The Lens Align Mk II & the Non-tethered Micro-adjusting Tutorial « Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

The Lens Align Mk II & the Non-tethered Micro-adjusting Tutorial

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This is the assembled Lens Align Mark II. Thanks to Michael Tapes for the image.

Why Micro-adjust?

It’s simple. While the images made with most rigs are sharp, in many cases, they will be that much sharper with more fine detail once a given camera body/lens or camera body/TC/lens combination has been properly micro-adjusted. While some of my rigs are spot on, others have needed front- or back-focusing corrections as high as +/- 12 units.

The Lens Align Mk II; Micro-adjusting Magic!

Ever since the introduction of digital camera bodies that feature micro-adjustments for individual lenses, folks–including me–have been searching for a quick, easy way to make those micro-adjustments. When I was working on the 7D and the Mark IV User’s Guides, I worked hard on developing a make-it-yourself cardboard rig that was a big improvement on the original version. But in reality, it did not offer the needed precision. And in addition to the extremely low cost, the rig took up lots of space–heck, it was huge, and using it was tedious work.

I had heard about Lens Align for some time, but a quick web check revealed that it was expensive. And performing the calibrations seemed to require somewhat of an extraordinary effort…. But, Michael Tapes, the designer/creator/inventor of Lens Align–with the introduction of the Lens Align MkII about 2 years ago–drastically changed the playing field. But having to tether your rig to a laptop still made things a bit on the cumbersome side. Working with both Peter Kes and Robert O’Toole I have developed a neat way to micro-adjust your lenses without being tethered to a laptop or other computer. As with many of my writing projects this one has taken far too long, in fact, the Non-tethered Micro-adjusting Tutorial below comes in second only to the creation of The Art of Bird Photography II; that one took four years but at 916 pages with more than 900 images I had a good excuse.

The Lens Align MkII offers an inexpensive, accurate and repeatable methodology that allows photographers to test for potential front/back focus issues. The MkII maintains the high quality standards of the original LensAlign Pro and uses the same patent pending True Parallel Alignment™ (TPA™) Sighting System that is an exclusive feature of all genuine LensAlign products. TPA allows the user to establish exact parallel alignment between the camera’s sensor-plane and the focus target of LensAlign quickly and easily. The huge failure of all other AF micro-adjustment products and procedures (including my incredibly crude efforts in the two most recent User’s Guide Updates) is their inability to ensure true parallel alignment. TPA is, however, an absolute requirement for accurate and repeatable AF testing and and for making accurate and repeatable micro-adjustments. The Lens Align MkII costs only a fraction of the original Lens Align Pro and–with the slightly longer ruler, and the new ruler patterns, it performs even better. You can order yours right now for only $79.95 plus shipping: ~$6/US or ~$13/INT via Priority Mail. Please be aware that the shipping fees may vary a bit depending on your location or when you order through the BAA On-Line Store. International shipping charges will also vary by country depending on additional fees for customs, VAT, duties, or fees depending on their laws, rules or policies. You can send us a Paypal, call Jim at 863-692-0906, or purchase through the BAA On-Line store here.

Lens Align Non-Tethered Testing & Micro-adjusting Tutorial

Finally!

Non-tethered testing is fast, easy, and much more convenient than tethered testing. Below I will teach you how to do it and how to make a few images to confirm your results.

All you need is a relatively level and open spot for you to set up your lens and the LA Mark II on tripods. I far prefer to work outdoors so that I have lots of light and contrast. I generally try to do my micro-adjusting (MA-ing) on cloudy bright days. Even when working with shorter focal length lenses it is best to work outside. With non-tethered testing it is not necessary to install EOS Utility from the CD that came in the box with the camera. And Nikon folks do not need to purchase Nikon Camera Control Pro 2 Software Full Version for Nikon DSLR Cameras or Breeze Systems’ NKRemote as they did for tethered MA-ing.

Here is exactly how I do non-tethered MA-ing with my Canon gear. I set up a tripod with the big lens that I will be testing with the camera body attached. I make sure that only the central sensor active and that no surrounding points are enabled. I work in Av mode at the wide open aperture. I make sure that the Live View/Movie function is set to Stills. Make sure to set the AF Mode to Quick Mode. I like to have the focus confirmation beep on. I set the ISO high enough to give me a decent shutter speed to ensure that my final confirmation images are sharp. I use rear focus and believe that that is the best option for MA-ing. And I set the Drive Mode to Single Frame Advance.

