I have a nikon D90 with nikon 24-70. I was shooting outdoors on a sunny day. I half-pressed the shutter button to focus on my subject, a nearby chair. The chair in the viewfinder was still very blurry but the AF indicated that it has already locked its focus. I've had this lens for only a little over a month and I'm very worried of maybe having a bad copy of it. What could be the problem that this happened? Please help.
@Lilkiwiguy87 Thank you for your reply. It happened only twice, the second time it happened was right after it happened the first time and they were both on AF-S. Contacts are clean. Yes, lens was fully mounted. I did your controlled test of Coca Cola can. I'm not sure how well I did though. And I'm sorry but I don't understand how the diopter works.
A side note, I really like your videos. They're very informative.
Sounds like dirt managed to get on the contacts. Just be sure to clean the contacts on the camera and lens monthly or when needed. So, no worries because your lens seems to be working fine. All cameras have a knob or slider to adjust the viewfinder diopter to match your vision but it turns out it's not a problem.
One more question if I may. When the Chart shows that the Nikon 70-200 VR f/2.8 is sharpest for its entire zoom range at f/4.0, f/5.6, and f/8.0, is that entirely irrespective of the distance from the camera to the subject? At 200mm for example, it wouldn't matter if the subject was say 15 feet away or at infinty? Thank you for all your helpful and prompt answers. I couldn't say this earlier because I kept running out of characters. :-)
Yes, I can and do enjoy it and consider myself very lucky to have been in a position to be able to buy it. I also have the Nikon 18-200 VR f/3.5-f/5.6 and was even more surprised to see this in the Chart -- "DX: 24mm-135mm at F/8.0." Had I known that it's maximum sharpness is limited to f/8.0 in the limited zoom range of 24mm-135mm I wonder if I would have bought it. I've enjoyed using it -- but at least now I know why it's not as sharp as I would have liked at other than the optimum settings.
What I meant when I said "I couldn't get this into my last message" was that the message became too long and exceeded the number of characters allowed. Of course I can use the lens at f/2.8 but aside from the thin depth of field, which is actually why I sometimes want to shoot at f/2.8, it's still disappointing to learn that it's not tack sharp at that aperture. I learned something from the Lens sharpness Chart that I wasn't previously aware of in terms of which apertures are best for the lens.
@luckyarthur1 it's not the depth of field that is the problem; chromatic aberration is. every lens, including commercial grade lenses, suffers from chromatic aberration at the maximum aperture. 70-200mm f/2.8 at f/2.8 for example.
don't be so disappointed because you have one of the best lenses. at least you know that now for future references when buying lenses. just enjoy it... can you do that?
Couuldn't get this into my last message. I have the Nikon70mm-200mm VR f/2.8 lens and I see from the Lens Sharpness Chart that for DX the sharpest apertures from 70mm-200mm are f/4.0, f/5.6, and f/8.0. This is disappointing given that I bought this lens so that I could use it in low light situations at f/2.8 at the lowest possible ISO. Just venting my frustration but look forward to any replies.
@luckyarthur1 fyi, all comments require an approval from a moderator. your first comment went thru fine.
the sharpness chart only tells you which apertures will deliver the sharpest possible results after post processing. it doesn't mean you can't use f/2.8 at all. you could use f/2.8 but expect it to be hit and miss because the depth of field is really thin. you're better off using f/4 and boost iso up by 1 stop just to be sure.
The opening paragraph in the Lens Sharpness Chart says in part: "This list contains all latest Nikkor and Zeiss lenses with the sharpest apertures at specific focal lengths." I'm wondering how one can be sure that the information for any particular lens in the chart is correct for every one of those particular lenses and not just for the specific lens that was tested?
@luckyarthur1 the guys behind lilkiwiguy87 have most nikkor and zeiss lenses in the possession. so, yea, they're pretty sure about all lenses on that list. they don't just estimate like thousands of internet reviewers out there. take a look at their recent lens review videos to get a good idea.
Thanks for posting these videos, they have been tremendously helpful and enlightening. I tried your method today on three of my Nikkors and they are exactly in line with your results sheet. Thanks for posting that too, by the way. I am startled at the differences this test points out. It makes me rethink much of what I thought I knew!
In your lens chart, you list the 70-200mm/f2.8 VRll Lens. I have the older version, also VR but not the latest. Do the numbers you list on the chart also work for this lens or has Nikon changed the glass that much.
