Fstoppers Reviews the FoCal Autofocus Calibration Software

There are few things we, as photographers, are more OCD about than tack-sharp focus. We invest so many of our hard-earned dollars into nice glass, painstakingly focus, then spend hours in post afterwards pulling our hair out when the eyes aren’t sharp. While of course sometimes OOF images are due to user error, small variations in the lens and camera can result in less-than-sharp images. These discrepancies in camera / lens combination can be dialed in to get perfectly sharp images more consistently. Enter FoCal, a [semi]automated focus calibration software.

About a month back, I traded in my trusty 85mm f/1.8 for the Nikon flagship portrait lens, the 85 f1.4G. While I typically shot portraits at either f/2 and f/2.5 I figured buying a 1.4 and not shooting it wide open was like buying a Ferrari and only driving it to and from Starbucks. Immediately though, I noticed a lot of my images were grabbing focus on eyelashes rather than the eye itself, leaving the eyes slightly OOF. While there are manual options to AF micro adjust, they can be tough to interpret when you’re making decisions based upon the sharpness of a picture on the back screen. You could always shoot tethered to LR to view your adjustments in real-time but that has its own issues. This is why I decided to invest the $35 into buying a copy of FoCal Standard semi-automated focus calibration software.

How it works:

To use FoCal you’ll have to print out a QR-code-looking target and hang it on your wall. Once you’ve done that you will set your camera up on a tripod parallel to the target and connect it to your computer via USB. Once you’ve opened the FoCal app and connected the camera the software will help get your camera in the right position, detecting pitch, roll, and elevation deviations that might impact the test results. After you’ve gotten everything lined up you’ll be able to preview a close-up live view of the target center as you adjust the focus. Once you’ve dialed-in the focus you can change the settings manually on the camera, preview and refine as needed.

It is important to note that FoCal also offers a Plus and Pro level programs which have more features including full-automatic calibration for some systems.

Below is a sample control panel from the Semi-Automated AFMA Test (from the FoCal manual):

Note that the right half of the second "AF Image" box displays the changes you make in real-time before manually changing settings in-camera. This is what makes FoCal great.

What I liked:

• You can preview what the micro adjustment will look like in real time on your laptop

• Looking at images taken at 1:1 is much easier than squinting at a 3” LCD on the back of the camera

• Easy setup, just print and hang the target, setup a tripod and use the target finder feature in the software to ensure pitch and roll are where they should be.

• If you know what you're doing you can set up, calibrate, and pack away your camera and lens in 10 minutes.

What I didn’t like:

• Bugs, bugs, bugs, bugs. I had multiple crashes on my MBP (10.9.4) system, often mid-test. This isn’t a deal breaker though, as you’ve already dialed-in the focus, you just need to re-launch and pick up where you left off.

• $35 is pretty steep for something you can theoretically do yourself. That said, if it saves you time and hassle it might be worth a few of your hard earned pennies (3,500 of them) — it was to me. Furthermore you’re allowed up to 10 camera licenses per purchase so you’ll be able to do your entire kit.

• The manual for this software reads like Ulysses, the quick-start-guide is next to useless and you have to chew through a lot of the 149 page manual in order to know the ins and outs of this program.

A few considerations:

• You’ll want to use a good tripod for this, if you use the semi-automated option it’ll involve you touching the back of your camera to make adjustments to the AF Microadjust settings in your camera, and if you use a cheap-o tripod (like I did the first time) you’ll constantly be repositioning the camera to be centered at the target. If all else fails borrow a good, sturdy tripod from a friend or your local camera store.
• Distance from camera to target plays a factor in these tests, for best results calibrate the camera at the range you typically use the lens. Since I calibrated my 85mm first, I shot with the lens only 1.5 M from the target, my normal distance for portraits. You may also want to test again closer and/or further from the target after calibration in order to make sure you’re sharp at any distance.

Overall: 

The FoCal system worked as I expected it to, making the process relatively simple and quick. In fact, it took significantly longer for me to install the program and read the instructions than it did to calibrate my kit. Furthermore I felt that I got more precise results using the FoCal system as opposed to manually doing it. All things considered, I'd feel confidant recommending this system to a friend.

If FoCal has piqued your interest you can check out their website for more inforamtion and to buy.