Frustrated to the brink of smashing camera :D

Kevin H

Senior Member
Anyone tell me if this is front or back focus issue I know the lens is good just look at my pic's with the D5100

Chickadees no crop others are cropped









 

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
Impossible to say for sure without knowing the focus mode and focus point, but it does seem off. I shoot with the same lens and have found it to be a little soft at full extension and pull it back to about 480mm. I also use Quiet mode to reduce vibrations even more.
 

Kevin H

Senior Member
Impossible to say for sure without knowing the focus mode and focus point, but it does seem off. I shoot with the same lens and have found it to be a little soft at full extension and pull it back to about 480mm. I also use Quiet mode to reduce vibrations even more.

This lens was bang on on the D5100 @500mm

Focus mode was AF/C and single point the centre point
 

grandpaw

Senior Member
I don't think it has anything to do with front or back focus because nothing seems to be in focus. Are you shooting relatively close and does the lens have a distance limiter on it that you do not have in the "FULL" position?
 

Kevin H

Senior Member
I don't think it has anything to do with front or back focus because nothing seems to be in focus. Are you shooting relatively close and does the lens have a distance limiter on it that you do not have in the "FULL" position?


even better only thing close was the chickadee
No it a sigma 150-500
 

grandpaw

Senior Member
Yes same settings I used on the D5100



Is it possible the camera is full of dust I used the rocket blower on it but may have the sensor cleaned??


If you are manually focusing check to see if your diopter has been bumped and clanged. The best way to check it is to look at the numbers and letters at the bottom of your viewfinder and adjust you diopter to make these letters and numbers in sharp focus.
 

Kevin H

Senior Member
If you are manually focusing check to see if your diopter has been bumped and clanged. The best way to check it is to look at the numbers and letters at the bottom of your viewfinder and adjust you diopter to make these letters and numbers in sharp focus.
Auto focus manual exposure

Just tried it with my 18-105 same results I couldn't upload the new firmware for it no idea why but it won't load on my computer
 

grandpaw

Senior Member
If both lenses ar doing it, the only thing they have in common is the camera. Are you getting the little green focus lock light in the bottom left of the viewfinder?
 

Kevin H

Senior Member
If both lenses ar doing it, the only thing they have in common is the camera. Are you getting the little green focus lock light in the bottom left of the viewfinder?

Yes it lights up also have the camera to focus priority so won't shoot till in focus
 

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
Don't discount that you are moving from a 16MP camera with an OLPF to a 24MP camera without. Yes, it will be a sharper camera, but it will also show weaknesses in the lens that the other might not. Your pixel density is even greater than that of the D810, so if there is any movement it will result in a loss of sharpness, and as you start closing the aperture a bit (which you need to on that lens) you will experience diffraction.

Again, I'm shooting with the same combination. I adjust focus fine tuning on all my cameras and lenses, and yes, this combination needed adjusting (I measure it at 500mm, 400mm and 200mm using Reiken FoCal and make a final decision on an adjustment number based on the variance). Again, I find I need to shoot in Quiet mode if I want it tack sharp. I also need to shoot at 1/800s or faster at full zoom to guarantee a sharp shot. I also find f9 to be sharper than f8 (which I used on my D7000), and I use single point AF-S for stationary birds. It works great when I use it in within the boundaries mentioned, and it will frustrate me outside of them. I'll likely be shooting a 150-600mm Sport next year.
 

wev

Senior Member
Contributor
These look just like the soft image issues I am having with my Tam 150-600 (in addition to the aperture problem). I will shot a dozen shots that are spot on, then get a whole series with nothing really in focus, just overall mush. My lens is going back, so will have to wait and see.
 

Kevin H

Senior Member
Don't discount that you are moving from a 16MP camera with an OLPF to a 24MP camera without. Yes, it will be a sharper camera, but it will also show weaknesses in the lens that the other might not. Your pixel density is even greater than that of the D810, so if there is any movement it will result in a loss of sharpness, and as you start closing the aperture a bit (which you need to on that lens) you will experience diffraction.

Again, I'm shooting with the same combination. I adjust focus fine tuning on all my cameras and lenses, and yes, this combination needed adjusting (I measure it at 500mm, 400mm and 200mm using Reiken FoCal and make a final decision on an adjustment number based on the variance). Again, I find I need to shoot in Quiet mode if I want it tack sharp. I also need to shoot at 1/800s or faster at full zoom to guarantee a sharp shot. I also find f9 to be sharper than f8 (which I used on my D7000), and I use single point AF-S for stationary birds. It works great when I use it in within the boundaries mentioned, and it will frustrate me outside of them. I'll likely be shooting a 150-600mm Sport next year.


Thanks maybe I just need to up my settings from my D5100
 

Kevin H

Senior Member
Don't discount that you are moving from a 16MP camera with an OLPF to a 24MP camera without. Yes, it will be a sharper camera, but it will also show weaknesses in the lens that the other might not. Your pixel density is even greater than that of the D810, so if there is any movement it will result in a loss of sharpness, and as you start closing the aperture a bit (which you need to on that lens) you will experience diffraction.

Again, I'm shooting with the same combination. I adjust focus fine tuning on all my cameras and lenses, and yes, this combination needed adjusting (I measure it at 500mm, 400mm and 200mm using Reiken FoCal and make a final decision on an adjustment number based on the variance). Again, I find I need to shoot in Quiet mode if I want it tack sharp. I also need to shoot at 1/800s or faster at full zoom to guarantee a sharp shot. I also find f9 to be sharper than f8 (which I used on my D7000), and I use single point AF-S for stationary birds. It works great when I use it in within the boundaries mentioned, and it will frustrate me outside of them. I'll likely be shooting a 150-600mm Sport next year.

Which way did your fine tuning have to go??
 

grandpaw

Senior Member
The whole picture is out of focus to me. If the whole picture is out of focus and it is doing it on more than one lens, I don't think tuning the lens will do any good. I did notice that in a couple of shots the focus seems to be at the center near the bottom. I believe you said you are using single point focus so if the one point you are using is near the bottom of the screen it can throw the whole picture out of focus.
 
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