I keep a spare Wimberley P-5 plate on the base plate of the Lens Align MKII. Next I grab any old tripod–a light one is fine, and screw on my Giotto’s tiny ballhead (the Giottos MH 1302-655) which is ideal for the chore. (Any ballhead will do.) Note: the unit comes with a 1/4 20 threaded hole that requires a mounting plate with a 1/4 20 bolt. Having the LA MII on a small ballhead makes the alignment process (described below) a snap.

Now I take the tripod with the Lens Align MKII atop it and walk off the prescribed distance. It is recommended that all lenses including telephoto lenses be tested at distances of at least 25 times the focal length of the lens. That works out to 8.2 feet per 100mm. I usually work at about 20 times the focal length; that works out to a bit more than 6.5 feet per 100mm. For a 500mm lens that’s about 32.5 feet. You can either estimate the distance by walking it off or use a carpenter’s rule. A good rule of thumb without calculating or measuring anything is to set up so that the corners of the central AF sensor are just touching the edges of the main focusing circle as seen through the viewfinder.

Camera Settings Review

For your calibration efforts it is–as above–imperative to check and make sure that you camera is set up properly for testing:

  • Central Sensor AF point (selected manually) with no surrounding points enabled.
  • Av mode at the wide open aperture
  • Live View/Movie function set to Stills
  • The Live View AF Mode needs to be set to Quick Mode
  • The (focusing) Beep is On.
  • The ISO is set high enough to give you a decent shutter speed to ensure that the final confirmation images (if you choose to make them) are sharp
  • Rear button focus is set.
  • Drive Mode should be set to Single Frame Advance

Setting Up

Walk off or estimate the distance and set down the small tripod with the LA MII on top. Loosen the ballhead just a bit while still maintaining enough tension to prevent it from flopping. Then point the Lens Align roughly at the lens. Then look through the TPA’s Rear Sighting Port’s Main Target on the back of the unit, center the lens barrel in the center of the viewing port, and tighten the ball. This part is easy.

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This is the view from the back of the Lens Align Mark II. Thanks to Michael Tapes for the image.

Next I return to the camera set up and aim the lens so that the central AF sensor is on the center of the large focusing target on the left side of the Lens Align Mark II unit as shown in the image below.. Getting the central sensor to rest precisely on the center of the target once you tighten the tripod head may require several attempts and you will never get it done perfectly. Close is good enough. I will teach you how to deal with this situation below.

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This image shows the central AF sensor just touching the edges of the main circular target. This configuration gives you about 20 times the focal length for any lens regardless of focal length.

Attaining True Parallel Alignment

The next step is to align the camera and lens so that the camera (actually the imaging sensor) is perfectly parallel to the test target. As it turns out, this is–thanks to the brilliance of Michael Tapes and his ingenious design, sometimes fairly easy to do. But at times it can be frustrating. The very best case is to work with a partner who is capable of making minute adjustments to the aim of the LA MII as per your instructions. That way you do not have to walk back and forth until you are happy with your aim and the position of the edge of the red circle inside the hole in the center of the target.

With your tripod head tightened and the central AF sensor on the circular main target, focus, activate Live View, and magnify the image to 10X. As long as you have taken care and centered the lens in the Main Target from behind the device you should see at least parts of the red target circle in the hole in the center of the focusing target. If the circle made by the edge of the red circle is–as shown in the image below–perfectly centered in the hole in the target then you are ready to continue.

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This Michael Tapes screen capture shows the red ring centered in the hole in the center of the focusing target. If this is what you see at 10X, then your rig is perfectly square to the test target; you have attained True Parallel Alignment. Note: you will only see a thin bit of red–I am guess that this image was enhanced for educational purposes. 🙂

If the red circle is well off to one side or too high or too low, you or your assistant will need to re-aim the LA MII, re-focus, re-activate Live View, magnify to 10X, and see how you did. Trial and error is required when attempting to re-aim the LA MII. Sometimes you may get so frustrated that you simply start over by re-aiming from behind through the Rear Sighting Port’s Main Target. In any case, you do not need to have it as perfect as it is in the image above. If you can see at least part of the red circle all the way around you can proceed with confidence.

