80-400vr focusing problem

[daniel_smithson]

<p>This lens will just not focus properly at any distance, even while on a tripod, initially it was very good for me, if I shoot it up close the photos are not so bad but I am wondering if I am doing something wrong..........Tried with and without the vr, it locks and focuses, but ends up being blurry as can be.</p>

[kari_oinonen]

<blockquote>

<p>it locks and focuses,</p>

</blockquote>

<p>So you say that the camera "thinks" it has got the focus, but the subject is actually out of focus? By locking the focus you mean that the camera has got focus, not the situation where the camera hits the near focus limit. This limit is of mechanical type and you should be able to tell this from locking the focus within the focus distance.</p>

<p>Did you check that your camera settings are ok with another lens.<br /> What happens if you focus manually, what you get then?<br /> Did you check that what you get as a focused subject via the view finder (PDAF), is the same with LV focusing (CDAF). If there is a difference, then try to use AF fine tune adjustment.<br /> For these tests use a single center focus point, turn the wr off for simplicity and use tripod.</p>

<p> </p>

[rodeo_joe1]

<blockquote>

<p>"...initially it was very good for me.."</p>

</blockquote>

<p>- So what changed? Something must have.<br>

Did you use AF fine-tune for some other lens? You may have altered the default fine-tune value instead of the individual lens setting.<br>

Damage to the lens?<br>

Dirty lens or body contacts?<br>

Can you get good focus using Live View?</p>

[daniel_smithson]

<p>My 80-200D is stunning, so the camera is fine. The manual for the 80-400 does not say that the camera or autofocus has to be tuned for this lens, and if I did this I would have to detune when I put the 80-200 back on, so I do not know what that is about. The camera is supposed to focus the lens, not me, manual focus is not possible for most of my photos. But even on a tripod with a still image like a seagull I get this <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/136279335@N04/22300812474/in/dateposted-public/lightbox/">https://www.flickr.com/photos/136279335@N04/22300812474/in/dateposted-public/lightbox/</a> the camera sport setting chose 1/1000 second, which would have been clear with my 80-200 as I get stuff like this <a href=" Handholding the 400 is just not possible at any distance. Here are some of the initial images from the lens, but this was on a different camera <a href=" Just can't get that anymore</p>

[alan_olander1664878205]

<p>If the lens was good at first, there could be a problem with the lens that requires repair. The AF Fine Tune feature is available on most Nikon cameras and if an adjustment is needed it only applies to the specific lens (unless you have a default camera adjustment set). This feature adjusts for lens/camera combinations that might slightly front or back focus consistently.<br /> I think the reason for the suggestion to try manual focus was to see if it focused OK that way, not that you should use manual focus all the time when shooting. Is this the old version of the 80-400mm? What camera are you using it on?</p>

[daniel_smithson]

<p>I have never tried manual focusing, I could easily do this for some tripod shots. will see, thanks</p>

[kari_oinonen]

<p>No detuning needed when changing a lens!</p>

<p>The camera recognizes each lens (type) so your af-fine tune affects only to the lens and only the amount you defined for that particular lens. Other lenses are not affected at all :-)</p>

<p>Manual focus was suggested to find out a possible cause, not as a permanent solution.<br>

Having seen the seagull, I'd suggest for testing what you can get with the af-fine tune! Different camera body - possibly/probably needs different fine tune value for the af.</p>

<p>I have the 80-200 ED too. Initially with digital I tought that the lens shall stay in it's box, but after having applied af-fine tune value of -5 the lens performs quite well for occasional events.</p>

[daniel_smithson]

<p>Frankly the Nikon page on fine tuning a lens scares me off because it says not to do it unless you really need to, and it also says that it is lens specific so it has to be undone. https://www.google.com/search?newwindow=1&site=&source=hp&q=how+to+af+fine+tune+nikon+lens&oq=how+to+af+&gs_l=hp.1.1.0l3j0i22i30l7.117002.120407.0.123529.12.12.0.0.0.0.131.1086.9j3.12.0....0...1c.1.64.hp..2.10.920.0.OvpJlfOxDOg If conditions change and I need to change my lens quick, I can't be fumbling with camera menus, I just need to shoot fast. My 80 200 is a godsend, this 400 is a turd. The difficult thing is I could be the problem as I may not be able to know either what I am doing wrong, or if the lens is shot. The 200 makes me feel that I do know how to take a photo though

[Dieter Schaefer]

<p>I was about to ask which 80-400 we are talking about - but from the date of the picture in your last link of the 2nd post above, it can only be the AF-D 80-400 VR and not the newer AF-S version.</p>

