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D7000 focus issues

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Started 1 year ago by GaryS
Latest reply from MyR3
Related Topics:
1. D600 or D800 which to choose in the UK?
2. D7000 - Multiple Focus points?

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GaryS

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I bought a D7000 last year with a 16-85mm lense, it seem OK for general wide angle stuff at f8/ f11 but recently Iv'e been putting it through its paces with my 300 f2.8AFS and 600 f4AFS Nikon lenses and compared with my D300/ D700 there appears to be a focus problem.

It just wont give me the critical focus that I get with my other bodies, I'd be interested if anyone has had the same issues.

Iv'e tried single and nine point focus on moving and static subjects and my D300 outperforms it everytime, The D7000 won't even focus on a static subject accurately with my 105mm VR macro, it seems to focus at a different distance.

There were reports of focus issues with the early D7000 batches but I thought this was an urban myth,.. perhaps not. I know there's the 'more pixels can make images look softer effect', but it isn't that , its more fundamental.

If there are any D7000 users out there I'd be interested to hear there views before I send it back, at the moment I just don't want to use it.

Gary

Posted 1 year ago #
TaoTeJared

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You can do a forum search - there were some stories a while back when it was released.

It could be that the sensor is set in or out too far. When I just do a quick test on the focus I just line up a bunch of AA batteries at a 45deg, about 4" apart with a yard stick running in the middle and put my iphone standing in the middle to focus on. I then test wide open and pull the batteries in closer to the middle until I know it is back or front focusing. For you I would do that with 2-3 lenses. If they are all back focused or all front focused, you know you have an issue with your body. Send it in - usually an easy fix.

Posted 1 year ago #
Godless

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Gary, seems that you got a lemon. I have had no such problems with my D7000. Best of luck with the fix.

Posted 1 year ago #
falcon1

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Gary, send it to Nikon ASAP!

I have been dealing with huge problems with my D7k and it is still not fixed after one replacement and three trips to Nikon repair center.

Your problem sounds like mine where the camera says it has aquired focus (beep) but when you view the image the focus is not on target. In my D7k cameras the focus is sometimes correct but most often it is wrong. Because of that AF tuning doesn't fix the problem.

There was defiantly batch of D7k which where complete lemons, unfortunatly I have received two. :(

Hope this helps.

Posted 1 year ago #
GaryS

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hi all

I'll be sending my D7000 back to Nikon this week, will update

Gary

Posted 1 year ago #
GaryS

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Just as a closing note on this issue, my D7000 was returned by Nikon, adjusted, cleaned and firmwared, but I'm still not happy with it.

There's not the crispness that I get with my D300/700 with RAW images, even with my contrasty 60mm 2.8 macro the D7000 seems to produce dull, almost 'foggy' lifeless images. The thing that has surprised me most is its noisy files,.. to me its unusable over 400iso, whereas I was shooting recently with My D300 on an old 600f4 AFS mk1 at 2000iso and secured some great images.

Having said all that it seems fine for a 'walk around'with the 16-85mm so it wont be redundant, but I've just lost confidence with it. I'll trade it in if the mythical D600 ever appears.

Gary

Posted 12 months ago #
jonnyapple

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Thanks for the update, Gary. Any chance we could see what you mean about unusable shots about ISO 400? I owned the D300 and I reckon my D7000 is about a stop better (good to around 3200 for the same shots the D300 crapped out at above ISO 1600). Sorry to hear about your issues with the D7000.

Posted 12 months ago #
GaryS

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If i ever get time I'll post some sample shots on my website and send you a link,.. if I get time!

gARY

Posted 12 months ago #
Yetibuddha

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Gary, my experience has been a bit similar. I just got my D7000 back from Nikon, with an autofocus adjustment. It was under warranty, so I suggest sending it in. If not, the charge would be about $US 100. As to the quality of the photos, my experience has been that both the D7000 and D700 expose to the right of the histogram and that a slight curves adjustment will bring back contrast, depth and life to the image.
Have fun!

