10-22 soft wide open?

[MadMesh]

Is the 10-22 soft wide open? Most of the SHARP pictures im seeing are at like f/8 or f/9... Is they typical of this lens, or can i shoot at wider apatures and still get sharp images.

The Reason i ask is for low light hand held shots. Im sure landscape shots ill use tripod if u can, but things like Indoor low light shots.

[EricKonieczny]

well here is what I can offer. I am not the best at hand holding, but I absolutley love the Canon 10-22. I only dabble in landscape work, but I love indoor shots and such.

Here is what I can offer, Take a look for yourself.

@ f3.5 hand held, Shutter speed 1/2 sec
http://www.ekreating.com/gallery/photos/normal/Utopia_042.jpg

@ 3.5 , Hand held , Shuuter speed Bulb mode 1/1

http://www.ekreating.com/gallery/photos/normal/Amika_06.jpg



This is a really good photo to show how sharp it is, but it is at f7.1 and hand held.
http://www.ekreating.com/gallery/photos/normal/FUSE_IN_MON_37.jpg


Here is a few more which should help. These are all handheld
f4.0 1/60
http://www.ekreating.com/gallery/photo.php?photo=2039

f3.5, 1/200
http://www.ekreating.com/gallery/photo.php?photo=2060

f4/ 1/60
http://www.ekreating.com/gallery/photo.php?photo=2038

f4, 1/10
http://www.ekreating.com/gallery/photo.php?photo=2839

As you can see, it is sharp all over, I have no complaints. If you still want to take a look at more, you can see all the EXIF data on my websiste for each photo. Go to an event, and then choose Detail Listing 1.

[Adam Hicks]

I don't worry about it wide open, as most WIDE shots you'll be taking will be of things that you need good background definition, so you'll want it at f8-f16 or more. Landscapes don't like f3.5 much :)

Plus, most any lens (with a few exceptions) are soft wide open, and I dare say that all Canon lenses are going to be softer wide open vs. f8+. My 100-400 is my favorite lens, but it absolutely sucks wide open!

Adam

[SimonBl]

I'm more than happy with the sharpness of mine at 5.6, haven't really tried it with decent subjects at too many different settings.

[MadMesh]

any of you guys hear storys of bad copys or it being too soft due to manufacture problems? What do you recomend doing when i get mine in the mail? As far as tests to make sure everything is working correctly and sharp?

[SimonBl]

I may be nieve, but I just go out and shoot pictures with my lenses when they arrive. 99% of the time, if the photo's a dud I can easily convince myself that it's the photographer that's a "bad copy".

Maybe I've been lucky.

[MrChad]

I usually stop my lens down just to make the landscapes as sharp as can be, look at what the lens has to wrap into a shot. That said, I've not had any issues with it wide open I would attribute to the lens.

And it's hard to really define sharp with this lens, you start zooming in much to look at something after the fact in Photoshop and I run out of pixel resolution before lens softness sets in. The 10mm is a whole new ballgame as lenses go for me. I doubt you will get a bad copy, you don't sell $800 MSRP lenses and make bad copies. Tamron $250 lens, maybe, but not near L priced Canon gear. Actually I've never met anyone with a bad canon lens in person.

[MadMesh]

sounds good... i just want my 10-22 to come in the mail! I have a feeling im going to upgrade my 420ex to a 580ex for interior shots with a flash... I hear the 10-22 is too wide for the coverage of a 420ex.

Ill also give the lens a feild test with a tripod to check for sharpness at different f stops.

[MrChad]

Yeah my 420 seams to not quite hit the full width of this lens wide open, but I don't see how I would really use a flash and this lens often?

The 420 isn't bad but you can tell it leaves the edges a lil' less full at 10mm, but I haven't played with FEC either on this lens.

I'd rather drag a tripod and use the given light with this lens. Maybe an omni bounce would help too, use less direct flash, I'm sure there are work arounds for the flash besides spending $150-200 to upgrade gear.

[syburn]

MadMesh Quote
I have a feeling im going to upgrade my 420ex to a 580ex for interior shots with a flash... I hear the 10-22 is too wide for the coverage of a 420ex.


My interior shot was taken handheld in Automatic mode. The built in flash came up and I just shot. Its my first attempt at shooting interiors and was more of an experiment and I have not added any PP yet.

I think its bright enough. I dont know what these other flashes would add to this type of interior shot. I would be interested to know??

Regards - Simon

[MadMesh]

Thanks for your input! I think a flash like the 420ex might be ok in a room that size... Since the light would be bouncing off walls, but i hear in a large venu, the corners and edges start to fall off, because the flash cant spead light that wide.

Your picture also had good ambient lighting.