AF problems with D2H

Looking at the original, it appears as though the asphalt is sharpest between the bike's wheels. Why not try some controlled tests?

 

Depending on the subject distance, DOF at 200mm f/2.8 can be quite thin.

What AF focus group settings did you use on the D2H? Group Dynamic? Pattern 1 /2 ? Center or Closest Subject? AF-C / AF-S? Focus or release priority? Lock On to Off or On?

 

Looking at the unsharpened 100% crop at 400% you can see that some vertical edge colour transitions on the jacket are only a single pixel wide. I don't see how you can get sharper than that. You may just be realising the limitations of 4Mp. That said the textures on the jacket look rather strange. I know that I am looking at the jpeg version here with all its artifacts but I wonder if noise reduction has had an effect on image quality here. Has any been done?

I had a cursory look at the test charts and got a slight impression that the ones with VR in use are a little less sharp but other than that they don't look bad. I assume a tripod was used which is supposed to be a problem with VR. Can you point me to one which you consider to be particularly bad?

 

OK Fireman

I don't know if you are snowbound up in Quebec or what. But if you go back and read all your posts it seems you are fussing about nothing really. You do have state of the art equipment but you are too worried about it and not the images you could create with it.

Concentrate on creating images where the content crowds out the form. Make an image so fantastic that it wouldn't have mattered if you used your dads old Minolta.

Does anyone care what type of brushes Salvador Dali used?

 

First of don't feel like a complete idiot. Second - you need to practice a bit - third in extreme conditions the best way to focus is manual as opposed to AF... I kid you not...

For action like this on AF I would...

Focus mode: Continuous-servo AF &
Setting a3: (get this) Use Single Area AF... And aim at what you want to shoot.

Practice makes perfect as well as ... Get use to unlocking the focus area and moving it to what you want to focus on using single area AF, using the Focus Selector Lock and the Multi Selector will soon become second nature and your best friends for composition purposes. You'll soon use your thumb more than your shutter triger finger  

Do not use the menu so much for the settings, i.e. for the focus area use the AF-Area Mode selector switch... Use your shortcuts and skip on the menus, that's what pro-bodies are for, lots of usable buttons ans switches to make our lives easier :smile:

Post Script: Read the manual one section a week and try new things with the camera for a week, find what works for you and what doesn't - don't worry about all the settings just find what works for you and the type of pictures you take and keep using those settings - just don't be afraid to try new things and settings since you'll discover new ways to take better pictures and feel free to ask anytime.

In the end ... What do I know, I am just a new guy who takes a lot of pictures :Wink:

 

Jean-Pierre:

Menu A-1: Priorité en mode AF-C doit etre en mode de mise au point, contrairement à Cadence ou meme Cadence + AF sinon tes photos seront sujettes à plusieurs erreurs de mise au point.

Meme chose pour A2: Je te conseille de choisir le mode Mise au point contrairement à Déclenchement.

 

Ha! Ha! C'est la raison que mes photos sont comme celles de Jean-Pierre... Merci! Maintenant c'est à moi de me sentir comme un idiot!  

 

Je regle mon appareil comme Ned. D'ailleurs le fonctionnment du Multi-CAM2000 est tres bien expliqué ici :wink:

 

Bookmarked... Aussitot que je retrouve ma camera, je passerai au travers de l'article encore une fois. Merci Julien!

 

AF problems are a known service advisory issue from Nikon. You should check the advisory and see if you're experiencing those symptoms.

Brian

 

What service advisory is that? I only know of metering problem service advisory from Nikon for the D2H.

Yes, I totally recommend reading that article. A very good summary to understand the different CAM 2000 settings.

 

I think everything's quite ok except for the Dynamic Area AF. I would second The Dude's suggestion to use Single Area AF first and when you've already determine you get correct AF on the places you require, migrate to Group Dynamic AF for more versatility. The Group Dynamic AF covers more Area for AF.

Dynamic Area AF would let the camera decide (of which may not be correct) on the subject the camera finds closest (by way of highest contrast etc). Focus will also be much "slower" relatively when compared to Single Area AF or Group Dynamic AF since it uses the most AF sensors (all 11 at one time).

The other thing you did not mention is the a4 setting (Disable Lock ON). This is one setting that basically determines how "responsive" or "slow" the AF behaves on the camera. Try it out and see which one works best for you.

No worries. Everybody's here to learn and with a complicated body like the D2H, everybody starts somewhere. :smile: