Asher Kelman
OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
RawWorkflow.com's Michael Tapes has been working in secret for some time to produce a device for dealing with the back focus or front focus we discover in our lenses. Bart Van Der Wolf, (see his extensive and original contributions here), and others have sought to provide solutions and they moved us forward considerably.
Photo (crop): Nicolas Claris "Bart Van Der Wolf's focus target"
The number of posts and amazing popularity of that thread is an indication of the widespread interest in the problem of poorly set focus of lenses with respect to the focal plane of the cameras they are designed for.
The prospect release of LensAlign™ is being discussed in DPReview here. Amazing how cynical dpreview folk can be. Some times the folk there show off lenses using pictures of cat's whiskers, LOL!
Manufacturers often have denied the problems with their lenses. Back focus with Canon cameras was most often blamed on the technique of focusing using the center spot on a high point in the scene, for example a model's eyes, and then recomposing. In that case the distance of the oblique line of sight to the upper part of the image is longer than the direct orthogonal line to the center of the field. Thus, the model's eyes were not in focus in the final picture.
We all know that now, but still lenses are inaccurately set coming out of the box, brand new! The first solution has been for the companies to admit there was an issue, which they did and offer the solution of returning the camera and a set of lenses for custom adjustment. So MFRS like Canon and Nikon are now providing that service.
Now however, modern cameras allow for fine adjustment of several lenses and storage of these adjustments in the camera. With live view this has been made relatively easy for one to do on ones own using the technique of Bart and/or a ruler at an angle for the adjustment and to check the result.
However, adjustment can be improved perhaps. That's what Michael sought to achieve. He researched different approaches and consulted with a number of the photographers who were working on this challenge.
The result, LensAlign™ is sitting before me. No it's not an LCD screen with Bart's target. That I can assure you of! It's under NDA so I regret I cannot tell you how it works or it's structure. I can say that it's well thought out, precise and very impressively manufactured. It is set up to work for any camera with or without live view on the LCD screen. However, one can only determine the state of adjustment on older cameras and not alter the focus of the lenses without sending them to the service center. With the newer cameras and LensAlign™ you are going to be able to test and reset your lenses and store the information in the camera so it's all an easy reliable process.
I wish I could show you more, but I cannot!
I'll post more when the ban on disclosure is lifted. For now, it looks good! I think I’m allowed to say that!
Asher
Photo (crop): Nicolas Claris "Bart Van Der Wolf's focus target"
The number of posts and amazing popularity of that thread is an indication of the widespread interest in the problem of poorly set focus of lenses with respect to the focal plane of the cameras they are designed for.
The prospect release of LensAlign™ is being discussed in DPReview here. Amazing how cynical dpreview folk can be. Some times the folk there show off lenses using pictures of cat's whiskers, LOL!
Manufacturers often have denied the problems with their lenses. Back focus with Canon cameras was most often blamed on the technique of focusing using the center spot on a high point in the scene, for example a model's eyes, and then recomposing. In that case the distance of the oblique line of sight to the upper part of the image is longer than the direct orthogonal line to the center of the field. Thus, the model's eyes were not in focus in the final picture.
We all know that now, but still lenses are inaccurately set coming out of the box, brand new! The first solution has been for the companies to admit there was an issue, which they did and offer the solution of returning the camera and a set of lenses for custom adjustment. So MFRS like Canon and Nikon are now providing that service.
Now however, modern cameras allow for fine adjustment of several lenses and storage of these adjustments in the camera. With live view this has been made relatively easy for one to do on ones own using the technique of Bart and/or a ruler at an angle for the adjustment and to check the result.
However, adjustment can be improved perhaps. That's what Michael sought to achieve. He researched different approaches and consulted with a number of the photographers who were working on this challenge.
The result, LensAlign™ is sitting before me. No it's not an LCD screen with Bart's target. That I can assure you of! It's under NDA so I regret I cannot tell you how it works or it's structure. I can say that it's well thought out, precise and very impressively manufactured. It is set up to work for any camera with or without live view on the LCD screen. However, one can only determine the state of adjustment on older cameras and not alter the focus of the lenses without sending them to the service center. With the newer cameras and LensAlign™ you are going to be able to test and reset your lenses and store the information in the camera so it's all an easy reliable process.
I wish I could show you more, but I cannot!
I'll post more when the ban on disclosure is lifted. For now, it looks good! I think I’m allowed to say that!
Asher
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