Nikon AF Fine Tune - Easiest and Best Way I've Found

[@TaylorJacksonPhoto]

Don't forget to subscribe if you haven't! kzbin.info

[@RodAllsopp]

I found its useful to take your first frame with live view as this doesn't use the cameras AF, but uses the sensor to focus thus alway giving you good focus (in this situation). Then start at 0 with view finder AF and continue with this method until you find the setting that is closest to the LV image.

[@Stop-All-War]

Good tip.. Tripod or flat, stationary surface too..why allow camera movement to hinder the process

[@dimitrijekrstic7567]

@@Stop-All-War a high shutter speed really doesn't allow the camera movement to hinder the process

[@thesourcerer6504]

Great tutorial. I tried to take my camera in to our local Nikon dealer to adjust the focus and sharpen it as it was unsharp. He said he did not know how to do it. Anyway after this tutorial I did it myself with a Nikkor 50mm f1.4 G lens. Now it's bang on at +4. Thanks very much much appreciated since I know how to do it myself without all the investment in extra paraphenalia or gear. (And just so by the way I did the test using a one dollar bill focusing on George Washington's head on a tripod using a camera shutter release with mirror lock up and a 3 second delay on the shutter release for extra accuracy and sharpness. Easy practical method.)

[@popoypinoyvlogs]

Thank you so much. I have my sigma 35mm 1.4 for 1 year now and really disappointed with its focusing. After fine tuning it, I learned - 10 is the perfect value. You rock.

[@dustinoquinn4886]

Did you use a sigma Doc to do this? I'm Wanting to At fine tune my 35 1.4 but confused where to start!! Thanks!!

[@popoypinoyvlogs]

@@dustinoquinn4886 I was about to buy the dock and then I found this tutorial. I just basically followed the instructions in this tutorial. Really worked well.

[@jomonvengalloor]

AF fine tune on or off wedding photography

[@alexhanel7672]

Just bought a new nikon prime, live out of the US far from any camera service centers, and have been struggling so hard over how to best fine tune it without the fancy tuning boards and what not. Impeccable timing and great video!

[@TaylorJacksonPhoto]

Happy it could help!

[@TheJoeRides]

Taylor, Just found your video on AF fine Tuning along with a few others and wow, what a difference it has made with my lenses. I'm disappointed in myself that I haven't found this before now. I don't understand why this tip doesn't make it into all the intro to photography videos KZbin videos. Thanks

[@rolandmg1]

This is an interesting video but I’ve been shooting professionally with bodies from the D1 through to the D4S with multiple lenses and have never had to calibrate one. I’m constantly switching between different bodies and lenses and have never had an issue with focus.

[@Androth12]

With the d850, I propped it up on the tripod. Turned silent shutter on, thus not having any sort of vibration that could cause the image to blur. Set it to a comfortable shutter, and it seems to work well. My eyes start playing tricks on me as i start to second guess. Seems as if I see color change more than sharpness. Hard to pick up the small change.

[@woox200sx]

Will this technique work on the ‘Hot Fudge Brownie’ flavour of the mug cake?

[@TaylorJacksonPhoto]

Woox Au I will run more tests in the lab! This is important research

[@tonytarquinio6439]

@@TaylorJacksonPhoto Only with Sugar Free. :))

[@DrussAFCA]

1 Q: do you put the flat and sharp adjustment back to default after all the tests ? I have Nikon d7100 for couple of days, and with my Nikon 55-300mm I can't seem to get sharp photos. Not even with standard mounted to camera and vr off. Quality is good. But zooming shows just not sharp enough. And maybe it's that sharpness setting and flat setting that will improve my photos :)

[@sacharolleston887]

I can't even find the "Flat" setting on my D7100...? When clicking Set Picture Control, there is no Flat option. Where did you find yours?

[@westpalmdoc]

would definitely chuck it on a tripod but the general idea is superb. huge thanks.

[@chrisjesss]

Hi, Great tutorial. Question: Will the camera remember the values for each lens? Or do you have to repeat this every time you swap lenses?

[@RmsPaintStudio]

In the case of Nikon D600 it save's the value per lens so when u change lenses camera changes value by it self, you can save many lenses.

[@raymondchan3587]

The value would affect other lens when I change between lens, right? So every single lens needs individual settings? How about if I just want to use default for some of them?

