What's up with my 20MM lens?

[jazt]

:( What's wrong with my 20mm lens? :(

I need your help and advice. Below are links to two pictures.

One was taken with my Canon 20mm 2.8, the other with my Canon 50mm 1.4. ( The 50mm has always been great. , I love it. )

I've recently tried creating prints of pictures taken with the 20mm. I bought this lens new, late this fall for a trip. I just now got around to creating prints from my trip. This is the first chance I've had to review my pictures with a critical eye (and print)....

Anyway....None of pictures I took this with the 20mm have sharp focus. Zip. None.

Here are the details of the two samples I took this morning. First, please ignore the lack content, I going looking for a "landscape" that was fixed, with no movement, no light issues, etc.

Both pictures are tripod mounted, self-timer, mirror lock-up, One-Shot AF with center focus on the "M" in the Marshall name on the building.

These are 100% no crop, standard Breezebrowzer USM .5 , .7, 0 (I've also, tried other USM combinations in PhotoShop Elements with no improvements)

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/virginmary1/lens/20MM.jpg
Shutter speed: 1/250 sec
Aperture: 16
Exposure mode: Av
Flash: Off
Metering mode: Evaluative
Drive mode: Single frame shooting
Self-timer: 2 secs
ISO: 200
Lens: 20.0 mm
Focal length: 20.0mm
Subject distance: 655 m
AF mode: One-shot AF

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/virginmary1/lens/50MM.jpg
Shutter speed: 1/1500 sec
Aperture: 8.0
Exposure mode: Av
Flash: Off
Metering mode: Evaluative
Drive mode: Single frame shooting
Self-timer: 2 secs
ISO: 200
Lens: 50.0 mm
Focal length: 50.0mm
AF mode: One-shot AF

[ifurlong]

well, I studyed all the canon lenses befor I bought mine and the 20 was one that people said is soft, otherrs are the 28 and 14... sorry

[KennyG]

I tried out the 20mm a while ago and found it ranged from very soft wide open to just plain soft everywhere else. My 50 1.4, like yours, is nice and sharp with a lot of contrast.

[Canon10D]

I'm just curious, what are those dark spots on the blue sky of your 20mm pic? Dirty filter, maybe?

[jazt]

I'm just curious, what are those dark spots on the blue sky of your 20mm pic? Dirty filter, maybe?


Ok. This is a start. :?

I see the spots on the file I posted which was at @ f16, in pictures which I didn't post, taken @f8 the spots are less severe, at 5.6 I can't see them. Which sounds like there is dirt on the lens.

No filter was attached. I cleaned the lens last week. I'll clean the lens again and see what happens.

Does anyone else have suggestions?

[Belmondo]

The little dark spots are dust on your sensor. Nothing more exotic than that. Dust on a filter wouldn't be that well defined in an image.

[jazt]

The little dark spots are dust on your sensor. Nothing more exotic than that. Dust on a filter wouldn't be that well defined in an image.

If they are spots on the sensor wouldn't I see them at f8, or 5.6, and on the 50mm?....wait....damm the spot are on the 50mm also. Grrr.

However, this doesn't address the focus problem. Or does it?

Check out the letters on the building, and the mortor of the bricks. With the 50mm all is sharp, with the 20mm no way.

[Belmondo]

I notice in your EXIF data, the 20mm supposedly focused @ 655 meters. Obviously you weren't that far away from the building, so possibly there is a communication problem somewhere between the lens and the camera. I also noticed that the subject distance does not show in the EXIF date for the 50mm shot.

I don't know if there's anything with this or not, but I just happened to notice. Maybe there's a perfectly vailid explanition for this, like at infinity focus, that's what shows or something.