How to calibrate your lens
One of the most frequently asked questions on our Facebook group is how to get the perfect focus. When you try everything and your images still don’t come out sharp, it can be frustrating.
You may need to change your lens if you’ve tried everything, including watching our videos, and still have problems.
Does your lens need to be calibrated?
You may find that you are more successful at focusing with one lens than another.
You may have chosen the focal point, such as the eye but you find that your image is more focused on the nose or the ear when you view it after post-processing?
You are not the only one! Recently, I was in the exact same situation and it was very depressing!
Several years ago I was given a new lens as a Christmas gift and couldn’t wait to try it. My photos were a complete mess.
I knew instantly that there was a problem because this never happened with any of my other lenses. If it was one of my first lenses, I would probably have blamed myself.
Your camera’s lens may also need to be calibrated to ensure perfect color matching.
How to calibrate a lens
I ordered the Spyder lens calibration tool on Amazon because I knew they made high-quality calibration tools for photographers. Even though I didn’t like paying $65+ for a lens calibration tool, I knew that my $900 lens wouldn’t be wasted if I left it unused.
First, I took the Lenscal from the package and placed it on the table.
Then, I placed my camera at the same height as the Lenscal (see below tips) and took three test shots with the target in the middle. You can tell if your camera has “front-focusing” or “back-focusing” by the ruler that runs up the side of Lenscl’s target. My lens was front-focusing, which caused the 4 in the middle of the target to appear in perfect focus. How did I fix it? It was EASIER than I thought.
I adjusted the slider in my Camera’s menu > Setup Menu > Af-Fine Tune. (note: Your menus may be different – make sure you consult your owner manual). The slider looks like a ruler in Lightroom or a slider.
To get my lens to perfectly focus on “0”, I needed to adjust the autofocus slider to +10. To determine the exact amount of adjustment, I moved the slider a few degree, took 3 test shots and then adjusted again until it was perfect.