Still Focus Issues with AF-C mode

Spottydumplings

Spottydumplings

Senior Member
Horoscope Fish said:
Well there are other options, like waiting for the breeze to die down, adjusting your depth of field, etc. That being said though, maybe what would work for you is AF-C or AF-s (your choice!) in conjunction with Back Button Focus (BBF).

There are several articles and YouTube videos on the topic should you wish to research the topic further (and I would encourage you to do so) but here's one to get you started: Back Button Focusing
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I have thought about trying BBF, having looked at the thread in the "Tutorial" section, BUT I'm not sure that it is any better. You are still limited to one AF mode and if you have it set for Continuous it means that you have two buttons to keep pressed whilst taking the image (especially if you are using V/R). I think that what I want is something that I cannot have: 1/2 pressure on shutter release initiates AF-S and BBF for AF-C; or vice versa, that way it would be quick and easy to switch from one to the other.

I reaslise that the AF system has become more sophisticated since my D90 came out but it does seem a retrograde step to have to decide which mode you wish to use.
 
Horoscope Fish

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
Spottydumplings said:
I have thought about trying BBF, having looked at the thread in the "Tutorial" section, BUT I'm not sure that it is any better. You are still limited to one AF mode and if you have it set for Continuous it means that you have two buttons to keep pressed whilst taking the image (especially if you are using V/R). I think that what I want is something that I cannot have: 1/2 pressure on shutter release initiates AF-S and BBF for AF-C; or vice versa, that way it would be quick and easy to switch from one to the other.

I reaslise that the AF system has become more sophisticated since my D90 came out but it does seem a retrograde step to have to decide which mode you wish to use.
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I'm confused by the bold section. VR is controlled by an "ON/OFF" switch on the lens, not a button.

And BBF does use two buttons, but not simultaneously. BBF is sort of "AF-C on Demand"; press and hold and you get AF-C. Press and release and you get AF-S. When you're ready to take the shot (I suggest you confirm the Focus Confirmation dot is illuminated in the viewfinder and) press the shutter.

Two buttons, two clearly defined and separate functions: One for focus, one to take the shot. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.
 
Spottydumplings

Spottydumplings

Senior Member
Horoscope Fish said:
I'm confused by the bold section. VR is controlled by an "ON/OFF" switch on the lens, not a button.
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I realise that it is turned on and off by that switch but is the operation of the VR not initiated by pressure on the shutter release - I'm sure that I have read comments (I think that there is one earlier in this thread) about waiting for a second between first pressure and releasing the shutter?
 
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Paganman2

Senior Member
I was Again trying different ideas with my focus behavior yesterday i have tried BBF with each of the these as well as conventional shutter activation, i tried -

1) AF-C single area VR normal,
2) AF-C single area VR active,
3) AF-C 9 area VR normal,
4) AF-C 9 area VR active,
5) AF-A single area VR normal,
6) AF-A single area VR active,
7) AF-A 9 area VR normal,
8) AF-A 9 area VR active,

and on many different subjects from sea gulls in flight to different size and distance aircraft, the overwhelming champion was AF-A with normal VR active for tracking objects, and single area as even 9 area can get a bit confused.
Strange how AF-C in my cam just does not work as it should.

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Paganman2

Senior Member
Well folks after doing a bit of digging about the D7100 focus and discovering that it has an inherent fault with the focus that is well documented on some sites, that have reported that it is partially unreliable by giving false focus confirmations and sometimes returning out of focus shots for no good reason.
This has made me decide to throw in the towel and return my cam along with my lens, i just do not feel confident about its performance and that feeling that you can not trust the focus system is terrible.

It is a great shame and i will miss the D7100 as its a truly beautiful piece of kit, just not the AF.

P.
 
Horoscope Fish

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
Paganman2 said:
Well folks after doing a bit of digging about the D7100 focus and discovering that it has an inherent fault with the focus that is well documented on some sites, that have reported that it is partially unreliable by giving false focus confirmations and sometimes returning out of focus shots for no good reason.
This has made me decide to throw in the towel and return my cam along with my lens, i just do not feel confident about its performance and that feeling that you can not trust the focus system is terrible.

It is a great shame and i will miss the D7100 as its a truly beautiful piece of kit, just not the AF.

