Help! Did I get a bad 17-40??

[MarkHaldane]

I just got my 20D and 17-40mm and from early tests im not sure if my lens is performing up to scratch. I've seen some incredible photographs with it and I just dont think mine is anywhere near as sharp as it should be.

I can't compare it to another lens because I don't have any others, and was wondering if you guys could help me? Who else has a 17-40mm? Does mine compare well to yours? Is this as sharp as it gets or should I get a replacement ASAP?

Here are some shots with it:

(All these shots were taken with the camera sat firmly on a table, using Mirror lock up and timer release - there is no way there is ANY camera shake)

#1

f/4.0

http://www.haldaneclan.plus.com/tests/test1.jpg

Link to the Full Res File (http://www.haldaneclan.plus.com/tests/fullresopen.jpg)

And some 100% Crops:

http://www.haldaneclan.plus.com/tests/opencrop1.jpghttp://www.haldaneclan.plus.com/tests/opencrop2.jpghttp://www.haldaneclan.plus.com/tests/opencrop3.jpghttp://www.haldaneclan.plus.com/tests/opencrop4.jpg


#2

f/8.0

http://www.haldaneclan.plus.com/tests/test2.jpg

Link to the Full Res File (http://www.haldaneclan.plus.com/tests/fullresmid.jpg)

And some 100% Crops:

http://www.haldaneclan.plus.com/tests/midcrop1.jpghttp://www.haldaneclan.plus.com/tests/midcrop2.jpghttp://www.haldaneclan.plus.com/tests/midcrop3.jpghttp://www.haldaneclan.plus.com/tests/midcrop4.jpg


#3

f/22

http://www.haldaneclan.plus.com/tests/test3.jpg

Link to the Full Res File (http://www.haldaneclan.plus.com/tests/fullresclosed.jpg)

And some 100% Crops:

http://www.haldaneclan.plus.com/tests/closedcrop1.jpghttp://www.haldaneclan.plus.com/tests/closedcrop2.jpghttp://www.haldaneclan.plus.com/tests/closedcrop3.jpghttp://www.haldaneclan.plus.com/tests/closedcrop4.jpg


I can test more if you want me to take pictures of anything in particular?

Please help me out here as it really doesn't seem right to me!! I can take it back to the shop and get a replacement but it could take them a while to order one so I need to tell them sooner rather than later!

Thanks in advance for your help guys!

[tommykjensen]

What were the shutter speeds ?

I did the same kind of tests with my 17-40 and also inside. I did use tripod and the results were disappointing but other tests with proper lighting and shutterspeeds around 1/125 or fatser the results was better.

I would suggest that You test outside in good daylight.

[cdhender]

From another thread:

Nice INDOORS w\flash comparisions! My visual findings with the two shooting at Ambient lighting and Equal Shutter-Aperature-Focal Lengths had similiar results! The 17-40 had a tad better color rendition, slightly sharper focus with maybe better resolution, but found the 17-40 "darker" than the 18-55! Not enough quality improvements to justify 6X the price for the 17-40L!

However, OUTSIDE in the Mid to bright Daylight settings the 17-40L Came Alive!! Vibrant Colors, Superb Bokeh, Excellent Resolution and 3-D like Contrast, Wow!!! The kit lens did just the Opposite with blown highlights, washed out colors, fair Bokeh and a drop in resolution!!

Since I had Identical Camera Settings, main differences appeared to be in the Quality of Glass!!! Decided to Keep the 17-40L for my Main Landscape Wide Angle Equipment!!!


I don't have a 17-40L but it's my next lens. I get the feeling that it's really meant to be an outdoor / landscape /well-lit lens. Perhaps it's because of the f/4. All I know is, all the wonderful shots I've seen with this lens have been outdoors in well lit conditions. And all the soft images come from dark, indoor places. I just don't think the lens functions well in low light.

Just my $.02, but then again I don't even own this lens (yet).

[SeanH]

Looks to me like just a hair of Camera shake.......like the other guy said "test it outdoors", then you should know. I have this lens and it's very sharp. On the other hand if this is your first L lens you might be like myself and expecting the results to be far superior over a standard lens. In my opinion they are not. I'm sure at a certain point of magnification I might see the difference, but as of now I really don't..........and I have the 17-40L, the 24-70L, and the 70-200L. And yesturday I just found a huge diadvantage to having these fast lenses, I bought a Hoya r72 filter to try Infrared, and at 77mm size it was $245 :shock: ......as compared to the 52mm and 35 bucks :?

[Swanick]

I had the same questions and concerns about my 10D camera and lens when I first purchased the camera. Unfortunately at the time I did not have anyone to test the lens or camera against to see if there was a problem. If you feel the pictures are soft and out of focus then send the lens back to Canon and demand a new one. You will find my recent posting “update on 10D problem” with a similar problem with the 28-135mm lens. I finally had the opportunity this weekend to test my camera and lens against several others. I found there is a big difference in lens quality with mine being on the low end. Now that I am better educated my suggestion to you is to keep returning the lens until you are satisfied with the results. 8)