Autofocus not centering?

[DamianBPhoto]

I went out on a photoshoot today with my kit lense (18-105) and my 50mm prime and none of them would focus properly, they all focused on the backroung instead. Needless to say it ruined my whole set.

I tried changing all the different AF options but didn't really solve it.

A few things to take note of.

One car was really bright green which didn't help with exposures.
On the metering grid it kept showing it was focusing on the top right had corner.
I was using filters for a couple of shots.

I tried taking the lens off and putting it back, becuase this helped last time it happend but I still didnt get anything.

It did focus on the subject every now again but something is defiantly up.

I have a Nikon D90

Edited by DamianBPhoto on Sunday 11th July 15:59

[GetCarter]

Are you sure you have not got the 'where to focus point' off center? (red square through the viewfinder)

[DamianBPhoto]

GetCarter said:

Are you sure you have not got the 'where to focus point' off center? (red square through the viewfinder)

As far as I am a where I haven't changed or moved it but I just had another play and it still sits on top but has moved to the middle. How would I go about moving it's position?

[rottie102]

DamianBPhoto said:

GetCarter said:

Are you sure you have not got the 'where to focus point' off center? (red square through the viewfinder)

As far as I am a where

I'm sorry, couldn't help myself
You know you can set which AF point you want it to focus on? Maybe you've just had it set to that particular one and now you've changed it to middle top one.
RTM

[DamianBPhoto]

rottie102 said:

DamianBPhoto said:

GetCarter said:

Are you sure you have not got the 'where to focus point' off center? (red square through the viewfinder)

As far as I am a where

I'm sorry, couldn't help myself
You know you can set which AF point you want it to focus on? Maybe you've just had it set to that particular one and now you've changed it to middle top one.
RTM

I know you can do it but I have never changed it on my camera before, I've never had the need. I couldnt find what I had changed/needed to change back so I have just reset all the options.

[XG332]

I have the middle spot selected 90% of the time. I dont know about anybody else but i usually point the camera where i want to focus.

[rottie102]

I'm sorry but that's just incredible - you call yourself a professional photographer, you run a professional photography company according to your website and you don't know how to / you never did change the AF points in your camera from auto???? How do you manage to get any shots done?? It's a serious question, not a rant, I'm really curious now.

[Starfighter]

...or focus manually?

[Scott330ci]

rottie102 said:

I'm sorry but that's just incredible - you call yourself a professional photographer, you run a professional photography company according to your website and you don't know how to / you never did change the AF points in your camera from auto???? How do you manage to get any shots done?? It's a serious question, not a rant, I'm really curious now.

Agreed.

Unbelievable.

[DamianBPhoto]

rottie102 said:

I'm sorry but that's just incredible - you call yourself a professional photographer, you run a professional photography company according to your website and you don't know how to / you never did change the AF points in your camera from auto???? How do you manage to get any shots done?? It's a serious question, not a rant, I'm really curious now.

Well I have three options to choose from.
1, Autofocus
2, ManualFocus
3, Live view select focus.


If all I need to do is autofocus, then auto focus works fine.
If I need to focus on one particular area then Maunal or live view does that job. I taught myself to use live view for that situation. It was the easiest way in my opinion.

I have changed the focusing point before (af-c, af-s, af-a) but this time it was only using one focusing point (point 3 out of 11 to be precice) no matter what setting it didn't move. I knew how to change this on my Fuji but not on my Nikon and I have never learnt how to change it because of things like Live view and manual I have never had the need.

[Scott330ci]

Serious question. Who actually uses live view on a DSLR?

[rottie102]

DamianBPhoto said:

rottie102 said:

I'm sorry but that's just incredible - you call yourself a professional photographer, you run a professional photography company according to your website and you don't know how to / you never did change the AF points in your camera from auto???? How do you manage to get any shots done?? It's a serious question, not a rant, I'm really curious now.

Well I have three options to choose from.
1, Autofocus
2, ManualFocus
3, Live view select focus.


If all I need to do is autofocus, then auto focus works fine.
If I need to focus on one particular area then Maunal or live view does that job. I taught myself to use live view for that situation. It was the easiest way in my opinion.

I have changed the focusing point before (af-c, af-s, af-a) but this time it was only using one focusing point (point 3 out of 11 to be precice) no matter what setting it didn't move. I knew how to change this on my Fuji but not on my Nikon and I have never learnt how to change it because of things like Live view and manual I have never had the need.

So why haven't you used manual focus so you won't "waste the shoot"???