Non-tethered Testing

You are now ready to determine if your rig–the lens and the camera–are front or back focused. Activate Live View. Turn the manual focusing ring on the lens counter-clockwise to de-focus the image just a bit. You may have to “bend your rig” a bit by shifting the lens so that the AF sensor is precisely on the main target. This is easy to do even with the image de-focused a bit. Then you focus. Now magnify to 5X. Use the joystick to shift the view to your right so that you can see both the main target on the left and the ruler on the right. At 5X the ruler should be just about filling the horizontal frame from top to bottom.

Now look carefully at the pairs or numbers above and below the zero mark. If all the 4s, 8s, and 12s look equally sharp and relatively in focus and the sharpness falls off equally as you look at the pairs of 16s and 20s and the pairs of 28s, 32s, and 36 look equally blurry then the single image that you created is neither front- nor back-focused.

Here’s the rub: in order to determine that your result was not a lucky (or unlucky) fluke, we recommend that you take a look at at least ten Live View rounds of focusing, five slightly de-focused by turning the manual focus ring counter-clockwise, and five slightly de-focused by turning it clockwise. Important note: after viewing in Live View at 5X be sure to go back to the full screen view each and every time before focusing again so that you can be sure–even though you have de-focused the image a bit—that the active AF sensor, the central sensor, is squarely on the main focusing target. If 8 of the 10 show neither front- nor back focus then you are good to go. You can be confident that your rig is neither front- or back-focused.

Just to be clear on everything above. You are not making any images. You are not tethered to a laptop. You are simply focusing multiple times while in Live View and checking the results on the large LCD screen on the back of the camera as detailed above.

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Note first that what you see above is roughly what you will see on the rear LCD at 5X magnification. In this image that the 4s, 8s, and 12s are all in relatively sharp and focus falls off equally above and below them. Note that when you view the screen at 5X on the rear LCD that it will be relatively easy to determine front of back focus. This image was actually created with the 500II/5D Mark III with a micro-adjustment of -2 dialed in to correct for slight back-focus.

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The image above represents what you would see on the rear LCD if your camera/lens combination were severely back-focused. To correct such severe back focus you would need to dial in an adjustment of approximately -15 units; you want to move the focus towards the camera. Remember, however, that you need to focus about 10 different times after de-focusing the lens manually in different directions. Never make a micro-adjustment based on a single Live View view or test image.

You can see additional examples of front- and back-focusing in the original tutorial here.

To learn to perform the actual micro-adjustment please consult your camera body manual or a BAA camera User’s Guide. Once you have entered the needed micro-adjustment for a given camera body/lens combination you may wish to create a series of three to five test images being sure to de-focus manually after each image. It is not a bad idea to set your Picture Style to Monochrome to make the images easier to see clearly once you download them and view them on the computer to double-check your non-tethered micro-adjustments.

Specific instructions for doing the actual micro-adjustment on the EOS-1D MIV can be found in the original tutorial here.

Important note: you must make individual micro-adjustments for each lens/camera combination and for each lens/teleconverter/camera combination (with individual MAs for the 1.4X and the 2X TC. If you own and use two 1.4X TCs for example, understand that the camera will not be able to differentiate between them. I mark my two 1.4X TCs with a black Sharpie so that I can tell them apart.

If you are confused at all by this tutorial feel free to leave questions or comments below. Do note that I will be without internet access from 10/17 through 11/11. Peter Kes and Michael Tapes, however, will likely be able to help.

39 comments to The Lens Align Mk II & the Non-tethered Micro-adjusting Tutorial

  • avatar Lou Dina

    Thanks for the great article. Have you noticed any difference calibrating a camera under different light sources, specifically comparing incandescent and daylight? Perhaps not since birding involves long lenses for outdoor use. But, I am finding that my lenses focus differently when calibrated under two light sources. So far, I am finding that under daylight conditions, the micro adjustment for my Canon 5Dmk2 needs to move between 6 and 9 points in the negative direction (compared to tungsten calibration).

    Anybody else seeing this or understand it? I guess it could be my testing, but I am being very careful, using both a LensAlign mk2 and FocusTune 2.0 software. So far, I have tested three different Canon lenses with similar results: 85/f1.8, 100/f2.8 macro, 25-105/f4L.

    If this is true, I have an interesting dilemma, because I do a lot of outdoor and studio portrait photography. In the studio, I use tungsten modeling lights and strobes. Interested to see if anybody knows more on this subject. Not sure where to set my AF microadjustment with the current differences between daylight and tungsten.

