Not overly happy
- Thread starter AntrimHills
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Correction most modern lenses WILL focus past inifinity so it doesn't screw up the AF motor (I learn something new everyday!)
Perhaps the ugly focus problem with the D7000 is raising it's head and that sucks for you. This is probably why you are getting cold shouldered by the store.
Perhaps the ugly focus problem with the D7000 is raising it's head and that sucks for you. This is probably why you are getting cold shouldered by the store.
AntrimHills
Senior Member
Not being familiar with 'the ugly focus problem' I Google'd D7K focus issues, and ...where do I start...wow...I'm not alone then...
My problem seems to be that if I use AF for a landscape, irrespective of what zoom its at, it focuses short; not by much - switch to manual focus and the slightest little adjustment puts it in focus. But my big beef is that today I took a landscape, set up the tripod, and set the camera to 1/30 @ f22, and focused on a wooden post about 16 feet away. Now everything beyond 16 feet should be in focus, right?
Not on this camera, the background was anything but in focus. As with the other landscapes, even I forgot about aperture and focused on the horizon, the scene isn't in focus (as was the case with the images of the white house above). That is really worrying...
My problem seems to be that if I use AF for a landscape, irrespective of what zoom its at, it focuses short; not by much - switch to manual focus and the slightest little adjustment puts it in focus. But my big beef is that today I took a landscape, set up the tripod, and set the camera to 1/30 @ f22, and focused on a wooden post about 16 feet away. Now everything beyond 16 feet should be in focus, right?
Not on this camera, the background was anything but in focus. As with the other landscapes, even I forgot about aperture and focused on the horizon, the scene isn't in focus (as was the case with the images of the white house above). That is really worrying...
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Nikon Photographer
Senior Member
I take it you bought this camera in Northern Ireland ? If so, you should come under the U.K consumer laws. The onus is on the seller, not the manufacturer, to offer a refund or replacement, as the goods are clearly faulty. Press them for a replacement or refund, and if you have no joy, get in touch with CAB or trading standards to see what they have to say.
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pistnbroke
Banned
400 iso all booollocks we use ours to 6400 every day and no problem ..you need to go to menu and set sharpness to +9 and contrast to +2 ( unless you are d oing weddings then its -1)
single point focus AF-S
also check the focus adjust ... complex camera needs a brain to use it ....
There is nothing wrong with your camera you just dont know how to use it ..yet
single point focus AF-S
also check the focus adjust ... complex camera needs a brain to use it ....
There is nothing wrong with your camera you just dont know how to use it ..yet
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Just a few things here. I don't know if you were using a tripod for these shots, but I noticed that the shutter speed on the "unsharp" shot is 1/125 where it's 1/250 on the other, plus the fact that the lens is not at the same focal lenght (the "unsharp" shot is longer focal length where the faster shutter speed should have been used).
I also notice that your shutter actuation is only around 200 shots so I'd suggest you practice your skills a little more before accusing the camera of malfunction.
I don't mean to sound harsh and I know your feeling cause I have that camera and remember my feelings until I started to use faster shutter speed and/or quiet mode (seems to produce sharper shots).
Your camera's warranty is still good for a year or two, so give yourself time to improve and do not look at your shots at 100-200% on the screen just to find unsharpness… Take pictures and look at the pictures, not the single pixels.
Enjoy your D7000!
pistnbroke
Banned
you need to do what i said re sharpness setting and adjust your focus adjust setting ..its a lot easier than some make out ..at 18mm you will have a huge depth of field compared to 105 ..camera adjusted right then learn how to use it ...
It seems to me you need only adjust the AF fine tuning. As for the googled AF issues, many people were not prepared for a high resolution camera when they purchased their D7000 and as a result many had to relearn their camera skills. Not to say there weren't true issues with some D7000's, but bulk of them were operator errors.
pistnbroke
Banned
Af fine tune....set camera up about 2o ft from an extended measuring tape /ruler at 45 deg to the optical axis . focus on the centre of the scale say 80 cm and use 105mm and full wide aperture . examine the photo and you may find its in focus at say 100cm not the 80 where it should be ....adjust and repeat so you get focus at 80 cm .....save in memory etc
Better yet, use this chart that has a built-in device that automatically insures your camera is at a 45 degree angle. It makes setting AF tuning very simple
http://focustestchart.com/focus21.pdf
Also, if you have Lightroom you can tether your camera to your computer and instantly read out the focus. If you do not have Lightroom you can download Nikon Camera Control Pro-2 for a 30 day free trial and that will allow you to tether to your computer. Either way, it's much simpler when you can have instant feedback in real time.
http://focustestchart.com/focus21.pdf
Also, if you have Lightroom you can tether your camera to your computer and instantly read out the focus. If you do not have Lightroom you can download Nikon Camera Control Pro-2 for a 30 day free trial and that will allow you to tether to your computer. Either way, it's much simpler when you can have instant feedback in real time.