<p>Then, you compare an old D80 picture taken at quite a closer distance than the recent seagull picture taken with a D7100. While the 80-400 does reasonably well on a 10-12MP sensor, it is quite out of its league on a D7100. I never tried until now - I just mounted the old 80-400 onto my D7100 and took a few shots outside - I got about what I expected and quite in line with your seagull image. I have used the 80-400 on D200 and D300 bodies before and have a fairly good idea what it is and isn't capable of - and that's pretty much what I see in your images.</p>

<p>Using the old 80-400 on a tripod is also tricky - it suffers from the same weak tripod foot that the 300/4 AF-S VR does - so make sure you wedge something in between the foot and the tripod plate to dampen the substantial vibrations that you will otherwise encounter.</p>

<p>There still might be something wrong with your lens and/or your AF fine tune - but to determine that we would need to see more images at different distances and certainly need to see a comparison between images shot using the phase-detect AF and the live-view contrast-detect AF.</p>

[chuck]

<p>Don't be scare by it. Which camera do you use the lens on?</p>

[Dieter Schaefer]

<p>The only thing about AF fine tune that is not well explained in that Nikon write-up is the "default" setting - here's a thread on dpreview that sheds some light on how that one is used and when: <a href="http://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3472497">http://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3472497.</a><br>

But with lenses that the camera can identify, the values are lens specific and stored separately. For a zoom lens, however, there is still only one value, so AF fine-tuning can only be done for one focal length. And, naturally, also only for one focus distance.</p>

[daniel_smithson]

<p>but to determine that we would need to see more images at different distances and certainly need to see a comparison between images shot using the phase-detect AF and the live-view contrast-detect AF. </p>

<p>I think I might need to run that thru Google translate. Seriously I am using the D7100, and I have a custom program in U1 using the sport program and continuous AF. Here is a turtle shot the other day in better light, even they can't be focused well <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/136279335@N04/22924766435/in/dateposted-public/">https://www.flickr.com/photos/136279335@N04/22924766435/in/dateposted-public/</a> Those pictures pissed me off so bad after I got home, that I took my dog back out and got these with the 80-200 <br>

<a href=" <br>

<a href="

This was my last good shot with the 400, it did turn out nice <a href=" </p>

 

[kari_oinonen]

<p>Daniel, the af-fine tune is an easy task. Basically what you do is tell the camera, that the attached lens need some correction for the view finder af (phase detect) to get what you get with live view af (contrast detect).</p>

<p>Af correction values range from -20 to +20. A negative value makes the focus to come nearer. The bigger the value the nearer. Correspondingly positive values push the focus away from the camera.<br>

It is easy to test with some values to see if things get better. Also it is easy to set the af-fine tune value back to zero.</p>

<p>By making some comparison shots with the live view af and with the view finder af you can tell if the camera+lens combination needs any af-fine tune at all. Live view images act here like a sharpness target your camera+lens can do. Then you apply fine tune value(s) to get to the target with the view finder (phase detect) af.<br>

Just apply a value and see what you get. If not good change the value. You can set the value back to zero at any time the lens is attached.<br>

I believe that you will benefit from doing the af-fine tune. No need to go too scientific!</p>

<p> </p>

[Dieter Schaefer]

<p>The translation is in Kari's first post: compare images taken "normally" focused via the viewfinder and compare to images taken via live view.<br>

<br /> The turtle image shows the active AF sensor on the front turtle's head - but it appears that the real focus point is far ahead of that - probably too far to be correctable with AF fine tuning. I can't determine the AF point location on the dog images because they have been cropped from the original.<br /> <br />Again, what's needed now is something like that turtle image but taken with live view. And then the same image taken as you did with the turtle (i.e. focusing through the viewfinder).</p>

[daniel_smithson]

<p>The dog images are all fine, in fact in some of them the dog is moving 30mph, this to get anything the camera worked flawlessly. why is live view different than the viewfinder? Can I do this tuning indoors, it's pouring here?</p>

[Dieter Schaefer]

<blockquote>

<p>why is live view different than the viewfinder?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Because live view uses a different auto-focus mechanism altogether; it does not use the AF sensor that viewfinder-focusing relies on at all. Which is why, as Kari pointed out, the live-view image is your sharpness target - it is focused used the camera sensor itself.</p>

<p>And yes, you can do this inside - though you may have a bit of a hard time getting a subject that is your normal shooting distance away. As well as having trouble getting enough light - you don't want to have to crank up the ISO too high doing these tests.</p>

[daniel_smithson]

<p>Just shot this at 400 thru an open window, used the live view, seems a little better, but it's still not right<br>

<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/136279335@N04/22304664723/in/dateposted-public/lightbox/">https://www.flickr.com/photos/136279335@N04/22304664723/in/dateposted-public/lightbox/</a><br /> <br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/136279335@N04/22737929790/in/dateposted-public/lightbox/">https://www.flickr.com/photos/136279335@N04/22737929790/in/dateposted-public/lightbox/</a><br /> <br>

