# One problem with my 100-400L



## groman (Jun 5, 2014)

I am new to this forum, and I realize there has most likely been tons of discussion about soft focus with the Canon 100-400 lens. I use this lens on a 7D, and it is excellent at all focal lengths- good sharp images on fairly close subjects. My problem is at 400 at a distance. Recently I ran some tests with a friend- he has the same setup, so we put his and mine on tripods, all settings the same, and took the same shot. His was most definitely sharper. I put his lens on my camera and found it was still much sharper than my lens. The one thing I neglected to do was put my lens on his camera. I called Canon and was told to send it and the camera in for calibration. I am worried that since it is really great on close subjects, calibration may mess this up. Is it calibration, or is it some other problem? Both of our lenses are refurbished, bought directly from Canon. And no, my friend was very careful to pay attention to me so I wouldn't switch lenses! Any help is very much appreciated.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Jun 5, 2014)

Send it in. Include the photos taken showing the issue, and mention the camera you use.

Canon will align or replace the problem elements. They won't mess it up.

Generally, the 100-400 is sharpest at 400mm. There are numerous adjustments that they can do. It could be internal elements needing alignment, or a autofocus calibration issue.

If your lens is sharp at 400mm using live view live autofocus, they can fix that. There is a internal memory in the lens that sets the exact position for sharp focus at various distances, so they reprogram that.


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## Mr_Canuck (Jun 5, 2014)

Agreed. Send it in for calibration. They will test it at all lengths on standardized equipment where they can make baseline comparisons. Lots of people have had success and improvements after servicing. And if it's still not right, they should make it right. Note clearly what's working and what isn't under which conditions, and send photo examples digitally in RAW so they can see exactly what's going on. Takes some patience to send it in and wait..... !


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## groman (Jun 6, 2014)

Thanks all, for the advice. I will send it in, along with the camera. I really appreciate the encouragement.


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## Krob78 (Jun 6, 2014)

I had soft focus issues with my 100-400L also. I was hardly ever even using it anymore on my 7D or my 5D3. I was really not happy with the reach on my 70-200 f/2.8 II, although the sharpness and IQ was amazing, especially compared to my 100-400L. 

Shortly after becoming a CPS member, I decided to send my lens in for a check up, calibration, etc., as I finally decided to just sell it. I got it back at the end of the week and decided to put it on my 5d3 and see if it acted any differently. Well, it was focusing worse! So I redid the MFA on it and low and behold, I had to recalibrate it to "0"!! 

Since that day, it's been hard to tell if my 100-400L is sharper or my 70-200 f/2.8 II is sharper! Now my 100-400L is on there most of the time, unless I'm shooting Real Estate. My 70-200L rarely comes out to play anymore! Funny isn't it? I wouldn't hesitate to send it in! They also discovered some other issues with my lens and I received a nice discount on the repair, enough to cover my expense of becoming a CPS member! 

So I join the chorus of other voices, Send it in! 

All the best! Let us know how it turns out for you!


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## groman (Jun 6, 2014)

Thanks, Ken- you all have made me feel a lot better about the possibilities for this lens. I have been very happy with the close shots, but the distance shots just aren't cutting it. I wonder if I need to send the camera in too? I'd rather not... My friends lens shoots just fine on my camera- should have done the old switcheroo!


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## mackguyver (Jun 6, 2014)

groman, just to take the variable out of play, I assume you used LiveView manual focus when you did the tests (and not AF), right?


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## groman (Jun 8, 2014)

Thanks, Mackguyver, for the question. I have tried live view manual focus, and still get really soft images at 400 at distant subjects. I have printed out all my repair forms, and ready to send in to Canon repair. Very excited to hopefully get back a sharp lens. I live in some awesome wildlife country, and it is important to get some of those long distance shots!


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## mackguyver (Jun 11, 2014)

groman said:


> Thanks, Mackguyver, for the question. I have tried live view manual focus, and still get really soft images at 400 at distant subjects. I have printed out all my repair forms, and ready to send in to Canon repair. Very excited to hopefully get back a sharp lens. I live in some awesome wildlife country, and it is important to get some of those long distance shots!


I'm sorry to hear that it's not working, but if it comes back as well calibrated as the 135 f/2 I sent to Canon, you should be very happy! Let us know how it works out.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Jun 11, 2014)

groman said:


> Thanks, Mackguyver, for the question. I have tried live view manual focus, and still get really soft images at 400 at distant subjects. I have printed out all my repair forms, and ready to send in to Canon repair. Very excited to hopefully get back a sharp lens. I live in some awesome wildlife country, and it is important to get some of those long distance shots!


