focus behind subject

shaolen · 08-01-2013, 08:51 AM

Has anyone had an issue with the k-5 constantly focusing slightly behind the subject?

VisualDarkness · 08-01-2013, 09:44 AM

Have you tried focus adjustment?

Na Horuk · 08-01-2013, 12:43 PM

The reason for such misfocusing is that the lenses and cameras are made with certain tolerances - making them all perfectly aligned would be a lot of work and would send prices through the roof (think Leica). Usually people don't need adjustment, but in some cases the lens is on one extreme of the tolerance, and the camera on the other extreme. that means that both the camera and lens are within the manufacturer's standard, but together they arent quite perfect. That is why modern DSLRs have focus adjustment features (also called micro adjust, I think). You can check your camera manual for more info. Some cameras only have a global adjustment (that works for all lenses), but I think the K-5 is smart and can remember individual adjustments for a couple lenses, so you can adjust one and keep the others working as they should.

There are also a couple of threads about back/front-focusing and what to do about it, feel free to search the forums for it. You can also go online and find a focus chart (you can buy one, or print a free one yourself, I think there are link to some charts in those threads I mentioned earlier) and figure out how much adjustment you need.

On the other hand! It is possible that you are misfocusing for other reasons and its not at all a mechanical "fault". Keep in mind that the AF overlays in the viewfinder are actually much smaller than the actual AF points. (the centre point is as big as the ( ) cirlce)The AF point might decide that something is in focus, but its actually not the subject that you want. This can especially happen if there is a very contrasty area near the subject, like a rough well-lit background. In these cases you can try the "focus and recompose" technique or try manual focus. I find manual focusing in these cases can be the fastest solution. You can also check your critical focus in live view with digital zoom, if you have enough time.

rawr · 08-01-2013, 02:03 PM

Originally posted by shaolen

Has anyone had an issue with the k-5 constantly focusing slightly behind the subject?

No.

But your 'problem' definition is way too general. You need to specify what lens, what AF focus mode you are in (spot, 5/11 point etc), what lighting conditions, what sort of subject you are having difficulty shooting. Etc.

As a pic related, this is always useful. From the Nikon D4 user manual:

08-01-2013, 08:51 AM	#1
shaolen Veteran Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: Phoenix AZ Posts: 1,047	focus behind subject Has anyone had an issue with the k-5 constantly focusing slightly behind the subject?

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08-01-2013, 09:44 AM	#2
VisualDarkness Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Uppsala, Sweden Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,439	Have you tried focus adjustment?

08-01-2013, 12:43 PM	#3
Na Horuk Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Slovenia, probably Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 11,186	The reason for such misfocusing is that the lenses and cameras are made with certain tolerances - making them all perfectly aligned would be a lot of work and would send prices through the roof (think Leica). Usually people don't need adjustment, but in some cases the lens is on one extreme of the tolerance, and the camera on the other extreme. that means that both the camera and lens are within the manufacturer's standard, but together they arent quite perfect. That is why modern DSLRs have focus adjustment features (also called micro adjust, I think). You can check your camera manual for more info. Some cameras only have a global adjustment (that works for all lenses), but I think the K-5 is smart and can remember individual adjustments for a couple lenses, so you can adjust one and keep the others working as they should. There are also a couple of threads about back/front-focusing and what to do about it, feel free to search the forums for it. You can also go online and find a focus chart (you can buy one, or print a free one yourself, I think there are link to some charts in those threads I mentioned earlier) and figure out how much adjustment you need. On the other hand! It is possible that you are misfocusing for other reasons and its not at all a mechanical "fault". Keep in mind that the AF overlays in the viewfinder are actually much smaller than the actual AF points. (the centre point is as big as the ( ) cirlce)The AF point might decide that something is in focus, but its actually not the subject that you want. This can especially happen if there is a very contrasty area near the subject, like a rough well-lit background. In these cases you can try the "focus and recompose" technique or try manual focus. I find manual focusing in these cases can be the fastest solution. You can also check your critical focus in live view with digital zoom, if you have enough time.

08-01-2013, 02:03 PM	#4
rawr Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 11,913	Originally posted by shaolen Has anyone had an issue with the k-5 constantly focusing slightly behind the subject? No. But your 'problem' definition is way too general. You need to specify what lens, what AF focus mode you are in (spot, 5/11 point etc), what lighting conditions, what sort of subject you are having difficulty shooting. Etc. As a pic related, this is always useful. From the Nikon D4 user manual: