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focusing & my fast prime Anonymous
I've been noticing my camera doesn't seem to focus very well with my 50 f/1,4. Many shoots of my previous set in the airport are messed up because focus is quite off, and today I've experienced the same problem.

As you can see in the pic, the area I was focusing in (green arrow) is out of focus, and for some reason the camera is focused on the red arrow area.

Don't know if it might be related, but a classmate once "forced" the focusing ring thinking it was a zoom.

I also recall reading that some of those primes seem to be slighty defective, in terms of focusing.

Camera problem, lenses?
EXIF data available. Clickhereto show/hide.
Camera-Specific Properties:Equipment MakeNIKON CORPORATIONCamera ModelNIKON D70Camera SoftwareAdobe Photoshop CS3 WindowsMaximum Lens Aperturef/1.4Sensing MethodOne-Chip Color AreaColor Filter Array Pattern822Focal Length (35mm Equiv)75 mmImage-Specific Properties:Image OrientationTop, Left-HandHorizontal Resolution72 dpiVertical Resolution72 dpiImage Created2008:05:24 22:59:06Exposure Time1/100 secF-Numberf/1.4Exposure ProgramManualExposure Bias0 EVMetering ModeSpotLight SourceUnknownFlashNo FlashFocal Length50.00 mmColor Space InformationsRGBImage Width1000Image Height665RenderingNormalExposure ModeManualWhite BalanceAutoScene Capture TypeStandardGain ControlNoneContrastHardSaturationNormalSharpnessHardSubject Distance RangeUnknown
>> Anonymous
Did you focus and recompose? Single centre autofocus point only or was it something else? Without some proper tests user error is the most likely answer.
>> Anonymous
just about every large aperture 50mm (1.2 and 1.4) have front focus issues

something about the lens design
>> Anonymous
When I was testing out some SLRs, I noticed that the focus was off in many pictures. I think the store cameras were broken but if all SLRs have this problem, then I'll stick with my point and shoot.
>> Anonymous
>>188804
thats why you have to upgrade to the D300/D3 to help fix that!
>> Anonymous
>>188802
Yep, I actually spent more time testing the focusing than trying to get "proper" shoots.

I have a D70, and apparently using the center area will get me perfect focus. This issue seems to happen only when using the left/right areas (mainly the left one, apparently). In low light situations it gets worse, haven't noticed this at direct sunlight.

Also I tried different mettering modes, just for the heck of it. Same problem with all of them.

When I recomposed to use the central area, I got the shoot focused. Back to left, out of focus again.
>> Anonymous
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>>188807
This kind of stuff is fixed on the newer Nikons? Yet another reason to upgrade for me, then.

Pic's a properly focused shoot, using central area.

Camera-Specific Properties:Equipment MakeNIKON CORPORATIONCamera ModelNIKON D70Camera SoftwareAdobe Photoshop CS3 WindowsMaximum Lens Aperturef/1.4Sensing MethodOne-Chip Color AreaColor Filter Array Pattern822Focal Length (35mm Equiv)75 mmImage-Specific Properties:Image OrientationTop, Left-HandHorizontal Resolution72 dpiVertical Resolution72 dpiImage Created2008:05:24 23:24:04Exposure Time1/100 secF-Numberf/1.4Exposure ProgramManualExposure Bias0 EVMetering ModePatternLight SourceUnknownFlashNo FlashFocal Length50.00 mmColor Space InformationsRGBImage Width1000Image Height665RenderingNormalExposure ModeManualWhite BalanceAutoScene Capture TypeStandardGain ControlNoneContrastHardSaturationNormalSharpnessHardSubject Distance RangeUnknown
>> Anonymous
>>188821
>>188808
>>188801

say SHOT unless your talking about a photo SHOOT or someone SHOOTING
>> Anonymous
>>188839
No! Shot is past-tense.
>> Anonymous
>>188839
>>188845
I'm not an english native speaker (I try my best though) and while I appreciate your effort to correct me, can we concentrate again on the sucky AF system of my camera?
>> Anonymous
>>188821
No. High-end DSLRs include a little thingy where, if you have a lens that doesn't play nice with your body, you can tell the autofocus system to always compensate by however much it's off on a certain lens.
>> Anonymous
>>188852
Well, either way the result will be focused images. I will have to learn about what you mentioned once I get my D300.