Canon will adjust the lens to work with a properly calibrated body. If you think your body needs calibration, send it in as well. You will have to pay to have each one adjusted, its a bit of work and expensive equipment to do it right.


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## groman (Jun 22, 2014)

I got my lens back from Canon, and they said that the lens performed according to specs. Best focus and lens centering adjustments were made on the af assembly. I am not noticing any difference, so I do believe I need to send the camera in along with the lens. Should have done that to start with, but I was hoping it was just the lens.

I have tried a spyder lenscal with it, and it really seems fine according to that. Took some pictures of deer at about 500 yards (at 400mm), and still think it should be sharper. I am not above blaming myself for some of the issues, as there is so much to take into consideration when shooting animals- mainly, they move. I have a lot to learn, but I just can't get over the fact that I have recently seen two other 100-400s on 7Ds and they seem much sharper.

Anyway, I will send in the camera and hope for the best.


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## neuroanatomist (Jun 22, 2014)

groman said:


> Took some pictures of deer at about *500 yards* (at 400mm), and still think it should be sharper.



Assuming your distance estimate is accurate, you're expecting a sharp image from a 100-400L with subjects that are *one-quarter mile away*?? 

Canon is right, your lens is fine. I expect they'll tell you that your camera is fine, too. Sorry, and please don't take this the wrong way...but I think it's your expectations that need adjustment. 

At that distance/focal length, a decent sized buck in profile is occupying about 400x260 pixels of your sensor - that's *0.1 MP* of your 18 MP image. You're cropping away ~99% of your image and expecting the remaining 1% to appear sharp...it's not going to happen.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Jun 23, 2014)

groman said:


> I got my lens back from Canon, and they said that the lens performed according to specs. Best focus and lens centering adjustments were made on the af assembly. I am not noticing any difference, so I do believe I need to send the camera in along with the lens. Should have done that to start with, but I was hoping it was just the lens.
> 
> I have tried a spyder lenscal with it, and it really seems fine according to that. Took some pictures of deer at about 500 yards (at 400mm), and still think it should be sharper. I am not above blaming myself for some of the issues, as there is so much to take into consideration when shooting animals- mainly, they move. I have a lot to learn, but I just can't get over the fact that I have recently seen two other 100-400s on 7Ds and they seem much sharper.
> 
> Anyway, I will send in the camera and hope for the best.


 
You cannot expect something 500 yards away to be sharp. The air between you and the subject combined with the tiny pinhead sized image of the dear will look awful, even with a $12,000 lens.

I've tried this with my 600mm L taking photos of eagles 100 -200 yards away and quickly learned the limitations of long range photography.

Lens testers test lenses at about 50X the focal length which for a 400mm lens is 65.6 ft or about 22 yards. The air at that distance noticeably affects sharpness.


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## groman (Jun 23, 2014)

Yep, I've been suspicious that my expectations are way too high. Like I say, I get really nice pictures most of the time when the subject is fairly close. I just can't get over thinking about one of the first times I took the lens out- went out with a guy who had the same set-up. We took the same shots of bighorn sheep about a half mile away. No, the shots weren't great, but he was able to zoom his in on the view finder and they were much sharper than mine. Oh well, I've finally come to accept that it can sometimes take 100 shots to get one good one! Went out tonight and think I might have gotten some fabulous shots of a caddis fly hatch, so I'm happy. Maybe I need to take something for the slight tremor I seem to have... ;D


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## mackguyver (Jun 24, 2014)

groman said:


> Yep, I've been suspicious that my expectations are way too high. Like I say, I get really nice pictures most of the time when the subject is fairly close. I just can't get over thinking about one of the first times I took the lens out- went out with a guy who had the same set-up. We took the same shots of bighorn sheep about a half mile away. No, the shots weren't great, but he was able to zoom his in on the view finder and they were much sharper than mine. Oh well, I've finally come to accept that it can sometimes take 100 shots to get one good one! Went out tonight and think I might have gotten some fabulous shots of a caddis fly hatch, so I'm happy. Maybe I need to take something for the slight tremor I seem to have... ;D


If you're shooting bighorn sheep, I'm sure the air is pretty clear where you are, but environmental factors are a killer for telephoto lenses beyond 135 to 200mm. In the warm months here in hot & humid Florida, I rarely try for any shots beyond 30 yards as I either get heat shimmer or softening from the humidity. In mid-summer, I can see the effects beyond 10 yards.


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## groman (Jun 25, 2014)

I'm in Idaho and it is dry and clear, however there can be shimmer on bright days. Today I took an acceptable shot of two antelope, at about 100 yards. Last night I worked on micro adjustment, and set it to +5.

I am attaching two shots from my lens test with my lens and my friends lens. Both shots are taken with my camera on a tripod, auto focus, jpgs.


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