HI ISO said:
Is anyone having problems with the autofocus on their D7000? On several occasions I noticed my lenses would not AF at all and I couldn't figure out why. After fiddling around with the settings and changing lenses, I noticed there is some play/slack after the lens is locked in place. I finally discovered that if I twist the lens clockwise after locking it in place the AF seems to work fine. I'm talking about twisting it just a hair

This happens on rare occasions with most models of most marques of cameras HI ISO - not just the D7000. Check you are fitting the lenses correctly (sorry if you find that insulting, I don't know you) and if you are send it back for repair.

nyn said:
I would rather have started a new thread but I guess the forum won't let me till I have a higher post count.

You are in the right place for your post nyn, welcome to NR.

Are you sure your rear screen is not warning you of massive over exposure? Set the mode dial to full auto (the green symbol) and see what happens.

HI ISO said:
Is anyone having problems with the autofocus on their D7000? On several occasions I noticed my lenses would not AF at all and I couldn't figure out why. After fiddling around with the settings and changing lenses, I noticed there is some play/slack after the lens is locked in place. I finally discovered that if I twist the lens clockwise after locking it in place the AF seems to work fine. I'm talking about twisting it just a hair.

I have four lenses and they all have exhibited the same condition on the D7000. So I check them out on my D70 and they have some play as well, but I've never had any issues with the Autofocus.

Has anyone experienced this?

I had this problem after remapping my AE-L/AF-L button to 'AF-ON'. I was accidentally hitting this button so I switched it back and never had a problem again.

I am having issues with my Nikon D7000. It is having problems auto focusing. But it is only having this issue when using the view finder. Yes I have adjusted the view finder to my eyes. What happens is there is no tracking box, the camera does not want to take pictures and when it finally does take one the whole screen flashes red. Now when I pull the battery, lens and SD card, it will work fine for the first image and then goes right back to the fault. Is there a setting I can fiddle with to fix this? Has anyone else had this issue?

I would rather have started a new thread but I guess the forum won't let me till I have a higher post count.

I'm considering to purchase a d7000. I'd like to know how accurate the af is with the 35mm 1.8g wide open. I'm having hit and miss af problems with my entry level body...

How do you make the Nikon D7000 auto focus and stay focused on a subject on movie mode with out touching any buttons while recording? I need it to stay focused on me with out me checking if it is focused on me and not have another person record me while I need it to record me.

Im having the same problems of backfocus-oof.
to all of you guys talking about tripods, glasses and pixel counts:

the problem is that we are getting the focus point in a different place than the camera is "achieving" despite bad technichs or camera shaking blurr.

So please stop mixing stuff about i.e. how much megapixels has the new sensor, focus IS achieved, but not where is supposed to.
Have tried to micro adjust, just to get a different round od random "front focus" shots. Ja.

This is what we are all meaning about soft focus, I think. I got numerous shots of my girlfriend with a tack sharp hair and soft face, sometimed sharp face, sometime sharp sweater.

have you updated firmware? It should be 1.03.

Mamma-Fee said:
Hey guys. I'm new to this website so hopefully all works out for me. I recieved the Nikon D7000 yesterday for a gift and today was my first day out with it, but i seem to be having troubles using my 18-135mm lens fully zoomed with focusing. Example: Water sking today, zooming in on the subject and the camera would not focus. I have the Focus on AF-A. Any suggestions etc would be GREAT !!! Cheers. (and no, i havent read the manual as of yet as i am already a previous Nikon owner)

Is it focusing at all? If not then check your autofocus switch on the lens. If it focusing and not locking then it could be any number of settings or the lens. Have you tried a different lens? Trying changing your focus settings around and see if that helps. If still nothing...my last suggestion would be to reset the factory defaults and go from there.

Hey guys. I'm new to this website so hopefully all works out for me. I recieved the Nikon D7000 yesterday for a gift and today was my first day out with it, but i seem to be having troubles using my 18-135mm lens fully zoomed with focusing. Example: Water sking today, zooming in on the subject and the camera would not focus. I have the Focus on AF-A. Any suggestions etc would be GREAT !!! Cheers. (and no, i havent read the manual as of yet as i am already a previous Nikon owner)

Rx4Photo said:
.
I grew up shooting shotguns and pistols. Trust me, the barrels are usually straight, so if you keep missing the target .........