Posted 12 months ago #
nanook 777

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As a longtime Nikon user, I too have had many focus issues with my new 7k as well. ( less than 3 months old ,mint )
It first started "hunting" in the autofocus points in the viewfinder while focussing, then it just stopped focussing altogether the day before a big trip to the east coast to shoot Puffins and Whales !! Manual focus for a week with large lens' was not what I had planned.
I sent it in to Nikon Canada a week ago, ( sensor and mirror ) fingers crossed it will be fixed and problems resolved. My preference would be a new body not made on a Friday.
Hope this helps some people who keep thinking it may be something the " user" is doing wrong. My bet would be 75% plus are technical issues with the body itself.

Mike

Posted 10 months ago #
nanook 777

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Thought I would give the update on my d7000
Just back from Nikon, 2 weeks to the day. They replaced the zoom motor and did a software/firmware reboot and update.

All good now,

Mike

Posted 10 months ago #
jaysb3

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Looks like I'm going to have to send my D7k in for focus adjustment. I've had the camera for 3 months.

Yesterday, I did the "45 degree line of batteries" check and my camera failed miserably. It's pretty unbelievable to me how bad it is. When the center battery (that I focused on- using center point) was so OOF and the next 2 batteries, behind it, were always in focus. WTF!

Used my 35mm 1.8G, 50mm 1.4G and my old Nikkor 55mm/micro 2.8 lens in the test. I've tuned the 35mm and 50mm up to -20 (the maximum) and now the overall focus for them is so much better. It's amazing, now I realize how "off/soft" my photos have been - and why.

Even my old, reliable and very sharp 55mm/micro manual lens was back focusing! I've been using this lens for over 20 years w/FM2 and never noticed any focus issues. It's still one of the sharpest lenses that I own.

So is the back focus problem only an AF issue?

I would like to know, because I do not want to send my camera back to be repaired if the problem is only - my (bad)technique.

D7000, Nikon lenses 12-24, 35 1.8G, 50 1.4G, 85 1.4G, 55-200, 55mm micro.

Posted 10 months ago #
Paperman

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I have lately started to believe that the back/front focus issues exist in more cameras/lenses than we think ( or admit ) and that AF is not a faultless & perfected technology.

I had never done focus tests before but just out of curiosity , I did a few ruler tests a couple of months ago on my D300 & 50mm f1.8D. In each photo I took, the D300 managed to focus on a different spot - FF in one shot, BF in the next, spot on in the last - making calibration pointless. Nothing major but enough to make me lose faith in the "state-of-art"ness of the technology. I started saying maybe this is not only a D7000 issue and the the reason we see it mostly on D7000s is that because everyone does the test on the D7000. ( and we started hearing about the D800s, D4s lately )

I am not the least worried about minor AF issues as I am mostly a wide angle/ landscape/ f8 type of photographer but I did start believing the AF systems are prone to error even in perfect light conditions - as they are trying to "sense" distances in the smallest of areas by just detecting contrast/motion ( imagine the area a bird's eye takes in an APS-C sensor ).

My feeling is that one shouldn't expect 100% AF accuracy 100% of the time in any camera - even under ideal conditions. Maybe that's why we have keeper shots as well as those that go to garbage because they may be 1-2% worse/out in focus than the best shot.

I also think that what we have - the current AF technology with all its minor faults - is more than enough ( remember the days we focused by hand and by eye ! ) and this is something we can live with ( excluding of course major & consistent FF/BF ). I am OK with my DSLR focusing correctly 90% of the time - aren't you ? Don't we take tens of the same shot anyway ?

There is also the chance that I am talking nonsense ... But before ridiculing me, please do make some simple AF tests on your own DSLR and a non-wide angle lens and then say whatever you are going to say :-)

Posted 10 months ago #
Gabbb

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Paperman said:
I have lately started to believe that the back/front focus issues exist in more cameras/lenses than we think ( or admit ) and that AF is not a faultless & perfected technology.

