I purchased a 500 f5.6 PF around the first of December--right from the start, I was getting more 'keepers' with it on my D500 than I had with my 200-500mm. I even found that it focused reasonably well with my Z6 which heartened me somewhat. Two days ago I took both cameras with me to a very rural area where there had been some bald eagles and usually (now) some hawks, harriers, and occasionally a kestrel or two. Almost from the start, the 500 PF would not focus on anything reliably. I had a shot of a couple of horned larks from my car that the camera just would not focus on (the shots looked okay on the rear screen, but when I got to 100%, the birds were slightly out of focus). After checking to make sure everything was set properly, I turned the camera on and off a couple of times, and no improvement. I then switched to the Z6 and had a wonderful opportunity of a northern harrier in a field and then flying over the field, low, hunting. Not one shot was in focus. When I finally left, feeling extremely frustrated, I saw three deer in a field watching me. I stopped the car and again shooting from the car fired off several dozen shots (on the Z6) of the deer--again, none in focus. A preliminary look at the back screen seemed to indicate that the shots were okay, but when I went to 100%, every shot was slightly out of focus. When I got home, I cleaned the contacts on the lens, my D500, and the FTZ adaptor. I blew out the D500 as well. It seemed to work better, but not as reliably as it had been up to that point. Is there something on the lens that could be a problem? Has anyone else encountered anything similar with this lens?
Focus issue with 500 PF
- Thread starter CharlieR
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Sorry to hear you are having issues. What happens if you shoot a still object (on AF-S)? And did you try to see what happens in the various AF-C settings? You want to rule out variables to see where the issue resides. If everything is fine on still objects, preferably on a tripod if available (especially if you try both bodies), then the issue is probably not the lens.
Good luck,
--Ken
Good luck,
--Ken
It sounds like you were shooting from the car - yes? If so, that's your problem 
The air temp difference (esp in the winter) can cause massive heat distortion issues. The warm air from the car mixes with the cooler outside air and light travels differently through those different air densities, causing the exact problems you described. Ideally, you have to shoot form outside the car (and a bit away from it) or equalize the inside & outside air temp.
In addition, shooting across a field (esp if it's sunny) can cause the same issue. See this video:
The air temp difference (esp in the winter) can cause massive heat distortion issues. The warm air from the car mixes with the cooler outside air and light travels differently through those different air densities, causing the exact problems you described. Ideally, you have to shoot form outside the car (and a bit away from it) or equalize the inside & outside air temp.
In addition, shooting across a field (esp if it's sunny) can cause the same issue. See this video:
Thanks Steve--actually, my initial shots (of a hawk and juvenile bald eagle at a distance) were from outside the car. At this particular place, oftentimes the best shooting opportunities are from inside the car--it acts like a 'blind'--the animals/birds around there are accustomed to cars, but when they see people, they run/fly. I had my windows down (driver/passenger side) and it was a cool morning (upper 30's/low 40's) but it was sunny. So, possible that heat distortion was a problem with the harrier, and just possibly with the deer, but I hadn't encountered anything like this up to this point on either camera with the 500 PF attached. I found it enormously frustrating and just a bit worrisome.
It sure does sound like you had all of he ingredients for heat distortion
If you want to post a crop of the images in question, I'm happy to take a peek just to be sure.
Here are a cropped and uncropped version of the same photo--this is one of several dozen I took of the deer from my car (shooting out the driver's side window). All look pretty much like this one. This was shot with the 500 PF attached to my Z6.
You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.
Well, I can't upload the uncropped version because it's telling me the file is too large. The photo was shot at 1/3200 @ f7.1, ISO 800.
That tells me what I need to know - that looks like the result of heat distortion. It's back-focused but the variance in air densities can fool the camera into front / back focusing pretty easily. Plus, even the sharper areas behind the deer aren't really sharp. Those are the exact conditions where I see heat distortion as well - a sunlit field on a cool day. Based on this, I'd say you have nothing to worry about with the lens
Okay, well, whew! I wondered why it was so seriously out of whack since it had performed flawlessly up to this point. Thank you so much for your analysis and input.
Warren D
Well-known member
I agree with Steve. I once thought heat distortion was only in the summer but I've been bitten by it on a sunny winter day where there was light snow cover and temps below freezing. It's amplified with increasing distance.
As a side note, it can happen over water too.
I fully agree with Steve's take on this. I'm having the same issues shooting wildlife around here now. It's cold out, the wildlife is wild. The minute I get out of the car they're off so I'm forced to shoot from inside the car. My reject rate under these conditions due to soft focus is around 70%. And here's the bummer - not even manual focusing helps.
It is what it is.
Take a look at my post of the red-tail hawk that I posted today in the Wildlife forum.
It is what it is.
