MICRO FOCUS ADJUST UPDATE
MICRO FOCUS ADJUST MANUAL

That makes it quite easy to get repeatable results. The flat computer screen will prevent misinterpretation of the focus distance, because the AF system cannot react to phase effects from subjects at other distances.

MICRO FOCUS ADJUST MANUAL

Once the adjustment is optimal, there will be no difference between manual and auto-focus. Apply an adjustment via the camera menu, and repeat the procedure. That will show whether the current AF calibration setting will front or back-focus. Use AutoFocus (single AF spot) to focus on the (laptop) LCD screen, and watch the direction of adjustment. Switch off LifeView, and watch the lens barrel's focus indicator for the next step. This will only occur a best focus (and assuming a decent enough lens is used), otherwise the defocus will act as a low-pass filter and prevent the aliasing. Optimize manual focus by searching for maximum aliasing. I switch to LifeView, which in its current implementation will only allow manual focus. The circles and cross hair will allow to acquire AF easily, and when calibration is optimal, moirГ© will be maximized on the camera's LCD. What happens as one manually adjusts the focus is that at the exact optimal focus setting the background will change from uniform gray into larger (colored) aliased dots when viewed on the camera's LCD. So let me know if it works for you, or what might help to make it better.

MICRO FOCUS ADJUST UPDATE

This is my first version of the target, therefore I may update it with some other features, also depending on feedback. You'll also notice how narrow the field of focus is, especially with lenses that react strongly to small focus ring rotations. When the situation permits, you will see larger R/G/B aliasing of the LCD elements. Depending on shooting distance, choose the Life View zoom setting (full, 5x 10x) that shows it best. With good optics and perfect focus, the moirГ© is maximized. It works by exploiting the interference patterns or moirГ© between the R/G/B LCD elements and the camera's LCD elements when directly viewed with Life View. It should be displayed on an LCD screen a 100% zoom setting (so at native size). I've made a simple tool to assist in the procedure, and you can download it here. I can tell you, it makes a huge difference in focus accuracy and repeatability. Having acquired my 1Ds3 (wow, what an amazing tool), and having spend some time getting used to the controls and menu layout, I decided to calibrate my lenses using the AF micro-adjustment feature.

Micro focus adjust