I would appreciate knowing if anyone else has had this issue, or if it is something to do with the way I have set up my D800 for birding (though to all intensive purposes it is the same as my D600, see below).
The retailer changed the lens for a brand new one for me and on the D800 it exhibits the same problem - but not on my D600 (I should have tried this on the first 300 sample but didn't think it was a camera-related issue).
Continuously holding down the AF-S button (I have disabled focusing on the shutter button) and then moving from anywhere from MFD, or anywhere within approx 20m, to infinity (testing on aircraft at home or on BIF in the field) the lens/camera combination will return to MFD and stay there, not attempting to focus to infinity. With the 300/2.8 mounted on the D600 the AF operates normally and speedily.
On the D800 if I focus close then release AF-S before attempting to re-focus on the aircraft at infinity then sometimes the AF will focus, more often it exhibits the aberrant behaviour above though.
My D800 settings :
Shutter Button : Release Only
AF-S button : functional
AF-C priority selection : Release & focus
Focus Tracking with lock on : 4
Focus Points : AF 11
Note that other lenses have the same problem on my D800 as the 300/2.8
Your "AF-S" terminology is throwing me - I'm assuming you mean AF-ON.
For testing, try these settings (and confirm the ones you already have):
a1 - AF-C priority = Release
a2 - AF-S priority = Focus (should not matter)
a3 - Focus tracking with lockon = Try turning OFF
a4 - AF Activation = AF-ON Only
Make sure the camera is in AF-C (and not AF-S mode!) and select d-9 AF area mode (dynamic 9 point). Use the center focus point.
Try your tests again. The lens should be continuously trying to focus while you hold down AF-ON.
something to do with the way I have set up my D800 for birding
for all intents and purposes, yes.
Quite shocking actually, for someone with this level of gear Going out on the
proverbial limb here...but I doubt there was anything wrong with the 1st 300 f2.8 VR
Note that other lenses have the same problem on my D800 as the 300/2.8
THIS should be the light bulb goin' off, and let's throw in a ding-ding-ding!!! Wow.
Go back to defaults and set up the camera as suggested above and try, try again.
The manual is quite clear regarding implementation on the AF-ON button and there's
always Busch's 600 page bible...but please don't keep blaming the gear for "issues"...just sayin'
wellsjt wrote:
Your "AF-S" terminology is throwing me - I'm assuming you mean AF-ON.
For testing, try these settings (and confirm the ones you already have):
a1 - AF-C priority = Release
a2 - AF-S priority = Focus (should not matter)
a3 - Focus tracking with lockon = Try turning OFF
a4 - AF Activation = AF-ON Only
Make sure the camera is in AF-C (and not AF-S mode!) and select d-9 AF area mode (dynamic 9 point). Use the center focus point.
Try your tests again. The lens should be continuously trying to focus while you hold down AF-ON.
Yes, you're correct on the AF-ON. Sorry brain malfunction during typing (happens more as I get older)
I'll try your settings.
EDIT
a1 - in AF-C this shouldn't matter (according to the D800 manual p281)
a2 - I already have it set as suggested
a3 - For BIF it is suggested 3 or 4 otherwise when there is more than one bird the focus can jump if OFF or set for a shorter time, e.g. 1 or 2. Is it your experience that OFF works fine ?
a4 - I already have it set as suggested
I've tried S point, 21 point and 3D so I'll try 9 now However surely this alone shouldn't stop the lens from at least attempting to find focus ? All that happens when moving from a subject close to a subject at infinity is the lens stops focusing completely (and when checking the focus indicator it is always at MFD)
Sorry for the Qs it's night time here so I can't try anything more until tomorrow so want to be absolutely clear on what to try / do and know I've tried everything before trudging back to the Nikon repair office !
trenchmonkey wrote: for all intents and purposes, yes.
