micro adjustment results for canon 7D with 70-200 2.8 IS USM II

[Falketimages]

I would appreciate any help. Not an expert on the subject. Pictures come out very soft, have a hard time adjusting camera & lens. I know that each lens and camera in sync would give different results, but any numbers for MA specially at 200 mm. Thank you to memebers of the forum for the help.

[Falketimages]

I have tried but never worked. Thank you

[TTMartin]

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@Falketimages wrote:

I would appreciate any help. Not an expert on the subject. Pictures come out very soft, have a hard time adjusting camera & lens. I know that each lens and camera in sync would give different results, but any numbers for MA specially at 200 mm. Thank you to memebers of the forum for the help.

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There are no set numbers for Micro Focus Adjustment (MFA). 

That is the whole point of MFA there are going to be some variations between lens and camera due to manufacturing tolerances. 

If both those variations in camera and lens offset each other you might not even notice them. However if both those varitions amplify each other it is really noticible. If it is correctable with MFA there really isn't anything wrong or bad with the camera or lens.

You've gotten good advice to Google for the DotTune method of MFA, as that works well. 

You want to MFA in the kind of light and distances you'll normally be using the camera, Which means if you are photographing football, don't MFA in your house, and expect it to be spot on at the field. That's one reason why I like the DotTune method as you can use it anywhere you have a tripod and a sign to use as a focus target.

[Falketimages]

I have tried using the DotTune method of MFA, but never worked. You are making a very valid point, I will try doing it at the site where I take baseball pictures. Thank you

[Waddizzle]

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@Falketimages wrote:
I have tried using the DotTune method of MFA, but never worked. You are making a very valid point, I will try doing it at the site where I take baseball pictures. Thank you

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Eh. I don't know how well doing it at the site where you take baseball pictures will work out.  Do you have the instructions memorized?  It took going through the steps to make one adjustment before I got it memorized, meaning I could come back the next day and do it on another lens without looking up the video again. 

Accurately knowing your distances between the camera and the focusing target is crucial for good results.  I don't know how well that would work out at your baseball field.  I strongly suggest that you try it according to the instructions in the video. 

When you take your time, it really works well.  Do a web search for a focusing target, so that you can print it out.  Making adjustments at a given focal length, but too close, or too far, from the target throws of the AFMA completely. 

Be meticulous.

[Falketimages]

thanks for the advice

[Peter]

Magic Lantern has DotTune. Takes 1 minute / lens or 2 minutes / zoom lens.

With that said I prefer to let the Canon service center fixes bad autofocus. Microadjustment is in my world only a temporary solution. In Japan a calibration costs around 10$. In Sweden (Europe?) 150$. Somebody living in U.S.A maybe can tell what it costs there.

[Falketimages]

can not wait and hopefully it will help to solve tne micro adjustment issue

[kvbarkley]

LensAlign by Michael Tapes is a good hardware solution that takes a lot of guesswork out of it.

[digital]

I thought I made a previous reply to TTMartin and either I hit cancel or it  got pulled.  

[digital]

So here it goes again. There is more to it. I don't care if it goes to 20, 11 is out of my comfort zone. I have had two Canon techs tell me that MFA is for emergencies only and if out badly should be sent in. Also there are warnings about using MFA in the manual everyone ignores.

Any Canon gear that I have owned (and I have had lots) that has been correclty calibrated from the factory or in separate servive departments (lens and body) usally only needs +- 3 to 4. I understand specifications and tolerances. I facilitated workshops on the Toyota manufacting system and statisical process control. I'm not going to send a lens in if it needs +- 4 because there is normal variation between the lens and body. I can see the benfit with 3rd party lenses.    

I usually shoot people with this lens and one day did a landscape at 70mm. When I turned the lens correction off the CA was very bad. Worse than what the specs say. It was my fault as I should have checked. It is off warranty now and I put off sending it in for a bit but I will.