# microadjustment advise?



## SteenerMe (Jun 13, 2012)

Yo! I am curious about microadjustment. I am shooting the 5D3 and get sharp shots most of the time but only get sick, tack unreal sharp shots say 1 of 50 if not more. Is this a need to microadjust? Is it possible to get that tack sharp focus more often. To be the norm not every so often. Dont get me wrong the shots are def usable for my clients but for me the ones that just pop off the screen are what get me excited. And i do shot wide open to smaller aperatures and variable shutter speeds and have found no correlation as to when these amazing sharp shots happen. They are all over the board when it happens. And this is with all my lenses. Any advice is appreciated. Thx


----------



## Mt Spokane Photography (Jun 13, 2012)

49 of 50 sharp images is a amazingly good result. Lenses do not focus the same every time, even under perfect conditions, there is considerable variation. This means that shots taken at close distances at wide apertures will show variation, so your microadjustment needs to be for the average case, and some images will be out of sharpest focus.


Here is one I took this morning just checking the focus accuract of my 100L at close distances. I focused on the edge of the flower, and it is the only part in focus, which means its focusing fairly accurately.


----------



## SteenerMe (Jun 13, 2012)

Im sorry but what i meant was I get 1 out of 50 or so that are insanely sharp. The rest are def very usable. You just know when its nailed and id like to see that much more often...


----------



## RLPhoto (Jun 13, 2012)

NO.


----------



## ajw123 (Jun 13, 2012)

If you are concerned, i think there are some websites that show how to test if your lens is focusing correctly (e.g. http://regex.info/blog/photo-tech/focus-chart). I don't know how valid these tests are, but they seem valid.

Let me know how it goes!


----------



## canon816 (Jun 13, 2012)

I would definitely recommend micro adjust, but also keep in mind that shutter speed and aperture also play a very significant role. 

I have several lenses that I can shoot wide open and get tack sharp results, but I also have some that I need to shoot at a smaller aperture to get the same crisp results.

I also shoot at faster shutter speeds then most. The old saying is shoot at a shutter speed that is at least as fast as the reciprocal of your focal length. I.E if you are shooting 200 mm.... shoot at 1/200 or faster. I tend to shoot at speeds even faster then the reciprocal of my focal length and the percentage of tack sharp keepers went way up as well.

You can adjust the MA easily on your own for free or you can invest in some software. I used to go down to the lake and get really low to the water and shoot moorings with the aperture wide open. It is easy to see the line of focus against the water and this will roughly calibrate your MA. Its not foolproof, but free.

I now use FoCal software. It takes all the complications out of lens calibration and works like a charm. It is the best calibration tool out there and at a fraction of the cost of Lens Align... (Which I don't recommend. It is very difficult to use and takes FOREVER, IMO)

Good luck


----------



## Astro (Jun 13, 2012)

well microadjustment is only really usefull for prime lenses... just as a reminder.

and you should see if you need microadjustment or not.
because the focus is slightly off then but other portions of the image are tack sharp.

if the whole image is not that sharp then it´s nothing you can cure with microadjustments.


----------



## Jamesy (Jun 13, 2012)

canon816 said:


> I now use FoCal software. It takes all the complications out of lens calibration and works like a charm. It is the best calibration tool out there and at a fraction of the cost of Lens Align... (Which I don't recommend. It is very difficult to use and takes FOREVER, IMO)
> 
> Good luck


What version of FoCal software do you use - there appear to be three versions; Standard, Plus and Pro.


----------



## SteenerMe (Jun 13, 2012)

I will try out the focal. Thx. Not sure about it only being good for primes. Why would the 5D3 have it for both end of zooms then? Ill give it a shot regardless. Just looking to get the best product out of my gear.


----------



## bkorcel (Jun 13, 2012)

You can use it on zooms...just remember that you calibrate on wide and tele. Calibration in between will not always be accurate. You can run a test mid way between to see what the value might be in caomparison to the wide and tele numbers.

Though honestly in wide zoom setting the DOF is so large that AMFA is not really needed unless your lens is WAY off spec.



SteenerMe said:


> I will try out the focal. Thx. Not sure about it only being good for primes. Why would the 5D3 have it for both end of zooms then? Ill give it a shot regardless. Just looking to get the best product out of my gear.


----------



## Cfunkexplosion (Jun 13, 2012)

I'd also recommend the FoCal software. I've found it pretty useful and worth the cost. I'm using the pro version.


