Focus Arrows Blinking, Subject OOF?

[Evan55T]

This is sort of a dumb question and query as i'm still sort of a noob, well when i'm shooting in manual and trying to focus a shot i usually tend to glance over at my focus indicator the arrows and circles that tell you if the subject is in focus.

What's been happening lately is that the focus indicator arrows (above pic) will just keep blinking simultaneously and i won't be able to tell if my subject is in focus going just by the viewfinder as i'll never see the focus circle appear.

Do i just not use focus indicator in these cases and try to manual focus or is there something i'm doing wrong and how can i fix this issue?

This mostly happens when there isn't really a particular large subject or i'm in a darkish area or something like that.

 

[table1349]

Sounds like not enough contrast to achieve focus. The focus frame on your camera is an approximation not dead on accurate.

 

[Evan55T]

Sounds like not enough contrast to achieve focus. The focus frame on your camera is an approximation not dead on accurate.

Thank you yeah i agree, so i should just stop relying on the focus indicator whenever it can't "achieve focus" and i should just do it the normal way of focusing even tho sometimes when i try the latter it doesn't always seem to be focused as much as it could be + it takes longer

 

[Derrel]

You are leaving out critial information. The light LEVEL could be below the capability of the camera and /OR the lens! With say an 18-55mm f/3.5~5.6 kit zoom, in poor light, the max aperture might not collect adewuate light for the AF system to work at ascertaining the exact, right manual focus point. If **you** are turning a focusing ring on a coarse AF ring, YOU might not be able to precisely control the focusing of the lens to get JUST the central light to light up. if the subject is too low in contrast for the phase detect data the lens is sending (there's that LENS again!) to the system might not be differentiated enough to get JUST that cental light to stay solid.

In effect, the system is sending you information about the situation and or the gear being used, and the operator of the system (you).

Have you read the camera manual RE this procedure?

If you used say, an 85mm f/1.8 lens, or a 50mm f/1.4 or f/1.8 lens--that alone might make this issue just vanish, especially in low light levels; when the focus system works with say, at f/5.6...we have 1.4-2-2.8.4.5.6 or roughly, 16 times LESS LIGHT to work with as compared against the light-gathering and delivery of an f/1.4 lens.

 

[Evan55T]

You are leaving out critial information. The light LEVEL could be below the capability of the camera and /OR the lens! With say an 18-55mm f/3.5~5.6 kit zoom, in poor light, the max aperture might not collect adewuate light for the AF system to work at ascertaining the exact, right manual focus point. If **you** are turning a focusing ring on a coarse AF ring, YOU might not be able to precisely control the focusing of the lens to get JUST the central light to light up. if the subject is too low in contrast for the phase detect data the lens is sending (there's that LENS again!) to the system might not be differentiated enough to get JUST that cental light to stay solid.

In effect, the system is sending you information about the situation and or the gear being used, and the operator of the system (you).

Have you read the camera manual RE this procedure?

If you used say, an 85mm f/1.8 lens, or a 50mm f/1.4 or f/1.8 lens--that alone might make this issue just vanish, especially in low light levels; when the focus system works with say, at f/5.6...we have 1.4-2-2.8.4.5.6 or roughly, 16 times LESS LIGHT to work with as compared against the light-gathering and delivery of an f/1.4 lens.

Using a nikon 50mm f1/.8 with a nikon d700

---

That was a fantastic post derrel but i don't understand a word you just said in it lol.

 

[Derrel]

Sounds like not enough contrast to achieve focus. The focus frame on your camera is an approximation not dead on accurate.

Thank you yeah i agree, so i should just stop relying on the focus indicator whenever it can't "achieve focus" and i should just do it the normal way of focusing even tho sometimes when i try the latter it doesn't always seem to be focused as much as it could be + it takes longer

Sounds like not enough contrast to achieve focus. The focus frame on your camera is an approximation not dead on accurate.

Thank you yeah i agree, so i should just stop relying on the focus indicator whenever it can't "achieve focus" and i should just do it the normal way of focusing even tho sometimes when i try the latter it doesn't always seem to be focused as much as it could be + it takes longer

Maybe try using the AF system in a way that it CAN hit focus. Try S-mode AF, and read the camera manual. Look into the S-focusing mode and what features the D700 has.

 

[greybeard33 5]

According to the manual, p72 through p80, when both arrows blink the auto focus/range finder indicator is unable to achieve focus. Just rotate the focusing collar on the lens until it looks like it is in best focus.

http://cdn-10.nikon-cdn.com/pdf/manuals/dslr/D700_en.pdf

 

[astroNikon]

Can you show an example of what you are trying to take a photo of ?

 

[table1349]

I could be wrong but I am guessing it may look something like this.