Do you calibrate lenes ???

[PIC]

Seldom done in decades past but now seemsl the Rage !

Why, How bad, How better, Pre Post Tests, What camera and lenes, on 1 or more cameras ???

People and Companies use different yardsticks.
How do you tell quantitively [at home] whether a lens is sharp or not and are you REALLY getting much Sharper Images after ?
Don't make assumption that AF microadjustment is a substitute for calibration. Microadjustment will affect all focal length settings of a zoom lens equally, but a full calibration will handle 8 or 10 different focal length settings for each zoom lens and should take up to 4 hours of service by a qualified tech.

Funny how things become and cause Rage ...

EL

[johnastovall]

CLA, Clean Lubicate and Alingment of the elements has long been a part of good maintaince.

That alingment was put the lens on an optical bench and making sure it as in spec.

Also in the Rangefinder world it's long been a practice to have lens and rangfinder coupling fine tuned for focus.

[PIC]

Originally Posted by johnastovall

CLA, Clean Lubicate and Alingment of the elements has long been a part of good maintaince.

That alingment was put the lens on an optical bench and making sure it as in spec.

Also in the Rangefinder world it's long been a practice to have lens and rangfinder coupling fine tuned for focus.

Not answering the questions posed above ...
CLA is not calibration either ..

EL

[johnastovall]

I don't think you understand the answer....

[phillip ino]

In my circumstance, it was quite clear that my lens was exhibiting softness at all focal lengths, shot at all apertures. This was especially noticeable when comparing with images of others with the same setup. I even tried using a tripod to eliminate the hand-shake factor and had no luck there either. The softness occurred throughout the image and not just on the edges. I sent mine in for calibration and it did improve significantly and now I am a satisfied customer. The lens was my Sigma 10-20 and I use it on my D80. I had no issues with any of the other lenses in my bag, so from that I was at least able to deduce that my camera wasn't the problem. Rage or not, if an item is in warranty and the end user isn't pleased with the results, more power to them for having their product checked and or calibrated. I'm sure the lens manufacturers factor this into the prices of the lenses.

[CaptainTom]

Since the development of auto focusing, lenses and cameras have routinely been "calibrated" because they somehow didn't focus properly. It's amazing how many "front/back" focus complaints are corrected when the operator turns off the AF and has to focus it themselves.
I'm still hoping for a split prism that doesn't degrade the brightness in the viewfinder. On the side of technology though, I love "live view". A fantastic chance to get the focus exactly where you want. ( it turns off AF ).

[PIC]

Thanks Francis and Tom - u both have good answers and are getting to the questions asked in the OP.

I agree Tom - seems like since the moving back element in AF combined with high end digi has increased the rage.
Still not sure its all that necessary and some have maybe percieved it without real data.
LPM are not glamous things to shoot - not too many do that.
More with High End camera users are doing it - either real problem or not.
The main manufactures are now getting overwhelmed by this post market calibration.
Some out source this work with still the main manufacture name on it.
I think some are doing it with out necessity.
Maybe its "old school" but AF and moving rear element or not - if you buy a lens it should work good with out futher calibration on all your cameras.
Some are sending in cameras w several lenes at apx $200 a pop.

I also miss the split level.

EL

[phillip ino]

I agree, some will do it just to jump on the band wagon and not out of necessity. They play into the placebo effect.

[dminton]

Almost all of the Sports Illustrated photographers and a lot of high end magazine and commercial shooters have cameras and lenses matched to each other. That is they have a particular lens and particular camera adjust and setup so that they work best with each other optically. I think this has to do with the lens mount on the camera and the lens, and fine tuning the focusing lens group. When I called Canon a few years back about getting a lens calibrated, I was told that a lens has to be sent back to Japan to do it because they are the only ones that have the optical bench to do it. (I somehow don't believe that CPS can't do it). They literally take the lens apart, and project a grid pattern through it onto a giant screen, and adjust the lenses in the lens until its right. I would think that someone somewhere in Uhmerica would be able to do this for you, and for a lot less money (international shipping is outrageous.)

[Bartman01]

Some new Nikon cameras (like the D3) allow you to calibrate the AF on a lens by lens basis - so no need to have it set to work 100% with just one lens or a limited group of lenses.

BTW - John's comments were right on. Before messing with the camera, it is a good idea to make sure the lens is in 100% order first.

[playbak]

Speaking of calibration, I have a Nikon 70-200 that seems soft. I'm going to do a couple of home tests I've seen elsewhere in the forum. If it turns out to be a lens issue, have any of you ever tried to get a Nikon lens you bought used, but still in the warranty period, checked by Nikon? I have the paperwork, but I just don't know if, like most warranties, that it only covers the original buyer.

[Night Owl]

Does anyone know how much Sigma would charge to calibrate a 120-300mm 2.8? I'm certain it's not under warranty.

For that matter, what would Nikon charge for a little calibration and clean-up on a D200?

[AndrewCCM]

Originally Posted by Bartman01

Some new Nikon cameras (like the D3) allow you to calibrate the AF on a lens by lens basis - so no need to have it set to work 100% with just one lens or a limited group of lenses.

BTW - John's comments were right on. Before messing with the camera, it is a good idea to make sure the lens is in 100% order first.

Only problem is that on Zooms a set manual adjustment point for one end of the zoom will not necessarily work for the opposite end and could perhaps make it worse.

With my Mark III, I tend to m/a to the focal lengths that I use most on zooms.

Having said that, my MKIII seems pretty consistent with the amount of m/a needed per lens. All front focus a bit (since returning to Canon for their submirror "fix". Prior to that "fix", it was focusing well without any m/a). All in all I am pretty happy with the performance of my lenses. When having an issue, I have found it is more body related with the AF sensor than the lenses themselves most of the time.

[boxofrocks]

Originally Posted by playbak

Speaking of calibration, I have a Nikon 70-200 that seems soft. I'm going to do a couple of home tests I've seen elsewhere in the forum. If it turns out to be a lens issue, have any of you ever tried to get a Nikon lens you bought used, but still in the warranty period, checked by Nikon? I have the paperwork, but I just don't know if, like most warranties, that it only covers the original buyer.

If you have the receipt and the warrantee card, and the date of the receipt shows you to be in warrantee, you should be fine. As long as it's a US model, that is.

[Skyshaker]

I just sent a Sigma 50-500 off for calibration. Fortunately an EX model that carries a 3 year warranty. It failed sharp focus on a 20D, 2 30D's, XTi and a 40D, not just at the extreme 500mm as written up in revierws. An earlier version of the lens on the same 20D gave fairly crisp shots at 500mm of Southern Right Whale's about a mile away. They wanted me to send the camera but I declined. If it failed on all those camera's had to be the lens was my thought.

Will be Interesting to see the results
Les