Quite shocking actually, for someone with this level of gear Going out on the
proverbial limb here...but I doubt there was anything wrong with the 1st 300 f2.8 VR
That's all very helpful. If you had bothered to read my post at all (and the link) then you would have seen that I have already said there was certainly nothing wrong with the first lens so you are not really ahead of the curve here.
The D800 is my first Nikon camera and I'd asked for help here with the settings, as I have become more and more involved in bird photography over the past year, especially with focus points for BIF, all the settings above were from advice given on this forum ..... and if I remember correctly from you too in one of your posts about the settings you use in your bird photography (re. number of focus points).
Also as I mentioned the D600 functions perfectly with the same settings as those on the D800, would you care to explain then why the D800 fails where the D600 is spot on ? Or why all my lenses function fine in AF-C on the D600 but not the D800 ? Because I can't hence the reason I asked here.
If you are going to contribute to a thread at least make an effort by reading it through and trying to be constructive rather than throwing out insinuations of ineptitude.
Is it real humid there in Shanghai? I'd hit the contacts on the 800 with an eraser before I went any further. If all your lenses work fine on the 600 and not the 800 I think it's safe to say it's the body. That's my standard suggestion when things start to act strangely.
No doubt when things aren't working as they should it is frustrating. Especially when working with such high end equipment. I had similar frustrations when I switched to Nikon and every problem I faced was due to my lack of Nikon knowledge. Keep working on it and i am sure everything will work out.
And Mr. Monkey is really a great guy who helps many people. I have learned a lot from Will and am grateful he takes the time and energy to share his expertise with us rookies. I have learned the Nikon forum isn't quite as user friendly as the Canon forum. One can only hope Petkal, jcolwell, Pixel Perfect and many other guys who like the big white lens might someday come to the darkside.
Grantland wrote:
No doubt when things aren't working as they should it is frustrating. Especially when working with such high end equipment. I had similar frustrations when I switched to Nikon and every problem I faced was due to my lack of Nikon knowledge. Keep working on it and i am sure everything will work out.
And Mr. Monkey is really a great guy who helps many people. I have learned a lot from Will and am grateful he takes the time and energy to share his expertise with us rookies. I have learned the Nikon forum isn't quite as user friendly as the Canon forum. One can only hope Petkal, jcolwell, Pixel Perfect and many other guys who like the big white lens might someday come to the darkside.
Thank you for the encouragement Grant - much appreciated
I've had the D800 for (I guess) about 6 months now and have never had an issue with BIF with my other birding lenses (Sigma 120-300 and Sigma 500) so I immediately thought it was something wrong with the 300/2.8 but it seems only to be coincidence as the others are not functioning at 100% now either. I thought that maybe I had adjusted something that I shouldn't - in my search for the perfect set-up ! However that doesn't really seem to be the case - we'll see tomorrow
rd4tile wrote:
Is it real humid there in Shanghai? I'd hit the contacts on the 800 with an eraser before I went any further. If all your lenses work fine on the 600 and not the 800 I think it's safe to say it's the body. That's my standard suggestion when things start to act strangely.
Thanks mate. It is very humid here at certain times of the year, so-so at the moment. I did take the camera into one of the multitude of repair shops in the camera mall in Shanghai (the old guy I always go to). He couldn't find any obvious fault (though he did say the MF lens recognition was not working properly, f1.4 lenses registering as f5.6) so it will have to go in for that but now is bird migration season so if there is nothing urgent that can wait a month or two
If other lenses exhibit this behavior and no issues on the d600 than it would seem obvious the d800 needs a trip to Nikon. I never had any issue with focusing in Af-C with any of my lenses. The settings should not matter it should work out of the box with out customization.
Frogfish wrote:
That's all very helpful. If you had bothered to read my post at all (and the link) then you would have seen that I have already said there was certainly nothing wrong with the first lens so you are not really ahead of the curve here.
