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Nikon D800

Autofocus AF-C Accuracy: Nikon 85/1.4G, 85/1.8G (Mosaic)

As this was written in early April, there were reports on the web of serious problems with D800 autofocus accuracy using off-center focus points. As this was written, I have no confirmation of that assertion; this test does not address it.

The results shown here were one test, corroborated with a few field shots. Further research is needed, but this test proves that autofocus is a hit-and-miss game even on this no-brainer subject matter, which has no ambiguities for the camera AF system to deal with.

Test protocol

The camera was on a tripod.

The camera was set to AF-C mode with AF-C priority = Focus, and 11 focus points. I selected the focus point, manually defocused the lens for each frame, then pressed the AF-ON button until the green in-focus confirmation light lit up. Since the camera and subject were fixed, this ought to be an easy task for the camera (as opposed to a moving subject).

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Diglloyd DAP is DSLR-oriented, but also contains workflow and other topics. Much of the focus is on Canon and Nikon but also Pentax and Pentax medium format.

Special emphasis is placed on lens evaluation, focusing on Canon and Nikon and Sigma lenses, but with a few others like Rokinon/Samyang.

  • Make better images by learning how to get the best results right away.
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  • Aperture series from wide open through stopped down, showing the full range of lens performance and bokeh.
  • Optical quality analysis of field curvature, focus shift, sharpness, flare, distortion, and performance in the field.

Want a preview? Click on any page below to see an excerpt as well as extensive blog coverage, for example on Nikon or on Canon or on Pentax.

Rough visual of the Nikon D800 autofocus point layout as used for the test
Nikon 85mm f/1.8G

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