Why does autofocus fine-tuning change with subject distance on a Nikon D7000 and 50mm f/1.8D?
Asked 10/1/2013
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I’m using a Nikon D7000 with a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D. The lens was bought used. After AF fine-tuning, autofocus looks correct at around 2m, but at about 6m it back-focuses by roughly 20cm. My D7000 has also shown some back-focus with other lenses, though those were correctable within the AF fine-tune range.
Is autofocus error supposed to stay consistent across focus distances and apertures, or can it vary like this? Can a service center calibrate this properly? If I replace this lens with a newer 50mm f/1.8G, should I expect the problem to go away?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
12y ago
2 Answers
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I've used the Canon equivalent, called Auto Focus Micro Adjustment, for several years. If the Nikon Auto Focus Fine Tuning is anything like Canon's version you have two choices when performing AF Fine Tune: calibrate for a specific lens or calibrate for all lenses. If all of your lenses require a calibration in the same direction then you should adjust the camera (all lens adjustment) to the middle of that range. Then reduce the individual adjustment for each lens the same amount in the opposite direction and fine tune each lens again.
If your camera's registration distance (image plane to flange distance) is accurate, then any back focusing error should be proportional. That is, if the lens back focuses by 20cm at 6m, then it should be expected to back focus by about 6-7cm when focused at 2m. In terms of a percentage of the depth of field, this is the same error since depth of field will be 3x wider when focused to 6m than when focused to 2m. Most calibration tools recommend using a distance of 25-50x the focal length of the lens, which would be 1.25-2.5m for a 50mm lens.
Unfortunately, the theory doesn't always work that way because lens designs are often a compromise between competing factors. In general, with prime lenses you will probably get the best results if you adjust the lens to the distance halfway between the shortest and longest ranges you frequently use. If you most often use the 50mm lens between 2m and 6m, then calibrate it for 4m and see if that works well enough at both distances. If not, then a trip to a Nikon Service Center might be needed to calibrate the lens to your camera.
Originally by user15871. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user15871
12y ago
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AF fine-tune is only a single offset, so it works best when the focus error is reasonably consistent. If the camera/lens geometry is correct, focus error should be roughly proportional with distance, not accurate at 2m and badly off at 6m.
So no, what you describe is not ideal or “normal” behavior for a well-matched body/lens pair. Variation with distance can happen when either the body AF system or the lens focus calibration is off in a way that a single adjustment can’t fully correct.
Since you’ve seen similar behavior with multiple lenses, the camera body may be contributing. A service center can often calibrate the body and lens more precisely than in-camera AF fine tune.
Buying a new 50mm f/1.8G may help if your current 50mm f/1.8D is out of spec, but it is not a guarantee if the body is also part of the problem. The safest route is to have the camera checked, ideally together with the lens you plan to use most.
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