[@khoavubach2839]

yes, there are many different profiles for each focal length and aperture. mine is d750 and it has 12 lens profiles. And for each type of lens, there are 99 more profiles for each individual.

[@f.iph7291]

so how would you do it with a camera that doesn't have af fine tune such as d5600?

[@seane.c7207]

I need to know this as well

[@photo121262]

I find this very helpful. Does the camera body remember which lens you had on? If I do the test with 3 diff lenses and they all come up with different adjustment values will the camera know which lens you are using and adjust accordingly every lens change?

[@montygiavelli8125]

My Nikon d750 will remember up to 12 different lenses and automatically uses the correct fine tune adjustment when you attach a lens.

[@montygiavelli8125]

I've tried most of the methods for fine tuning autofocus. I never had much luck with the ruler method, so I taped an amazon card on a wall and it gave me a pretty good approximation. The Dot Tune method seemed logical but I got wildly varying results and never got a result that worked. So - I sat my wife down in a chair, put my camera on a tripod and used the wireless ML-L3 to trigger my camera with the mirror up. It's much easier to evaluate a portrait photograph than a ruler or a picture. When the eyes and very fine peach fuzz are in sharp focus your know it right away. I have a 28-85mm AF 3.5 to 4.5 lens and I tested it at 85 mm for portraits. The Dot Tune method told me to set the AF fine tune to +8 and the portraits came out fuzzy. The portraits I took told me to set the AF fine tune to -1 and I got very sharp photos. My wife hated the incredible detail in her photo. I had my camera set to +8 like the Dot Tune method suggested and I was ready to buy an 85mm prime for portraits, but now I may not need it. The 28-85mm is a fantastic lens once you get the AF fine tuned. So I think you should start with what Taylor Jackson did in the video and then test the lens using real world photos. Do it on a tripod with a remote trigger and the mirror up.

[@choppergent5813]

Two questions that I don’t think have been answered… After you go thru this process do you go back and change your picture setting from ‘flat’ and Do you set your sharpness setting back to where it was before you started? Thanks! 🙏

[@harj-spp8547]

This may not be a very elegant solution, it's more of a hack, but I once read a tip about searching for the sharpest picture out of a stack: look for the heavier files! I've used this method several times, and it works. From a technical standpoint, this makes sense because the JPEG algorithm will compress your RAW files a lot more when you take blurry shots; less details means more even/flat areas, which requires less disk space to store. Try ordering your pictures by file size, and you'll often see your blurriest shots have the lowest file size. Beware though, the shots with large out-of-focus area -bokeh- will also be smaller in size. So, you should only compare file sizes for pictures that are very similar (exact or very close composition/angle/focal length).

[@laynetravis]

Great help,just if my lences focus a little higher then how to fix this?

[@anshulkadam2790]

I'm getting this same issue with my Nikkor 70-300mm AF-S DX lens but my Nikon D3500 doesn't have any AF fine tune option. What to do? Help.

[@ShellyNelsonPro]

my nikon does not have the same settings as yours. I have a d5600 and I just got a pre-owned nikon 12-24mm dx af-s wide angle lens. On vacation I was using a 35mm prime and when i wanted it to auto focus all i had to do was push the capture button down half way and i would hear/see it focusing this new lens, i tested it out by putting it out of focus and pressing the button and every time the lens did not put the object into focus. I have no idea what I'm doing wrong. If there are any resources I can utilize to connect with someone or some text to explain how to fix this please let me know.

[@geneliebler1120]

I agree with the other comments about the tripod, but once you use this method on a tripid what a great system. I could never use those scales worth a darn. Thanks for posting this video, really helpful.

[@geneliebler1120]

Couple other things I did to make this work: 1. After focus locks, flip to manual focus so it doesn't change between shots. 2. Use live view to avoid mirror slap moving camera 3. Put a 3 second delay on activation to avoid shake from pressing shutter release button. 4. Shot outside in good light to use low iso and fast shutter speed Works well!

[@KelvinSitaram]

I honestly thought there was a problem with my D600. So I now have to no longer sell it and keep shooting with it since I enjoy DSLR shooting and full manual mode doesn't bother me. I never knew I had to set the lens. This has been quite helpful

[@tessnf]

My camera says I cannot set picture control because of current settings. I already tried resetting

[@lynnjohanssen6552]

This is really helpful. Why flat picture mode?