So... basically this is a lenses problem? Common to all of them, or so it seems? The 1,8 has the same problems?
>> Anonymous
>>188801
aw man, look at the poor guy. that's child abuse.
>> Anonymous
there is likely nothing wrong with your gear
user error
>> Anonymous
>>188881
Being fat is child abuse? I guess it is in a way...
>> Anonymous
>>188886
Please explain?

My tests seem to point to the other direction. I only have this problem with my prime, all other lenses work perfectly when focusing.

How's that my fault?
>> Anonymous
Why do you use your AF, by the way? I have a Penta K100, with it's standard lense (up until lately, but that's not the point here), a 18-55 4.something I believe. It has AF, but the AF is slow and I admit the software for it is good, but it isn't always eactly what I want. Ends up with me almost never using it.

Could be cuz I dun like shooting in Automatic, but I don't want to spend time getting my camera to set up for me, when I loose valuable time I could use capturing what might be an image only appearing for a split second.
>> Anonymous
>>188928
in before shitstorm.
>> Anonymous
Oh! And it very well may be your friend forcing the focus out of order in a way, but that I can't say for sure. Nothing like Naive Science.
>> Anonymous
>>188911
no but dressing your kid up in a retarded sailor outfit is.
>> Anonymous
>>188928
Focusing on a dSLR is quite hard. It's not like my Yashica, where I can see when I got the perfect focus. I've tried, actually, but there's a range that'll look in focus, yet the final image won't be focused.

If I could get my hands on an old fashined focusing ring, I'll never use AF again.

Not like my good ol' D70 does a bad job at focusing ('cept in cases like that), anyway, considering how old it is by now.
>>188931
Worst thing is, I'm afraid other persons have forced it. Because all cameras MUST have zoom.

Though, if it was out of the way, theorically I wouldn't be getting any shot in focus, correct?
>> Anonymous
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>>189176
I don't get it. My dad's SLR from the 80s, which cost a fraction of a modern Digital SLR costs has this neato focusing thing in the viewfinder that tells you exactly when the image is in focus. I made a rough mock-up of what it looks like in the viewfinder.

Camera-Specific Properties:Equipment MakeNIKON CORPORATIONCamera ModelNIKON D70Camera SoftwareAdobe Photoshop CS3 WindowsFocal Length (35mm Equiv)75 mmMaximum Lens Aperturef/1.4Sensing MethodOne-Chip Color AreaColor Filter Array Pattern4964Focal Length (35mm Equiv)75 mmImage-Specific Properties:Image OrientationTop, Left-HandImage Created2008:05:24 23:24:04RenderingNormalExposure ModeManualWhite BalanceAutoScene Capture TypeStandardGain ControlNoneContrastHardSaturationNormalSharpnessHardSubject Distance RangeUnknownExposure Time1/100 secF-Numberf/1.4Exposure ProgramManualExposure Bias0 EVMetering ModePatternLight SourceUnknownFlashNo FlashFocal Length50.00 mmColor Space InformationsRGBImage Width1000Image Height665White BalanceAutoContrastHardSaturationNormalSharpnessHard
>> Anonymous
>>189182

you're new around here aren't you
>> Anonymous
>>189182
It's called split-image focus. Most all old cameras have it but for some reason this incredibly awesome and useful tool is not in new cameras.
>> Serenar !m827jEgWi.
>>189184
Sadly we're just not expected to use manual focus these days. I guess the companies are just satisfied by making switchable focusing screens in their top cameras.
>> Anonymous
>>189183
Not to /p/, but to film SLRs.

>>189184
Maybe it won't work with autofocus? It is a pity that DSLRs don't have it.
>> Anonymous
>>189184
The only reason is AF. When you use AF 99% of the time like most people do, the split image in the middle and especially the microprism area around it just clutter your view.

Katzeye and the Chinese make split-image screens that can be installed into most DSLRs with a little skill.
>> Anonymous
>>189192
its because autofocus is what the cameras are built for. part of the light coming through the lens has to be split to the autofocus sensors in the camera, so viewfinders are dimmer than old ones. and they are much smaller. they are just being designed for autofocus.