Please Critique

jfenton · Apr 5, 2005

Well....some have me wondering if it is my technique...

If it is, it went down the tubes the very same day that I switched from a D2H to a D2X.

Please look at these screen shots and give me your honest opinion. I believe that there was a camera and a time that at 1/1000 with a dead on lock, that I might have expected these to be in focus?

This bird was gliding slowly and I was on tripod.

Maybe I'm just loosing it?

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dmwphoto · Apr 5, 2005

JIm,
Based on your experience and a close look at thes images, as well as your previous posts concerning technique, I expect you are on to a programing issue and with your communications with nikon I would expect a software update to address tis. I notice this was shot with the 200-400 vr which I believe you sold. Is this why you sold it? Hope not as I just plunked down 5000.00 for one. I have not had the opportunity to test this yet, but will dilligently do so in the near future.
Dave

Chris101 · Apr 5, 2005

Hi Jim,

I've noticed your posts on DPR, but what are we to say? These pictures and the ones you've posted over there do look out of focus. If you've tested with a number of subjects and lenses and the problem continues, why don't you either send the camera in for service - it's under warranty - or if it hasn't been too long and you got it from a place that will exchange it, do that?

These screen shots by the way are downsized in such a way that even the letters are out of focus, so it's hard to make any assessment from that. The point is, make some definitive tests, and if you determine the camera to be broken, get it fixed.

It really doesn't do to have a $5000 camera not work for you.

dmwphoto · Apr 5, 2005

by the way... is this owl a pet???

jfenton · Apr 5, 2005

Hi Dave

Fear not...I can do this with any number of lenses now

The ONLY reason I sold the 200-400 was that much of the time, my subjects are out in swamps..flying a long ways away..or little suckers sitting way up in a tree.

The extra 100mm adds up, especially when combined with a TC.

As far as versatility..especially with the VR...the 200-400 blows the 500 away.

You'll love it...believe me.

Chris101 · Apr 5, 2005

Bummer.

I just read more of your stuff on DPR and I now understand this is more widespread than just your camera. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

Have you been able to set up a target at asome distance and repeat the problem systematically? Maybe that way you could determine under exactly what circumstances the problem appears, and characterize it as say focus in front of, or behind the subject.

If you can reproduce it on a stationary target, can you tell if the focus indicator says it's in focus, or does the camera fire when it's out of focus?

Thirdly, like Dave said, you know this owl personally, right? He's the one in your avatar?

Catz · Apr 6, 2005

Jim,

If my eyes are seeing well Jim, it looks to me like the whole bird is out of focus? Have you tried turning your in camera sharpening up a little higher?

Just an opinion.

Flew · Apr 6, 2005

Jim,

Everyone talks about the great focus systems in the D2H, but I have had problems with it also. I have tried all of the focus modes on my D2H, and have finally settled on the simplest, the single central sensor. I use AF-C, and have tried it with Lock-On enabled and disabled.

With any of these configs, I often experience the situation where I line up on a target with the AF-On button pressed, and the camera never locks on. What I have learned to do is to stab at the AF-On button until it acquires focus. Now admittedly, it is then up to me to keep the subject in front of the focus sensor (which I do with varying degrees of success....;-)). If I do lose lock, I just start stabbing at the AF-On button while attempting to track the subject.

I know that you have had extensive experience with the D2H and its AF system, so I'm assuming that the problems that you are having are more serious than what I'm describing here. I'm just saying that it's not perfect even on the D2H, which has probably the best tracking AF system available.

Did this help at all?? :lol: :lol:

Frank

DavidM · Apr 6, 2005

Frank:

I've been following this issue very closely, even to the point of actually looking at DPR again for a change (something I rarely do now). I think the biggest point that Jim keeps making that many people keep missing is that it's the frequency of focus acquisition failure that is troubling. He's never said that he couldn't get well-focused shots with his settings, just that the yield is much lower than he would have gotten with the D2h similarly configured.

I haven't ever owned the D2h and therefore I can't compare to that camera. I can say, though, that the focusing mechanism on my D2x does not seem appreciably better than what I was used to with the D100, and that concerns me. It's possible that my expectations were too high after reading about CAM2000, but so far I have been disappointed with focusing on my D2x when using longer lenses. My 17-35 and 50 1.8 seem to be fine, but then again I rarely aim those at moving targets... Even my 70-200 does reasonably well on most shots, but as soon as I add a TC to the mix or use the 300 f/4 I have a real struggle getting an accurate focus lock, even if the camera is indicating that it has locked on (ie. the "dot" is showing in the viewfinder). I am still willing to admit that part of this is operator error or bad lighting/low contrast, but I don't think all of it is.