The D800 is my first Nikon camera and I'd asked for help here with the settings, as I have become more and more involved in bird photography over the past year, especially with focus points for BIF, all the settings above were from advice given on this forum ..... and if I remember correctly from you too in one of your posts about the settings you use in your bird photography (re. number of focus points).
Also as I mentioned the D600 functions perfectly with the same settings as those on the D800, would you care to explain then why the D800 fails where the D600 is spot on ? Or why all my lenses function fine in AF-C on the D600 but not the D800 ? Because I can't hence the reason I asked here.
If you are going to contribute to a thread at least make an effort by reading it through and trying to be constructive rather than throwing out insinuations of ineptitude. ...Show more →
Occasionally our buddy Trench is a little...enthusiastic and hard . There was one key piece of information in there though - reset the camera before fiddling with your settings. The D800 is pretty complex, and it is possible there is something set that is the difference between your D800 and D600 performance (though it sounds like you did need some guidance on the birding settings).
Consider Thom Hogan's guide to the D800 - incredibly detailed and useful. Good luck!
hello - just got done reading both of your threads on the d800 as well as the 300/2.8 vr 2.
i have the similar setup except my 300/2.8 is a vr1, but did not experience the af problems you described. (i don't use the memory set, memory recall, or af button on the lens).
af speed will be reduced when using teleconverters. the order from fast to slow are as followed: 1.4x, 1.7x, and 2x. for bif in lowlight at dusk or dawn, don't expect 100% af acquisition of bif.
the "clicking" you hear is the activation of the vr, which should occur when you slightly depress the shutter button. depressing the dedicated rear af-on button will not activate the vr; especially if you have already disabled the af function on the front shutter button.
i concurred with the camera and lens settings recommended by other fmers. below are my additional recommendations:
1) update the camera firmware. you can alway revert back to the original firmware if the update does not work out for you.
2) shoot w/out the teleconverter. if you still experienced the same af problems, then it's the camera.
let me know how it worked out for you!
tom
p.s. you should know that the d800 is not a lowlight performer. iso above 6400 in lowlight will give you plenty of noises.
Thank you for relating your own experiences Tom. From everything people are saying it would seem the D800 may have an issue. I was hoping this was not the case and I may have missed something
For Further Information
I have been testing the bare lens without the TCs to ensure it was not the TCs affecting the performance (as I've had with other brands).
I do not have VR activated (useless above 1/500 sec and is even detrimental to AF performance).
Firmware is always kept right up to date on all my cameras.
Auto ISO is set to max at 6,400 (more than enough in most cases for bird photography if you are prepared to lower the S/S and open up the lens).
tntcorp - The D800 is a very capable lowlight performer, and pressing AF-ON will kick in VR on it.
To the OP - Take off any teleconverters and filters which reduce light (eg. circular polarizer) to not introduce other variables during your testing. Make sure switches are set properly on the lens and AF is selected on the body (switch on front of camera). Make sure you are pressing AF-ON and not the button beside it by accident (you could be turning on AF lock).
M635_Guy wroteOccasionally our buddy Trench is a little...enthusiastic and hard . There was one key piece of information in there though - reset the camera before fiddling with your settings. The D800 is pretty complex, and it is possible there is something set that is the difference between your D800 and D600 performance (though it sounds like you did need some guidance on the birding settings).
Consider Thom Hogan's guide to the D800 - incredibly detailed and useful. Good luck!
Thank you Guy ... I'm willing to try anything and everything at this stage ... know any Black Magic incantations ?
wellsjt wrote:
tntcorp - The D800 is a very capable lowlight performer, and pressing AF-ON will kick in VR on it.
To the OP - Take off any teleconverters and filters which reduce light (eg. circular polarizer) to not introduce other variables during your testing. Make sure switches are set properly on the lens and AF is selected on the body (switch on front of camera). Make sure you are pressing AF-ON and not the button beside it by accident (you could be turning on AF lock).
Thanks for the additional advice JT.