----------



## Mt Spokane Photography (Jun 13, 2012)

SteenerMe said:


> Im sorry but what i meant was I get 1 out of 50 or so that are insanely sharp. The rest are def very usable. You just know when its nailed and id like to see that much more often...


 
I use FoCal software, and have since January. It will not only help you find the best AFMA point for your lens, but will let you see how much variation in focusing accuracy it has. If there is too much, a trip to repair is likely needed.

There are other factors affecting focus as well. For example. wide open lenses need AI Servo and not one shot AF set. No one is perfect, and with the very shallow depth of field, just leaning forward or backwards a tiny amount will affect sharpness, while AI Servo will adjust for that.


----------



## canon816 (Jun 13, 2012)

Jamesy said:


> canon816 said:
> 
> 
> > I now use FoCal software. It takes all the complications out of lens calibration and works like a charm. It is the best calibration tool out there and at a fraction of the cost of Lens Align... (Which I don't recommend. It is very difficult to use and takes FOREVER, IMO)
> ...



I use the Pro Version. It gives you more information and access to analysis results along with many other testing parameters and options. (Still easy to use and has the fully auto test, just gives you more to work with) (the 5DIII isnt fully automatic but still allows you to perform the same test but you just need to manually adjust the MA. Turns a 2 minute test into 4 minutes... so no biggie)


----------



## canon816 (Jun 13, 2012)

Astro said:


> well microadjustment is only really usefull for prime lenses... just as a reminder.
> 
> and you should see if you need microadjustment or not.
> because the focus is slightly off then but other portions of the image are tack sharp.
> ...



Not true at all. The AFMA works just fine with zoom lenses. You just calibrate it at max zoom, which is where your DOF will be the narrowest. It wont matter if it is off a little at MIN Zoom because at shorter focal lengths the DOF is so much larger that it will be a non issue. Also, the 5DIII allows you to AFMA for both ends of a zoom lens.


----------



## Jamesy (Jun 13, 2012)

Does the FoCal software tell you what parameters to put in the camera once its tests are complete?


----------



## dawgfanjeff (Jun 13, 2012)

I spent a good hour and a half going through the afma process on my 24-105L that I can never seem to get a great image from. Took 20 shots -10 - +10, went through each at 400% looking for a artifact in my test grid. Result: 0 was optimal. :'(

I am going to borrow a buddy's 24-105 run same test and see if I have the proverbial bad copy, or needs repair. I really don't believe that happens very often, but I can't ignore that at same 100mm at f8, my 70-200L f/4 IS is drastically better. Not even close. In fact, even wide open the 70-200 is "clearly" better (pun intended) than the 24-105 at any aperture.

7D, btw.

Hint: AFMA is much easier if you have a willing assistant to scribble the adjustment you're trying on piece of paper and holding it in the shot.


----------



## Astro (Jun 13, 2012)

canon816 said:


> Astro said:
> 
> 
> > well microadjustment is only really usefull for prime lenses... just as a reminder
> ...



well if you call that working then it might be so.
i call it pretty useless if you adjust for just one end of the focal length.... 

if you say DOF is deep enough on the shorter end, then i say for zooms with narrower apertures, such as the usuall f/3.5-5.6 range, it should be a lesser problem anyway. 
the narrow aperture will kind of mask that error.

fast primes are what microadjustment is most usefull for.

with "only really usefull" i did not want to say it can´t be usefull in some cases for zooms.
if a zoom has an fixed offset over the whole zoom range it can work just as well as for a prime lens.



AF Adjustment notes from Canon said:


> If you are attempting to set microadjustments for a zoom lens, it is important to realize that the camera's setting may only be accurate for the focal length setting you test. The instruction book suggests testing at the longest focal length of the lens, but you may find it more efficient to choose the focal length you use most often.



it´s something different with the MK3 when it allows to adjust both ends of a zoom lens.
that was new to me. i thought only the 1D X has that feature.


----------



## avatar13 (Jun 13, 2012)

I too am curious about this FoCal software. I looked it up and the price seems reasonable, just wondering what the differences are, I am leaning towards the Plus version however it seems that with the 5D Mark III the adjustment still must be manually set, just wondering if that means it works like it does in with FoCal standard.


----------



## SteenerMe (Jun 13, 2012)

Downloading FoCal 1.4 now, pro version. Will post results after i go through all my lenses.