.
.
.
the bullet must be bent.......................smile

Ramils,
You actually didn't explain to us how you're holding the camera. Are you actually holding this D7000 out like a typical point and shoot and trying to get sharp pics on live view. Sure, you might get lucky and nail some but you'll likely miss many. There was a thread a while ago discussing the difference in shooting with the viewfinder vs. shooting with live view. It was one of the threads that came out soon after people started acquiring the D7000.

In terms of using the 70-300mm lens, it takes excellent hand holding technique to get sharp images with that lens even using the viewfinder but once again, if you're using live view without some type of support you'll likely get camera shake out-of-focus-ness on just about every image. Don't blame Nikon yet. Use the viewfinder, improve your technique and your image sharpness will likely improve.

I grew up shooting shotguns and pistols. Trust me, the barrels are usually straight, so if you keep missing the target .........

why would you use live mode to auto focus when taking stills?

live mode for video but stills. [macro, night, etc excused]

of course you had the camera on a tripod right?

D7000 + 70-300 held at arms length [to use it like a point and shoot - heaven forbid] sorry guys I do not have a scale nearby, but you expect to be able to hand hold this weight and get sharp pictures at arms length?

go take a photography class, learn how to hold the camera and how aperture, shutter speed and stabilizing the camera works together to give you sharp pictures.

a bad workman always blames the tools

boos to the third degree for this one.

"It is so bad that the focus is so out the pictures look like a cave man took them."

Does the whole picture looks like it's "vibrating" or is it that the focus is not where you want it to be? Also what were the lighting conditions (outdoors, indoors, sunny, shadows, lights on/off) you were shooting in? What was it exactly you were trying to focus on? And how far/close was the subject?

There are basically two types of autofocus systems in DSLR's; phase detect and contrast detect autofocus. Both types have their pluses and minuses. Phase detect basically utilizes a separate sensor and is used when the mirror is down, in other words, when you're using the camera's viewfinder. On the other hand, contrast detect autofocus utilizes the camera's CMOS sensor (the sensor used to record the image). This is done when the mirror is up or when you're using live-view. Now contrast detect can be very bad under certain conditions (e.g., low light). Also all P&S's as well as most mirrorless cameras use contrast detect methods.

On the other hand your problem may not be so focus related as much as vibration caused. P&S will automatically adjust your ISO so your shutter speeds will be fast enough not to show any vibrations effect in your photos where in DSLR's ISO adjustments are manual (depending on your settings).

There are a lot more user controlled settings in DSLR's than there are in P&S's where almost all setting are automated. They provide more freedom and allow you to be much more creative but you do have to learn them and that's not for everyone.

Before you return your camera, go ahead and set up both your D7000 (in live-view) and your P&S in auto mode (or program with auto ISO for D7000) and see which one focuses better and faster under the same lighting conditions while shooting the same subject. Then redo the test with the D7000 in viewfinder mode.

Good luck.

Hey Guys...

I am new to Nikon World... Just bought D7000 with the Kit 18-55mm and 70-300mm lenses... Am having the same Auto Focus issue specially in Live Mode. It is so bad that the focus is so out the pictures look like a cave man took them.

So I called the Nikon Support and they said that Probably it is the Quality of lense that is causing the issue.. Really? a $600 lens is a poor quality lens? They also said that I should use manual focus and not use live mode... because the live mode is via sensor and it doesnt show the focus properly... I am like seriously .. This is a $2000 camera and lens and you are telling me that it cant do a simple autofocus on live mode which all point and shoot camera can do easily.

I am totally disappointed in Nikon. This one is going back. I will loose money on returns and shipping so many items, but this is NOT WORTH IT.

