D7000 Auto-focus Problems or Unwarranted Expectations?

QuintonHurst

Does the eyepiece viewfinder image always appear normal?
Yes, from what I can see, what I'm focusing on appears sharp but the picture does not line-up with that initial appearance through the viewfinder.

Are the contacts on the camera and lens clean?
I'm assuming so right now given that all the items are brand new but I will check later when I can.

Have you reset the camera body?
No, I don't believe so, but I can try that later as well.

Are you shooting in conditions described on p.93 of the manual?
You know, some of those conditions might be the reason why the phase detection AF is working better on close objects (3ft or less).

Dredden85

Here's my first focus test shot I did with my brand new D7000+N18-200VRII. I am exactly 6ft from the subject; I auto focused on the grapes.


Larger: http://blg.nikonsrc.com/image/ls2pyw2qjWjsrWACu3fb72Bu0FLtEi1PBX9VvNpaVzMRNb8trOgTb-97ksGSfQw8_eAT_60jDC4/item.JPG?rot=1

@ 170mm, f14, 4sec, ISO 100, AF Auto, Tripod mounted.

Msmoto

@ Dredden85

Looks good to me....

QuintonHurst

Back it goes. I'm so glad to be done with this model. I found out a relative of mine had the same camera so we scheduled a time to compare since she was also having problems. Turns out, it's the same exact problem. Lucky for me, I was still able to return mine and so that is what I am doing. Phase detection AF worked fine up close with stuff but with anything farther than 3 feet it simply did not work. Looks like I'll be a D7100 owner soon...

andi

Same problem with D7000 with lenses: nikkor prime lens 50mm 1,8 and nikkor zoom 18-200mm VR.
Autofocus: Single auto focus (By the way the assisted autofocus ilumination does NOT work on this signel point mode!)
I have tried to AF tune -20 still didn't make any improvement.
When I played around with AF tune (to -20) then I often forgot to put it back to zero again when I switch lense to my micro 105mm, and then all my pictures with 105mm micro becomesout of focused too.
This problem must be solved by Nikon and we must at least get a compensation like extended waranty or they could have offer a repair for free.
I have also nikkor superwide angle lens that I haven't tried.

andi

MikeGunter :

Did you only send the body D7000 or also with your lenses?

Thanks, consider sending mine too.

MikeGunter

Hi all,

@andi Just the body.

The original correspondence via email/web was a $240 or so estimate for major repair that was adjusted to $85 that included the shipping. The camera is working perfectly now. It was just an adjustment.

I used Focal - which was a pain, IMHO, for the 17-55m when it was returned and the adjustment wasn't worth using, ie., +1, and I couldn't really see any improvement. Besides, I would need to back off for the 'zoom' , so it wouldn't gain anything.

While I feel your pain, in my case $85 isn't enough to press the flesh for. I'd rather pick my battles for other

Dredden85

It is a shame you guys are having difficulties with your D7000. Knock-on-wood, I have not had any issues yet with my D7K. However, I am still pretty nervous about something going wrong. I handle the rig like it's a newborn. I wish you guys luck with your D7100. I look forward to read of your experiences.

spraynpray

I'm like you Dredden - Mine is fine too. I thought I had spots once but the lens was unexpectedly dirty.

I can't help but think these quality problems that are inconsistent are mostly because Nikon don't build the bodies in Japan any more. I think I would pay £100 more for my camera to be built in Japan and they would probably not get bad rep so it would be win-win.

KnockKnock

Yeah, as was said in the other D7000 thread - we're probably passing the same dozen bad-focusing refurbs around :-P

JJ_SO

Only some thoughts, because some years ago a combination of a Tamron 17-50 on a Pentax drove me mad and the D7000 with Sigma 17-50 were great from the beginning: Once you lost confidence in getting sharp images it can become a hard way to gain it back. For you as well as for the manufacturer. And Tamron did a lot to help me, Pentax also exchanged the body and adjusted it. And I've to say, I did a lot, too. But I was not as experienced handling AF as I'm a couple of thousand pictures later. And some "failures" I complained of were just bad handling and lack of experience of me. And a lot of "information" I found in the net which made me insecure or led to wrong conclusions or both.

Anyway, I thought never again Tamron and went for Sigma as a fast zoom. I compared it with the 17-55 from Nikon. That was, going out of the shop with the new body I was not at all used to, together with an extremely suspicious shop-assistant, taking 4 pics with each lens, loading the pics on an iPad and then decide in the shop. Ridiculous, I know, but before I would spent a lot more on Nikon I wanted to know at least a bit of the difference. With such a setting: impossible. With such a shop assistant, too. It was sheer coincidence to end up with such a nice lens.

