OK, Iv'e been shooting since the mid 60's and digital for about 6 years. Started with a 20D and then a 40D. Now I have a 7D, (about 3 weeks in bad weather and long work hours, so not really much time to test).
I have not had a single sharp shot with my 400 f5.6L that routinely produced razor sharp images mounted on the 40D. I have done the micro adj twice - once with "real subjects", and once with a chart. Both with a nice tripod and high shutter speeds wide open - my normal shooting conditions.
Is it time to send it in to Canon, or is there anything I can do?
Second question: when viewing an image on the lcd, should they look sharp when greatly magnified, (assuming the shot was sharp)?
Do you still have the 40D? If so shoot 2 test shots with a chart and compare. Post them up here as well. I have the 40D and when using live view it looks sharp to me. Well as sharp as the 40D's crappy LCD will let it.
I had erratic focusing on my 7D and it was particularly evident with my 400mm f 5.6 lens. I sent it back to Canon and they fixed the focus so that it is pretty reliable now. I don't know what they did to it as they are pretty vague with their explanations. My return sheet simply said " adjust focus" Unfortunately since that time my 7D went completely dead and wouldn't power up so it is on its way to Canon again.
I sent my 7D back to Canon twice for a problem evident only with my 400 f5.6L. Each time I installed that lens on my 7D, the camera would refuse to focus in AI Servo mode. Then, after a few minutes, it would suddenly work fine. They could not duplicate the problem on the first repair visit, and they replaced the AF module on the second. So far it seems that this did the trick. The strange thing is that the problem only occurred with the 400, and none of my other lenses. Makes me wonder if there is is issue with the 7D AF system and the 400 5.6.
Ron.. I would reset the camera settings and then take a sample shot and post a 100% from the area focus was obtained. Make sure it has good detail in that area. I can tell you now that in most cases the 7D images are not going to look so sharp when viewed at 100% and this may be what your experiencing.
You mentioned you did MA and had nice high shutter speeds... your not actually taking a picture and using the image to judge MA are you ?
Todd Baker wrote:
Do you still have the 40D? If so shoot 2 test shots with a chart and compare. Post them up here as well. I have the 40D and when using live view it looks sharp to me. Well as sharp as the 40D's crappy LCD will let it.
I may try this Todd, but just looking at the unprocessed raw files, you can tell the difference in sharpness. I will have to wait until the weekend when I can get some good light to keep the ss up.
Thanx,
Ron
pcvrz22g wrote:
Ron.. I would reset the camera settings and then take a sample shot and post a 100% from the area focus was obtained. Make sure it has good detail in that area. I can tell you now that in most cases the 7D images are not going to look so sharp when viewed at 100% and this may be what your experiencing.
You mentioned you did MA and had nice high shutter speeds... your not actually taking a picture and using the image to judge MA are you ?
I was viewing the images at either 50% or 66% of actual size.
I'm not sure what you mean by "taking a picture and using the image to judge MA". How else would you do it? I first tried doing it outside shooting some detailed foliage, but was not satisfied with that, so I d/l a focusing chart and did it inside next to a window so that sunlight was on the target. I'm going to try using my macro lens and see if that is sharp...
Thanx,
Ron
I'm going to try one of my macro lenses when I have time, but the 400 stays mounted most of the time, so that's what I tried first. For me, wildlife shots must be tack sharp.
Thanx,
Ron
Thanx all for the replies. I tried MA again today - with both the 400 and the 100 macro. I could not get the same result in 3 tries on the 100, but the 400 was very close to last time, but still not sharp. Using live view with 10X and manual focus produced the best results, but still not what I was getting with the 40D.
So I called Canon today, and it's going to visit them tomorrow, (I'm only an hour from their Newport News facility, but they don't have a walk in counter.... ). I should have it back in about a week. I'm glad I didn't sell the 40D yet...
). I should have it back in about a week. I'm glad I didn't sell the 40D yet...