Ramil

I can't seem to reply in the previous thread, but I wanted to share my experience with my D7000 & Nikon 18-200 VR lens. On recommendation of my local camera shop, a very reputable Nikon dealer, I bought the D7000 to replace my D300. They were particularly impressed by the auto focus of the D7000. Sadly, in order to buy the D7000 I sold the D300, which I deeply regret doing. After a trip to Italy, on which I took around 2,000 pictures, I have noticed that many are out of focus. I generally shoot in Aperture and use single point AF in Auto focus S. I would be happier if all the shots were out of focus, but the fact that some were in focus and many were not is even more alarming. I did an auto focus fine tune for my Tokina 11-16 and it seems to perform very nicely. My Sigma 8mm fisheye, which I use for panoramas, also is very sharp; in fact the image quality with this lens is superior than that from the D300. I use the 18-200 most of the time, and on my D80, then my D300, shots were always sharp, with an acceptable number of bad ones. With the D7000, shots that would have been tack sharp on the D300 were out of focus; in fact on many it is hard to find a discernible plane of focus. I borrowed my father's D300 and did comparison shots with the 18-200 and in every shot the D300 was sharper. The camera has been sent back to Nikon, but I worry that the inconsistent focus may be a permanent problem. If the camera comes back exhibiting the same problems I will probably ask the owner of the camera shop for a refund to go toward the D400 ( when it comes out ). In many ways I love the D7000, but after the rock solid performance of the D300, to be uncertain about such a critical aspect as auto focus really makes me nervous. I would love to hear from others about this dead horse!

" Its either the camera or user error. Unless you post some of the photos so we can see the exif data or until the camera comes back with a verdict from Nikon then this is all sort of a moot point."

My apologies if this sounds somewhat testy, but I don't need to post pictures to buttress my case. This camera is clearly not functioning as it should, certainly nowhere close to the level of my D300. I have been a photographer long enough to know what is right and what is wrong, and Nikon needs to make this right. FWIW, the hand held shots with the D300 were sharper than the ones shot on a tripod with the D7000, all taken at the same settings.

Mike Gunter said:
Hi,

Your camera might be focusing on several points of many subjects and be confused as to what you want it to really focus on. I turned of the 3d focusing and on use a single point to focus. I suggest you try it.

First, use a single focus point rather than the many focus points as per the manual on page 50.

You'll need to be in AF-S mode, too.

If your shooting and can focus on one point and get that one point, that will matter.

The multi-selector switch on the back of the body moves the focus point and you can hold focus by pressing down on the shutter button to lock focus.

Give this is try.

Menu selections work to lock AE/AL

My best,

Mike

Good advice, too!

A lot of issues can be eliminated by using AF-S single point. That's pretty much what I use 99.999999% of the time, unless I'm shooting fast moving objects. Then AF-C and 3D tracking can work well. I NEVER use anything else, as focus errors are much more prevalent in the other modes and aren't needed when focus accuracy is a big priority(which is pretty much 100% of what I shoot). The other focus modes are if you're using the D7000 as a point and shoot(which is a shame).

Hi,

Your camera might be focusing on several points of many subjects and be confused as to what you want it to really focus on. I turned of the 3d focusing and on use a single point to focus. I suggest you try it.

First, use a single focus point rather than the many focus points as per the manual on page 50.

You'll need to be in AF-S mode, too.

If your shooting and can focus on one point and get that one point, that will matter.

The multi-selector switch on the back of the body moves the focus point and you can hold focus by pressing down on the shutter button to lock focus.

Give this is try.

Menu selections work to lock AE/AL

My best,

Mike

filcro said:

"I bought the Nikon D7000 with the 18-105 and kit 4 days ago on 5/22/2011 and a great many of my pictures are out of focus.

I find the issue to be worse with any use of the flash or low light condition."

You bought the camera 4 days ago, you have been playing around with the settings, and you have out of focus probelms in low light:

a great many of your pictures are out of focus, not all of them.

and the problem is the camera?

"I own other Nikons. Canons a Roliflex and a Hasselblad and there is 100% something wrong with the D7000 that I own."

why? owining others cameras does not mean that you know everything about a new camera. stress new.

"I feel sorry for others who have the D7000. There are way too many issues to keep this product and then have send it in and spend money on shipping "IF" they can even fix the issues. "

Please understand that the people who have issuses with the D7000 are the few, and many of the problems simply arise from the user not taking time to learn the camera.

It is a fact of camera life that with most cameras, the more expensive they become the less user friendly they are, therefore folks buy expensive cameras expecting better pictures, end up being disappointed, and get problems with them. There are cameras that come up for sale on craigslist with the owner saying that the camera is for sale because it is just too much for them.

try resetting the camera and take pictures without changing the setings, and after you are comfortable with what, make changes gently, jumping in and making a lot of changes on a camera that is new to you could turn your face red when you return it to find out there is nothing wrong with it.

