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Thread: lens focus point calibration?

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    lens focus point calibration?

    Hi, does anyone know if it's possible to calibrate a lens where it's AF centre point does not align with the viewfinder centre point? It's driving me mad and constantly leading to blurry shots where the place I want to focus on is out of focus, and another point entirely is in focus. On large scale stuff it's not too bad, but close-ups of plants/insects on a wider aperture are... disappointing.

    That said it's only an EF 55-250 IS II so I shouldn't be surprised I guess. Body is EOS 60d

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    Re: lens focus point calibration?

    So to clarify,in the viewfinder the object is in focus,but the pictures show the camera not quite getting a correct focus?? I assume you have made sure that you have adjusted the AF mode and focus point selection,ie,if you want to use only the central points,usually you need to set the camera to use them,otherwise in normal mode it will just any of the points.

    If this is the case then the lens might be slightly out of calibration.

    Its called front focusing or back focusing. This is usually down to the lens,but can also be down to the camera itself.

    My Sigma 100-300M has front focusing. Luckily in my D600 there is focus adjustment,so for a specific lens you can create a focus profile,which will adjust the focus. So to calibrate the focus you can use a focus target at different distances(it can vary) to see how much you need to adjust the focus,or alternatively you can try a brick wall at different focal lengths. An example of a focus target:

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/DSLRKIT-Foc.../dp/B00SO6IPKY
    https://www.amazon.co.uk/datacolor-S...libration+Tool

    FoCal make an automated system:

    https://www.reikanfocal.com/

    However,having a quick look on Google the 60D apparently lacks AF microadjustment:

    http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/c...croadjustment/

    Now the only way is to probably send your lens and camera off for a service to see if can be adjusted.

    Is there another Canon telephoto lens you could try?? If that focuses fine it will be the lens at issue.

    Canon might be able to look at it:

    https://www.canon.co.uk/Images/Canon...14-1032347.pdf

    Canon UK LENS Service Procedure £60.00 incl. VAT

    Full visual check to ensure there’s no physical damage to the lens, (An estimate will be generated if
    repairs are
    required other than minor ones.)

    Full, lens specific, function checks are carried out ensure all relevant modes of operation perform to specification,
    giving particular attention to any small Customer reported fault information.

    Carry out any
    required minor repairs/lubrication/adjustment.

    Carry out resolution test for fixed lenses or at telephoto and wide end for zoom lenses, checking for optimum
    balanced performance & minimum chromatic aberration.

    Full clean externally including front and rea
    r elements.

    All work carried out is entered and held on Canon database for future reference.

    Carry out AF accuracy check & adjustment with either Customers Body or Canon Reference Body at both the
    Telephoto and wide end of the zoom range
    -
    £30.00
    incl. VAT
    additional charge, only available on request.
    5DMKII
    I and 1DX models will be charged
    at
    £60.00
    incl. VAT
    .
    So around £90 for Canon to test and calibrate the camera and lens.
    Last edited by CAT-THE-FIFTH; 03-07-2018 at 10:28 AM.

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    Re: lens focus point calibration?

    The position of the focus point is purely determined by the body - if there's a mismatch between images and viewfinder then either your viewfinder AF screen has moved or the lens is front/back focusing (but at the correct centre point). Use a printed focus sheet to check if it's consistently front or back focused and seeing as you can't adjust for it you'll have to just remember to manually tweak the focus just infront or behind of the AF confirmation point.

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    Re: lens focus point calibration?

    Good point - check the focus screen too as suggested above.

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    Re: lens focus point calibration?

    This reminds me, my Sigma 18-35 has pretty poor focusing, I should really get the usb dock for it and tweak it.

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    Re: lens focus point calibration?

    Quote Originally Posted by CAT-THE-FIFTH View Post
    So to clarify,in the viewfinder the object is in focus,but the pictures show the camera not quite getting a correct focus??
    Yeah, I'll post some images later to show you what I mean. After a certain football match that is.

    I'm using centre point AF only but what the lens is selecting is not the place where the viewfinder centre box is. Say you have an insect on a blade of grass, or crawling around inside a flower. I centre on the eye of the bee, or body of the ant, but the lens focuses on the petal behind the insect, or has a hissy fit and zooms to try and focus on infinity instead. If I turn off AF and go manual I still struggle to get it right because the viewfinder image is so small it's hard to discern whether the thing is perfectly in focus down to the hairs on a fly or whatever.

    will give those charts a try and see what the score is. I've got 4 lenses to swap between so be interesting to see.

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    Re: lens focus point calibration?

    Quote Originally Posted by ik9000 View Post
    Yeah, I'll post some images later to show you what I mean. After a certain football match that is.