We already listed the both versions of 70-200mm in the chart using same line, "70–200mm ƒ/2.8G AF–S ED–IF VR / N VRII" (notice the "VR / N VRII"?). The useable apertures are the same for both versions.
Is this test really testing the lens? or is it testing the cameras autofocus. It seems to me that if the autofocus is off the lens will appear to be soft. Why not do this on manual focus? I think the back focusing and front focusing issue is related to the camera's autofocus system, not the lens.
This is for testing the lenses because that is the most common problem with back- / front-focusing. It is extremely rare for camera's AF to cause back- / front-focusing.
If your lens are back- / front-focusing, please continue to AF Fine Tuning video series to learn how to adjust the camera's AF motor to work with faulty lenses.
If your camera setup continues resulting in completely out of focus images with AF Fine Tuning value set for +20 or -20 then yes, there's a problem with the camera.
Thanks for posting this. In my test, I noticed that as I changed the aperture, the brightness of the image started to change. In your test, all images have similar brightness. Why?
It is because the camera meters are more accurate around F/5.6. So, we began from F/5.6 then broke the rule by stopping the lens down and up into lower and higher apertures, varying by a stop. You may notice images that is photographed at the highest apertures appear to be overexposured / underexposured, it is because of the meter.
I have a nikon D90 with nikon 24-70. I was shooting outdoors on a sunny day. I half-pressed the shutter button to focus on my subject, a nearby chair. The chair in the viewfinder was still very blurry but the AF indicated that it has already locked its focus. I've had this lens for only a little over a month and I'm very worried of maybe having a bad copy of it. What could be the problem that this happened? Please help.
realLoganLee 3 weeks ago
Try those:
• Have you tried shooting in Continuous Servo AF (AF-C)?
• Did you remember to re-depress the shutter release button after moving forward or backward in Single Servo AF (AF-S)?
• Is the viewfinder's diopter adjustment set correctly?
• Are the contacts on lens and camera clean?
• Did you mount the lens fully until you feel a click?
• Have you ran any other controlled tests?
Give these a whirl and if nothing seem to change, send the lens in to Nikon for a checkup.
Lilkiwiguy87 3 weeks ago
@Lilkiwiguy87 Thank you for your reply. It happened only twice, the second time it happened was right after it happened the first time and they were both on AF-S. Contacts are clean. Yes, lens was fully mounted. I did your controlled test of Coca Cola can. I'm not sure how well I did though. And I'm sorry but I don't understand how the diopter works.
A side note, I really like your videos. They're very informative.
realLoganLee 3 weeks ago
Sounds like dirt managed to get on the contacts. Just be sure to clean the contacts on the camera and lens monthly or when needed. So, no worries because your lens seems to be working fine. All cameras have a knob or slider to adjust the viewfinder diopter to match your vision but it turns out it's not a problem.
P.S. Thank you. :)
Lilkiwiguy87 3 weeks ago
I would appreciate if you could send me the link to: PDF version of the Lens Sharpness Chart. My email is: profoto2day@gmail.com
Your assistance is highly appreciated.
Heartkwt 4 months ago
@Heartkwt the link to pdf file is in the video description.
superkiwizorro 2 months ago
One more question if I may. When the Chart shows that the Nikon 70-200 VR f/2.8 is sharpest for its entire zoom range at f/4.0, f/5.6, and f/8.0, is that entirely irrespective of the distance from the camera to the subject? At 200mm for example, it wouldn't matter if the subject was say 15 feet away or at infinty? Thank you for all your helpful and prompt answers. I couldn't say this earlier because I kept running out of characters. :-)
luckyarthur1 9 months ago
@luckyarthur1 yep, all focal lengths from 70mm to 200mm at all focusing distances from infinity to minimum focus distance.
superkiwizorro 9 months ago
Yes, I can and do enjoy it and consider myself very lucky to have been in a position to be able to buy it. I also have the Nikon 18-200 VR f/3.5-f/5.6 and was even more surprised to see this in the Chart -- "DX: 24mm-135mm at F/8.0." Had I known that it's maximum sharpness is limited to f/8.0 in the limited zoom range of 24mm-135mm I wonder if I would have bought it. I've enjoyed using it -- but at least now I know why it's not as sharp as I would have liked at other than the optimum settings.