It's just really weird because changing the autofocus point is pretty basic knowledge. Plus it's REALLY difficult to get any good pictures using it in auto mode because it will always focus on the lightest point. Which is not always the point you want it to focus on. That's why every photographer I know when they use autofocus they focus on the centre spot and recompose. It's really "lesson no 3", much easier and less complicated than using Live view or manual focus.

[rottie102]

Scott330ci said:

Serious question. Who actually uses live view on a DSLR?

I would sometimes, if it wouldn't be such a PITA on Canon.

[LongQ]

DamianBPhoto said:

I have changed the focusing point before (af-c, af-s, af-a) but this time it was only using one focusing point (point 3 out of 11 to be precice) no matter what setting it didn't move. I knew how to change this on my Fuji but not on my Nikon and I have never learnt how to change it because of things like Live view and manual I have never had the need.

To be fair here I had something similar happening with my Canon recemtly - I think an inadvertent button press during normal handling had set a mode that was perfectly alid but puzzling if you did not know it had been set. Or what it was. I could make it abandon the setting but it insisted on me taking a snap first or being rather brutal with it. I think it was one of those 'you've set this because your really really wanted to' modes 'and I'm not going to let you get out of it 'cos you will blame me for crap shots it I make it too easy to escape ...'.

Which is fine if you know you set it but not so smart if you didn't. Especially if it is not clear what you set because you didn't know you set it. It's then very easy to end up in a sequence of attempted exits that leave you one button push from success for half an hour.

That said it sounds like an RTFM moment rather than an 'ask a forum' question.

[DamianBPhoto]

rottie102 said:

DamianBPhoto said:

rottie102 said:

I'm sorry but that's just incredible - you call yourself a professional photographer, you run a professional photography company according to your website and you don't know how to / you never did change the AF points in your camera from auto???? How do you manage to get any shots done?? It's a serious question, not a rant, I'm really curious now.

Well I have three options to choose from.
1, Autofocus
2, ManualFocus
3, Live view select focus.


If all I need to do is autofocus, then auto focus works fine.
If I need to focus on one particular area then Maunal or live view does that job. I taught myself to use live view for that situation. It was the easiest way in my opinion.

I have changed the focusing point before (af-c, af-s, af-a) but this time it was only using one focusing point (point 3 out of 11 to be precice) no matter what setting it didn't move. I knew how to change this on my Fuji but not on my Nikon and I have never learnt how to change it because of things like Live view and manual I have never had the need.

So why haven't you used manual focus so you won't "waste the shoot"???

It's just really weird because changing the autofocus point is pretty basic knowledge. Plus it's REALLY difficult to get any good pictures using it in auto mode because it will always focus on the lightest point. Which is not always the point you want it to focus on. That's why every photographer I know when they use autofocus they focus on the centre spot and recompose. It's really "lesson no 3", much easier and less complicated than using Live view or manual focus.

I was doing some long shots where I couldnt quite see to manual focus and some moving shots where I wouldn't have moved my fingers quickly enough, but as for the close ups I will take it on the chin I could of manual focused but I was spending more time trying to set the flash right. Well I have changed the focus point before but I have never changed a single tracking point before (on my Nikon) and even now when I switch it to single, dynamic or 3D it still shows it at the top of the tracking. I just found the option for it and it still wont let me move it?

[DamianBPhoto]

LongQ said:

DamianBPhoto said:

I have changed the focusing point before (af-c, af-s, af-a) but this time it was only using one focusing point (point 3 out of 11 to be precice) no matter what setting it didn't move. I knew how to change this on my Fuji but not on my Nikon and I have never learnt how to change it because of things like Live view and manual I have never had the need.

To be fair here I had something similar happening with my Canon recemtly - I think an inadvertent button press during normal handling had set a mode that was perfectly alid but puzzling if you did not know it had been set. Or what it was. I could make it abandon the setting but it insisted on me taking a snap first or being rather brutal with it. I think it was one of those 'you've set this because your really really wanted to' modes 'and I'm not going to let you get out of it 'cos you will blame me for crap shots it I make it too easy to escape ...'.

Which is fine if you know you set it but not so smart if you didn't. Especially if it is not clear what you set because you didn't know you set it. It's then very easy to end up in a sequence of attempted exits that leave you one button push from success for half an hour.

That said it sounds like an RTFM moment rather than an 'ask a forum' question.

In my hast I forgot to mention the last photoshoot I went on the autofocus wouldnt work at all, I had to take the lens off twice to get it to kick back in. Thats why I asked the forum incase I had changed something or is there something up?

