Nikon D3

F mountDSLRFull frame

Can FoCal calibrate my D3?

Yes: FoCal finds the best AF Fine-Tune value for each lens.

The D3 doesn’t let FoCal change AF Fine-Tune over USB, so FoCal tells you the value to set on the camera when it needs it (User Assisted Mode).

And FoCal can check the rest of your kit.

Supported in FoCal 1.3 and later, over Mini-USB. Tests: Calibration Check, AF Consistency, Aperture Sharpness, MultiTest and Dust Analysis.

90.6%

Tuning a D3 would improve over 9 out of 10 lenses.

And 78.8% would improve significantly. From calibration results FoCal users have shared with FoCal IQ.

From FoCal IQ: see the figures

Significant78.8%
Noticeable11.8%
Minimal7.1%

Bought it second-hand?

You don’t know how a used D3 has been treated. Cameras and lenses get knocked, drift and wear, usually gradually. FoCal shows you where yours stands.

  1. Calibrate it with your lenses

    Any AF Fine-Tune values already on the camera were set by someone else, for their lenses. FoCal finds the right value for each of yours.

  2. See how it performs

    AF Consistency shows how repeatable the autofocus is, and Aperture Sharpness how sharp each lens is across its apertures.

  3. Look at the sensor

    Dust Analysis counts the dust spots and shows how much they matter, before you pay for a clean.

  4. Then keep an eye on it

    With FoCal Pro, a regular Kit Health Check tracks every result, so you’ll see if anything changes.

About the Kit Health Check

What you can do

Six tests for the D3

Focus Calibration

Finds the best AF Fine-Tune value for each lens. The camera won’t let FoCal set it over USB, so you change it when FoCal asks.

Available

Calibration Check

A one-click check of your D3 and lens. In a minute or so it shows whether your kit is working as it should.

Available

AF Consistency

How repeatable is the D3’s autofocus? Defocus between shots in one or both directions and see.

Available

Aperture Sharpness

What happens to sharpness as you change aperture, and which aperture is the sharpest.

Available

MultiTest

A two-dimensional view of the lens: focus position across the aperture range, showing any focus shift.

Available

Dust Analysis

Count the dust spots on the sensor and see how much they matter, before you decide on a clean.

Available

Stabilisation Test

Certain required focus operations cannot be actioned on the D3.

Not available

Snapshots

This feature is not yet available for the D3.

Not available

Calibration Check (AF System Check) is free in FoCal Mobile.

FoCal IQ statistics

Tuning a D3 would improve over 9 out of 10 lenses

From calibration results FoCal users have shared with FoCal IQ: how far each D3 and lens was from the best AF Fine-Tune value before FoCal tuned it.

D3 with F-mount lenses

90.6%

of lenses would benefit noticeably from FoCal calibration, and 78.8% would improve significantly.

Significant78.8%
Noticeable11.8%
Minimal7.1%

Source: FoCal IQ: D3 (F mount), 552 results.

Significant: 4 or more AF Fine-Tune units. Noticeable: 2 or 3 units. Minimal: no more than 1 unit.
Why your D3 needs it · an illustrated guideYour DSLR doesn’t measure focus where it takes the pictureHow a DSLR focuses, what goes wrong, how to fix it, and the evidence from FoCal users.Read the guide
How to set it up

Setting up your D3 for FoCal

Connecting the cameraMini-USB
  1. Use a good Mini-USB cable

    FoCal controls the D3 over USB. Use the cable that came with the camera or a good-quality one, and avoid extension cables: a poor cable is the first thing we suggest changing if FoCal is unreliable.

Permissions on macOSfirst connection

When you first connect, allow access to the Photos Library and to Removable Media. FoCal needs both to talk to the camera.

  1. If a permission shows as Denied

    In FoCal, open Help then Settings, expand Advanced and click Reset Application Permissions. Restart FoCal and it will ask again.

AF Fine-Tune on the D3where to find it
  1. Open AF fine-tune

    Press MENU, open the SETUP menu and choose AF fine-tune. The picture may be from a different camera.

    The SETUP menu with AF fine-tune selected
  2. Turn it on (once)

    It’s OFF to start with. Change it to ON: you only need to do this once.

    AF fine-tune switched to ON
  3. Choose “Saved value”

    Select Saved value (or Fine-tune and save lens): this sets the value for the lens on the camera now. Don’t change Default from 0, because that changes every lens.

    The AF fine-tune menu with the saved value option selected
  4. Set the value

    Change the value with the buttons on the camera, or the touch screen if it has one.