P.
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Would you you provide some links to sites that document this problem, please; I'd be interested in reading those posts.
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Paganman2

Senior Member
One of the sites that i was able to find as the rest was when i was just surfing, was a site called Pocket-Lint, i dont know how to link to the site but it should be easy to find like i did, there were others but i couldnt find them yet.

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Paganman2

Senior Member
Now from doing some reading - perhaps this is not a "cross the board" problem and might be limited to an early batch of bodies? mine was brought second hand from a dealer with no info on its past, it was however a surprising low shutter count and in near mint condition, so perhaps the original owner knew there was a problem and just wanted to get rid of it asap?.


P.
 
Horoscope Fish

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
Paganman2 said:
One of the sites that i was able to find as the rest was when i was just surfing, was a site called Pocket-Lint, i dont know how to link to the site but it should be easy to find like i did, there were others but i couldnt find them yet.
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To post a link just copy the address from the address bar with Ctrl+C, then paste it in your post with Ctrl+V.

The Pocket Lint review is here -- Nikon D7100 - Pocket-lint

And here is the relevant comment from that particular review, for those who care to read it in context:
...
However it's not felt completely perfect in operation: when it comes to those nuances of focus, those crucial millimetres of focus point placement, we've found that even our preference for a central single-point focus point wouldn't always confirm focus, while on other occasions focus was slightly off. In part that's a lesson that machines can't always perform to perfection, and as we used two D7100 bodies and three different lenses we're confident that it's not an isolated lens or camera issue. When it is on point, however, the D7100's shots are wonderfully sharp.
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If you are concerned your camera is not operating correctly, I would have it looked at by Nikon, or a Nikon authorized service center before you dump it. I'm not convinced there's a problem but I'm not ruling it out, either.
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Paganman2

Senior Member
As i explained i brought it second hand from an ebay retail store, it only came with a few months of guarantee and that was just for money back or a swap for another body if/when one came in, i am not prepared nor can i afford to send it off to nikon costing un known hundreds of pounds.
I can however swap it for a completely different set up from another company whose name had something to do with the name of guns on old ships lol.

I have kind off lost faith a bit and feel i will have to play the "wait and see" situation with waiting for another body to come in at the store, then take the chance that it hasn't got the same issue resulting in its reason for sale in the first place, as frankly if there was nothing wrong with one in the first place why sell a nearly new one?

P.
 
Horoscope Fish

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
Paganman2 said:
As i explained i brought it second hand from an ebay retail store, it only came with a few months of guarantee and that was just for money back or a swap for another body if/when one came in, i am not prepared nor can i afford to send it off to nikon costing un known hundreds of pounds.
I can however swap it for a completely different set up from another company whose name had something to do with the name of guns on old ships lol.

I have kind off lost faith a bit and feel i will have to play the "wait and see" situation with waiting for another body to come in at the store, then take the chance that it hasn't got the same issue resulting in its reason for sale in the first place, as frankly if there was nothing wrong with one in the first place why sell a nearly new one?

P.
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Well I can understand you feel like your confidence has been shaken and if you want to switch to Canon I'm certainly not going to try and dissuade you. I've shot Canon in the past and they make some nice stuff. I think you're going to find ir difficult to get as MUCH camera from Canon as you can from Nikon for the same financial outlay but that's not to say Canon doesn't make quality gear.

Good luck with whatever you decide!
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Paganman2

Senior Member
Thank you paul, it is a difficult decision and possibly been made worse by the company i brought it from saying they may except my gear back in a direct swap with a 7D mk1 and 70-300 IS USM lens, and some goodies to make up the difference in sale price.

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Horoscope Fish

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
Paganman2 said:
Thank you paul, it is a difficult decision and possibly been made worse by the company i brought it from saying they may except my gear back in a direct swap with a 7D mk1 and 70-300 IS USM lens, and some goodies to make up the difference in sale price.
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Parley for a 7D MKII plus all the other stuff; then it's a relatively fair trade. Relatively... The 7D MKI is, what, six years old?? And you'll get better image quality out of the D7100. Canon just doesn't offer the same bang for your buck as Nikon and your vendor will balk at this deal because the MKII costs so much more out of the gate than the D7100.

Besides, do you really want to be using Compact Flash? Of course you don't.
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