See my 70-200 F4

[93octane]

Ok I got the lens in today I don't have my 300D because it getting fixed hot shoe wasn't working properly so I stopped by my brothers house and took some quick shots to make sure the lens was working fine. Let me know what you think of the lens performance wise. I don't know if its something I'm doing wrong but the pictures don't look very good (sharp). We were shooting from inside the house towards the outside through the door. From what you see does the lens seem to be working fine or is their some technic to make them look better??? Especially the last one very blurry 100% crop. In picture one the red explorer was moving

Original
http://home.rgv.rr.com/gt281/pics/pic1.jpg

Focus Point
http://home.rgv.rr.com/gt281/pics/pic1-point.jpg

Original
http://home.rgv.rr.com/gt281/pics/pic2-org.jpg

Focus Point
http://home.rgv.rr.com/gt281/pics/pic2-point.jpg

100% Crop
http://home.rgv.rr.com/gt281/pics/pic2-crop.jpg

Original
http://home.rgv.rr.com/gt281/pics/pic3-org.jpg


Focus point
http://home.rgv.rr.com/gt281/pics/pic3.jpg

100% Crop
http://home.rgv.rr.com/gt281/pics/100%20crop-pic3.jpg



Exif info:

Picture 1:

Camera Model
Canon EOS 20D
Shooting Date/Time
6/29/2005 7:09:25 AM
Shooting Mode
Manual Exposure
Tv( Shutter Speed )
1/1250
Av( Aperture Value )
7.1
Metering Mode
Evaluative Metering
ISO Speed
800
Lens
70.0 - 200.0 mm
Focal Length
122.0 mm
Image Size
3504x2336
Image Quality
Fine
Flash
Off
White Balance Mode
Auto
AF Mode
One-Shot AF
Parameters Settings
Contrast Mid. High
Sharpness Mid. High
Color saturation Mid. High
Color tone 0
Color Space
sRGB
Noise Reduction
Off
File Size
3316 KB
Custom Function
C.Fn:01-0
C.Fn:02-0
C.Fn:03-0
C.Fn:04-0
C.Fn:05-0
C.Fn:06-0
C.Fn:07-0
C.Fn:08-0
C.Fn:09-0
C.Fn:10-0
C.Fn:11-0
C.Fn:12-0
C.Fn:13-0
C.Fn:14-0
C.Fn:15-0
C.Fn:16-0
C.Fn:17-0
C.Fn:18-0
Drive Mode
Single-frame shooting

Picture 2:

Camera Model
Canon EOS 20D
Shooting Date/Time
6/29/2005 7:12:45 AM
Shooting Mode
Manual Exposure
Tv( Shutter Speed )
1/4000
Av( Aperture Value )
4.0
Metering Mode
Evaluative Metering
ISO Speed
800
Lens
70.0 - 200.0 mm
Focal Length
149.0 mm
Image Size
3504x2336
Image Quality
Fine
Flash
Off
White Balance Mode
Auto
AF Mode
One-Shot AF
Parameters Settings
Contrast Mid. High
Sharpness Mid. High
Color saturation Mid. High
Color tone 0
Color Space
sRGB
Noise Reduction
Off
File Size
3482 KB
Custom Function
C.Fn:01-0
C.Fn:02-0
C.Fn:03-0
C.Fn:04-0
C.Fn:05-0
C.Fn:06-0
C.Fn:07-0
C.Fn:08-0
C.Fn:09-0
C.Fn:10-0
C.Fn:11-0
C.Fn:12-0
C.Fn:13-0
C.Fn:14-0
C.Fn:15-0
C.Fn:16-0
C.Fn:17-0
C.Fn:18-0
Drive Mode
Single-frame shooting


Picture 3:
ile Name
IMG_0274.jpg
Camera Model
Canon EOS 20D
Shooting Date/Time
6/29/2005 7:14:15 AM
Shooting Mode
Manual Exposure
Tv( Shutter Speed )
1/400
Av( Aperture Value )
4.0
Metering Mode
Evaluative Metering
ISO Speed
100
Lens
70.0 - 200.0 mm
Focal Length
180.0 mm
Image Size
3504x2336
Image Quality
Fine
Flash
Off
White Balance Mode
Auto
AF Mode
One-Shot AF
Parameters Settings
Contrast Mid. High
Sharpness Mid. High
Color saturation Mid. High
Color tone 0
Color Space
sRGB
Noise Reduction
Off
File Size
3135 KB
Custom Function
C.Fn:01-0
C.Fn:02-0
C.Fn:03-0
C.Fn:04-0
C.Fn:05-0
C.Fn:06-0
C.Fn:07-0
C.Fn:08-0
C.Fn:09-0
C.Fn:10-0
C.Fn:11-0
C.Fn:12-0
C.Fn:13-0
C.Fn:14-0
C.Fn:15-0
C.Fn:16-0
C.Fn:17-0
C.Fn:18-0
Drive Mode
Single-frame shooting

[Jim G]

Uh.. I'm no expert but apart from picture #2 the part of the picture that's in-focus doesn't match the red square in the middle... with #3 it's a bit of the tree in the upper part of the frame and with #1 it's the blue ute. They look decently in-focus :p

[FScott]

Okay,

In my opinion...

