Always look for the simple solution first.

[tbs]

<p>I just thought I'd relate a very recent experiece that reminded me of the title above.</p>

<p>I was just in Hawaii, shooting the sunset at the top of Mauna Kea (13,796 ft.), with my Nikon N80, on a tripod. After changing a lens, in the sub-freezing evening wind, I looked back through the viewfinder and noticed that the focus seemed a little off. No matter what I did, manuel or auto focus, I couldn't get it sharp. </p>

<p>I finished the roll I was on, tried changing to other lenses, same result: slightly out of focus. I wondered if the cold was causing the problem. When I got back to the hotel, I tried my back-up body (another N80), no problem with that one, but the one I'd used on Mauna Kea was still slightly off. Then I tried cleaning the auto-focus contacts carefully...still no change. I cleaned the lenses, changed the batteries, air bulbed the mirror...still no change. </p>

<p>A few of you are probably already giggling at me, knowing what's coming next. A week or so later, still trying to find the problem, I noticed that the diopter adjustment on my viewfinder had been bumped, while I was up on the moutain top, in the chill air, where I was wearing gloves which reduced my manuel dexterity. Moving that tiny little switch back to the correct position, problem solved.</p>

[Matt Laur]

<p>Hmm. As I was reading your tale, my first though was that you had breathed on your finder eyepiece, and frozen some moisture there (I've done that!). I've never bumped my diopter control with a glove, but I seem to be able to switch the body into manual focus mode just by <em>looking</em> at it sideways. That's my single most common fat-fingered mistake.</p>

[User_276104]

<p>I put a Type E screen in one of my film bodies a few years ago. While I was out shooting, I became unable to focus. On AF the camera would lock on just fine, but one side of the viewfinder was slightly blurry. </p>

<p>Apparently I didn't seat the screen properly and with camera use, it had shifted slightly. I thought I was losing my eyes (not to mention my mind)!</p>

[azlatic]

<p>I recently did Matt's trick of bumping the switch from auto focus to manual, and then spent 10 minutes furiously trying to clean the viewfinder as I was absolutely sure I had accidentally smudged it with my nose or something. Happened to see, by accident, that the switch was moved. Next time I'll know to check that first!</p>

[aldrich]

<p>Here's a double whammy.</p>

<p>At a recent wedding I attended (not as the photographer) the bride and groom could not be more happy...and then more upset. Their photographer showed up bright and early, ready to go. The ceremony was beautiful....until right in the middle of it. The photographer actually had the nerve to yell "Stop please!" in the middle because his camera was not focusing. You'd think that's rude enough right? He then realized there was no film in the camera.</p>

<p>The groom's lawyer was in attendance, thankfully, and the matter was...quickly settled.</p>

<p>What a nightmare!</p>