<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/136279335@N04/22737929790/in/dateposted-public/lightbox/">https://www.flickr.com/photos/136279335@N04/22737929790/in/dateposted-public/lightbox/</a></p>

<p>The 80-200 using the viewfinder was the best, it's easy to spot focus with the viewfinder,<br /> I am not sure what the camera is doing in live view.<br /> Also not sure why my links are not links</p>

[Mary Doo]

<p>Daniel, have you examined the focus point(s) on you images? There are tools that can detect this, such as BreezeBrowser Pro.</p>

<p>Also, I suppose you have verified that all the controls on the lens and the camera, that can affect auto focus, are correctly set for auto-focus? Have you tested the various focus-limit settings?</p>

<p>I am asking because your lens was focussing correctly before. IMO if the focus tuning is off, it would have been off from the beginning unless you did something to it, or that the lens is now defective. Personally I have never fine-tuned any lens and I am hoping I will never have to do it. I have used Nikon for a long time and have gone through many lenses and cameras.</p>

[daniel_smithson]

<p>No I have never examined a focus point, I just get it where I want it in the viewfinder and shoot. I can shoot this lens and get blurry images, then pop on my 80-200 and get ultra sharp freeze focus even in fast motion shots, which tells me the camera settings are fine, as is the camera.<br /> Focused on the green light below and in between the seagulls, this photo is better but still not right. <br /> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/136279335@N04/22738468840/in/dateposted-public/lightbox/">https://www.flickr.com/photos/136279335@N04/22738468840/in/dateposted-public/lightbox/</a></p>

<p>On this one the gear in the boat is just not clear enough. Though the boat looks better than a living object for some reason.<br /> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/136279335@N04/22926405985/in/dateposted-public/lightbox/">https://www.flickr.com/photos/136279335@N04/22926405985/in/dateposted-public/lightbox/</a></p>

<p>How exactly do I adjust the autofocus, and how do I save that value?? </p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>Hi Daniel, welcome to photo.net. As pointed out in a couple of posts, could you confirm which version of the Nikon 80-400mm VR we are discussing here? (I assume this is a Nikkor lens, not some third party one with the Nikon F mount.) The old version introduced around year 2000 is an AF-D lens. The current AF-S version that I reviewed <a href="/reviews/nikon-80-400G/">Nikon 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR Lens Review</a> was introduced two years ago back in 2013. The 2013 AF-S version is a much better lens.</p>

<p>I would rather not guess the version based on some on-line time stamps, which are not totally reliable.</p>

[Dieter Schaefer]

<p>Forget about AF fine tune for the time being - that live-view car window image is troubling. Could you please repeat that - using manual focus and live view (magnify the live view image and try to focus as accurately as possible on one of the stickers). What is troubling me? The fact that the stickers are blurry but the lines on the top of the window are not. AF fine tune has no influence on images focused via live view (which doesn't use the AF sensor at all) - so any focus deviation is either due to the operator not focusing on what he thinks he is focusing on, or the lens being out of whack because it has been bumped or dropped. Which is why a carefully manually focused image is now needed to exclude that the lens is damaged (for which the two boat images give no indication - but they are not shot at the same focal length).</p>

[Palouse]

<p>A couple of questions: What shutter release mode are you using--AF-S or AF C? And how do you have the shutter release button configured -- release or focus?</p>

[daniel_smithson]

<p>Too dark outside, but I took these three, one thing I found is that manual will never work with my eyes, twenty years ago yes, now no.<br>

Here are two autos and one manual, not sure how or if this will help<br>

<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/136279335@N04/22741050440/in/photostream/lightbox/">https://www.flickr.com/photos/136279335@N04/22741050440/in/photostream/lightbox/</a><br>

<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/136279335@N04/22915638152/in/photostream/lightbox/">https://www.flickr.com/photos/136279335@N04/22915638152/in/photostream/lightbox/</a><br>

<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/136279335@N04/22307912273/in/photostream/lightbox/">https://www.flickr.com/photos/136279335@N04/22307912273/in/photostream/lightbox/</a></p>

[rodeo_joe1]

<p>Daniel, I really think you need to take a few shots using Live View for comparison. Those close-up shots aren't really a very good test I'm afraid, since this lens just isn't optimised for close-up work. You also need to use a tripod for a proper comparison. It'll also help if you take charge of which focus point is being used, rather than let the camera choose a focus point at random. Take some shots using the single centre focus point only and see if that works. Although it does look as if the lens is front-focussing.</p>

<p>The seagull shot also appears to suffer from some camera movement - was it taken handheld? I know that VR is supposed to reduce camera shake, but it's not a complete elimination, and it's still possible to get shaky shots with VR.</p>

[Palouse]

<p>Google dot tune method. It is a simple way of calibrating auto focus by using live view as the standard. </p>