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Archive 2014 · Bummer

  
 
okafoja
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Bummer


I just traded my sharp copy of Sigma 85mm f/1.4 for Sigma 50mm art and this is what I was getting. Nothing whatsoever is in focus. At first I though the camera was set in manual focus. SO far I have been luck with my D810. None of my lenses required AF tuning.

This is terrible. This may require plus +30 to correct it.

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w118/okafoja/Round6/DSC_2374web_zpscfe79c63.jpg
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w118/okafoja/Round6/DSC_2374web2_zps3b83af79.jpg

Edited on Oct 02, 2014 at 10:55 PM · View previous versions



Oct 02, 2014 at 07:59 PM
Abuttolph
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Bummer


Do other people also have trouble with autofocus using the 85mm? Part of me is wondering if this is an issue that will be corrected with a camera firmware update. I just updated the firmware on my D800E and it seemed to help with some focus issues.

In the mean time, can you give manual focus a try? In all honesty, I find that manual focus (especially with live viewable) gives me better results than autofocus.




Oct 02, 2014 at 08:22 PM
Two23
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Bummer


I don't think this is a valid test. Your subject might be moving for one thing. You need to put the camera on a tripod and shoot a flat, fixed target to know for sure.


Kent in SD



Oct 02, 2014 at 08:24 PM
okafoja
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Bummer


Abuttolph wrote:
Do other people also have trouble with autofocus using the 85mm? Part of me is wondering if this is an issue that will be corrected with a camera firmware update. I just updated the firmware on my D800E and it seemed to help with some focus issues.

In the mean time, can you give manual focus a try? In all honesty, I find that manual focus (especially with live viewable) gives me better results than autofocus.



I'm sure manual focus will work but I never use manual. I have never seen it this bad. My Sigma 35mm f/1.4 is spot on. Sigma 85mm worked fine on my D810.

Sigma 85mm @1.4
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w118/okafoja/Round6/DSC_0106-paint-web_zps62b35283.jpg



Oct 02, 2014 at 08:28 PM
lara_ckl
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Bummer


By traded, I take it that you got this lens second hand. Is it possible that the previous owner adjusted the lens to fit his/her camera? That adjustment obviously doesn't work for your camera. (I don't have any ART lenses from Sigma, but that would be my guess. FWIW )


Oct 02, 2014 at 08:28 PM
okafoja
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Bummer


lara_ckl wrote:
By traded, I take it that you got this lens second hand. Is it possible that the previous owner adjusted the lens to fit his/her camera? That adjustment obviously doesn't work for your camera. (I don't have any ART lenses from Sigma, but that would be my guess. FWIW )


Good point. I will ask him.



Oct 02, 2014 at 08:30 PM
okafoja
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Bummer


Two23 wrote:
I don't think this is a valid test. Your subject might be moving for one thing. You need to put the camera on a tripod and shoot a flat, fixed target to know for sure.

Kent in SD


You must be kidding. Who has time to do all that. I test all my lenses the way I use them in real life. Why will it work for my 35mm and fail for 50mm.




Oct 02, 2014 at 08:32 PM
Aloicious
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Bummer


doesn't look like movement blur but I do agree that a more controlled test should probably be done. doesn't need to be significantly complex. but at least something thats a bit more quantifiable, especially if you're trying to figure out a problem. throw a ruler on the floor in good light and focus on a specific number on the ruler (shooting it at an angle so that you can see front vs back focus) and see where your focus plane is actually ending up.

have you tried AF fine tuning it to see what it would require? if it's a significant adjustment I'd say return it and get a new one. the 50A is a fantastic lens but you may just have gotten a bad copy or it may have been bumped around in shipping or something, it sucks but it happens with most anything.