    Lou Dina

    • avatar Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

      Hi Lou, I am sure that the answer is yes but am surprised by such dramatic differences. I will alert Micheal Tapes to your question in hopes that he can respond here. best, artie

  • avatar Mark Brown

    Thanks for replying. I guess I didn’t explain myself very well. I got contradictory results between autofocus using live view and checking it(not actually taking a photo) and autofocus taking a photo through the viewfinder and examining the results under magnification. More than half the time the front/back focus would be quite different or even the opposite, what would be back focused with the live view would be front focused when using the viewfinder and taking a photo. It was lens dependent. Some lenses were consistent between the two focusing systems, but I did repeat everything several times and would get the same result for any particular lens/TC combination. I’m not very technical, but it seems there are two different autofocus systems, live view vs. viewfinder and in certain particular circumstances,they get different results. I am wondering if this is just operator error on my part or there really might be different results with live view autofocus vs. viewfinder auotocus. BTW, 7D with 10-22mm,24-105mm,70-200MKII, 400 f5.6,1.4MKII/TC and 2xMKIII/TC.

  • avatar Mark Brown

    Artie, this is most helpful and really simplifies this somewhat onerous chore. After playing with each lens and setting with live view, I went back to check with a photo that I magnified on the LCD. Interestingly, in about half the cases the front/back focusing was the opposite in live view vs. photo. This surprised me enough to recheck several times and sure enough, a front focus in live view would be back focused with a photo. I guess these are different focusing systems, but I would have expected them to be the same. I presume I should go with the actual photo as being one to use as I only use live view manually to critically check focus. Has anyone else noticed different results between live view and “viewfinder” focus.

    • avatar Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

      I am quite confused by what you say above. Once you have set a good micro-adjustment the vast majority of the images that you create should be in sharp focus….

  • avatar Tan

    Great tutorial!

    For the Prescribed Distance, do you measure the distances start from camera body or lenses filter threat with Lensalign?

    Thanks

  • Very helpful instructions (as well as the Qs&As that follow). One clarification please… I want to check my Canon 100-400mm f4.5/5.6 zoom. I frequently shoot at the 400mm end. However, if I make any micro adjustment at the 400mm end what impact might that have on focus at the other focal lengths (e.g., 100mm, 200mm, 300mm…)? Thanks.

    • avatar Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

      Always best to adjust on the long end and roll the dice on the rest. The 1D X let’s you do Long and Wide….

  • Nice, well-written tutorial Artie. Thanks.

  • avatar Leonard Malkin

    Thin vinyl, yes, but it still sags, easily seen when compared to a straight edge.

    • avatar Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

      Leonard, First you say “it’s cardboard.” Now it’s not. My 10″ ruler is stiff and rigid as is every one that I have ever seen and worked with. You do need to store the ruler flat…..

    • Hi Leonard,

      Please contact me off-line so I can help with your issue. mtapes AT mtapes DOT net

  • avatar Ian Barber

    Artie,
    The article on how to use the LAII is very useful and having recently purchased one for my 1Div and 500mm lens am looking forward to trying it out. I was always under the impression that when focused depth of field extended one third in front of the plane of focus and two thirds behind. If a lens is focusing correctly wouldn’t you expect more numbers in focus behind the ‘0’ than in front?

    • avatar Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

      Hi Ian, That is a pretty common misconception. While it is true for shorter focal length lenses d-o-f with big glass is pretty much 50-50. I will ask Michael Tapes to comment on the ramifications of d-o-f with regards to MA-ing shorter focal length lenses. artie

    • Hi Ian,

      The 50/50 1/3-2/3 DOF issue is not clear-cut, and not so simple. In the theoretical sense (and in practice), at infinity, it is 1/3-2/3 (F/B). But at you get closer and closer to the subject it approaches 50/50. So first off, it depends on distance. You can see this in our LensAlign Distance Calculator or any DOF chart/calculator.

      At test distances (25xFL) it is closer to 50/50. But having said that, there are 2 divergent objectives in setting the MA. This is because the AF systems are not consistent, shot to shot. If they were then we would simply set the MA for sharpest focus at the intended focus plane, and we would be done. But, since focus consistency is NOT assured shot to shot, we have an alternate goal that we “might” set the MA to achieve. And that would be to achieve the highest number of keepers (or put another way, the least number of soft or throw-away shots). And all of THIS…depends on the DOF of a given shooting situation AND how divergent the range of AF inconsistency (or consistency) is.