[@Nektopoulo]

My D800 doesn't have a 'FLAT' mode but does have a 'Standard" can I use that?

[@apergisjana]

So frustrated. I just tried these instructions with a Nikkor 12-24 on f/4 with 0-2 it was slightly blurry but with +3-9 I saw absolutely NO DIFFERENCE. I tried it with several subjects and never found anything that stands out. Before the test, the camera was set to +1. I'm also curious as to how I'm calibrating the lens and not the camera when the settings are on the camera. So it I switch out (as I often do every 10 tenminutes on vacation trips) to my 70-200 zoom, I would probably have to calibrate that. Then what? Back to the setting for the wide angle? It seems like a lot of work unless one is committing one camera to per lens.

[@TaylorJacksonPhoto]

Your camera will save settings for each lens and automatically enable them when the lens is on.

[@sherrioster7012]

But what do you do next? How is this saved in the camera for it to be accessed the next time you put that lens on?

[@TaylorJacksonPhoto]

Should just save autocratically and know

[@sacharolleston887]

On my D7100 I don't have the "Flat" option once Picture Control is pressed so what now?

[@superfotos4882]

Nice but as per watch in many vids that guys always use tripod for ths procedure but u didn't..can u ask why not

[@lior2538]

I’m having trouble with my Nikon Z5 + Tamron 24-70mm G2 😢 .

[@stephentoons]

I have a D7000. The biggest improvement in my AF was to simply take off the UV filter. Then the camera did fine with AF Fine tune off. I understand fine tuning may still be needed in some cases, but this worked for me.Oh.. also I had the camera body factory calibrated too.

[@yervandpapazyan4473]

But what about camera distance so if I tune, let’s say 1 m away and for example let’s see +3 is good for me now I change my distance to 30 cm or 2m I have to tune again? And what about aperture you have to test you have to tune for all aperture level starting from f 1.4 to f16? I don’t understand the video is confusing.

[@californiakayaker]

Would something like this work on an old D3100 ?

[@TaylorJacksonPhoto]

This I don’t know

[@californiakayaker]

@@TaylorJacksonPhoto I did try and found that the settings were available and made a huge difference with the D3100 ! I really needed this, thanks.

[@ivayloyordanov3312]

great video ,after when we adjust the value ,should we bring back the sharpness to the same level it was before? :))))

[@thomasshedore5637]

I just t5ried your system - seems pretty easy - but I took it a step further and evaluated the pictures on my computer screen. I normally shoot in jpeg&raw at the same time. If evaluating on a computer screen think it would be best to evaluate the jpeg or RAW? If I recall the camera screen is showing jpeg

[@hyundongcho4328]

what about for zoom lenses?

[@Wynner3]

Never thought I would have to come back to this video, but here I am. My Nikon D500 focusing system decided to take a dump on me today and this is my only hope to prevent having to send it in.

[@PhyllisMN26]

Did it go well as I have the D500 also?

[@Wynner3]

@@PhyllisMN26 Yes! This method helped me dial in my D500 focus. I have even been surprised by sharpness paired with my 200-500mm.

[@dustinoquinn4886]

What is a Sigma Doc? I have a 35mm 1.4 for ny Nikon D650 and it needs it bad! I just bought it but I need it for newborns. Please direct me on how to AF fine-tune my Sigma!

[@matejweiss896]

Hi, nice tips. Also, does Nikon d7200 have the ability for AF Fine tune by pressing AF and movie button in same time? It sould appear display massage: Before, fix the camera in place and check that it is focused. Proceed?

[@dannytuomo]

You legend! I thought I was freaking out with my sigma art, worked out absolutely perfect on +12 but as soon as I took it out to different distances it was absolutely useless again, so this is super handy to know

[@kolen2390ify]

sigma art need dock cuz ita have 4 destin

[@guyzumpetta9369]

Since you have the instructions on paper, could you post a PDF?