Take a look at my post of the red-tail hawk that I posted today in the Wildlife forum.
To add to what Steve has said, I tend to see heat distortion more in winter than summer. Especially on cold but sunny days. The sun heats the ground up and there is a layer of air over fields where the heat shimmer is pretty bad. The farther the subject is away from me the more distortion I see. I can shoot a bird in flight perfectly but a deer the same distance away will look like yours. Sometimes when the distortion is really bad it will look like some 60's LSD inspired artwork. .
I wouldn't be too worried about it just yet. If it was a cold day, there is your problem.
. I wouldn't be too worried about it just yet. If it was a cold day, there is your problem.
I’m beginning to think that the focusing issues I had on January 9 with my 500pf were also due to heat distortion. The conditions that I was shooting in were exactly the same as described above. The following day I took some beautiful photos of a hawk with no issues in my backyard. I’m going to keep an eye on the conditions if this Issue pops up again.
Here's the perfect picture that I never got of a beautiful and healthy-looking coyote. Shot with my wife's Z50 on the Nikkor 200-500mm lens. Shot from within the warm car to the cold outside. Not one of the about 30 pictures I shot was sharp. I'm still crying about that lost opportunity. Look at the strange squiggly shape of the stalks around the animal. That has to be caused by air currents.
You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.
Rogereh
Active member
I'm assuming that you know to turn your car off before shooting? The vibrations from the motor running can cause some motion blur in your photos.
Good point, Roger. Yeah, having been bitten by that one before I do turn the engine off whenever possible.
In winter whenever I'm shooting from the car, or think I may be shooting from the car, I turn the heater off when I get close to the destination and roll the back windows down to let heat out of the car (wear your winter coat and gloves). I will roll the front windows down when I get ready to shoot or get to an area where wildlife may pop up at any moment. It is not perfect but the closer we can match the inside temperature to the outside temp the less the heat shimmer will be. On really hot summer days I do the same without air conditioning (and without the heavy winter coat and gloves. LOL).
The truth is on the cold winter days when I'm shooting from the car it is more to capture memories than to capture great images. My wife and I do love winter hiking and manage to capture good images while out in the field but even then if the wildlife is very far away over open ground heat shimmer (distortion) can be problematic. It is what it is. My wife and I say the quality of the experience is far more important than the quality of the photographs.
Jeff
The truth is on the cold winter days when I'm shooting from the car it is more to capture memories than to capture great images. My wife and I do love winter hiking and manage to capture good images while out in the field but even then if the wildlife is very far away over open ground heat shimmer (distortion) can be problematic. It is what it is. My wife and I say the quality of the experience is far more important than the quality of the photographs.
Jeff
OldFart
New member
You did LSD?!! MeeTooTo add to what Steve has said, I tend to see heat distortion more in winter than summer. Especially on cold but sunny days. The sun heats the ground up and there is a layer of air over fields where the heat shimmer is pretty bad. The farther the subject is away from me the more distortion I see. I can shoot a bird in flight perfectly but a deer the same distance away will look like yours. Sometimes when the distortion is really bad it will look like some 60's LSD inspired artwork.
I wouldn't be too worried about it just yet. If it was a cold day, there is your problem.
haha. In my 60 years on this Earth I've done many things of which I'm not proud. Taking LSD is, fortunately, not one of them.
. I don't want to list all the unsavory things I've done though. haha.
Sounds like your dead on to the issue ... my wife whines when she is with me and if I am shooting out of the vehicle the windows are down and heat off all the time we are in photo op areas ... ditto in the summer windows down and AC off.It sounds like you were shooting from the car - yes? If so, that's your problem
The air temp difference (esp in the winter) can cause massive heat distortion issues. The warm air from the car mixes with the cooler outside air and light travels differently through those different air densities, causing the exact problems you described. Ideally, you have to shoot form outside the car (and a bit away from it) or equalize the inside & outside air temp.
In addition, shooting across a field (esp if it's sunny) can cause the same issue. See this video:
Snapshot2020
Well-known member
When I read this Post and the following responses two weeks ago I was in question if that was the reason I see at times soft photos taken with the D850 and 500 PF from my Truck. This morning at 9 AM the outside temp was 36 degrees and a Bald Eagle was in a Fir Tree within 25 Yards. The D850 was set BBF Group, f5.6 Auto ISO, shutter speed 1000 with good early morning light. Shooting from the Truck the Focus would not lock on, the Focus Indicator was going crazy and when I switched off VR no change. I took a few photos in Spot and Group AF plus a 3 shot burst and after review at 100% they were all very soft / OOF. I got out of the truck walked a couple minutes and took photos with the same settings and the AF Lock was immediate. Crazy as it seems I'm a believer that the Warm and Fuzzy comfort of the Truck had an affect on Focus acquisition.