      Here is a theoretical example.
      Let’s say that for the aperture, distance and FL the DOF is 6 inches total and that the say the AF stays within 2.5 inches of proper focus over a given series of shots (the inconsistency we talked about).

      Scenario 1 – If we set the MA so the average focus is centered so on the LensAlign Ruler we will have equal sharpness of the top and bottom numbers. Roughly the top and bottom “24” will be at the DOF border…we have 3 inches in front and 3 inches in back. So ALL of the shots will be keepers.

      Scenario 2 – Now…let me inform you that to get the “sharpest” focus you really have to have the LensAlign Ruler numbers “slightly” biased to the rear (this is true). So lets do that. And we now take our series of real world shots, that vary +/- 2.5 inches. Those that move the focus plane to the rear are going to be fine, but those that move the focus plane 2.5 inches in front of the intended focus plane are now Out Of Focus (OOF) and unusable.

      In #1 you will have more keepers. In #2 you will have some sharper shots, but some OOF shots.

      That is the decision that each photographer has to make. And all of this is areas of gray. It is not like within the DOF all the pictures are of the same sharpness. 1mm in front of back of the proper focus plane is not as sharp as the proper focus plane.

      The one thing is for sure. That testing and MA-ing each camera lens combination will yield sharper pictures overall, unless you are lucky enough to have every lens match up perfectly with your camera body(s).

      You decision of how to bias the MA using LensAlign is all part of the art and science of being a photographer. No different than deciding to use a lower ISO to reduce noise, in balance to a slower shutter speed that might affect sharpness. The magic of Artie and those like him, is that they know instinctively (through years of experience), how to balance all of the 100s of trade-offs inherent in every shoot.

      I hope that this helps, and does not confuse :>)

      Michael Tapes

      • avatar Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

        Thanks Michael, My non-scientific brain is having trouble following above despite careful reading and re-reading. I get lost at scenarios 1 & 2….. In spite of that, I do have one question. You wrote: ” Now…let me inform you that to get the “sharpest” focus you really have to have the LensAlign Ruler numbers “slightly” biased to the rear (this is true).”

        Are you saying that that numbers on the ruler are biased to the rear or that we need to MA with a slight bias to the rear?

        In either case, why?

        • The ruler is symmetrical around the zero line and perfectly aligned and perpendicular to the focus target.

          Each lens is different, and at each distance, the rear bias will be a little different. below is a shot that is perfectly focused at the zero line. You can see the rear bias. BUT you can also see that if you set your average shot to be biased like this, even a minimal back focus (based on AF inconsistency) will yield an OOF shot. So by MAing to set the average focus centered onto the LensAlign, you will get a higher yield of keepers that if set this way. For example the shot below is Nikon D800 with 70-200 @ 200mm @ f2.8 @ 16 feet. The MA (actually the AF Fine-Tune) is -4. I would suggest to have more keepers that one could decide to set at let’s say -6. This would pull the focus plane forward, and you would get more keepers, although the average sharpness of the shots would be “slightly” lower. It just depends on the performance of your body/lens match-up. if the Af deviation is small than you can go with the -4 for maximum sharpness.

          http://www.mediafire.com/view/?2us7y44tyckpyaq

          (As hinted in some of the other posts, we are introducing software to work with LensAlign so that the analysis of the sharpness can be done by the computer rather than by eye. This announcement will come in the next week or so, and I will not answer questions here. if you are a LensAlign MkII owner you will be getting a mail soon about it.)

          Thanks Michael. But my non-technical brain is confused again :). In the linked image I am seeing a rig that is slightly back-focused with sharpest focus on the 4. Is that correct or is that bias that you are referring to??? artie

          • avatar Ian Barber

            Wow! What a technical cans of worms you open when you ask what seems like a simple question! Thank you both for such detailed answers and the up and coming software sounds like a great idea.
            Ian

          • To further my point that it depends on the lens, distance and aperture. Here is a perfectly focused image showing the normal “centered around the zero line” technique that is generally used with LensAlign.

            D800 – 500mm@f4

            http://www.mediafire.com/view/?4zl0q11q5ym587f

            Hope I did not confuse things.