Also, taking pictures in low light, remember to get sharp pictures you will need a tripod and the camera will not focus if the object is out of the distance of the autofocus lamp.

flash use, it will take too long to explain, iso, distance, flash power.

I agree with you, send it back, get something easier.

filcro said:
I bought the Nikon D7000 with the 18-105 and kit 4 days ago on 5/22/2011 and a great many of my pictures are out of focus.

I've tried using many focus and metering modes, remounting the lens and also updating the firmware.

I find the issue to be worse with any use of the flash or low light condition.

I own other Nikons. Canons a Roliflex and a Hasselblad and there is 100% something wrong with the D7000 that I own.

I bought the camera from Willoughby's in NYC on 31st Street. Since it's not been a week they should take it back.

I feel sorry for others who have the D7000. There are way too many issues to keep this product and then have send it in and spend money on shipping "IF" they can even fix the issues.

Have you shot some test charts to see if it's back focusing or front focusing? The D7000 does have AF Fine-Tune. You will have to use it with some lenses. Once you dial it in, everything should work fine. I have 2 D7000's and both need fine-tuning with certain lenses. It's a fact of life with DSLR cameras. That's why the option is there. I have very few focus errors with my bodies, since fine-tuning all my lenses with each body.

The focus errors I have now are only from user error and not because the camera is back or front-focusing. Trust me, use AF fine-tune and enjoy your new amazing APS-c camera. She's a beast.

I bought the Nikon D7000 with the 18-105 and kit 4 days ago on 5/22/2011 and a great many of my pictures are out of focus.

I've tried using many focus and metering modes, remounting the lens and also updating the firmware.

I find the issue to be worse with any use of the flash or low light condition.

I own other Nikons. Canons a Roliflex and a Hasselblad and there is 100% something wrong with the D7000 that I own.

I bought the camera from Willoughby's in NYC on 31st Street. Since it's not been a week they should take it back.

I feel sorry for others who have the D7000. There are way too many issues to keep this product and then have send it in and spend money on shipping "IF" they can even fix the issues.

Hi Mike,

My guess is that you might have set the camera for single focus.

If you can rotate the mode to auto and find that the auto focus multiple zone is back, that's what happened.

Check the manual at Page 50. The button selector is located on the Auto/manual lens switch next to the barrel of the lens. Push the button in and the Main Command Dial (the front one) will go through the various options available in the auto focusing zones. I prefer a single auto focus block to put focus on one 'thing', but that's me.

My best,

Mike

I had some AF focus issues when i first got my D7000... I cleaned the metal rim contacts between the lens and the camera, and have had no issues at all.

related... I even had some negative things to say about the video, but now that i understand what it can and cant do, i am very happy with that aspect of the camera also.

Recently took a photography course where we really got into the manual settings and low light photography, and now I absolutely love my D7000.

Awwww... ain't day sweet?!

Mike you got a new camera with no problem. Why are you being paranoid? Stop reading these kinds of forum post and go enjoy your camera!

Ok well after reading this thread I'm a bit nervous about my recent purchase of the the D7000. I've had the camera for a couple of weeks and have memorized the manual as well as several books. Using the 18-105 lens and the 70-300 lens everything worked as expected. I also placed my 50mm 1.8D lens on, again everything seemed to work ok.
Today I placed my 18-105 lens on and the Auto Focus feature (39 point feature) is not working. It is locked on (single point) no matter what I changed the AF mode too. This is all in Aperture mode. I can get the multi point focus back under some of the other settings (like scene mode). Thought I was loosing my mind, but returned to the camera shop and they had the same issue with the camera. They gave me a new camera with the kit 18-105 lens and under the same settings (Aperture mode and 39 point auto focus mode) everything worked as I remember, so no I wasn't loosing my mind.
Since this was my first purchase from Nikon to the toon of $2500+, is this something that is going to be ongoing or did anybody from this tread get a solution? Was it something to do with the 50mm 1.8D lens that changed a setting in the camera? any feedback would be appreciated. Should I see if the camera shop will exchange for the D300?