Okay, my eyes aren't that great....at all. I'm having a hell of a time seeing much, if any difference in these charts, let alone enough difference to pull the trigger. You guys mind helping me out?
For the D700, I think the -tunes start actually appearing worse but depending on your focus distance, it may just be that the DOF at f/5.6 and whatever focus distance you were using was deep enough that it was allowing for the differences made in the fine tuning.
That said, keep in mind that a single shot from each like this can be subject to environmental variables / AF inconsistency / small lighting changes that can affect the outcome. It's why apps like FocusTune and such suggest multiple focus attempts and shots per test, as well as fairly controlled lighting.
When I get home I'm going to move in much closer (I was about 30-40ft in above) and use a yardstick and batteries strobed in the garage. Moving close isn't practical shooting distance, but at least I can confirm the focal point moving.
You try the dot tune method.. I cant speak for everyone but it worked pretty darn good for me on my 85mm 1.8, 70-200vrII with and without a TC14, and my tammy 17-50..
my keeper rates dramatically improved once i went through the motions.. took about 15 minutes to do all of them on my D7100.. and then switched over to my D7k and did the same..
I have done the method you are trying ..spent forever making adjustments up the ladder by increments of 2 and taking pics.. then putting them all in LR and picking the best one.. while this does work, I found the dot tune method to work just as well. and it is much easier and quicker ....... give it a try and see where you land.. as compared to your results here...