luckyarthur1 9 months ago
What I meant when I said "I couldn't get this into my last message" was that the message became too long and exceeded the number of characters allowed. Of course I can use the lens at f/2.8 but aside from the thin depth of field, which is actually why I sometimes want to shoot at f/2.8, it's still disappointing to learn that it's not tack sharp at that aperture. I learned something from the Lens sharpness Chart that I wasn't previously aware of in terms of which apertures are best for the lens.
luckyarthur1 9 months ago
@luckyarthur1 it's not the depth of field that is the problem; chromatic aberration is. every lens, including commercial grade lenses, suffers from chromatic aberration at the maximum aperture. 70-200mm f/2.8 at f/2.8 for example.
don't be so disappointed because you have one of the best lenses. at least you know that now for future references when buying lenses. just enjoy it... can you do that?
superkiwizorro 9 months ago
Couuldn't get this into my last message. I have the Nikon70mm-200mm VR f/2.8 lens and I see from the Lens Sharpness Chart that for DX the sharpest apertures from 70mm-200mm are f/4.0, f/5.6, and f/8.0. This is disappointing given that I bought this lens so that I could use it in low light situations at f/2.8 at the lowest possible ISO. Just venting my frustration but look forward to any replies.
luckyarthur1 9 months ago
@luckyarthur1 fyi, all comments require an approval from a moderator. your first comment went thru fine.
the sharpness chart only tells you which apertures will deliver the sharpest possible results after post processing. it doesn't mean you can't use f/2.8 at all. you could use f/2.8 but expect it to be hit and miss because the depth of field is really thin. you're better off using f/4 and boost iso up by 1 stop just to be sure.
superkiwizorro 9 months ago
The opening paragraph in the Lens Sharpness Chart says in part: "This list contains all latest Nikkor and Zeiss lenses with the sharpest apertures at specific focal lengths." I'm wondering how one can be sure that the information for any particular lens in the chart is correct for every one of those particular lenses and not just for the specific lens that was tested?
luckyarthur1 9 months ago
@luckyarthur1 the guys behind lilkiwiguy87 have most nikkor and zeiss lenses in the possession. so, yea, they're pretty sure about all lenses on that list. they don't just estimate like thousands of internet reviewers out there. take a look at their recent lens review videos to get a good idea.
superkiwizorro 9 months ago
Thanks for posting these videos, they have been tremendously helpful and enlightening. I tried your method today on three of my Nikkors and they are exactly in line with your results sheet. Thanks for posting that too, by the way. I am startled at the differences this test points out. It makes me rethink much of what I thought I knew!
geojibby 1 year ago
In your lens chart, you list the 70-200mm/f2.8 VRll Lens. I have the older version, also VR but not the latest. Do the numbers you list on the chart also work for this lens or has Nikon changed the glass that much.
MrNikShooter 1 year ago
We already listed the both versions of 70-200mm in the chart using same line, "70–200mm ƒ/2.8G AF–S ED–IF VR / N VRII" (notice the "VR / N VRII"?). The useable apertures are the same for both versions.
Lilkiwiguy87 1 year ago
Is this test really testing the lens? or is it testing the cameras autofocus. It seems to me that if the autofocus is off the lens will appear to be soft. Why not do this on manual focus? I think the back focusing and front focusing issue is related to the camera's autofocus system, not the lens.
donmcvee 1 year ago
This is for testing the lenses because that is the most common problem with back- / front-focusing. It is extremely rare for camera's AF to cause back- / front-focusing.
If your lens are back- / front-focusing, please continue to AF Fine Tuning video series to learn how to adjust the camera's AF motor to work with faulty lenses.
If your camera setup continues resulting in completely out of focus images with AF Fine Tuning value set for +20 or -20 then yes, there's a problem with the camera.
Lilkiwiguy87 1 year ago
Thanks for posting this. In my test, I noticed that as I changed the aperture, the brightness of the image started to change. In your test, all images have similar brightness. Why?
zhiman 2 years ago
It is because the camera meters are more accurate around F/5.6. So, we began from F/5.6 then broke the rule by stopping the lens down and up into lower and higher apertures, varying by a stop. You may notice images that is photographed at the highest apertures appear to be overexposured / underexposured, it is because of the meter.
Lilkiwiguy87 2 years ago
great series, can you update the download links please?
fastnoypi 2 years ago
Uhm, I just checked and the links are working just fine.
Lilkiwiguy87 2 years ago
i tried it again, success with safari..weird it didn't work with my attempts in firefox. Thanks!
fastnoypi 2 years ago
Thanks for sharing it! :D
MuhdRifhan 2 years ago