Micro adjustment Spyder lenscal

Well I ordered a spyder lenscal and I didn't really get teh results that I expected. I followed the instructions (what little there are) to a tee, but I couldn't see a difference from 0 to 20 either way. So I also tried the print out chart and photo it from a 45 deg angle and this is what I got from no ma to -20, to me they all look good and acceptable, what do you think? Photos are no ma, -5, -10, -15, -20

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I have never used that particular system and can not speculate as to whether or not you have done so correctly, but I can see a clear progression in the photos. No MA is front focused quite a bit and -20 is slightly back focused. -10 to -15 appears to be about right.

-15 for me

There is a marked progression, and -15 is the one for me.

...better slight back focus than slight front focus, try -13 or -14.

I have noticed that I have two or three lens that require about this much mfa, anyone else have this too? I am almost thinking it maybe the body. I think time to send everything in to canon since everything is still under warranty.

The MA settings for the same lens on my 5D2 are different on my 7D, so there is body AF variances. It won't hurt to send lenses and body in, however body and lenses will be calibrated separately as the body should work with any lens and visa-versa, a lens should work on any body. The MA function is meant to make small adjustment, not replace calibration by Canon, particularly where larger MA numbers are needed to get AF in the ballpark.

I don't see how you can be perfectly perpendicular with this box ? ..

Lens align pro system has got 4 holes which are helping to be exactly perpendicular and see exactly whether DOF is centred around focus point ..
In your case, I imagine that it must be difficult to guarantee that DOF is well centred, if you are not perpendicular to the focus target

Yeah, I have the LensAlign Pro which is fine and reliable, and I wouldn't touch anything from Spyder, but that's me. The OP is using the standard printed out, slanted ruler system that might get you in the ballpark if it is done 100% correctly, but while it makes sense in principle, it is generally a hassle and easy to make false conclusions. The main error with this system is that you are trying to focus on a line, when it should be a vertical target parallel to the sensor plane.

John_T wrote in post #11358030
Yeah, I have the LensAlign Pro which is fine and reliable, and I wouldn't touch anything from Spyder, but that's me. The OP is using the standard printed out, slanted ruler system that might get you in the ballpark if it is done 100% correctly, but while it makes sense in principle, it is generally a hassle and easy to make false conclusions. The main error with this system is that you are trying to focus on a line, when it should be a vertical target parallel to the sensor plane.

Yeah I tried the spyder which is basically the same and then the printed chart. The printed chart actually gave me more of a visual que, than the lenscal. I am sending it back to amazon this week. I thought for 60.00 it was worth a try. With the spder lens cal, i leveled the camera on a tripod and then leveled the lenscal on an outside table so they should have been parallel to each other, but oh well I guess you get what you pay for.

For me, important is that the sensor and target planes are as parallel as possible and it seems to me that the LensAlign Pro method is the most reliable. A little bubble level leaves to much room for play to suit me. Second is that I have a pretty accurate indication of where the DOF is falling on the ruler.

If you are adjusting the AF on a f/1.2 lens, you want to be far enough away from the target to see the beginning and end of the in focus zone, not just an in focus thin line. In real life shooting, any number of circumstances can influence where the actual point of focus lands, so you are safer with a tiny bit less DOF in front of the line and a tiny bit more behind it. For example if you are focusing on an eye and the AF catches the eyelash, you will have more eye pupil in focus and less nose.

When micro adjusting my lenses, I don't worry too much about things like MLU and bolting the tripod to the floor cause I'm just trying to adjust where my AF lands, not get the sharpest target in the world like the one and only chance to get the first and last shot of the dying last Foo bird in existence.

...you didn't say what body and what lens, BTW.