All those third party standard zooms are turning the distance ring in a really small angle from infinity to closest range. The Nikon has a larger angle. All the manufacturers don't like the reputation of slow AF. And if you turn the focus ring only 40° instead 200° to run through the distance range, it can be done quicker by the AF-drive. But less precisely and much more depending on tight tolerances. And those don't go well with the price of a fast standard-zoom from an other manufacturer than the genuine one. If you ever try to focus manually in LiveView with such a lens, you see what I mean.

So, if one gets a good copy - great, money and nerves saved.

Btw., I sold the Sigma and got the 16-85 from Nikon because the moving focus ring was annoying after I learnt with the next lens, the 24/1.4G how cool the Nikon focus system really is - to show me that would have been the job to of the shop-assistant, but he was too busy with being suspicious, superior and bored all at the same time...

Dredden85

I'm like you Dredden - Mine is fine too. I thought I had spots once but the lens was unexpectedly dirty.

I can't help but think these quality problems that are inconsistent are mostly because Nikon don't build the bodies in Japan any more. I think I would pay £100 more for my camera to be built in Japan and they would probably not get bad rep so it would be win-win.

My D5000 had some spots they were in the corners of the view finder. Looking up into the penta-prism/penta-mirror(?) I was able to see them and clean 'em out. After a year in Africa, Djibouti and Tanzania, it did very well and never collected any spots. The second day in to the safari in Tanzania, the D5k+the Tamron 18-250mm took a 12 inch drop out of my bag and bounced three times on hard tile before I could dive on it. I had to "snap" the focus ring back in. Very lucky it did not suffer any further damage. I don't know if dove for it or fainted at the sight of my rig falling!

@JJ_SO- Had the same experience at some chain store in Florida. After being treated as low life, I went to their competition and popped on a N75 and Tamron 100-300? (circa 2003).

QuintonHurst

Got the D7100 in and so far all is well!

http://forum.nikonrumors.com/discussion/comment/23920#Comment_23920

Dredden85

Had a spot show up on 8 frames today while shooting, upper left, then disappeared (D7000). I did not notice to until I reviewed on my PC. I am not too sure what it could have been since the lens has not been off of the body since unpacking on delivery day.

Larger: http://blg.nikonsrc.com/image/ls2pyw2qjWjsrWACu3fb72Bu0FLtEi1PBX9VvNpaVzNbcrB4rvbbIO97ksGSfQw8_eAT_60jDC4/item.JPG?rot=1

@Quintonhurst- Congrats! I read your linked post. I am looking forward to your images on PAD with your new toy!

PB_PM

@Dredden85 Zoom lenses without full weather sealing can suck in dust through the zoom barrel, just something to keep in mind.

Dredden85

Thanks! I am sure the N18-200VRII is NOT weather sealed.

bland

I had to take one of my D7000s to the doctors today. The AF button by the lens mount quit working and my sd card kept showing an er error. He said the AF button was because the contact had worn out and the sd card error was because of the spring it rest on becoming worn out. Total fix was $145.

He said this was common on the D7000 after 10,000 shots. I had around 30,000 so I wasn't upset at all.

He also said that the shutter breaks on some of them around 30,000 shots. He said the cost of that if it happens is $115.

Anyways, just some info if you would have these problems.

spraynpray

Blimey Bland. Disappointing but good info, thanks.

Was it the push button or the rotary part of the AF/MF switch? It would be nice to know how much you use that switch and that spring please.

bland

Blimey Bland. Disappointing but good info, thanks.

Was it the push button or the rotary part of the AF/MF switch? It would be nice to know how much you use that switch and that spring please.

It was the pushbutton, spraynpray. I used it probably much more then most people as I'm changing from AF-S to AF-C a lot and also changing focus patterns.

But here's the bad news, I realized last night that I had given him the wrong D7000. My shoot this morning is at 10:00 and his store doesn't open up until 10:00. LOL

spraynpray

Oh-Oh. Glad you can LOL about that, I would be @?!#$@% mad about it!

blackfox

the problem i have with mine (and its intermittent) sometimes with a nikon lens sometimes tokina is that if shooting at normal angles its fine but try and focus on a bird in flight sometimes it will other times no ,sometimes when using the 80-400 tokina it will focus if you pull back to around 380mm then zoom out again .if tracking a b.i.f in front of you its superb .just up in the air is where the problem lies ?????

Charmdesign

Any tips or tutorials for adjusting the fine tune? will read my manual when I'm back in town.

spraynpray

Youtube is your friend for that, plenty of tutorials.

Msmoto

@Charmdesign

Just FYI, the easiest way to read the manual is to download it from Nikon, then when it is saved and read in something like Adobe Reader you can search for words and find the info quite rapidly.

Charmdesign

@msmoto nice tip