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New D810 hard to focus especially in low light

focus d810 trouble

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12 replies to this topic

#1
humbertob

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Hi there, I'm a new guy here, I'm a wedding and portrait photographer based in South Texas, being doing weddings and portraits for almost 6 years now. I'm a little frustrated right now, I just bought a brand new Nikon D810 last month and I'm having trouble to focus with this camera in low light and sometimes even with plenty of light, compared to my old D700 the autofocus system is slow, I just sent the camera to NIKON and they took a look at it and they didn't find anything wrong with the camera, I do mostly weddings and my missed shoots rate went to the sky with this new D810 and this is very frustrating, the main problem is when using AF-S on moving subjects even with plenty of light, the camera doesn't shoot at all and I don't want to configure the AF-S system to give priority to the shutter instead of focus, is there any one with the same problem or am I wrong comparing the D810 with the D700 ? Thanks in advance folks !



#2
TBonz

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AF-C is designed for moving subjects...


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#3
dcbear78

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AF-C, 3D focus, lock focus on eye and recompose, works even better with back button focus.

I get practically 100% in focus shots using this method. I freaking love it! It's the best feature I've experienced with my D810 coming from Pentax.

#4
Kenafein

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AF-C, 3D focus, lock focus on eye and recompose, works even better with back button focus.

I get practically 100% in focus shots using this method. I freaking love it! It's the best feature I've experienced with my D810 coming from Pentax.

If you are going to lock the focus, why use AF-C?  You could just use AF-S and then recompose, just curious.  My D600 really falters in low light, but otherwise the focus is pretty true.  It will not lock focus in dark settings, and I will have to force the shutter.  My A6000 performs much better in those circumstances, but I would expect the 810 to perform even better.    



#5
Merco_61

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Why single-shot AF for a moving subject? Continuous is made for these situations. I use AF-C with AF-ON actuation and 3D-focus too. It is so easy to put the active focus point on the eye and let the AF follow while I fine-tune the composition. I think this is the technique dcBear78 meant. I have used this way of working with D300, D700, rented D800-s and a rented D810 with good results.



#6
dcbear78

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If you are going to lock the focus, why use AF-C? You could just use AF-S and then recompose, just curious. My D600 really falters in low light, but otherwise the focus is pretty true. It will not lock focus in dark settings, and I will have to force the shutter. My A6000 performs much better in those circumstances, but I would expect the 810 to perform even better.

Using back button focus you get both. Want to keep tracking focus just keep holding the AF button. Or want to lock focus just let go of the AF button.

By doing this it works really well with any small movements of either you and your camera or your subject.

#7
TBonz

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Yup...back button and AF-C for moving subjects...works great...I've messed around with various other settings (# of points, shutter priority) but those pretty much stay constant...I do have one D600 that I've left without the back button, but that hasn't been too much of an issue as I really haven't had to use it in situations where the back button would be the right choice...



#8
OTRTexan

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I only had the d810 for 2 weeks, but using the techniques previously mentioned, af-c and back button focus, I found the 810 incredibly fast. Granted that's compared to my d3200, but I had zero issues, even shooting in poorly lit gyms and fast moving basketball

#9
nova85

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I've had trouble with focus. Never knew about the back button option on the D5300. This should help. Thanks for the advice and asking the question. Learning something knew ever week.

#10
Tally

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Hello!

 

Recently bought my first Nikon camera/lens, the D810.  So much to learn as it is very different from my Canon 5d Mark II.  One of the questions that has been on my mind is what focus setting to use.....there are so many choices.  Came to this forum to pick the minds of the Nikon experts.  Need some clarification on the above topic...if using AF-C, what back button are you referring to...the AF-ON or the AE-L/AF-L button?  Why do you think it's better than just pressing shutter half way?  Do most use the 3D method and why is it better than the other choices?

 

Here to learn...

Tally



#11
OTRTexan

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Ok so, as mentioned, my time with the 810 was a rental, a couple weeks, and it's been a few months ago. Plus your post is a couple of weeks old and you may of already found your answer.

The benefit for me with back button focus is the ability to lock in on a focus point, say the eyes, then release the button, and your focus won't change. You are now free to recompose and shoot. Using the shutter release to focus makes this more tedious. You have to focus, recompose, and release with every shot, or burst. It gives you way more control.

I won't have an 810 in front of me for a week or two, but the buttons where your thumb naturally rests can be programmed for different functions through the menu.

#12
Ciprian

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And I own both cameras : Nikon D700 and D810.
I do not understand why focus on the D700 is much better than the D810 . Focus on the D700 is more firmly and precisely.
Nikon D810 boasts that the focus is on D4s . I was not expecting D4s performance but I wanted to be faster than the D700 .
I sent the body to check but the answer received was that the device operates in parameters.
I mention that I photographed in the same conditions as the D700 , but with much poorer results .



#13
Adam

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And I own both cameras : Nikon D700 and D810.
I do not understand why focus on the D700 is much better than the D810 . Focus on the D700 is more firmly and precisely.
Nikon D810 boasts that the focus is on D4s . I was not expecting D4s performance but I wanted to be faster than the D700 .
I sent the body to check but the answer received was that the device operates in parameters.
I mention that I photographed in the same conditions as the D700 , but with much poorer results .

The D810 has gotten lots of new AF modes- are you sure you're using the right one?  There's also a menu setting that controls AF-C speed which can have a big influence on the overall AF performance.







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