Calibrations and tests

I understood last weekend when I visited Borås Zoo that I need to make calibrations on some of my photo equipment. In particular, my zoom lenses that didn’t produce the quality I want from my equipment.

That did trouble me during the week and therefore I loaned a Spyder Lenscal, from Frode Wendelbo, to use for the calibrations. That was until I decided I did have time to do the extensive tests that need to be done for me to feel that I have done enough calibrations to feel satisfied.

Therefore I plunged into the depth that is calibrations. I needed a test that I felt was fast enough and yielded a good enough result for me to get satisfied. I think I found it and it wasn’t the one from Michael Tapes Design that I thought I would go with. Instead, I bought FoCal from Reikan, which is an automated lens calibration system.

That means I just hook up the camera to a computer and put the camera lens combo on a sturdy tripod, aim it at a printed target and then let the program go through the process of finding the proper values for the camera and lens combination.

So this is what I have been doing this weekend as I have tested most camera, lens and tele converter combinations at hand.

I found out that one combination didn’t work at all and that is the 2x tele converter that doesn’t work with the 70-200mm/2.8 lens. Instead, the 2x tele converter worked with the two tele lenses. That felt okay as this tele converter never have worked to my liking with any tele lens before. Still it annoys me that it didn’t work with the zoom, but I suppose I can’t have it all.

Leaves calibrations and tests — Leaves 150913

This picture is actually taken with the 2x tele converter and my 500mm tele lens. That yields a 1000mm/8 combination that I hand held getting this stunning result with my new Nikon D810 camera. Still I think that you need high contrast to get a good result with this combination as the picture otherwise will lack details.

On the way home from Nossebro I took a detour through and area I know have lots of wildlife. The reasoning was easy as I wanted to try the newly calibrated equipment.

It did give me the result I hoped for and I will surely do more field testing before I board the plane towards Harare in two weeks’ time.

Until next time enjoy the photo gallery from today.