Autofocus test
AF focus test chart
Print the chart or show it on a screen, take a few photos at an angle and see whether the camera and lens hit the target or focus in front of it (front focus) or behind it (back focus).
Your chart
Print at 100% scale, without “fit to page”. The check bar at the bottom of the page must measure 10 cm.
How to run the test
- Lay the chart flat on a table or the floor and set the camera on a tripod at about 45°.
- Distance: about 25–50 times the focal length, for example 1.5–2 m for a 50 mm lens. Keep the chart in the centre of the frame.
- Widest aperture (for example f/1.8), AF-S mode and a single AF point on the black “FOCUS HERE” bar.
- Take 5 photos. Before each one, defocus the lens by hand, once nearer, once further, and let the camera focus again.
- Zoom into the photos and use the scale to see where the lines are sharpest.
How to read the result
Front focusSharpest in front of the bar, nearer the camera.
Spot onSharpest on the bar. Autofocus works well.
Back focusSharpest behind the bar, further from the camera.
On many Canon and Nikon DSLRs you can correct the error in the menu (AF Microadjustment or AF Fine-Tune). Mirrorless cameras focus on the sensor, so a consistent error usually points to the lens.
AF focus test chart · reti.pro/af-test
camera at the bottom edge ↓
FOCUS HERE
+ further from the camera: sharpest here = BACK FOCUS
− nearer the camera: sharpest here = FRONT FOCUS
10 cm: check the print scale
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