I had never done focus tests before but just out of curiosity , I did a few ruler tests a couple of months ago on my D300 & 50mm f1.8D. In each photo I took, the D300 managed to focus on a different spot - FF in one shot, BF in the next, spot on in the last - making calibration pointless. Nothing major but enough to make me lose faith in the "state-of-art"ness of the technology. I started saying maybe this is not only a D7000 issue and the the reason we see it mostly on D7000s is that because everyone does the test on the D7000. ( and we started hearing about the D800s, D4s lately )

I am not the least worried about minor AF issues as I am mostly a wide angle/ landscape/ f8 type of photographer but I did start believing the AF systems are prone to error even in perfect light conditions - as they are trying to "sense" distances in the smallest of areas by just detecting contrast/motion ( imagine the area a bird's eye takes in an APS-C sensor ).

My feeling is that one shouldn't expect 100% AF accuracy 100% of the time in any camera - even under ideal conditions. Maybe that's why we have keeper shots as well as those that go to garbage because they may be 1-2% worse/out in focus than the best shot.

I also think that what we have - the current AF technology with all its minor faults - is more than enough ( remember the days we focused by hand and by eye ! ) and this is something we can live with ( excluding of course major & consistent FF/BF ). I am OK with my DSLR focusing correctly 90% of the time - aren't you ? Don't we take tens of the same shot anyway ?

There is also the chance that I am talking nonsense ... But before ridiculing me, please do make some simple AF tests on your own DSLR and a non-wide angle lens and then say whatever you are going to say :-)

You are right about the error rate ofc, but it's just sad that in good light any half decent compact can and will grab the perfect focus.
And when I need to retake a photo for this reason I get strange looks :S

Posted 10 months ago #
Paperman

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I am sure if anyone did those scrutinizing AF tests in those compacts, they would find AF inconsistencies. Never mind the fact that the low IQ / resolution smaller sensors can hide the focus faults :-)

Posted 10 months ago #
rensuchan

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My D7000 experience is pretty much that the 9 cross type AF points in the center have been pretty spot on always. I have loads of trouble getting the camera to focus correctly with the outer 30. Since I came from a D40 originally with only 3 AF points I've pretty much just gone to a focus and recompose method with the D7000 using the 9 center points. Works for me doing that since I was used to it from the D40 anyway; I consider it a quirk of the D7000 AF system and part of learning the ups and downs of the equipment.

Posted 10 months ago #
msmoto

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ptiller said:
After some good advice on this site, I have finally found a good combination for volleyball ( indoor, fast action, no flash ). I have a D7000 and a Nikon 50mm 1.4G lens (sorry can not afford professional level glass, the D7000 body was a stretch).
I was orginally not very happy with my D7000 focus performance, thinking my focus was out of wack ( which I did have looked at under warrenty, but checked out OK ). Ultimately I feel my two issues holding me back were a) shooting at 1.4 aperature and b) trying to keep low ISO resulting in low shutter speed ( 1/300th or less range ), not good for the level of stop action I was looking for.

Here is what I have found to work very well (for me, mileage may vary for others):
1) Depth of Field at 1.4 is almost useless for action Volleyball. All you get is very soft pictures and out of focus more than not. 2.8 or 2.4 seem to be the lowest aperature with reasonable depth of feild and result in sharp photos.
I had also suspected that the 50mm 1.4G may be slow to focus too, but after the below I do not really see this as an issue for at least what I want.
2) Really need to get shutter speed up to 1/750 or 1/1000 to stop the ball & hitting arm for impressive action shots.
3) Embrace AutoISO, with max set to 3200 or even 6400. JPEG + high intenal noise reduction is acceptable, RAW + external noise reduction very acceptable. As I have seen other say, Noise is acceptable if the rest of the shot is spot on. I see what they mean now.
4) I shoot volleyball mostly at the side of the net, allowing clear view of net action and good view of back row for diggs. From this position, lighting is basically consistance and I can shoot in manual mode to fix aperature at 2.8 (or 2.4) and keep shutter speed at 1/750 or higher. If I move to the back of the court, I will take a few sample shots to evaluate the result and adjust as needed ( 2.4 vs. 2.8 or accept slower shutter speed ). Really not to hard to figure out for each new standing locations. Most games I really do not leave the one spot I am in.
Could this be done in shutter or aperture priority, likely, but I honestly found it easier to just use manual mode.
5) Metering is one notch above spot, not sure what this is called. Maybe it is traditional center weight, sorry not near the camera or manual to confirm.
6) I have not played with exposure compensation much. I would say my shots are slightly on the dark side, but look very close to what you see in the Gym. It is very easy in software to punch up brightness a bit based on taste, but have not have time to find an exact value boost for brightness. May be playing with the exposure compensation may improve things, but I am very happy with the exposure result.
7) Focus is spot, with Continious Focus mode. Shutter relase is focus priority, but I need to play more with shutter release priority.

