D7100 Autofocus Problem

Hi all
I recently purchased a second hand Nikon D7100. I am using a Nikon 18-200 lens with it
I'm having a bit of a problem with Auto Focus through the View Finder though
If I set the camera up on a tripod and take a picture with the lens at it's 18mm setting the image is very blurred
It doesn't seem to focus
However if I then change to Live View and take the same picture the image is perfect
This is in full auto mode so I'm not trying to do anything clever

If I zoom in then the autofocus works perfectly it is just at this wide setting that is the problem so landscape pictures are terrible
Excuse the messy garden it was just a quick test
The first image is using live view the second is using the view finder

Appreciate any advice or help

Thanks

Welcome aboard. Enjoy the ride.
We look forward to seeing more posts and samples of your work.

A few questions which may help us help you.

1. Was the camera and lens purchased together? If so, the camera or lens may have a defect. Do you have another camera or lens that works?

2. Do you have another camera you use the 18-200 lens on? If so, does the lens and other camera work well together? If this is the case, you may have a problem with the D7100 camera.

3. Do you have another lens you can use on the D7100? If so, and the lens works well, you may have an issue with the 18-200 lens?

4. If you don't have another lens or camera available, do have a friend or a local camera store you can test your camera and/or lens on?

Finally, make sure the camera and lens contacts are clean. Try this link https://itstillworks.com/clean-camera-lens-contacts-5089134.html

Please let us know what is happening and keep us up to date on your issue.

Since it’s a new to you D7100, you should also check the firmware levels to be sure that it’s up to date. I also believe that live view and viewfinder autofocus use different sensors and one (or both) of yours might be dirty. Do you have a camera shop locally where you could take it to have that checked out??? Good luck with the problem and fix!
Andy

try calibrating the lens at the 18mm mark and the 100mm mark and 200mm mark. It might be front back focusing?

What focus mode are you using and where do you have the focus point located in the frame?

Do you have another lens you can try to rule out a problem with the lens? You could also try to manually focus at 18mm and see what kind of results you can get.

When autofocusing, does the little circle in the lower left of the viewfinder appear indicating that focus has been achieved?

Check on the Custom Setting menu and make sure that AF-C and AF-S Priority Selection are both set to Focus, not Release.

Hi all
Thanks very much for the replies. I really appreciate your help
I purchased the lens and the camera together
I have tried using a friends 18-300 lens and I get the same problem
The firmware is up to date
I tried using the AF fine tune to calibrate the lens, but even at +20 it is still out of focus
I've tried all of the focus modes but I get the same results. I will take a look at the custom settings though and get back to you

Welcome to the site sorry that a problem brought you here.

Try starting with a two button reset. on the d7100 on the lower left side of the rear panel is a button with a green dot and on the top right side is another hold the buttons simultaneously for about 10 seconds. This should reset most camera settings if the problem persists after this and the problem occurs only in viewfinder mode and with both lens the problem could be an AF sensor problem. You might try using a blower (no canned or compressed air) to clean the area of the AF sensor. The sensor is located in the floor of the in a small cut out. There are videos on using a Rocket or similar blower. It is also possible the sensor has moved do the camera being dropped which would require a repair.

Good Luck with your endeavor.

Thanks
Yes, I've tried a full reset too

Have you tried using a negative number in the AF Fine Tuning rather than a positive number? You said you entered +20. What about -15 or something like that?

Did you note in the link I posted that there is a distinct difference between the two focus modes... Live view versus Viewfinder?

also note..

As a side note, this is why you should always fine tune your autofocus using the viewfinder, not live view, as autofocus fine tune will not have any impact on your live view focusing system.Sep 14, 2017

Click to expand...

The issue you're having is not a new issue... Maybe too many moving targets... and focus (no pun intended) your attention on the calibration and view finder focusing...

One more thought - have you toggled the AF/M switch on the D7100 body a few times to ensure it is fully engaged in AF?

Hi all
Thanks for all of your comments
Quick update
The company I purchased the camera from kindly sent me out a new camera
No problems with this one at all
So it looks like it was a fault with the original camera

Great. Glad you got your issue resolved.

That's great. When you buy used products from a 3rd party. AlWAYS, check the gear that your going to purchase first. Second, if you buy from a store, as about an add on warranty ie 6 mos, a year. It is a learning situation. And I think you have some experience under your belt now. That's good news indeed

GREAT! Just shows you that you were doing nothing wrong! Now go out and use that D7100!!!!!!!
Andy