Shot 1: The forground truck looks nice and sharp and you were at 122mm 1/1250s at f7.1. It might be possible that the depth of field extends from the focus point to the truck in front but I would also think the fence in the background would also be within the depth of field. I know the truck is moving but unless it was cruising you should have been able to catch it. It really looks like the camera focused on the wrong object.

shot 2: looks good to me.

shot 3: you were at 180mm and 1/400s this is a marginal shutter speed for this focal length. A minimum would be 1/(180mm x1.6) = 1/288s. I like to shoot double that,so on the 20D this would be 1/640s. I chalk this one up to camera shake.

Feel free to correct me.

-- Scott.

[93octane]

I have been reading that some people are only having problems Auto focusing on the 20D with 70-200 F4L but not on the 300D/350XT or 10D. Could it be I picked the wrong camera to test the lens?? Picture #1 the red dot is on the red truck why would the camera focus on the blue truck??? After seeing the picture and arpeture I'm guessing on picture #3 the DOF on 4 is too shallow?? Just guessing....

[jforget1]

Don't get me wrong here, I respect your right to post whatever you want to, but damn that is a long post.

I hope to get some good shots with my 70-200 tomorrow at the Red Sox game, Father's Day gift to my dad. Should be fun, hope to post some cool Fenway Shots this weekend.

[93octane]

Ha no problem no offens taken the pictures plus the Exif are what make it long. Good luck tomorrow hope you take some good pictures.

[summerwind4]

hi octane,

hey i'm posting some test shots i did over the weekend with my 2nd 70-200 f/4.

here are a couple i did to see if the AF on the 20D and the 70-200 are working.
it still seems that at 70mm at f/4, the lens will hit about a couple (or more) of inches behind the target, but i'm finding that the AF point is critical in that the red square is actually bigger than what we see, so it hit's more area i believe which is what can cause a little focusing error.
so far, all the f/4 shots at 70mm are very good and if viewed at even larger than what Canon designs our digitals to do, they are more than acceptable. i also believe that even though this lens is focusing way better than my first one, it may still benefit from a trip to Canon for ultimate adjustment.
i am loading a bunch more pictures, but here are two that i shot with only outside light peering into my garage............these are unsharpened with the exception that the 20D was set to parameter 1 with gives +1 sharp,contrast and saturation.
70mm
http://www.pbase.com/summerwind4/image/45453719/original
200mm
http://www.pbase.com/summerwind4/image/45453786/original

[willg]

it has taken me a while to get used to this lens...if you move the camera ever so slightly from the time you confirm focus to the time you hit the shutter it can mess it all up

[CyberDyneSystems]

Try static objects.. moving cars ? Look at all the obstructions?
This test shows nothing.

Set CF4 to 1.. and turn on AI servo.. take a few weeks to get used to focusing with the * button before you try and photograph moving subjects... it will increase your keepers a lot.

Using One shot AF on the shutter release for moving subjects is a receipe for OOF photos :)

But understand that moving subjects can allways post a challenge.

[93octane]

summerwind4 all you shots look really good. I have been told to use at least twice the focal length as your shutter speed but I see yout took some good shots at 1/320 F4.0 and 200mm and 1/125, F4.0, and 70mm. They look nice and sharp. As far as moving objects those were not my intentions I was just messing around. I didn't really get a lot of time to really test out the lens those pictures are just those first pictures you take when you get something new snap,snap, snap without really thinking or double checking your settings. Just wanted to know from you guys if the lens looks good from initial quick test I have to wait till my 300D comes back to really test it out.

[pierrot]

Pic.#2 is the only one well focused because it's the only one where the focus point is placed spot onto a well contrasted area (black/white) of the rim.

On the first and third ones, the focus point of the sensor is set to uniform (red car body) or low-contrast (dark-blue/black collar) part of the subject.

Just my 0.02 ;)

[Johnny V]

I have been reading that some people are only having problems Auto focusing on the 20D with 70-200 F4L but not on the 300D/350XT or 10D. Could it be I picked the wrong camera to test the lens??

No...my zoom has problems on my XT and 300D. My 70-200 f4L is dead-on-focus at the longer end...but at the shorter end front focuses. I need to send this back to Canon for the second time.

I think you will need to do more testing until you become familiar with the lens but I think your lens might have a problem.

Check out the below link...I recently shot a body building show for a friend of mine. It was strickly just for fun. All the below shots were handheld from 70+ feet away...I was able to plant my elbow into the arm rest for most of the shots. My XT was set to 1600 ISO and shutter speed was around 1/200 sec or so and f-stop was wide open at f4 of course. The majority of the shots were close to the 200mm end of the zoom. The lens is really sharp wide open but I'm disappointed by the front focus at the shorter end. The first five images are cropped from full length body shots.

http://homepage.mac.com/johnvito/PhotoAlbum24.html

Best,

John V.

[93octane]

Thanks John but at the length of almost 200mm would a faster shutter speed been better to avoid camera shake??? How long does it take when you send in your lens in to Canon for something like front focus problem???

[Johnny V]

The shutter couldn't go any faster as my XT only goes to 1600 ISO and the lens was wide open. The 20D has 3200 ISO so shutter speed could have been doubled. Anyway there was only camera shake on a couple of images. Out of the 150 shots only one missed the focus and that was image "_5" the back double biceps shot.

I live about 35 minutes from Canon's Sevrice Center in NJ and dropped off the lens the first time and it was ready in three days.

[93octane]

Lucky you live so close to canon...