    The fine-tune scale
  5. Save it

    Press OK. You’re back on the previous screen: check that Saved value shows the value you set.

    The AF fine-tune menu showing the saved value
  6. Tell FoCal you’re done

    Use the camera hotkey: see User Assisted Mode.

About User Assisted Modechanging the value

FoCal controls almost every setting it needs on the D3, but the camera doesn’t let it change AF Fine-Tune over USB. During calibration or MultiTest, FoCal asks you to change it a few times.

FoCal asking for the AF adjustment value to be changed on the camera
  1. Listen for the value

    While FoCal’s request is on screen, the camera controls work. Voice prompts are on to start with, so your computer reads out the change you need.

  2. Change it on the camera

    Press MENU to open the menu, OK to select AF fine-tune and OK for Saved value. Set the value and press OK.

    The menu remembers where you were, so after the first time it’s quick.

  3. Use the camera hotkey

    Half-press the shutter button to go back to shooting, then turn the aperture or shutter speed dial by one click. FoCal sees the change, waits a moment for the camera to settle, puts the setting back and carries on.

    The dial to turn on a Nikon camera to use the hotkey
Your test space5 steps
  1. Choose a solid floor

    Ground-floor rooms vibrate less when people move about or traffic passes, and vibration affects the results.

  2. Fix the target to a wall at lens height

    Keep it flat so it can’t move. A FoCal Hard Target is what we use for all our development and testing.

  3. Light it well and steadily

    Avoid fluorescent and LED lights, which can flicker in a way you can’t see but the camera can, and changeable daylight. FoCal copes with small changes in light, not big ones.

  4. Use a sturdy tripod

    If your tripod has a hook under the centre column, hang something heavy from it. With big lenses, mount the lens’s tripod collar, not the camera.

  5. Set the right distance

    The Target Distance Tool in FoCal tells you how far from the target to be, with or without the camera connected.

Target Setup, FoCal’s guided setup, checks the position, light and settings before a test. More in the FoCal help.

Camera set-up4 steps
  1. Charge the battery to at least half

    Low batteries can make tests fail or the camera behave strangely.

  2. Take off any battery grip

    Grips add vibration on a tripod.

  3. Aim the centre focus point at the target

    Roughly is fine: Target Setup confirms the position.

  4. Cover the eyepiece

    This stops stray light getting in through the viewfinder and changing the exposure.

Camera settings8 steps
  1. USB set to MTP/PTP

    In the SETUP menu, choose USB and select MTP/PTP.

  2. Live View in tripod mode

    In the SHOOTING menu, choose Live view, then Live view mode, and select TRIPOD.

  3. Remove any mode limits

    If the camera lets you limit its options, allow Aperture Priority and Manual, Spot and Matrix/Evaluative metering, and all apertures, shutter speeds and ISO values.

  4. Aperture Priority

    Most FoCal tests use it. FoCal asks if a test needs something else.

  5. AF-S autofocus

    Set the autofocus mode to AF-S: a half-press of the shutter button locks focus and then stops.

  6. A single, centre focus point

    No automatic point selection: you should see one fixed AF point, in the centre.

  7. Focus limiter off

    FoCal may use the lens’s whole focus range, so set any focus limiter on the lens to off or the full range.

  8. Stabilisation off

    Turn off any stabilisation on the lens: it can make the results less accurate.

Specifications

Nikon D3 specifications

Camera model
D3
Manufacturer
Nikon
FoCal versions
FoCal 1.3 and later
USB type
Mini-USB
Expected shutter life
300,000 actuations
Diffraction-limited aperture
f/13.5
Sensor size
Full frame: 36.0 × 24.0 mm (864.0 mm²)
Sensor resolution
4256 × 2832 pixels (12.1 MP)
Pixel size
8.5µm
Sensor type
Bayer
Lens mount
F mount
Base ISO
200
Processor
Expeed
Released
August 2007
In-body stabilisation
No
Products

FoCal for the D3

With the D3, FoCal Plus gives you autofocus calibration and Calibration Check. FoCal Pro adds the rest of the Kit Health Check, with trends over time.

FoCal Plus

Quick and simple autofocus tuning.

  • Autofocus calibration
  • Calibration Check
  • Not included: AF Consistency, Aperture Sharpness, MultiTest and Dust Analysis
  • Not included: Reports, History and trends
FoCal Plus prices

FoCal Pro

Tune, analyse and compare. Everything you need for a Kit Health Check.

  • Everything in FoCal Plus
  • AF Consistency, Aperture Sharpness, MultiTest and Dust Analysis
  • Reports, History and Analysis trends
FoCal Pro prices