[@TaylorJacksonPhoto]

Sure. I’ll ask BJPhoto for their updated copy

[@superfotos4882]

I have d750 with tamron 28-75 xr di(old model) I noted that when i take full length picture with AUTO FOCUSING mode,after taking 4 to 5 pics,1 pics are ok,remaining 4 pics focus in background..when i take horizental pics,pics always ok

[@anniewanttobe]

after you find the number, lets say, for this lens it was a 3, what do you do next? how does the number implicate anything? do you save it in the settings and then, when you change between lenses, you each time set the number or what?

[@TaylorJacksonPhoto]

If you leave it at 3, every time you attach that lens to the camera it should know :)

[@anniewanttobe]

Oh, ok, so no further adjustments needed, nice!

[@carolwagner4313]

Once you have figured out your best number for sharpness where/how do you set that in your camera settings? I have a Nikon camera. I'm not sure what to do with this information once I obtain it. Thank-you!

[@RmsPaintStudio]

Camera save it by its own for each lens...

[@SarveshParakh]

U taught us how to get the value. But how do I tell my camera to load that value whenever I attach this lens?

[@SarveshParakh]

@bob brown oh! I see. Thank you!

[@advancedsunnycamerarepair8826]

How can I set the Nikon D5100 which defocuses macro and focuses micro ,but the lens was okay with another camera

[@petrvokurek2286]

I thought I was dull doing it this way but now I see I was actually clever and not the only one :) Thanks for the video!

[@IvanMRodriguez]

good afternoon sir I have a Nikon D7500, I was trying to AF Fine Ture..The monitor said "Auto Af fine-tune is not available as current focus settings.Please help me ..

[@ivayloyordanov3312]

Hi Taylor ,did we have to bring back the sharpness after adjusting to the right level. Thank u

[@timothyhughes4688]

What if your camera doesn’t have a flat profile?

[@ndarundha2448]

Can I use AF fine tune for adjustment of lens 24-70 F2.8 in D7000 ?? Thanks.

[@catchlight6297]

Thanks Sir for Vdo, But I want to know if I use the same technic to checksharpnes for any zoom lanse like 18-105 MM or 24-70 MM Lanse...

[@shannonanderson507]

I own a Nikon d750 and the nikon 50mm and nikon 85mm. Do I need to do this for both lenses? If they come out differently, do I need to adjust the number each time I switch lenses?

[@markharrington2823]

You must fine tune each lens separately. Your D750 will "remember" the adjustments - it knows which lens is attached.

[@clairek3009]

okay, so I calibrated my lens, but I prefer to generally shoot at vivid rather than flat. Since I turned the sharpening off on flat, do I go back and adjust the sharpening and everything below it after??

[@subratasaha1846]

Hello Everyone... I m using nikon D750 with Tamron 24-70 f2.8 G2 Another is D7200 with NIKON 50mm f 1.8G What is the value for those two setup for sharpest image?

[@TaylorJacksonPhoto]

It’ll be different for everyone’s specific camera

[@basantagautam8224]

How to possible my Nikon D810 and 24-120/F.4 and 85mm/F.1.8 Lenses Calibrate ?

[@KamenMinkov]

What's the rationale of not using DotTune?

[@crystals06]

Why adjust the sharpening to zero in Nikon camera? Doesn’t that make it less sharpened?

[@AllahBoinkedMe]

Which is what you want presented on the rear screen when manually adjusting autofocus. Any system level sharpening will make the adjustments more difficult to differentiate .. imho

[@crystals06]

@@AllahBoinkedMe OHHHH gotcha. So after this calibration, do I change the sharpening back to the middle?

[@AllahBoinkedMe]

@@crystals06 Yes, I would. Take your time and enjoy the experience. If you're relatively new to DSLRs, congratulations! It's an epic step forward into a very rewarding activity. Do enjoy!! ;)

[@mariephotography6251]

So do you leave AF fine tune on when you start take photos in real life settings?

[@abbyjoystudio]

This is my question!

[@1badass1985]

Do you ever miss your D700?

[@markbaillie5032]

How do you save the values?

[@danielk1380]

Thanks for the video! I'm really confused - when I calibrate my lens at 1.4 +15 seems to work the best. But when I shoot at 5.6 then it seems to be the sharpest without any calibration at 0. That's super confusing since I read the camera measures the sharpness at 1.4 anyway so it should be the same across all apertures. I did the test with a tripod using some printed material.