FYI
No TCs are being used in testing. I do not use filters on my birding lenses except for a UV in salty/sea/dusty conditions. AF is on and I use only ever use AF-ON (no AF is active on the shutter button) so am very used to this method of focusing.
Switches on the lens :
A/m
Full
VR - normal (though it;s switched off 95% of the time)
AF-L
Mute
Bruce Sawle wrote:
If other lenses exhibit this behavior and no issues on the d600 than it would seem obvious the d800 needs a trip to Nikon. I never had any issue with focusing in Af-C with any of my lenses. The settings should not matter it should work out of the box with out customization.
Frogfish, since you have AF-L turned on at the lens, I'm wondering if you keep locking the focus inadvertently. Try AF-ON on the lens (and check the lens manual for how AF-L works).
wellsjt wrote:
Frogfish, since you have AF-L turned on at the lens, I'm wondering if you keep locking the focus inadvertently. Try AF-ON on the lens (and check the lens manual for how AF-L works).
Hi JT. I have the downloaded manual on the computer (and have read it thoroughly though maybe I've missed something), this is the section relevant to the AF-L setting (though note I don't use the 'Operation Buttons' on the lens as yet) :
Focus lock (AF-L)
This function is only compatible with autofocus. a Set the focus mode switch to A/M or M/A.
b Set the focus operation selection switch to AF-L.
c During autofocus mode, focus can be locked by pressing one of the focus Ck operation buttons.
• Focus remains locked while a focus operation button is pressed and held down.
• The AF-L function can be engaged either from the camera or from the lens.
I also thought that the AF-ON button on the lens is the same as that on the D800 so is not of any use since the AF-ON is my standard method of focusing ?
Here's what the manual says about the AF-ON setting on the lens :
Autofocus (AF) start on the lens (AF-ON)
a Set the focus mode switch to A/M or M/A.
b Set the focus operation selection switch to AF-ON.
c Press a focus operation button to take pictures.
• Autofocus is activated while a focus operation button is pressed and held down.
• The AF-ON function can be engaged either from the camera or from the lens.
Frogfish wrote:
Hi JT. I have the downloaded manual on the computer (and have read it thoroughly though maybe I've missed something), this is the section relevant to the AF-L setting (though note I don't use the 'Operation Buttons' on the lens as yet) :
Focus lock (AF-L)
This function is only compatible with autofocus. a Set the focus mode switch to A/M or M/A.
b Set the focus operation selection switch to AF-L.
c During autofocus mode, focus can be locked by pressing one of the focus Ck operation buttons.
• Focus remains locked while a focus operation button is pressed and held down.
• The AF-L function can be engaged either from the camera or from the lens.
I also thought that the AF-ON button on the lens is the same as that on the D800 so is not of any use since the AF-ON is my standard method of focusing ?
Here's what the manual says about the AF-ON setting on the lens :
Autofocus (AF) start on the lens (AF-ON)
a Set the focus mode switch to A/M or M/A.
b Set the focus operation selection switch to AF-ON.
c Press a focus operation button to take pictures.
• Autofocus is activated while a focus operation button is pressed and held down.
• The AF-ON function can be engaged either from the camera or from the lens....Show more →
My D800 AF was crap before the firmware update. So make sure you have all lenses tuned and that your D800 has the latest firmware update. Once you get it right the AF is incredible. My 5DIII has taken a back seat since I got my D800 going. That's says a lot because AF on 5DIII is first class.
Don't worry about Trenchmonkey. As far as he is concerned, anyone with AF issues must be incompetent.
for all intents and purposes, yes.
Going out on the
However surely this alone shouldn't stop the lens from at least attempting to find focus ? All that happens when moving from a subject close to a subject at infinity is the lens stops focusing completely (and when checking the focus indicator it is always at MFD)
. There was one key piece of information in there though - reset the camera before fiddling with your settings. The D800 is pretty complex, and it is possible there is something set that is the difference between your D800 and D600 performance (though it sounds like you did need some guidance on the birding settings).