[Simpo Two]

Scott330ci said:

rottie102 said:

I'm sorry but that's just incredible - you call yourself a professional photographer, you run a professional photography company according to your website and you don't know how to / you never did change the AF points in your camera from auto???? How do you manage to get any shots done?? It's a serious question, not a rant, I'm really curious now.

Agreed.

Unbelievable.

+1 , as they say.

(types several things and deletes them)

Apart from 'RTFM' I have another suggestion. Postpone the school shoot until you know what the flying heck you are doing.

[Scott330ci]

Simpo Two said:

Apart from 'RTFM' I have another suggestion. Postpone the school shoot until you know what the flying heck you are doing.

Not wishing to jump on the bypassing bandwagon but contemplating charging a school £500 for 120 mug shots seems to be a bit out of depth when you seem unable to change focusing points. RTFM before you ps off any potential customers.

[LongQ]

DamianBPhoto said:

LongQ said:

DamianBPhoto said:

I have changed the focusing point before (af-c, af-s, af-a) but this time it was only using one focusing point (point 3 out of 11 to be precice) no matter what setting it didn't move. I knew how to change this on my Fuji but not on my Nikon and I have never learnt how to change it because of things like Live view and manual I have never had the need.

To be fair here I had something similar happening with my Canon recemtly - I think an inadvertent button press during normal handling had set a mode that was perfectly alid but puzzling if you did not know it had been set. Or what it was. I could make it abandon the setting but it insisted on me taking a snap first or being rather brutal with it. I think it was one of those 'you've set this because your really really wanted to' modes 'and I'm not going to let you get out of it 'cos you will blame me for crap shots it I make it too easy to escape ...'.

Which is fine if you know you set it but not so smart if you didn't. Especially if it is not clear what you set because you didn't know you set it. It's then very easy to end up in a sequence of attempted exits that leave you one button push from success for half an hour.

That said it sounds like an RTFM moment rather than an 'ask a forum' question.

In my hast I forgot to mention the last photoshoot I went on the autofocus wouldnt work at all, I had to take the lens off twice to get it to kick back in. Thats why I asked the forum incase I had changed something or is there something up?

I had the same - for the first time ever - and I have no idea why it chose that day to play awkward when all had been fine the day before and I don't recall doing anything except re-charging or swapping the battery, can't remember which. But on this particular day nothing I tried would get it to focus or expose correctly until I took the battery out. After which it was fine.

[DamianBPhoto]

I feel I am getting attacked by certain people here because I think I haven’t thoroughly explained myself properly.

A couple of weekends ago I had to-do a portrait photo shoot. For about 4hours it worked absolutely fine but as the day started to wind off I clocked that it wasn't focusing any more. Since I had started the day I hadn't changed any settings I originally started off with, no need. So it was rather confusing when it stopped working. After playing around I managed to work out that if I took the the lens off and put it back on it would kick back in, which it did and it carried on working for the next 2hours til the end of the shoot.

Now this is the first time I have taken my camera out since then....

As per usual I sat down for a bit, took some practice shots to get all the settings right. I had it set it single point center, so I had no reason to believe anything would have changed since I last took it out. So I set-up the first shot, happy with the setting first time but when I went back to the car to check it I noticed it was all out of focus. I turned around and tried it on the other car and it focused fine. So I went on to photograph the other car. In the bright light they looked like they had focused fine (I did jump inside the boot and cover the screen). We then moved to down the road where it was a little shaded and that’s where I first noticed the focus points was now pointing it's self in the top right corner. In-case I have lost anyone... On the settings screen on top of the D90 it shows you the AF focal point grid (11 points) which looks like this

+++
+++++
+++

and what I was/am seeing is this

+[+]+
+++++
+++

or

++[+]
+++++
+++


If I have ever needed to focus on the far top right or top center prior I would either point it in that direction, point it in that direction - auto focus then switch it to manual or use live view and tell it where to focus if I wasn’t able to look through the view finder. On my Fuji I knew exactly how to program the focus points but on the Nikon I have never taught myself/found the option through lack of need to. Now because I haven’t done that it doesn’t mean I don't know how to set-up any on the AF attributes. Just means I don't know how to select a single focal point.

Now, I managed to the option of “Focal point select” and it says hold AE-L/AF-L and rotate sub command dial so I have tried that and can not move it. I have tried a few of the different options combined with it and it will still not move.

Now some may say well “RTFM”but when I think I have a problem with Autofocus and I am worried it might be down to a broken motor or sensor I thought I would ask the professionals for some advice? I see people doing it here every week so why can't I take part?

Edited by DamianBPhoto on Sunday 11th July 21:49

Edited by DamianBPhoto on Sunday 11th July 21:50