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Archive 2015 · Do you check all your lenses to see if they need fine tuned?

  
 
agelessphotog
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Do you check all your lenses to see if they need fine tuned?


Do you look closely to the photos to see if they may need slightly adjusted? or only if something really sticks out?


Oct 26, 2015 at 08:36 PM
lorac
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Do you check all your lenses to see if they need fine tuned?


I take some test shots to see how good or bad a lens is, but I test every lens period.


Oct 26, 2015 at 08:55 PM
architect7
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Do you check all your lenses to see if they need fine tuned?


Yes, especially telephoto lenses which have zero forgiveness and DOF is in the millimeters. It is just a part of using any new lens or camera.


Oct 26, 2015 at 11:24 PM
daniel4
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Do you check all your lenses to see if they need fine tuned?


Of course I check every lens. First with Reikan FoCal and then with real-world targets and multiple distances. Zooms at both ends.

It takes about an hour per lens, which is time well spent. Without tuning my photos would all be soft.



Oct 27, 2015 at 02:15 AM
MayaTlab
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Do you check all your lenses to see if they need fine tuned?


I do check every lens - but I don't think it's a set and forget thing. Despite camera manufacturers' claims I still find that sometimes under some kinds of lighting the fine tuning might be different - and, although it never really happened to me, I believe that it might drift over time a little.

So, usually, I tend to shoot quite a lot of test shots under varied lighting to have a feel for how the lens behaves on a particular body and then make an arbitrary decision depending on how I'd like to correct what I'm seeing.



Oct 27, 2015 at 04:10 AM
Danner
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Do you check all your lenses to see if they need fine tuned?


No, never.

I look at it this way, something is bound to be in focus .

But seriously, I shoot only genuine Nikkors and focus error is not something I have ever noticed in actual use.



Oct 27, 2015 at 12:35 PM
Mark_L
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Do you check all your lenses to see if they need fine tuned?


The first thing I do is test every lens. I've never come across a lens that didn't need *some* fine tune and quality control on lenses is so poor if it is a dud I need to return it.

People that say they never need to fine tune either have very low quality standards or shoot everything at f/8.



Oct 27, 2015 at 12:42 PM
Steve Perry
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Do you check all your lenses to see if they need fine tuned?


Yup, every lens. Why pay all that money to have sub-par performance? Heck, I'd drive myself crazy just wondering if the lens was as good as it should be. I also have a Zeiss star target thingy and check for decentering too.


Oct 27, 2015 at 12:59 PM
Kerry Pierce
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Do you check all your lenses to see if they need fine tuned?


Steve Perry wrote:
Yup, every lens. Why pay all that money to have sub-par performance? Heck, I'd drive myself crazy just wondering if the lens was as good as it should be. I also have a Zeiss star target thingy and check for decentering too.


Do you have an easy way to check for decentering, Steve?

To the OP, I will fine tune almost every lens, but I don't always get to do it immediately, unless I notice a significant issue with normal test shots.

thanks
Kerry



Oct 27, 2015 at 02:18 PM
Steve Perry
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Do you check all your lenses to see if they need fine tuned?


Kerry Pierce wrote:
Do you have an easy way to check for decentering, Steve?

To the OP, I will fine tune almost every lens, but I don't always get to do it immediately, unless I notice a significant issue with normal test shots.

thanks
Kerry


Yup - get the zeiss star thing here:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/717671-REG/Zeiss_1849_755_Siemens_Star_Test_Chart.html

Then, with the center dot on the test chart in the center of your frame, slightly defocus the image. You should see a perfectly round "donut" shape in the center. If it skews off in one direction, the lens has an issue.



Oct 27, 2015 at 02:22 PM
CanadaMark
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Do you check all your lenses to see if they need fine tuned?


I do a quick check on all my lenses for PDAF vs CDAF accuracy as well as uniform sharpness across the frame. I've yet to run into a defective lens. AFFT is a band-aid for only a single subject distance and single focal length combination. If I ever buy one with a meaningful AFFT value required at any subject distance/focal length combination, or elements out of whack, I would exchange it without a second thought. The sole exception would be if a single AFFT value fixed the lens at all subject distance and focal length combinations, then I wouldn't mind.


Oct 27, 2015 at 02:41 PM
Kerry Pierce
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Do you check all your lenses to see if they need fine tuned?


Steve Perry wrote:
Yup - get the zeiss star thing here:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/717671-REG/Zeiss_1849_755_Siemens_Star_Test_Chart.html

Then, with the center dot on the test chart in the center of your frame, slightly defocus the image. You should see a perfectly round "donut" shape in the center. If it skews off in one direction, the lens has an issue.


That's awesome. Thanks, Steve!

Kerry



Oct 28, 2015 at 03:05 PM
surgeon1
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Do you check all your lenses to see if they need fine tuned?


Sounds like calibrating the lens may be time consuming. For someone who does not have the time or expertise to use FoCal or other similar programs, are there any vendors that provide this service?

David

Edited on Oct 28, 2015 at 03:26 PM · View previous versions



Oct 28, 2015 at 03:20 PM
Moroni
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Do you check all your lenses to see if they need fine tuned?


Steve Perry wrote:
Yup - get the zeiss star thing here:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/717671-REG/Zeiss_1849_755_Siemens_Star_Test_Chart.html

Then, with the center dot on the test chart in the center of your frame, slightly defocus the image. You should see a perfectly round "donut" shape in the center. If it skews off in one direction, the lens has an issue.


I've found the Zeiss star chart only catches fairly severe cases of decentering. I've had several decentered lenses, none of which failed the Zeiss star chart test.

The only reliable way I have found to test for decentering is to use a lens chart and controlled lighting.

-Brian



Oct 28, 2015 at 03:20 PM
Mark_L
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Do you check all your lenses to see if they need fine tuned?


surgeon1 wrote:
Sounds like calibrating the lens may be time consuming. For someone who does not have the time or expertise to use FoCal or other similar programs, are there any vendors that provide this service?

David


You can send your body and lenses in to nikon.

You don't need FoCal or similar, the DotTune method described in a thread here is very quick, easy and accurate - one lens takes maybe 5mins.

The sigma art lenses with the dock is a different ballgame. Even a prime takes a good 1hr, a zoom many times that.



Oct 28, 2015 at 03:37 PM
twistys4me
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Do you check all your lenses to see if they need fine tuned?


I thought my sigma 17-70mm contempary was soft on my D70. spent some time with the dock adjusting at 17.28.50 and 70mm. It was way off and now is sharp. the cool thing about the dock is you can adjust in four diffrent spots for where your subject is.


Oct 28, 2015 at 04:50 PM
lara_ckl
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Do you check all your lenses to see if they need fine tuned?


I second the DotTune suggestion.

Link.




Oct 28, 2015 at 05:23 PM
surgeon1
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Do you check all your lenses to see if they need fine tuned?


Is the Zeiss Star the same as the Dot Tune?


Oct 28, 2015 at 05:41 PM
Mark_L
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Do you check all your lenses to see if they need fine tuned?


surgeon1 wrote:
Is the Zeiss Star the same as the Dot Tune?


No, it is a test chart to test something specific. Dot Tune works focusing on anything that is a decent af subject.



Oct 28, 2015 at 06:42 PM
Steve Perry
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Do you check all your lenses to see if they need fine tuned?


Moroni wrote:
I've found the Zeiss star chart only catches fairly severe cases of decentering. I've had several decentered lenses, none of which failed the Zeiss star chart test.

The only reliable way I have found to test for decentering is to use a lens chart and controlled lighting.

-Brian


Thanks - good to know.



Oct 28, 2015 at 06:56 PM
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