What's going on with my Nikon 85mm 1.8G?

CThomas817 · Sep 26, 2018

I am having focusing issues... I did not have these issues the first several times using it. It's struggling to focus on faces. So strange. I have my af point on the eyes, release the shutter, and somehow the focal point will jump to the hair, ear or even something adjacent to the subject. Stopped all the way down clearly this is an issue. There are parts of the image in very sharp focus, just not what I have tried to focus on. Subject is not moving and I am in AF-S. I put the camera on a tripod to make sure it wasn't camera shake - it's not. I shoot with a 24-70 2.8, a 50mm 1.4 and 105mm 2.8 macro and do not have this issue with any of these lenses so I don't think it's me... any ideas?

ac12 · Sep 27, 2018

What camera, AF and exposure mode are you using?
If you are using Auto exposure, you have no control over where the camera will focus. The camera chooses, usually closest subject
If you are using any of the zone/area AF modes, again, the camera will choose the AF point to use, within that zone.

Do a test with camera on P mode, single point center AF.

CThomas817 · Sep 27, 2018

ac12 said:
What camera, AF and exposure mode are you using?
If you are using Auto exposure, you have no control over where the camera will focus. The camera chooses, usually closest subject
If you are using any of the zone/area AF modes, again, the camera will choose the AF point to use, within that zone.

Do a test with camera on P mode, single point center AF.

Hi,

D800, I only shoot in manual, single point AF. I am properly exposed. I do professional portraiture... I have never had this issue with a lens before. I did an auto fine tune, thought I had it right at -7, went to an outdoor location today, and turns out it did not completely correct the issue.

I use my 24-70 sometimes for portraits and my 50mm 1.4 for newborns and I never have this issue. My images are tack-sharp 90% of the time. With this lens, my images are OUT of focus 90% of the time.

Ugh. But thanks.