Having trouble metering with new lens

Thanks for reporting back, Ben. And, while I found the D810 somewhat more reliable than the D800 in autofocus (except in low light), good to know that you're seeing the improvement I'm hoping for from the D850's AF module. I doubt the ISO/Mode switch (with the other one, in my case, on Rec) will bother me too much, unless I'm unexpectedly rich enough to keep a D810 as backup!

Andrew, I do have to add the caveat that I'm making mental(not side by side) comparisons with the D800, not 810. Also, I was using a lens that I don't own-the 24-70 2.8E.

 

Still, though, wherever I pointed it the lens just seemed to "snap" into focus with no hunting. My D800 focuses quickly in this same store with any type of lens, but it seems to sometimes overshoot and then backtrack. I'd say it was the surest focusing camera/lens combination I've ever used, although admittedly I suspect that with a heavy screwdriver lens it will still be slower than an F5, D1, or D2.

Understood, Ben. The D810 is, in my experience, a little more consistent than the D800 (I had somewhat more AF misses with the D800 than either the D700 or D810, and I didn't have an allegedly misaligned AF module), partly due to apparently taking telecentricity into account a bit more. I don't know that it's any faster, though. I no longer have any big lenses with screwdriver focus (I had a mk1 80-200 once); I have an F5, but I don't think I'll miss the high power motor. I'm mildly curious how much a battery grip might help that, although it presumably also offers a higher battery voltage to the lens mount. (I hope - the D700 did, and IIRC the D300 grip didn't.)

(I hope - the D700 did, and IIRC the D300 grip didn't.)

 

I'm purely speculating, but the MB-D10(which works on both the D300 and D700) can be used either with a single EN-EL3e battery or a single EN-EL4a.

 

The EN-EL3e is, of course, the main battery in both of these cameras(plus about 100 other Nikon DSLRs, plus the Fuji S5 aside from the fact that it's firmware blocked by the camera) while the EN-EL4a is the D2/D3 series battery. The EN-EL3e is 7.4V, while the EN-EL4a is 11.1V.

 

It could be my imagination, but my D300(s) feels like it focuses a lot faster when I'm using the EN-EL4a than when I'm using an EN-EL3e in the battery grip.

 

As a side note, the F100 uses the same AF module as the F5, and I think the D1 series uses this module also. The F4 runs on 4xAA cells for 6V, the D1 series on 7.2 or 7.4V(don't have a battery handy and don't remember exactly), and the F5 on a whopping 12V from 8xAA cells. The battery grip for the F4 boosts it to 6 cells for 9V. The battery grip definitely makes the focus on an F100 feel a lot more like an F5.

 

I have a bunch of screwdriver lenses that I use regularly-my most used is probably my 105mm f/2.8D Micro. It presents its own focusing challenges for marginal systems as it has a REALLY long focus throw and also becomes an effective f/5.6 at its closest focus distance(although that's a moot point since I'm usually using MF long before I get there). With that said, I have an 80-200 f/2.8D(push-pull, no tripod collar) and 300 f/4 that serve as my standard "heavy screwdriver" metrics.

Maybe the OP updated to the latest firmware for the D3400 and it bricked/crippled the AF of the Tammy 90mm?

 

It seems to be doing it to other non-Nikon lenses, esp. Sigmas.

 

However, Art lenses can have a user installed firmware patch.

Edited April 12, 2018 by mike_halliwell

For what it's worth, I could very much be wrong about the grip behaviour on the D300. I never had a D300, and I only had a third party grip (which I think got used precisely once, as an experiment) for the D700. I thought I remembered a voltage difference, but I have to admit it's a bit weird if it's the same battery grip.

 

The mk1 80-200 is certainly "heavy screwdriver". The mk3 (rotating) isn't too bad, although I have other objections to it. I gather the mk2 (AF-D push-pull) is nearer the mk3, but they seem rare. I've divested myself of anything with that requirement, so my F5 is mostly relegated to being able to crank the focus on the 28-80G really fast.