    I'm using centre point AF only but what the lens is selecting is not the place where the viewfinder centre box is. Say you have an insect on a blade of grass, or crawling around inside a flower. I centre on the eye of the bee, or body of the ant, but the lens focuses on the petal behind the insect, or has a hissy fit and zooms to try and focus on infinity instead. If I turn off AF and go manual I still struggle to get it right because the viewfinder image is so small it's hard to discern whether the thing is perfectly in focus down to the hairs on a fly or whatever.

    will give those charts a try and see what the score is. I've got 4 lenses to swap between so be interesting to see.
    The issue I am describing is when you the focus on the subject successfully,but when you get the picture,you will notice the camera has focused slightly behind or in front of the subject. This tends to happen more with telephoto lens too. Some examples are given here:

    http://cameralightlens.com/newsblog/?p=264

    From what you are describing though,it seems like the camera is not focusing successfully in the first place. This sounds like AF hunting:

    http://www.photokonnexion.com/huntin...-definition-h/

    It seems the lens uses only a basic AF motor and not the faster USM and STM motors.

    People have noticed the lens you have can hunt:

    https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3651948

    I don't think my 55-250 IS II buzzes very loudly when IS is engaged, but it is really noisy during AF. It also has a horrible tendency to hunt for focus, focusing in and out, especially when the subject is noisy (e.g. a bird in the trees), even when using a specific AF point. Granted, this might have more to do with pairing with the 600d, which only has the single cross-type AF point in the center.

    Personally, I think IQ on the 55-250 IS II is sufficient for my amateur purposes, but I really would love better AF performance (although IQ looks much better on the STM version according to The Digital Picture).
    The AF was hit and miss for sure. Sometimes a little adjustment in AF point positoin would fix it and sometimes not. The STM just feels a lot more reliable in that regard.
    https://www.flickr.com/groups/568672...7626893365998/

    I don't know if this fits in with your 'problem' x3adnila, but I have found that the super fantastic 55-250, does have a couple of shortfalls ( heaven forbid for writing sacrilegious statements about this lens!).
    1. AI servo and the canon 55-250 are not best buddies.
    2. When close focusing,in lowish light conditions, hunting will occur as, for some reason, low light through the 55-250,at close focus, puts the cameras AF into a bit of a panic.
    https://www.imaging-resource.com/len...-is-ii/review/

    The 55-250mm focused quickly on our 7D, and was surprisingly quiet as well. It's not a USM lens, so you can't just override autofocus results by just turning the focus ring. This lens will cover the minimum to infinity focusing distance in just over one second, and will hunt for proper focus more than the better quality Canon lenses. The focus ring will physically turn while autofocusing, so Canon advises that you keep your fingers away while it does its job.
    I had a screw lens before my 100-300MM,a Sigma 135-400M and when taking pictures of aircraft it could hunt badly,and since it was slow focusing if you missed the focus would take yonks to refocus back even if you reacquired the subject.

    It seems there is an STM version of the lens,which focuses much quicker - so I suspect it might be more the case the lens doesn't have the best focusing.

    Edit!!

    The best way to test this is to borrow a tele lens which is known to focus quickly and see if the issue persists.
    Last edited by CAT-THE-FIFTH; 03-07-2018 at 02:16 PM.

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    Re: lens focus point calibration?

    Quote Originally Posted by Butcher View Post
    This reminds me, my Sigma 18-35 has pretty poor focusing, I should really get the usb dock for it and tweak it.
    Sigma should do a check for you - give them a call 01707329999

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    Re: lens focus point calibration?

    Quote Originally Posted by ik9000 View Post
    Hi, does anyone know if it's possible to calibrate a lens where it's AF centre point does not align with the viewfinder centre point? It's driving me mad and constantly leading to blurry shots where the place I want to focus on is out of focus, and another point entirely is in focus. On large scale stuff it's not too bad, but close-ups of plants/insects on a wider aperture are... disappointing.

    That said it's only an EF 55-250 IS II so I shouldn't be surprised I guess. Body is EOS 60d
    Can you show us some examples? [RAW files if possible - can use the https://wetransfer.com/ send the files to your email and then post the link here]

    Are you using all the focus points or just the centre?

    What AF mode are you in?

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    Re: lens focus point calibration?

    Quote Originally Posted by Bobster View Post
    Can you show us some examples? [RAW files if possible - can use the https://wetransfer.com/ send the files to your email and then post the link here]

    Are you using all the focus points or just the centre?

    What AF mode are you in?
    sorry had a crazy weekend. I've tried some shots with a series of batteries lined up along a ruler and will upload raws in a few days when I'm reunited with my camera and PC. also did a set of insect shots on 17-55 f2.8 and 55-250 for comparison (as good as I can do with the different focal lengths)

    AF mode single shot, drive mode continuous (standard speed), centre point focus. So far as I can tell from a quick flick through the jpegs the f2.8 seems to be giving better results.

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    Re: lens focus point calibration?

