Lens fine tuning.

[DCerezo]

Just got my 24-85 2.8-4 D yesterday!!! Very excited. I think it might need to be fine tuned though. The question is, how the hell do I do this? Is it jut shoot adjust , shoot adjust, shoot adjust until its sharp? That can't be right... Please help.

 

[rickmarquez]

Try checking into one of these. I don't personally have one but it makes sense.
http://spyder.datacolor.com/portfolio-view/spyderlenscal/

I'm guessing you could always shoot>adjust>shoot>adjust until you get it "right".

I've been considering using a tape measure and manually focusing to the correct focusing distance and making my adjustments from there.

 

[TheLost]

This is what i use...

FocusTune

 

[bc_steve]

I made this out of a box and a ruler. The target I found online, printed it out and taped it to the side of the box. I lined up 15cm on the ruler with the piece of paper and focused on the target. If my depth of field was centered behind the 15cm it was back-focusing and if it was centered ahead of the 15cm it was front focusing. I then went into AF Fine tune and moved it up or down. I shot, adjusted, shot, adjusted until it was bang on. I didn't bother to put the image on my computer. I could tell just fine by zooming to 100% on the LCD screen. It didn't take very long and I was very happy with the results.

The only problem was that my camera does not recognize my two Tokina lenses are being different from one another. That is because apparently Tokina uses the same lens codes and it doesn't sound like there is much I can do about it.

 

[DCerezo]

Well I have some targets in the shed that I use for target practice. I guess I know what I'm doing when I get home

 

[Mully]

This is what i use...

FocusTune

I watched the video on the site looks very interesting and affordable ....do you like this product?

 

[Mach0]

I don't know if it was the correct way to do it but I did my lenses two ways- one way was a tape measure and pointed the camera at 45 degrees using the center focal pointand focused on a number. See how far it was off and adjusted from there . that was on my 35-70 -which slightly back focuses at the 70 mm mark wide open. However, be mindful, i set the fine tune based off the 70mm length and it screwed up the focus the rest of the range. On my 50 prime, I used a printed sheet with letters. Nice and flat. Wide open was soft- just played with the AF fine tune until it was sharp wide open ( viewing at 100%) Then I tested it stopped down and it still is sharp so I'm all set for now.

 

[TheLost]

This is what i use...

FocusTune

I watched the video on the site looks very interesting and affordable ....do you like this product?

I was a little skeptical at first.. but i'll admit... its addicting!

You can print out any target or use the one included (he has a new target in his forums). Then you take ~5 pictures at each focus adjustment in steps of 5.. (-20.. -15.. -10.. etc through +20). Load all ~45 images into the software and it will spit out a nice graph. Then you take the sharpest adjustment and do another set of images bracketing it by 5... for example, if it says -5 is your sharpest setting you'd take 5 images at each step -10 through 0. Run those images through the software and you'll have your sharpest adjustment setting.

Its SUPER easy.. and once you get rolling it only takes a few minutes to do.. It's also very consistent, every time I've tested a lens i get the same adjustment setting.

Best of all... its $30 and works on both Windows and OSX.

 

[Mach0]

I was a little skeptical at first.. but i'll admit... its addicting!

You can print out any target or use the one included (he has a new target in his forums). Then you take ~5 pictures at each focus adjustment in steps of 5.. (-20.. -15.. -10.. etc through +20). Load all ~45 images into the software and it will spit out a nice graph. Then you take the sharpest adjustment and do another set of images bracketing it by 5... for example, if it says -5 is your sharpest setting you'd take 5 images at each step -10 through 0. Run those images through the software and you'll have your sharpest adjustment setting.

Its SUPER easy.. and once you get rolling it only takes a few minutes to do.. It's also very consistent, every time I've tested a lens i get the same adjustment setting.

Best of all... its $30 and works on both Windows and OSX.

Nice- def saving

 

[Heitz]

The way I do it is similar to the above, but I always start with a picture taken in live view. Because live view uses contract detection to focus, it will give you the most accurate focusing. That way you have a "control condition" to compare your autofocus (phase detection) to. Once I have that, I will shoot the same picture with the lens all open (worst case scenario) at different fine-tune settings, 3 times each (each time, letting the camera refocus by *putting* it out of focus first). I do this every 5 clicks on the fine-tune marks. Then I open them up in LR and compare to the control condition and find the best match.

 

[DCerezo]

I have a D600 by the way.

 

[Spectreal]

I still don't see how this is done. I point my camera at the image and if it's out of focus then what? I see no way to adjust the lens or camera with regard to focus. I have a d3100.

 

[jake337]

I still don't see how this is done. I point my camera at the image and if it's out of focus then what? I see no way to adjust the lens or camera with regard to focus. I have a d3100.

D3100 has no fine tuning in it. I think you would have to send your body and lenses to Nikon together to have them tune the lenses to good body.

 

[ratssass]

...does the camera remember each different lens calibration?Or does one lens calibration cover all?

 

[Mach0]

...does the camera remember each different lens calibration?Or does one lens calibration cover all?

It will recall each up to a certain number of lenses