            Michael

            Thanks for the follow-up Michael. I agree that the linked image here is spot on. What confuses me is why you would set up focus beyond the zero…. (if I am understanding the previous comments correctly…. artie

  • avatar Jon

    Artie you have persuaded me, I have tried Micro Adjustment by other means and I have found the final analysis very subjective in fact I ended up resetting all my lenses back to default. If your technique is as simple as you say and I am sure it will be then I will be delighted with the outcome.
    Jon

  • avatar Richard

    Artie, what target distance do you use for your 800L?

    • avatar Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

      What did you lose your calculator???

      Minimum recommended is 8.2 X 8 = 65.6 feet.

      I am usually at about 6.5 X 8 = 52 feet.

  • avatar Leonard Malkin

    I have trouble with Lens Align because the ruler is cardboard and sags. I don’t see how to maintain accuracy because of this. It would be better if it were made of metal.

    • avatar Bill Richardson

      My old model is metal. Did they change that?

    • avatar Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

      Leonard, Not sure what you are talking about. The ruler on the LA Mk II is made of rigid vinyl. I left mine out in the rain last night for an hour before I remembered. It did not sag even a fraction of an inch.

  • avatar Bill Richardson

    I wonder about the advice to “bend your rig” to focus precisely on the center target. I used to follow this practice but now think it is counter productive. When set up is done correctly, the sensor plane and LensAlign target face plane will be parallel to each other as you mention. The focus point plane will then also be parallel to the sensor and LensAlign target face planes. It therefore should not matter if the focus point is precisely centered on the center target so long as focus is achieved anywhere on the target face. Micro adjustments move the vertical focus point plane forward and backward horizontally on a 90 degree angle. Moving the vertical focus point plane horizontally to the “0” mark on the ruler should not be affected by where the AF focus point is on the vertical target face. However, if you “bend your rig” you compromise the parallel alignment of the sensor and LensAlign tool which may cause a misleading reading on the ruler leading to erroneous micro adjustments. Due to optical imperfections, I do have at least half of the AF focus point on the center target but I no longer bend my rig to get a precise centering. It would be interesting to hear from the LensAlign experts on this.

    • avatar Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

      Bill, I am talking about small fractions of a single inch :).

      • avatar Bill Richardson

        I understand that but that leaves the question as to why do the bending if there is no benefit and possible problems? I am probably overly anal about my micro adjusting but I have found that erroneous adjustments result if I am not precise in all aspects. I do wonder if the AF focus point has to be anywhere near the center target so long as focus on the target face is achieved. I don’t think so but am not sure if I am missing something.

  • avatar Jim Kranick

    Thanks Artie,

    This is so much simpler than getting a table, laptop and cables out into the yard along with all the camera and lens stuff, tripods and LA Mk II. I never did build the cardboard setup in the 7D Guide. Now to wait for a cloudy day here in sunny Florida.

    Another Blog Bonus!

    Enjoy your trip,
    Jim

  • Hi Artie
    What is the rationale for periodically repeating micro-adjustment? Is it that the elements within the lens can shift very slightly over time, or if subjected to a sharp knock as often happens to wildlife photographers. Or is it something to do with the camera body and the position of the sensor, that could similarly change position? I would have thought that this was a once-in-a-lifetime job, such is the build quality of big Telephotos and pro bodies.
    Thanks
    Jonathan

    • avatar Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

      As a non-technical person I am not 100% sure :). But I do know that I re-MA all my lenses before each big trip. I will be doing that this weekend…. A big job with two new cameras and the new 500 IS II plus TCs. With 3 camera bodies. 🙂

  • avatar Mike Eckstein

    After you have focused on the target and centered the red ring, do you still focus on this for the actual testing or do you swing over to the target on the ruler holder? None of the instructions I have read make this clear. Thanks in advance for your help! P.S. Arthur I love your bulletins! I am eagerly waiting for the DPP tutorial.

    • avatar Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

      Hi Mike, Thanks. The DPP Raw Conversion Guide should be finished well before I leave on Tuesday. Arash and I are close….

      Apparently you missed this: “You may have to “bend your rig” a bit by holding the camera tightly and shifting the lens so that the AF sensor is precisely on the main target.”

      I did add “Then you focus” to make things a bit clearer.

  • avatar Bill Richardson

    Nice job on the tutorial. I use the old style Lens Align but incorporated the centering of the red circle step you mentioned here and previously with good results. Thanks. Every one of my lenses has required some adjustment.