why do i have such a hard time focusing?

Question

i have been shooting reunions and have the hardest time getting my people in focus. I just cant seem to be able to see if their eyes are in focus. I know one reason is because it is dark in the room but does anyone have any suggestions that might help me? Iam using a nikon D70 and a 28-90mm lens.

i do know how to use autofocus but dont and usually end up shooting manual.

Answer 1

Perhaps the lens/ body needs calibration. Have you tested it for front/ back focussing? And is it really an AF problem or are the pictures just soft? The only 28-90mm I could find was an in-expensive Quantaray – not the best lens to use wide open.
If dim light is the problem, you could switch to primes. You can pick up a used 50mm f/1.4 for under $200, or a 50mm f/1.8 for peanuts. On the D70 these make for decent portrait lenses. I’ve personally had my eye on the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 but these still cost a whopping $430. There are a couple of cheap 24/28/35mm alternatives too, though.
If you PREFER to focus manually, you should consider a split prism focussing screen for your D70. A company by the name of Katz Eye Optics sells them for $105: http://www.katzeyeoptics.com/cat--Nikon-DSLRs--cat_nikon.html For a $55 surcharge they'll give it a treatment for extra brightness, and if you want, they'll even install it for you. From what I've read on several forums, the company is legit and their product works as advertised.

Answer 2

The D70s has a focus aid light, but I don't know about the D70.

Maybe you need to adjust the diopter correction on your eyepiece if you want to focus manually. Sit at a table or some place where you can rest your elbows or - better yet - use a tripod. Choose a subject that is easy to autofocus on. (See your manual for the things that are hard to focus on and choose something not listed.) Depress the shutter half-way until you hear the autofocus beep or see the autofocus dot light up. Look through the eyepiece and adjust the diopter adjustement until it looks clear to you.

I'm sorry if this is insulting, but be sure that your lens is set appropriately for manual or auto focusing. Some are auto with manual override, but some do not have this feature. As soon as you let go of the focusing ring, the lens will try to autofocus again.

Answer 3

I don't know the d70 , but a lot of cameras have a diopter adjustment on the viewfinder, maybe you need to adjust yours? I don't want to insult either, but how are your eyes? Maybe a trip to the eye doctor? I waited too long myself, and only after I blew a shoot did I break down and see the doc. I see much better now.

Answer 4

in most digicams, you have to press the "shoot" or "click" button half-in for the camera to auto-focus on the image.

The camers should then give a green light or prompt, telling you that the image is proper;y focused.

Then you need to press the button completely to take the image.

Try it out.