The focus point for a landscape shot should be at least one third of the distance. By focusing on the post 16 feet away the camera interpreted your intent as wanting a shot of the post and blurred your depth of field. The camera was merely responding to your input is what it sounds like to me.
One other thing. Do you have any filters on the glass?
I bought a set of cheap filters once and was getting some terrible soft / blurry shots and thought my camera was screwed up until I realized that the cpl filter I was using must have been made from the bottom of an old glass Coca-Cola bottle.
I bought a set of cheap filters once and was getting some terrible soft / blurry shots and thought my camera was screwed up until I realized that the cpl filter I was using must have been made from the bottom of an old glass Coca-Cola bottle.
AntrimHills
Senior Member
I know you're all really trying to be helpful, but telling me I haven't had the experience and don't know how to use the camera isn't helping. I know I have to re-learn a lot of stuff, but I've tested the camera, and it doesnt work for me; the retailer has tested the camera, and it doesn't work for them. I know I'm stupid, but if it doesn't work for them either, does it not figure that there's a fault?
KWJ, I took the Hoya CIR-PL off to see if it made any difference - none whatsoever, if anything the pictures are even more out of focus, especially in low light.
Marcel, I wasn't using a tripod. The unsharp one was taken at 1/125 f5.6 @105 mm on Program mode. The sharp photo was taken at 1/250 f5.6 @ 92mm on Program mode. I imagine the slightly higher shutter speed was a combination of the fact that the sun was shining in the sharp photo, plus a slightly lower focal length (which was purely unintentional, I must have adjusted it by mistake). Since nothing in the photo is in focus I can only deduce that AF has focused beyond infinity, which as I now understand, is a safety feature built into lenses to protect the AF motor. If the foreground was in focus, I would understand that it was picking up something in the foreground that I didnt notice, but that isn't the case.
And the other wee thing. If it was only happening in one or two images, I'd understand it was maybe operator error, but to have 2 sharp images out of 140 is not a good average. I might be wrong some of the time, heck I might be wrong most of the time, but I'm not wrong all of the time, and especially not when I set the camera to SCENE LANDSCAPE, where I'd expect it to get things perfectly right (and it's still not focusing properly.)
KWJ, I took the Hoya CIR-PL off to see if it made any difference - none whatsoever, if anything the pictures are even more out of focus, especially in low light.
Marcel, I wasn't using a tripod. The unsharp one was taken at 1/125 f5.6 @105 mm on Program mode. The sharp photo was taken at 1/250 f5.6 @ 92mm on Program mode. I imagine the slightly higher shutter speed was a combination of the fact that the sun was shining in the sharp photo, plus a slightly lower focal length (which was purely unintentional, I must have adjusted it by mistake). Since nothing in the photo is in focus I can only deduce that AF has focused beyond infinity, which as I now understand, is a safety feature built into lenses to protect the AF motor. If the foreground was in focus, I would understand that it was picking up something in the foreground that I didnt notice, but that isn't the case.
And the other wee thing. If it was only happening in one or two images, I'd understand it was maybe operator error, but to have 2 sharp images out of 140 is not a good average. I might be wrong some of the time, heck I might be wrong most of the time, but I'm not wrong all of the time, and especially not when I set the camera to SCENE LANDSCAPE, where I'd expect it to get things perfectly right (and it's still not focusing properly.)
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OK this sounds like a janky solution but it is easy to try. Mount the lens on the body just as you always would. Make sure it is secure. Now just barely rotate the lens clockwise just a smidgen. Take a shot with AF and see if the result is good. The idea is that the contacts don't connect just right and this very slight adjustment helps to get them to connect properly.
AntrimHills
Senior Member
I hear what you're saying, but on that basis: The post is 16 feet away, one third of the distance; that means the 32 feet beyond that will be in focus, yes? But that makes the distance to the rear of the depth of field 48 feet. Is this not in the realms of infinity at 18mm? I mean Im using as small a focal length as possible, coupled with a small aperture. Surely everything from about 7 feet would be in focus?
Pierro
Senior Member
Focusing point at 16ft @ f8 with 18mm will give you approx 11ft in focus in front of the post, and Infinite behind the post, so Hills, i agree with ya. Its an approximation obviously.
But i think you just maybe asking too much of that consumer zoom. Its built to a price for a reason. If it was as sharp as a top 18mm prime @ 18mm and same at 105mm, then it wouldnt be the price it is.
But i think you just maybe asking too much of that consumer zoom. Its built to a price for a reason. If it was as sharp as a top 18mm prime @ 18mm and same at 105mm, then it wouldnt be the price it is.
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