[@fetzie23]

Lenses tend to get sharper the narrower you set the aperture (up until around f/20-f/22 where the size of the aperture starts to make the light diffract again as it goes past the blades).

[@paulp3053]

very nice video; I'm considering to buy the sigma art 35 1.4, but the user doesn't have the dock; do you think I can get the job done with the camera af tune? (I have d700), thanks

[@tamarapounds1860]

OMG Taylor, you save me so much misery! This was so reasonable, easy and applicable. Thank you so much! I'm going to subscribe now!

[@ussmillerco]

Are those mug cakes any good, and I feel like if I eat a bunch of sweets before my shoot (shooting, shootin, shotzin, choot, chuterin etc.) i get all shaky and all that, and I have focus issues. Is there a sugar free variety, perhaps diabetic friendly, non sugar rush mug cake.....hmmm I wonder?

[@chellmcwags6229]

Any tips for a zoom lens?

[@joevee5619]

Taylor...Thanks for the procedure...do you think I can auto fine tune my tamron 70-300 vc lens? I usually zoom in at 300mm when outdoors

[@andrewtrayner1443]

Thanks for this Taylor, the information here, for me, has proved highly valuable. Thank you mate!

[@pparker8133]

Hi Taylor, thanks for your helpful video. Sorry if you already answered this, the Nikon D800 does not have a Flat Profile, it ends at Portrait. Is it ok to adjust the Standard Profile instead? Which would you recommend? Thanks for your time. All the best.

[@PhyllisMN26]

Thank you, I will give it a try as it seems easier than the other method and less expensive.

[@meghanpierrette2783]

thank you! I just got the tamron 35 for my nikon D610 and was scared to make these changes! I did a shoot and was pretty disappointed with the results - hope this solved the problem!

[@meghanpierrette2783]

So did the above and I consistently am having issues when shooting at a distance (about 2 meters away from the subject) 😭 I’m super bummed ever had this problem?

[@lukejames4958]

Thanks Taylor, Ive always wondered how to fine tune the AF

[@PhyllisMN26]

Does the calibration changes automatically register in your Nikon D500 each different lens you just calibrated?

[@RmsPaintStudio]

yes

[@wjs569]

When I use AF Fine Tune on my D700 nothing changes no matter what the range -20 or +20 is same as 0... any ideas??

[@adelalvin]

maybe you have it off

[@auxamzional9522]

Doesn’t it have the two buttons hold down af fine tune like the D5 ?

[@TaylorJacksonPhoto]

Auxam Zional not the D850. I think only 2 or 3 cameras have the auto fine tune for some reason.

[@sylvaincrouzillat]

Taylor Jackson I us auto AF tune on my D850. With button AF selector and rec button

[@Maeili]

D850 does have auto AF fine tune, the focus point needs to be exactly at the center @ Live view mode, otherwise the AF-selection + REC-button gives error.

[@andreleander2051]

wait, use the sigma doc for prime lenses as well?

[@stevelink21]

Very interesting! However, being anal about "sharpness", would using a tripod and the camera's 5 second timer for each exposure TOTALLY eliminate any chance of camera movement during exposure? Also, would you recommend this even for a mirrorless system like the Nikon Z7? (I read a long time back that since mirrorless cameras acquire focus directly off the sensor, that "AF Fine Tune" isn't needed.) Just curious, since I have one lens that is a bit softer particularly at edges/corners, than my other lenses. Thanks!

[@hansmclain6749]

You don't need to calibrate lenses on a mirrorless camera.

[@mikerophone7805]

@@hansmclain6749 But why do you have the option in the settings?

[@ashleylidstone715]

Definitely gunna try this! Thanks it was easily explained also!

[@zollieuncle9647]

Hi Taylor! Thanks for the tip. I am struggling to fine tune the AF on my D850 although I was using a more roboust (e.g., a lot more time and energy demanding) method. I found that there is a significant spread of focusing quality within certain fine tuning value as well and also the spread varries by adjustment value (-20 to +20), lighting conditions, tiniest camera shake as well as by subject distance. Hence determining the optimum setting via your method requires significant lack. The thing gets even more complicated when you can adjust the AF fine tuning value both in the camera body and the lens itself (like in Sigma and Tamron lenses). At the end of the day it seems that lack of awareness is a bliss and perfectionalism is the best way to miss shooting.

