate AF using the shutter button but custom setting f4 (Assign AE-L/AF-L button) is set to "AF-ON" the shutter button can not be used to initiate AF. Use the AE-L/AF-L button instead. (p.362)
  • If the Focus Selector Lock control is set to "Lock" (p.127) with no focus point selected the camera might not attempt to AF.
Note that when using AF lenses that are not AF-S lenses the AF/M switch on the camera body just below the lens release should not be set to "AF" if the lens is set to "M." Using the camera in such a situation can damage either the lens or the camera. The warning is on page 132 of the Nikon D750 User's Manual.
 
SsSsSsSsSnake said:
There are a few different possibilities that could be preventing the camera from autofocusing correctly. A lot depends on exactly how you are trying to tell the camera to initiate AF. All page number references below refer to the Nikon D750 User's Manual.

  • If the switch on the lens is set to "M" the camera will not AF.
  • If the switch on the camera body just below the lens release button is set to "M" the camera will not AF. (p.120)
  • If you are fully pressing the shutter button without prefocusing first in either AF-C or AF-S mode and AF-C Priority Selection or AF-S Priority Selection, respectively, are set to Release the camera will go ahead and take the shot without first confirming focus (p.326). It may well be trying to AF, but the results may be leading you to believe it is not.
  • If you are attempting to initiate AF using the AE-L/AF-L button and the custom setting f4 is set to "AE lock only" or "AE lock (hold)" AF will not be initiated. (p.361)
  • If you are attempting to initiate AF using the shutter button but custom setting f4 (Assign AE-L/AF-L button) is set to "AF-ON" the shutter button can not be used to initiate AF. Use the AE-L/AF-L button instead. (p.362)
  • If the Focus Selector Lock control is set to "Lock" (p.127) with no focus point selected the camera might not attempt to AF.
Note that when using AF lenses that are not AF-S lenses the AF/M switch on the camera body just below the lens release should not be set to "AF" if the lens is set to "M." Using the camera in such a situation can damage either the lens or the camera. The warning is on page 132 of the Nikon D750 User's Manual.
Click to expand...
That's a great reply :cool: very informative
 
I have sent the camera back today but I will reply to those who have commented here with what I tried before hand.
sep9001 said:
Please post an update once you know what the issue is.

I still use my D750 and does provide good photos.

When I upgraded from D90 the first lens I bought was the old 28-105 f4 used and I still have it as a lens to use when we go on holiday and I don’t want to make may bigger lens.
Click to expand...
If they let me know what was wrong with it I'll certainly post an update but for now it's been sent back to the retailer.

yzfmike said:
When a DSLR focuses in live view the mirror is flipped up, out of the optical path, and focus is achieved by the camera oscillating the focus back and forth whilst evaluating the image data from the sensor. It seeks the position resulting in maximum contrast. Whilst highly accurate, the process takes a finite time - Nikons are sometimes criticised for this time being longer than some rivals. The fact that, you say, this works demonstrates to me that the lens and body are communicating OK - ie probably no problem with the contacts etc..
When focusing using the OVF, some light passes though a semi-silvered portion of the main mirror and is redirected down, via a sub-mirror, to a phase detect sensor in the base of the camera. Phase detection is MUCH faster than contrast detect (unless you have a Panasonic mirrorless - but that's another story).

It's just POSSIBLE that the phase detect sensor is dirty, or faulty, To put it in perspective I have a 10year old D800 with over 100 000 operations and never suffered from a dirty phase detect sensor.

DX vs FX lenses will have no affect on the performance of phase detect autofocus - that's a red herring.
Click to expand...
The phase detect sensor definitely could have been dirty/faulty but since I had 14 days to refund/exchange (and I'd been trying to get it to focus for 5 by this point) I've exchanged it for another D750. Fingers crossed I don't have the same issue. :')

Bristolian said:
Does what you can see in the viewfinder look in focus? If not then I think there's a good chance the camera has been dropped and the AF sensor is broken or out of alignment.

This happened to my D750 after I dropped it from waist height onto tarmac :( Nikon carried out the repair but it took a long time and two attempts to get it right :(
Click to expand...
Oh no that sounds dreadful I'm so sorry to hear that! Although after reading this I'm thinking maybe it took a bit of a tumble with the courier service as thinking about it now the box was fairly beaten up by the time it had arrived to me! :thinking:

SsSsSsSsSnake said:
From a Nikon forum

I had the same problem and tried removing duplicate functions, factory reset, and it still did not work. Turned on/off back button focus several times. Tried other lenses. Then finally took out the battery, waited a few seconds turned it on/off and then put the battery back in. Took my lens off and back on, and turned the camera back on. The camera focusing finally worked. i also had a glich on the top screen and had to remove the battery to fix it.
Click to expand...
You've done quite a few very well thought out responses so I'll try to bullet point mine so they're clear if that's ok?

- The reset did remove the back button focus setting but I didn't want to use it at the time anyway as I was troubleshooting the autofocus and didn't want to add more variables to the mix,
- I could manually focus with no issues at all (Well, other than the fact I do sports photography and manually focusing meant I missed a fair few shots that I wanted.)
- I had already been through the Nikon manual along with what feels like every Nikon autofocus video under the sun and unfortunately none of them fixed the issue.

Which is a massive shame really considering even with the DX lens there was a fair quality difference between the D3500 and the D750. I'll be trying to upgrade the lens sometime this week so hopefully there will be an even better result when I can actually use the capabilities of full frame. Excited!
 
Update:

New D750 has arrived and works like an absolute charm with the same lens attached. Autofocus is fast as anything and crisp too absolutely loving this camera. Can't wait for my FX lens to show up now too and I'll be sorted :D

Unfortunately I have no clue what was wrong with the other one either someone sold it to dupe the dealers into purchasing it because they knew it was something they wouldn't check or it was dropped in transit but I'm ecstatic!!
 
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