FWIW, my 50A on my 800E only needed between -1 and +2 across the whole focusing range...my 35A is similar, something like -2 to 0, where my nikon 300f2.8 VRII needs like -12 (and my previous 300f2.8 VRI needed like +15 or something)...fast primes are typically the lenses that benefit most from AF fine tuning IME.

aside from it being OOF, I like the shot, cute kid (your daughter maybe?), once you get the focus issues squared away I bet you'll get some great images from the 50A.



Oct 02, 2014 at 08:34 PM
Aloicious
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Bummer


lara_ckl wrote:
By traded, I take it that you got this lens second hand. Is it possible that the previous owner adjusted the lens to fit his/her camera? That adjustment obviously doesn't work for your camera. (I don't have any ART lenses from Sigma, but that would be my guess. FWIW )


great point if the previous owner used the dock to fine tune for their body, then it re-writes the firmware with that setting, it may just need to be set back to factory specs since it obviously isn't the correct settings for your body. I was thinking it was a new lens in my previous post.



Oct 02, 2014 at 08:38 PM
okafoja
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Bummer


Aloicious wrote:
great point if the previous owner used the dock to fine tune for their body, then it re-writes the firmware with that setting, it may just need to be set back to factory specs since it obviously isn't the correct settings for your body. I was thinking it was a new lens in my previous post.


No. It was used.



Oct 02, 2014 at 08:43 PM
Two23
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Bummer


okafoja wrote:
You must be kidding. Who has time to do all that.


I do everytime I get a new lens with AF. It's taking you more time to talk about it on the internet than to actually test it.


Kent in SD



Oct 02, 2014 at 08:53 PM
wellsjt
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Bummer


okafoja wrote:
I just traded my sharp copy of Sigma 85mm f/1.4 for Sigma 50mm art and this is what I was getting.


What was the shutter speed in that shot?



Oct 02, 2014 at 09:10 PM
Donzo98
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Bummer


Mine was off too... no question it's the lens and not you

I took it to Sigma (they calibrated while it waited)... and it was RAZOR sharp.



Oct 02, 2014 at 09:15 PM
Jonathan
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Bummer


I always use "real world" shots to check also, but with a tripod. The pupil of an eye is a good test. There's no way a lens this far off would have been OK on the original owner's body.

My 50 ART is razor sharp right at 1.4 and almost too sharp by f2. Sigma is fast at getting a lens back to you. Good luck John.

Try your tripod and manual focus before sending it in.



Oct 02, 2014 at 09:27 PM
BenV
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Bummer


What does bumber mean


Oct 02, 2014 at 09:32 PM
Jonathan
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Bummer


BenV wrote:
What does bumber mean


I'm sure he meant bummer.




Oct 02, 2014 at 09:38 PM
okafoja
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Bummer


Jonathan wrote:
I'm sure he meant bummer.



Yes I meant bummer.



Oct 02, 2014 at 10:55 PM
okafoja
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Bummer


wellsjt wrote:
What was the shutter speed in that shot?


Shutter speed was kind low for D810. 1/60



Oct 02, 2014 at 10:57 PM
Kyyo24
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Bummer




okafoja wrote:
Shutter speed was kind low for D810. 1/60

Definitely not a valid test at 1/60 handheld for a person



Oct 03, 2014 at 12:52 AM
wellsjt
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Bummer


okafoja wrote:
Shutter speed was kind low for D810. 1/60


I suspected that which is why I asked.

This test image has a lot of variables set against it in terms of IQ: simply too low a shutter speed (for the combination of subject, focal length, and the fact it is handheld), low ambient lighting conditions, high ISO, and likely a wide open aperture.

That said, it's actually not too bad! You're too hard on yourself. With the tough conditions listed above, you probably shouldn't be pixel peeping this one, but I think if you were to post process this normally (fixing white balance, applying effective noise reduction to combat the high ISO noise, etc.) and printed it at a normal size, I think it would be acceptably sharp. I don't think someone would look at the print and say it's out of focus.

Before giving up on the lens or adjusting the fine-tune, you need a repeat under more controlled and better conditions.



Oct 03, 2014 at 07:09 AM
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