[@terrywbreedlove]

Will try this tomorrow win the daylight. Thank you

[@kcif77]

What is "Flat"? I don't have that option!

[@TaylorJacksonPhoto]

It might be on the second page if you scroll down

[@kcif77]

@@TaylorJacksonPhoto I have Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Mono, Portrait, Landscape, nothing more... apparently my d610 is past it's prime. Having lots of issues with soft focus no matter the lens. Driving me batty! Btw, I used Standard since I couldn't find Flat. Don't know how much of a difference it will make.

[@R2X2Z]

I use Focal Reikan and let the computer pick the AF adjustment for me ;)

[@mortenpedersen5625]

Hi Taylor.....I have 4 lenses, can my D750 remember those lenses or do I have to change micro settings every time i change lense

[@jlyriq]

Morten Pedersen it will remember each lens

[@thatswhatshesays]

Woah, fast talker! I had to turn you to .75 to process what you were saying! But it was useful information, so thanks!

[@timpriestley8997]

To me this is real life and a common sense way to go about it - brilliant

[@devosx]

Why the 50mm look so big?

[@montygiavelli8125]

The f/1.4 lenses are fat with big glass to let in a lot of light.

[@jimfrancis]

Will the camera remember the adjustments for each of my lenses?

[@adelalvin]

Gander Prepper yes yes

[@ropersnrbotes1711]

Best user friendly advice yet, thanks....to verify the sigma doc would be the best method to calibrate the sigma lenses?

[@winni223]

Sorry if I didn't catch that, is it specific of a particular lens or you just get optimal value for most of the lenses you mount?

[@ewallperschwaznyk9590]

Nobody seems to answer this question. After going through the various plusses and minuses (hope I spelled those close to correct) when exiting, do we leave AF Fine Tune turned on or off?

[@kolen2390ify]

turn it on becauze ur lens have af problem so u fix it

[@DrinkhtooO]

Very valuable. Thank you. Damn you talk fast...LOL Had to backup several times to catch up

[@NEBoddy]

As I understand it, each lens has to be done separately and different focal lengths have to be done at different distances. There are some tools available to do this. "Lens Align" and "Reikan FoCal". Lens calibration does seem to be a universal issue.

[@LinuxArch]

Love it straight to the point. Thanks for the tips

[@chemsaf]

How can I get the instructions from BJ Photo or you?

[@dadnoonan]

Quick Q: have you compared this system to the boring calibration tool? I am curious to see if your artful eye has a preference vs the scientific exact 0. Do you like a slight front focus on your lenses? (This system feels more organic and artist specific. Fun)

[@TaylorJacksonPhoto]

I find it harder to read the regular calibration tool than this style of comparison

[@BVollweider]

Why not use the Auto AF Fine tune on the D850?

[@TaylorJacksonPhoto]

Brian Vollweider according to my camera body it doesn’t exist. Even though there’s a Nikon video on it working. Also I found the auto a bit random on my D5, had to average it out over 5 or 6 attempts and still was never really certain

[@BVollweider]

Wlid! I use it frequently on my D850. Granted, manual is always the best bet but in a pinch I've had good luck with the auto fine tune.

[@scottwindsor6431]

How is your d850 for back focusing, do you have any issues? My d800 is a nightmare with all my lenses no matter how many times I try to fine tune them.

[@TaylorJacksonPhoto]

Scott Windsor Nikon 24-70s have always been bad for me, so I stopped using them. (For a few other reasons too) primes have always been good though. I’m always single point AF though

[@RodAllsopp]

I've just picked up a D800 second hand and am having back focusing issues with all my Nikon lenses. The 24-70 is currently set at - 20. Still going through all the other lenses. BTW, I had the same thing with these focuses calibration tools. I'm not confident enough to decide where the line of focus is best, so I've been kinda doing it this way, although with not such fine adjustments. Will have a go at this today. Cheers.

[@markshirley01]

Taylor in video on the D850 do you manual focus and if so do you use focus peaking.

[@TaylorJacksonPhoto]

Mark Shirley yep I use manual focus for videos with the 850. I don’t use focus peaking, even though I’m sure it could help a bit

[@markshirley01]

Taylor Jackson so the rear screen is sharp enough to see things are sharp - thanks Taylor.