acceptable or soft 70-200L f2.8 IS?

[stanpatyrak]

Would be intested to get your thoughts on this. Due to size, image is as this link: http://img518.imageshack.us/img518/3097/newlensfocustestsn9.jpg

I am concerned when viewing the image at 100%.

Image info:

File Name
IMG_0126.JPG
Camera Model
Canon EOS 20D
Shooting Date/Time
1/3/2007 6:51:43 PM
Shooting Mode
Program AE
Tv( Shutter Speed )
1/8
Av( Aperture Value )
2.8
Metering Mode
Center-Weighted Average Metering
Exposure Compensation
0
ISO Speed
100
Lens
70.0 - 200.0 mm
Focal Length
200.0 mm
Image Size
3504x2336
Image Quality
Fine

Shot on tripod with IS on

[SYS]

I don't understand why you're testing your lens at 1/8 sec?

[stanpatyrak]

It is on a tripod.

[jcw122]

Kinda tough to tell, a 100% crop could help.

[elader]

go shoot some real pictures and come back. You should shoot long and short wide open and try manual focusing as well as AF - my lens back focused by half a foot at the wide end but not the long end on three different camera bodies, both close and far.

[stanpatyrak]

100% crop, if interested.

http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/5529/100cropnewlenstv1.jpg

I plan on taking some time with the lens, taking "real pictures". Love the IS... it's my first IS lens and I can now see why everyone loves it.

[buddy4344]

I assume the IS was off when shooting on the tripod?

[sirsloop]

turn IS off and go shoot with the lens for a week... then post up.

The photo posted simply looks out of focus, or blurry from IS being on when on the tripod.

[stanpatyrak]

actually I kept it on.

This may all be quite ridiculous, I am sure. Just spent some serious change on the lens and want to get some opinions while the lens is still fresh out of the box. I recently bought the non IS - shot with it a few times and realized I should have bought the IS. The non IS was as sharp as it gets.

[oni0n56]

I would suggest you shoot some quick portraits. Sunlight or brightly lit, decently far away (DOF is insane when you're near minimum focusing distance).

I wasn't sure if mine was doing good but after a few quick headshots I realized how great it was.

[davidm_86]

As far as I know, keeping IS one while mounted on a tripod isn't recommended. I turn it off every time it's on a tripod and the pictures come out so sharp you can cut your eyes looking at them. :)

[jcw122]

I thought the latest IS (maybe it's not on the 70-200) can sense when it's on a tripod, and help with vibrations?

[oni0n56]

Yeah, the IS on tripod thing isn't really that big of a deal. Correct focusing and using MLU and not shaking it with your hands is a lot more important.

[mbellot]

I would suggest you shoot some quick portraits. Sunlight or brightly lit, decently far away (DOF is insane when you're near minimum focusing distance).

I wasn't sure if mine was doing good but after a few quick headshots I realized how great it was.

Second this.

Also, you may have been on a tripod, but unless you used a cable release and mirror lockup then 1/8 second is way too slow to be useful for judging sharpness.

[begovics]

stanpatyrak, try again. It could be IS or motion blur (oh irony), but it doesn't look good. I am sure there are many 100% crop examples around, but I tried to shot a simmilar object and match your settings, but eliminating potential motion blur. No sharpenning. I don't think I have the sharpest copy, but this looks much better then your crop.

[Mr. Clean]

If your mounted to a tripod, you need to turn the IS off. If you don't, it will cause a blurry picture. And mirror lock up, and the timer.

Per Canon's site..
No matter how great the lens is, camera shake can spoil the shot. Blurred photos due to camera shake usually occur when the shutter speed is slower than the reciprocal of the lens focal length. For example, a shutter speed slower that 1/200 sec. at the 200mm focal length can invite a blurred photo caused by camera shake. In such cases, a tripod is necessary. However, a tripod can be heavy and troublesome burden when you go hiking or traveling. There are even places where using tripods is prohibited. Using a slow shutter speed then becomes difficult. To resolve this problem, Canon became the first manufacturer to incorporate an Image Stabilizer in an SLR camera lens. Optical shake is detected by gyro sensors, which provide the data necessary to shift the image-stabilizing lens group in parallel to neutralize the shake. This increases the usable shutter speed range by up to 2 full steps for hand-held shooting. Except for the EF28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM and EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM lenses, IS lenses have two IS modes. One is for normal image stabilization and the other is for panned shots. With a monopod, the Image Stabilizer on all IS lenses operates normally as during hand-held shooting. Also, the EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM, EF 400mm f/2.8L IS USM, EF 500mm f/4L IS USM, and EF 600mm f/4L IS USM lenses have a mechanism that allows the Image Stabilizer to function properly while the lens is mounted on a tripod.

[Nyobie]

It does seem like the photo is OOF slightly. I'd expect the image to be sharper, but it's hard to tell. If you used the autofocus and didn't have directly lighting on the front of the package, maybe the AF was fooled?

In any case, the image definitely doesn't do the lens justice but I suspect it was the setup, not the lens. Try a few more with various lighting and analyze your set. You should see better results. Good luck!

