Lens Fine-adjustments

Fred Kingston

Senior Member
I recently bought a new D810. Upgrade for my D600... Of course, my first order of business has been fine-tuning-adjusting all my lenses to the new body. I've been using Reiken's Focal... <-- I'm old, and half blind so really rely on the camera and the computer to hit that focus point... I can see the monitor fine, but peeping the LCD at the point of taking the pic. is troublesome...anyway, enough rambling...

It seems the necessary focus adjustments for the D810 are pretty much all over the spectrum... The D600 seemed to be pretty closely grouped to +3-4...but the D810 ranges from -2 to +6-8... depending on lens... Anyone else experienced wide-ranging differences between lens adjustments?

Or is the difference that FOCAL is so precise compared to looking at fuzzy lines on a ruler that my adjustments on the D600 weren't very good...???
 

Bengan

Senior Member
Any lens-camera body combination is unique. Since the values are well within setting capabilties of your D810, I wouldn't worry.
 

Danno

Senior Member
Focal is pretty precise. A friend of mine fiddled with manually adjusting his lenses on his 810 and was about to get rid of his 85 f1.4 because it always was a bit soft. But before parting with it he got focal and now it is his favorite lens. My friend is not suffering from old eyes either. He is lingering at the edge of his 20s.

He is supposed to help me with my 7200 when Pat gets back on her feet.
 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
I don't have any experience with FOCAL but remember when my D600 was serviced for the oil leak issue, I also had them check the AF calibration. None of my lenses had been fine tuned prior to the repair, but when the body came back, there was a huge improvement. So I'm guessing it is possible to have vast differences between bodies/lenses.

Did you try using FOCAL on your D600 to see if the values change from where they've been set? If you like the results from your D600, it wouldn't mean you'd have to commit to those changes. Or don't you have the D600 anymore, Fred?
 

Fred Kingston

Senior Member
I still have the D600, Cindy... I'm debating whether to sell it or not. I don't need to sell it. :unconscious: Or any of the other 10 or 20 cameras... :shame:

When I sent the D600 in for the warranty fix, I thought they said they had changed the shutter box. I was a bit skeptical but most of my lenses never needed adj. and ones that did, only needed +1 or 2... I guess I was lucky. Although, within weeks after getting it back, it really needed cleaning, bad. Rather than send it back and forth again, I just wet cleaned it myself, and it's been perfect ever since.

I realize that each camera/lens combination is unique. I was just curious if other users had seen vast adj. differences between different camera bodies...

Thanks everyone for your input...
 

Vixen

Senior Member
I have a question re lens fine tuning. I haven't done it yet but have watched and read a couple of descriptions on HOW to do it, so am fine with that.

Nikon say this after fine tuning instructions...... "
  1. Click OK to save. Each time you use the same lens, the camera will use the saved value for that lens as long as AF fine-tune is switched on. Settings for 12-20 lenses can be saved depending on the camera used."


  2. So what I am wanting to know is this.... are they saying that every time I use a lens I have fine tuned, I have to have AF fine-tune turned on in order for the camera to read the fine tune adjustments settings for the lens?
 

wev

Senior Member
Contributor
I have a question re lens fine tuning. I haven't done it yet but have watched and read a couple of descriptions on HOW to do it, so am fine with that.

Nikon say this after fine tuning instructions...... "
  1. Click OK to save. Each time you use the same lens, the camera will use the saved value for that lens as long as AF fine-tune is switched on. Settings for 12-20 lenses can be saved depending on the camera used."


  2. So what I am wanting to know is this.... are they saying that every time I use a lens I have fine tuned, I have to have AF fine-tune turned on in order for the camera to read the fine tune adjustments settings for the lens?

You do
 

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
Thanks Wev. <sigh> another ​thing I'll have to remember :(

Or you can just not turn it off. Seriously, it's a menu item. Just turn it on. If you don't have a value for the lens you're using then it ignores it just as if it was off. Nothing to remember. :)
 

Fred Kingston

Senior Member
There's really no reason in my opinion to ever turn if OFF on a lens. Once you've tuned a lens, just leave AF Fine Tune ON for that lens and whenever you put that lens on that camera, it will automatically apply the adjustments.
 

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
Or you can just not turn it off. Seriously, it's a menu item. Just turn it on.
.....
Set It.jpg
 

Vixen

Senior Member
I had a go at fine tuning today. Honestly I couldn't really see any difference in any of the settings. If anything the default setting was a tad better. I was at 500mm which is honestly the length I use most so wonder if the lens is just soft at that length. I might try it again in case I did something the wrong way.
 
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