AF adjustment with the service software

[felis]

Thanks for everyone’s concern!

@leegong, I have not yet record the communication during the process, however I am planning to try make one in the condition that the connection is established by the RS-232. USB data is way too difficult for me to understand, .

@Danielen, in my experience, when 'CCD-RUN routine error' occurs, it is likely that the program have problem with the pattern on the test screen. In this case, mildly changing the position or width of the strip might help.

Still, please offer your help, as the images in the original post seem failed to show up.

[Danielen]

Thanks I will try again.

[Danielen]

Still doesn't work, do you have another calibration chart for Nikon d5100?

[felis]

@Danielen, the program measures the AF points sequentially, I wonder whether error occurs at the beginning of your operation or after some of the AF points have been proceded already. Show us some image if possible.

[Danielen]

Error occurs at the beginning of the operation. I tried changing the position and width of the strip but still doesn't work.

[felis]

Could it be that you have just mistakenly used the vertical/horizontal image? Switch and try again?

[Goran]

Finished AF adjustment on my D3100 today. Used my kit lens 18-55vr, and result is excellent. Problems I had: back focus at 18mm, front focus at 55mm, different focus on center focus point when focusing on vertical and horizontal patterns. I did backup of camera flash and epprom before any adjustment. Setup was at 55mm F5.6, about 1m far from monitor.
At start, program gave me error at the end of procedure - "AF defocus out of standard ". Error appeared six times, no matter what density of AF chart is set. Then I replaced green bars with white color an used native density of chart zoomed just by little, and everything worked like charm. Result was little front focus at all focal lenghts so I did AF SHIFT - Shift to far side by 30 units, great match.
Hope this will help to people getting the error.

Best regards,
Goran

[felis]

[coderat]

[t2ton]

Just registered to tell my story and to warn someone.

First I would like to advice everybody - don't use the software and don't touch your AF, if you have good results with your camera.

Second, if you ignore the first one, make a BACKUP of EEPROM!!! This is the most important thing and you should not ignore it.
I'm really glad, that I had enough brains to do this before I started.

Ok. The story now:

My D80 with AF 50/1.8 D was placed on a tripod in front of the monitor. I found it quite hard to align the monitor really perpendicular to the lens.
First thing I didn't like was the interference rings on the monitor, which I saw when manually adjust the focal point.

After AF adjustment the central focal zone was EXTREMELY accurate, I was really amused!!!
But when I checked other zones, my amasement changed to the horror. 2 meters of back or front focus or AF just moved the lens and did not focus anywhere for some zones!!!

I found the original service manual for D80, d70, D50 and D90, but nowhere the right procedure with distances between the lens and screen was described...

So I tried again (3 times actually) with the same result, but now I looked on the monitor more thoroughly.. on the right plot the phase is shown and it was quite wavy!

SO my impressions why everything gone wrong:

Use of the LCD screen.. It has mostly round 60 Hz refresh rate. The phase of the light is also changing, that influence on the AF calibration. In service manual, and actually during the adjustment procedure the use of "Fluorescent unit with high frequency" was advised.

Taking this into account, I printed 2 A3 list with black-white stripes and glue them together to increase the size of the screen. And tried again..
Phase was still wavy, but modulation amplitude definitely decreased. AF also was good, but somehow only for central and upper focusing zones. Lower zones still gone crazy. I think, the light conditions (fluorescent lamp with 100Hz) were still inappropriate.

I flashed back EEPROM data. Next time I will use only AF shift option. Seems it is not so powerful like AF adjustment tool.

SO, for those who still want to try: make the backup, print the AF chart and use a daylight.