If you're using a laptop this won't usually be a problem, but if you have a desktop then consider this when choosing a calibration location. Your camera will also need to be close enough to your computer to be able to plug in the USB cable. The Target Distance Tool will help you choose the right distance, but here are some examples for common lens focal lengths. If the camera is too close to the target, the results of the calibration won't be as good for general shooting. The distance between the camera and the target is important for a good calibration. You'll need to attach the target to a flat, vertical wall and aim the camera at the target, so pick a height at which you can easily aim the tripod mounted camera.
You should have the software installed and ready to go, but if you're not in that position head to the guides below to help you get set up. To get my 50L dialed in I just did a LOT of shooting wide open, at objects with good texture and contrast, and eventually had an idea of where the AF was hitting the most in front or behind targetand adjusted accordingly.This page will show you what you need to do to run your first calibration. I plan to redo the L testing, this time from a correct, large distance.īasically, FoCal can't get a consistent reading and therefore can't make an exact adjustment. I didn't even need to use a tripod, remote shutter release, mirror lockup etc. I spent a lot of time doing indoor testing printed targets, computer monitor with moire patterns, Then I discovered that I get better results by hanging a large printed target on a wall in my backyard, and shooting it from realistic distances on a sunny day. I get pretty consistent focusing and have yet to notice much of the focus shift problem others talk about. I wonder what throws it off? How did you end of adjusting the 50L? That's the 50L for ya Don't blame the program, blame the lens. Which chart did you use afterall? Gear List. Interesting, I've heard great feedback from people on here which has me thinking of dropping coin on it but now you have me thinking otherwise. Anyone had better luck? Is there something I'm missing? F lickr.
So I waited until the next day and set up in my back yard in daylight the recommended environment.Įnded up using a printed free focus chart and settled on -6, which seems to give me the most consistency over varying distances and apertures. Took some real world shots and was not happy. It should not take a person with a rocket science degree to run the software and get reliable results.įor some reason this software does not like Nikon gear and especially Nikon teleconverters.I recently purchased a 50mm 1. I bought this software to take the guess work out of fine tuning and to make it quick and easy to do. I have done dozens of lens and camera combos now with other intelligent people here with me, and every time FoCal struggles to come up with confident reliable results. IMO, the software needs to be rewritten to accept and analyze typical field files. I pretty much never shoot like that in the field, yet I get very sharp usable images. For a camera as detailed as a D800 and an $8000 lens, the program should not be having the slightest amount of difficulty getting reliable sharp detailed files. In other words, you have done everything humanly possible to ensure razor sharp detailed images, yet they are not good enough for the program.
you have VR turned off, the lens is locked down on a solid tripod, and you are using ISO 100 with reasonable shutter speeds. By the end of it all, and after running it many dozens of times now, I have no faith whatsoever in the final results. I also always get messages that say the results have not been reliable and it needs to take a bunch more test images. It will start out with it being "EXCELLENT" but by the end of running it, it ends up "POOR". I don't get "crashes" per say on my Win 7 PC, but I cannot get consistent results at all with this software (and after hundreds of times, yes I am doing it right!) It seems to me that FoCal have designed the software to be too picky about sharpness and it just keeps saying the Result Confidence is "POOR".