Tamron Tap in Console and 5 cameras

Pistnbroke

If you read my comments on the Tamron 100-400 you will know I got a tap in console. The problem is I have 5 cameras ( 2 x810 2x 7100 and an 800) and may use the lens on any one...So how do I do that ? None of the u tube video address that issue.
I tried the lens on two cameras so far with the tap in at 0/400mm. the D810 needs +1 and the D7100 +6.
My logic was to set the camera FFA to whatever is needed at 0/400 (ie D7100 +6) and then adjust all the other focal lengths . The settings should then match any of my cameras if they have there FFA correct at 0/400.
Anyone have any views on this.

Pistnbroke

So this is what happened. Using the d7100 with Camera +7 FFA on the 400mm end.
I did the first set of focal lengths at 5ft and made adjustments ...all I can say is be bold if its front focused put in -10 rather than -2 or you will be there all day. If -10 takes you twice as far as you need try -5 but if its not enough try -20. When you have the 5ft profile done you will see a pattern to it so when you go to the 11ft distance guess ..if it was -20 at 5ft its probably -15 at 11ft .If you don't do this you will be there all day. I did not find the doc movements caused as much change as on the camera FFA.
So with it all tapped in with settings from -20 to +4 I swopped to a D810.
This one needed camera FFA -1 at 400mm tap set on zero at 400mm but all the settings from the D7100 remain.
Checked it out and all seemed to be fine.
Just got the other 3 cameras to set but only at 400mm and no tapping.

Hope this helped ..let me know silence is not golden

PB_PM

The only way to fix it would be to have Nikon calibrate the focusing of all the cameras to match each other, since calibration isn’t just on the lens side.

retread

Brad Hill in one of his blog posts was doing the same with a Sigma lens. Only two cameras involved. He tested it on both cameras and then set an intermediate value and weighted it slightly to the camera he thought he would use lens on the most.

I have a 150-600 G2 when I get a tap in console that is the approach I will take. It seems logical to me. It will be a learning curve just to do the tests.

Pistnbroke

Still making adjustment and discoveries about this system ...not simple in any way.

Pistnbroke

Well if you want a couple of days of frustration go buy a tap in for your Tamron lens.
First attempt was to set the camera FFA at +10 ,leave the 400 inf at zero and tap in the others....well -20 did not get it for some lengths so I gave up and set the camera FFA to 0 and tapped in the figures. Success +10 +14 +5 and all the rest zero. You can transfer figures you got on the camera to the tap in it seems the _20 to+20 scales are the same . This saves a lot of time.I think the reason I had so much trouble with this is that the lens is not making the fine focus adjustment but telling the camera what to apply at different focal lengths and focus distances. It assumes the camera focus adjust is at zero.
Oh no not so fast ..put it on the other D7100 and D810 and rubbish..could not pull it in with camera FFA. So that means I got to tap in new figures each time I change camera ..oh yes well impressed.
So wrote to Mr Tamron the angry photographer and got this ...
You shouldn’t need the TAP console for one thing, just adjust each camera to the offset go to default as you judge is IN FOCUS
Now either this is American English ( translation please ?) but it don't make full sense to me and the use of default is confusing ..
If you change " just" to " to" it makes sense ..try this tomorrow

So at present I conclude ...bin the tap in console if you have more than one camera and just pretend its a normal lens....

ONLY BUY NIKON LENSES !!!!

Pistnbroke

The whole post disappeared .....will have to re type.
Setting the fine focus adjust to anything other than zero does not work.What is happening is that the lens is not making adjustments to the focus it is telling the camera to swing the fine focus about to match the focal length and distance.
Hence the -20 to +20 scales in the tap and in the camera are identical.Quick adjust is to use the in camera FFA to determine the setting and then transfer to the tap. then re set camera to zero.
I did this with one of my D7100 and only 3 numbers needed inputting but it wont work with the other D7100 or the D810.
I wrote to mr tamron the angry photographer and got this single line back.

You shouldn’t need the TAP console for one thing, just adjust each camera to the offset go to default as you judge is IN FOCUS

Now this does not make sense unless you change the word JUST to TO. The implication being that you can adjust the default on your other cameras.
Default is what the focus adjust goes to when a lens is fitted that is not in the memory.
Need to try this but after a couple of days I am all tapped out !!

BUY NIKON LENSES

Pistnbroke

Spent about 3 days on this and came up with the following conclusions.
Set the tap in to zero on everything. Use the camera FFA to find the right offset for each of the 15 offsets required by the tap and then enter them in.Set camera to zero. You can use the rear LCD to review many of the closer distances rather than going to the computer. Many readings will be zero .I only had to adjust 3. This is much faster than putting the lens on and off the tap about 45 times.
Now to the issue of multiple cameras ...I wrote to Mr Tamron ie The angry photographer and got this one line response...

You shouldn’t need the TAP console for one thing, just adjust each camera to the offset go to default as you judge is IN FOCUS

Now the English is wrong but if you change JUST to TO it makes sense.

So I took another D7100 and removed the 100-400 from the saved values list.
When you attach a lens not in the list you can use the default to swing the focus adjust.
As the tap had +10 @400mm I put in -10 and yes it was spot on.
Note the Default value is the one any lens not on the list is set to when attached.
I don't think the lens is making fine focus adjustments within the lens but telling the camera what settings to use as the focal length and distance varies.
this does not solve the problem of having two or more tamron tap in lenses and multiple cameras.

Hope this helps you all.

heartyfisher

Interesting problem....

Stating the problem

You have multiple lenses that need "adjustments" to work with multiple cameras.

To solve the problem you have
1) Adjustments on the camera for each Lense.(Micro-FineTune)
2) Adjustments on the lense for the lens.(TAP)

At first glance both methods adjust for the lense.
Ie. there does not seem to be a way to adjust the cameras.

.... But there may be a way to adjust the cameras!!

1) Find your most "normal" lense ie the one that requires the least adjusted settings. And make that the "STANDARD" by which you calibrate all your cameras.

2) Set the MicroAdjust for that lense on all your cameras. and take a note of the value.
You now have all cameras "standardized"

2.1) You now use that value for all lenses even if that is not accurate at first.

3) Next use the TAP to adjust each of the lenses on any one of the "Standard" cameras.

Done! All lenses should now work with all cameras! (Theoretically.)
:-) Would be cool to know if theory works in practice..

PB_PM

Nikon can do that, which is why I suggested it (calibrating the cameras I mean).

Pistnbroke

I think I had your thoughts originally but it does not work. the tap in expects the FFA to be at zero because the lens is sending information to the camera to tell it what to change the focus adjust to . The lens is not changing its focus its instructing the camera ..overriding the fixed fine focus adjust.
Now on the D7100 my wife uses the tap say -14 -16 -18 for 400 300 200 so if you put it on another camera and move the fine focus to compensate it does not give you any calibration space as it only goes to -20.
It seems however if you use default you can get it to work.
Your head does spin with all this .
I might try to tap it on another camera needing less correction..it gets very irritating when you spent money and the product does not work easily for you on multiple cameas.