[stanpatyrak]

Hooked up the flash, and things look a bit sharper. Light helps things. Should I be concerned about low-light performance then? Heck, the reason for spending bucks on the IS is for low light situations. Any thoughts?

[oni0n56]

Honestly, I would shoot something like what you usually shoot or what you plan to use the lens for. In my experience, shooting small objects and boxes indoors isn't as good as shooting something organic and intricate like a brush or a face with hair.

Of course more light will make shots better. Having IS is great, I totally love it and would never give it up, but it's not magic. It's just about the same as having a monopod, or super-steady hands.

I suggest you start shooting a lot with the lens. I've read that it took many people a few hundred shots before they got good with it, and I think it took me about that much to get to know it well.

One mistake to be careful of is getting the focus wrong and then thinking it's soft. At 2.8 and close to the subject, the DOF is really shallow, not more than an inch or so. SO unless you focus exactly, things won't come out that great...

-- also remember you'll get only about 2 stops with IS. (which can be quite a lot) So if you shoot with it off at 1/200 and get a great shot, you should be able to get similar results at 1/50 - on a stationary target. don't expect to shoot at 1/8 and get a perfect shot.

[stanpatyrak]

Thanks for your help and for humoring me! :)

[Longjohns]

In my instuction manual that came with the 70-200 2.8 IS
it says {on page E-9} "That even if the stabilizer switch is set to ON, the IS function does not operate because the electronic circuits in the lens automaticlly detect that a tripod is being used.
However, because electrical power is still being supplied to the image stablizer unit, battery life is roughly 20% shorter than it would be with the switch set to OFF " ...Nothing about IQ
I have only had the lens for a few months and I have not turned the IS off many times and I have not seen any IQ problems.
Maybe someone with more experience could comment on this.
Rebecca

[oni0n56]

Like I said earlier, you don't really have to worry about turning IS on or off even when it's on a tripod. Technically though on a steady tripod (not a monopod or something shaky/moving) you'd be better off with IS off, since it would make more vibrations than it stops.

But the lens is smart enough to figure it out. Your image isn't going to come out bad because of IS. Misfocusing or having a bad DOF on the other hand...

[stanpatyrak]

Well, tried the lens more and still unhappy with most of the images. I spoke with Canon for some time this morning, and the customer service rep took a look at a few images and agreed they looked a bit soft. He told me that the only way to truly confirm would be for me to send my body and lens in.

I spoke with B&H and they are taking care of me, doing a refund/exchange for another try at the lens. The guys at B&H were extremely helpful and patient.

[Mr. Clean]

In my instuction manual that came with the 70-200 2.8 IS
it says {on page E-9} "That even if the stabilizer switch is set to ON, the IS function does not operate because the electronic circuits in the lens automaticlly detect that a tripod is being used.
However, because electrical power is still being supplied to the image stablizer unit, battery life is roughly 20% shorter than it would be with the switch set to OFF " ...Nothing about IQ
I have only had the lens for a few months and I have not turned the IS off many times and I have not seen any IQ problems.
Maybe someone with more experience could comment on this.
Rebecca
Huh - That's contrary to Canon's site too. I wonder how it knows it's on a tripod?

[brock]

Sheesh, read the info that comes with your expensive chunk of glass (don't you owe that to yourself?!)

If you put that IS lens (any IS lens!) on a tripod, Canon says to turn the IS OFF. I'd quote to you right out of the booklet that came with my own 70-200 L 2.8 IS lens, which I love and adore, but you should do your own research.

[stanpatyrak]

Hey there Brock-

Thanks for the note. Did both IS and IS off on tripod, was still having soft images at 100% crop for both. So, this is helpful advice, but still was concerned about the lens. Not acceptable considering the amt. paid for that chunk of glass - and considering the sharp images I got from the non IS version of the lens.

[Mr. Clean]

you might have gotten a bum lens then. Send it in for calibration or exchange 'er!

[Tee Why]

As for the softness, it does look soft to me. I would definitely retest in good light with a tripod or with a fast enough shutter speed in RAW and go from there.

With new IS systems, it doesn't matter if you have the IS on or off. With the older ones on 28-135 and 100-400, you have to turn it off or it will affect the image.

[oni0n56]

Well, tried the lens more and still unhappy with most of the images. I spoke with Canon for some time this morning, and the customer service rep took a look at a few images and agreed they looked a bit soft. He told me that the only way to truly confirm would be for me to send my body and lens in.

I spoke with B&H and they are taking care of me, doing a refund/exchange for another try at the lens. The guys at B&H were extremely helpful and patient.

Glad to hear it! Between Canon & B&H I think you're in safe hands. Hope everything turns out alright.

[chakalakasp]

Yeah, the IS on tripod thing isn't really that big of a deal. Correct focusing and using MLU and not shaking it with your hands is a lot more important.

Wrong. It even says so in the manual.

If you don't believe me, test it yourself. The IS element wandering will cause IQ issues on slow tripoded shots. All below shot tripoded, cable released, MLU.

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/9240/isoff2yj.jpg

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/4467/ison7md.jpg