Imagery: Auto - Large Table of Contents

EXCERPT page containing first few paragraphs. 2024-03-28 06:36:01
UA_SEARCH_BOT_null @ 52.90.50.252

For full access, subscribe here. Or click title to login.

Target for manual or autofocus

Check Your Camera

It is possible for the viewfinder of a DSLR to appear in focus when in fact the image taken will be slightly out-of-focus. That’s because there are dual optical systems involved, and nothing guarantees that they both have to have the same-length optical path. The same issue can occur with a rangefinder.

You should first verify that the diopter setting is correct for your eyes. Then shoot some tests as shown on the diopter page, as well as some field shots.

A camera that consistently mis-focuses should be sent in for adjustment, requesting that the viewfinder (or rangefinder) be adjusted.

Example

The top crop is what my best effort focusing by eye produced (Zeiss 100mm f/2 Makro-Planar). The bottom crop used Live View. Nikon replaced the focusing assembly on my D3. However, the repaired camera remained stubbornly insistent on producing similar results.

Article continues for subscribers...

Diglloyd Making Sharp Images is by yearly subscription. Subscribe now for about 13 cents a day ($50/year).
BEST DEAL: get full access to ALL 8 PUBLICATIONS for only about 75 cents a day!

Diglloyd Making Sharp Images articulates years of best practices and how-to, painstakingly learned over a decade of camera and lens evaluation.

Save yourself those years of trial and error by jump-starting your photographic technical execution when making the image. The best lens or camera is handicapped if the photographer fails to master perfect shot discipline. High-resolution digital cameras are unforgiving of errors, at least if one wants the best possible results.

  • Eases into photographic challenges with an introductory section.
  • Covers aspects of digital sensor technology that relate to getting the best image quality.
  • Technique section discusses every aspect of making a sharp image handheld or on a tripod.
  • Depth of field and how to bypass depth of field limitations via focus stacking.
  • Optical aberrations: what they are, what they look like, and what to do about them.
  • MTF, field curvature, focus shift: insight into the limitations of lab tests and why imaging performance is far more complex than it appears.
  • Optical aberrations: what they are, what they look like, and what to do about them.
  • How to test a lens for a “bad sample”.

Intrigued? See Focusing Zeiss DSLR Lenses For Peak Performance, PART ONE: The Challenges, or (one topic of many) field curvature.



By eye, the top image is what I saw as in focus on the Nikon D3 (repeatedly)

diglloyd Inc. | FTC Disclosure | PRIVACY POLICY | Trademarks | Terms of Use
Contact | About Lloyd Chambers | Consulting | Photo Tours
RSS Feeds | X.com/diglloyd
Copyright © 2022 diglloyd Inc, all rights reserved.