So now instead of a few picuture in focus ,out of 50 or 100 shots, I have more than I can handle. The noise from the high ISO after post processing is really only noticible if you pixel peep.
I am sure there maybe further improvement to this ( as I am no pro but try to learn from their advice and see what works for my exact situation ) , but just wanted to share this for others.
It looks like my focus issues where operator error type. HaHa, its never the operator...

Posted 9 months ago #
Bland

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I think ptiller echoed my thoughts about speed being more important then F Stop with todays cameras.

Posted 9 months ago #
R8R

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I might have focus issues on my D7k. I'm in denial though. My first one was fantastic, but this replacement is a little sketchy sometimes.

Posted 9 months ago #
jaysb3

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As a follow-up to my earlier post on this topic....

I did finally send my D7000 to Melville NY to be serviced for a 'severe back focus' problem. It took over 3 weeks for them to send it back to me.

Here's what they did:

ADJ MIRROR ANGLE
ADJ AF UNIT
ADJ AUTO FOCUS OPERATION
CKD COMMUNICATION
CLN CCD
FIRMWARE UPGRADE
GENERAL CHECK & CLEAN

At this point, I can see a definite improvement in focus using the 50mm 1.4G lens. I've yet to try my other lenses. I'm looking forward to putting the 85mm 1.4G on today and taking it on a shooting spree to see what kind of results I get, using my 'Flagship' lens.

I'm not interested in doing any more rigid focus testing with the battery line up procedure, using all my lenses, tripod, remote shutter release, etc... Unless I start noticing the same problem again! I figure I've done my due diligence in determining the focus problem with this camera.

I'm no 'Expert' in photography nor do I consider myself to be a 'Pro', but I have been taking pictures for many decades (I'm old). I feel that I can say (without a doubt) that this D7000 was back focusing. And it was not due my bad technique or lack of understanding in how this camera operates.

I now have my camera back - in more ways than one. Thank you Nikon.

Posted 9 months ago #
brewercm

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I used the Reikan FoCal tool on all the lenses on my D7000 and my customers are amazed at how sharp they are, even zoomed to 100%. Best tool I've used to calibrate all my lenses. Need to run my D700 through them all now to get the best performance possible out of it too.

Posted 9 months ago #
spraynpray

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brewercm said:
I used the Reikan FoCal tool on all the lenses on my D7000 and my customers are amazed at how sharp they are, even zoomed to 100%. Best tool I've used to calibrate all my lenses. Need to run my D700 through them all now to get the best performance possible out of it too.

What lenses did you calibrate and by how much was each out?

Posted 9 months ago #
Fingers

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Hi all..

And there was me thinking (and being told) it was down to my apparent inability and lack or experience!..

I find focusing and a focal length less than around 35mm very poor..I took shots of the trees at the end of my garden at 18mm (18-105 lens) and found them very soft..the 8mpcamera on my Samsung S2 phone is sharper!

I have tried all sorts of permutation with f stops, focus points etc etc..and got the same poor results every time...

Back to the shop it goes!!

Posted 6 months ago #
DaveO

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I thought that the focus problems of the D7000 had been resolved. That's the reason I am waiting for the D 400.
My FM2n focuses pretty well in spite of my eyesight that is getting worse.

Posted 6 months ago #
Gabbb

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The aforementioned focus problem is related to the lens, I had similar experience with the 16-85vr I've had. The 16-35 is spot on every time, even at macro distances. :-)

Posted 6 months ago #