    Quote Originally Posted by ik9000 View Post
    sorry had a crazy weekend. I've tried some shots with a series of batteries lined up along a ruler and will upload raws in a few days when I'm reunited with my camera and PC. also did a set of insect shots on 17-55 f2.8 and 55-250 for comparison (as good as I can do with the different focal lengths)

    AF mode single shot, drive mode continuous (standard speed), centre point focus. So far as I can tell from a quick flick through the jpegs the f2.8 seems to be giving better results.
    The thing is the 17-55MM will do better,because:
    1.)Its a shorter focal length
    2.)It has an F2.8 aperture,which means more light to the AF system,as above F5.6 AF systems tend to have more of a hard time traditionally
    3.)The 17-55MM is a USM lens,the 55-200MM has a very basic AF motor

    Another consideration,if you are handholding a tele lens it needs a faster shutter speed to minimise camera shake than a wider angle zoom.

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    Re: lens focus point calibration?

    Quote Originally Posted by Bobster View Post
    Sigma should do a check for you - give them a call 01707329999
    Slight issue - it's out of warranty, are they going to charge me £££ because of that? If so I think I'll just get the dock as it's not that expensive.

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    Re: lens focus point calibration?

    Quote Originally Posted by Butcher View Post
    Slight issue - it's out of warranty, are they going to charge me £££ because of that? If so I think I'll just get the dock as it's not that expensive.
    Charge you for calling them? don't think so.

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    Re: lens focus point calibration?

    ok, so I spent some time yesterday pulling it all together. Downloaded a focus chart, improvised a stand out of some polystyrene and a metal ruler to stick everything on, and set up the camera.

    Am going to re-run today in better lighting.

    My key learnings so far have been:
    1) there is such a thing as liveview. Very handy
    2) my camera lies about its minimum focus distance. It lets you think it is autofocussing at 0.9m from the target, and will take photos, but they aren't in focus. It physically can't adjust the lens enough. It's nearly there, but not quite. A manual check of focus with liveview spits out the error, as does AF on liveview - but normal AF kind of improvises. The actual distance needs to be nearer 1.1-1.2m approx.
    3) normal AF is not quite as sharp as manual liveview - and AF liveview struggles to focus at all approx 50% of the time.
    4) IS not so necessary on a tripod. Which kind of makes sense, but never really thought about it.
    5) from looking at my insect shots - it would seem I need to use a wider aperture to compensate for the point in the lens where it is focussing does not seem to be the perfect center. I'm not sure what test to run with the chart to trial this last one in a controlled way. Any suggestions?

    RAW files will be available this evening once I've been able to upload them. Let me know if you want a link in addition to Bobster.

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    Re: lens focus point calibration?

    5 - smaller aperture, not larger.

    But if it's not central.. where is it focusing instead? Test for this one would be some small object closer to the camera against a distant back drop. It'll be obvious where the focus point is by whether the camera focuses on the object or the background.

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    Re: lens focus point calibration?

    Quote Originally Posted by ik9000 View Post
    2) my camera lies about its minimum focus distance. It lets you think it is autofocussing at 0.9m from the target, and will take photos, but they aren't in focus. It physically can't adjust the lens enough. It's nearly there, but not quite. A manual check of focus with liveview spits out the error, as does AF on liveview - but normal AF kind of improvises. The actual distance needs to be nearer 1.1-1.2m approx.
    Camera lies about minimum focus distance? The camera has no minimum focal distance, your lens however does. There maybe a setting in the camera's menu that allows the camera to release the shutter if it's in focus or not. (don't have a 60D so can't tell you).
    Quote Originally Posted by ik9000 View Post
    3) normal AF is not quite as sharp as manual liveview - and AF liveview struggles to focus at all approx 50% of the time.
    Yeah the 60D isn't a mirrorless camera, it will struggle to find focus in liveview..
    Quote Originally Posted by ik9000 View Post
    4) IS not so necessary on a tripod. Which kind of makes sense, but never really thought about it.
    IS can hinder you if not in the right mode on tripod.
    Quote Originally Posted by ik9000 View Post
    5) from looking at my insect shots - it would seem I need to use a wider aperture to compensate for the point in the lens where it is focussing does not seem to be the perfect center. I'm not sure what test to run with the chart to trial this last one in a controlled way. Any suggestions?
    Larger aperture isn't wider.. you need to increase (narrow) when shooting objects close to the lens as the DoF is smaller.. For insects, look at shooting around f/8.

    OK, so AF is centre. It will always be centre.. the lens however may however be front or back focusing.. if this is the case, you need to send the lens back to Canon (60D doesn't have micro adjust for focusing).

    Also if you're trying to take close shots of objects, might be worth investing in a macro lens rather than trying to use a standard "walk about" lens.. (longer lens doesn't = closer focusing). Also if the photo looks OoF in the viewfinder, don't take a shot?

    Will be interesting to see your files.

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