----------



## bkorcel (Jun 13, 2012)

AFMA will work with all of the versions. The more expensive versions add additional capability. Right now the 5DMIII needs to be used in semi-auto mode. That is you have to manually make the AFMA adustment on the camera but the SW will still do the rest automatically. That's only an issue with the 5DIII because they have not made that API public yet so there is no way to program it. They are working on it though and once it's known or figured out, fully automatic AFMA will be implemented.

With the 7D and 1Dx models it is fully automatic. You just sit back and have a beer while the software "tunes" your camera.


----------



## JEAraman (Jun 13, 2012)

SteenerMe said:


> Downloading FoCal 1.4 now, pro version. Will post results after i go through all my lenses.



Keep us posted on how it goes..


----------



## bryanwolfmd (Jun 13, 2012)

SteenerMe said:


> I am shooting the 5D3 and get sharp shots most of the time but only get sick, tack unreal sharp shots say 1 of 50 if not more. Is this a need to microadjust?



I completely understand what you're talking about. I've been meaning to microadjust for this very reason. I do suspect a lot of my troubles are related to shooting at long shutter speeds. But I have a 5D3 and 70-200 2.8II, and rarely do I get a picture that I believe competes with magazine quality sharpness. I also suspect other photogs do much more post processing including sharpening than I do. I've only recently gotten involved in that practice, and I don't see heavily investing myself in that sort of activity any time soon. Anyways, let us know what happens with FoCal. I haven't wanted to spend the money, but microadjusting without a program seems like quite a chore.


----------



## JEAraman (Jun 13, 2012)

bryanwolfmd said:


> SteenerMe said:
> 
> 
> > I am shooting the 5D3 and get sharp shots most of the time but only get sick, tack unreal sharp shots say 1 of 50 if not more. Is this a need to microadjust?
> ...



I've used the LensAlign MkII. I was pretty pleased with the results, however, it wasn't as easy to setup. I wanna see what others have to say about the FoCal Pro.. If it's as easy as everyone claims.. I'll probably get it once the 1DX is supported.


----------



## canon816 (Jun 13, 2012)

Jamesy said:


> Does the FoCal software tell you what parameters to put in the camera once its tests are complete?



Yep. The software will tell you the optimal MA point. Its really quite easy. I just used the software with a friend on his 5DIII and even though the test was not fully automatic and you needed to adjust the MA manually before each test shot it was still very easy and the final test results are just as accurate.

All versions of FoCal will find the correct MA. The Pro one will give you more IQ data on how it arrives at the optimal AFMA. And you will have nifty charts like the one below:

Canon 1DIV+600mm Lens (NON IS) Mounted on WH200 + Gitzo Systematic Caron Tripod


----------



## canon816 (Jun 13, 2012)

Astro said:


> well if you call that working then it might be so.
> i call it pretty useless if you adjust for just one end of the focal length....



Great. If you think it is useless then I certainly don't recommend getting it for yourself.

I have a 70-200 f4, 24-105, 17-40 zoom lenses and focal has worked like a charm for me on my 1DIV and 5DII. 

If you are like me (which I am not saying you are) I tend to shoot at the max end of my focal length on my tele zooms. Because I shoot here 90% of the time then it makes sense to calibrate my lens for the longer focal length. If you are a shooter who uses the short end of the focal length often you could just calibrate it for the short end using FoCal, remember the MA setting, and change it manually when you are going to shoot at that shorter focal distance. 

I have the MA adjustment menu on my custom functions menu on my camera so I can easily adjust the MA on the fly. FoCal will help you determine the optimal MA setting for any focal lenght and you can simply change it as needed if you are using using a specific range on your zoom lens.

Also, at very short focal lengths, unless you are shooting really really close to your subject.... the wide depth of field renders the MA argument moot. If you are shooting at subjects very close to the minimum focusing distance then it is VERY important that the optimal MA setting be accurate at that short focal length.

Every shooter uses their gear differently and for me, FoCal has been priceless. We have only begun to scratch the surface of the uses of this software in this thread. I have done testing to compare WH200 setups to sidekicks, hand placement locations to mitigate vibration, etc....

Just make sure you shoot in a controlled environment with a consistent light source. I shoot indoors with two 500 watt floodlights on my target. The literature with the software explains all of this very clearly.


----------

