New to Canon 7D, not entirely happy with quality.

lightseeker wrote in post #13583697
Many thanks for all the help and advice so far. I found some time the other day to go through some suggestions, I had a little success micro adjusting the lens just through trial and error, but over all I am still not too pleased. I have tried with EC .7, and mid range ISO as previously suggested but am finding noise and a lack of detail.

If you are finding some improvement with micro adjusting then you may need to the the lens/camera calibrated. The problem with micro adjusting a zoom lens is that it may require different micro adjust at different zoom settings. The only way to do that is to send it in to Canon and have them calibrate the lens/camera combo.

How long have you had the lens? If you are still in the return window then maybe swap it out for another one.

I'm not sure if I checked the exif for all of the photos you posted, but I didn't see any using your 60mm macro.

That lens should be very sharp.

Maybe post a few shots taken with it.

Jason

Something looks wrong whether its technique or your equipment. The 7D is capable of producing detailed images e.g.

https://photography-on-the.net …?p=9712349&post​count=4112
https://photography-on-the.net …p=10759586&post​count=7983

Happy to take a look at your RAW files if you want to upload them somewhere and PM me the link. Take a few low ISO, high shutter speed shots with lighting that provides high contrast e.g. direct sunlight ...or just shots using your flash with 0% ambient (on camera will do)... then link me to the best couple.

This sticky thread has detailed instructions and links on how to narrow down a suspected focus issue. Starting point should be a static camera (tripod or table) and a static detailed subject eg liquor bottles, cereal boxes etc. A second lens is really helpful.

Well, you can send it back if you're not happy and get a refund. If you used B&H, they give you 30 days. Or you can mail it to your Canon facility. Give them a call first though.

For the second shot. As you can see at F4 AV mode with partial metering, that is the ISO (Auto) and shutter speed the camera choose for the exposure.

File Name IMG_2556.CR2
Camera Model Canon EOS 7D
Firmware Firmware Version 1.2.5
Shooting Date/Time 1/01/2000 12:00:31 AM
Owner's Name
Shooting Mode Aperture-Priority AE
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/160
Av( Aperture Value ) 4.0
Metering Mode Partial Metering
Exposure Compensation +2/3
ISO Speed 500
Auto ISO Speed ON
Lens EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM
Focal Length 105.0mm
Image Size 5184x3456
Image Quality RAW
Flash Off
FE lock OFF
White Balance Mode Auto
AF Mode One-Shot AF
AF area select mode Manual selection
Picture Style Standard
Sharpness 4
Contrast 0
Saturation 0
Color tone 0
Color Space sRGB
Long exposure noise reduction 0:Off
High ISO speed noise reduction 0:Standard
Highlight tone priority 0isable
Auto Lighting Optimizer 0:Standard
Peripheral illumination correction Enable
File Size 24686KB
Dust Delete Data No
Drive Mode Low-speed continuous shooting
Live View Shooting OFF
AF Microadjustment 0
Date/Time(UTC)
Latitude
Longitude
Altitude
Geographic coordinate system
Camera Body No. 2361205039
Comment

lightseeker wrote in post #13586917
For the second shot. As you can see at F4 AV mode with partial metering, that is the ISO (Auto) and shutter speed the camera choose for the exposure.

And that's exactly the reason why I shoot full manual 100% of the time.

I just don't see how the second shot requires iso500? i mean yes f4 is a lil bit slow but still....1/160 also not that fast at all at 105mm (the min ss AV mode picked)

The scene looks real bright to me, yes your son (i assume) is under the shades but still plenty lights???

paparios wrote in post #13583764
I would avoid ISO500. Try either ISO640 or ISO400 instead. The 7D is capable of providing excellent results and you can also perform a controlled test. The following example and 100% crop, was shot with the EF-85 f1.8 lens at ISO400, f2.8, 1/5 sec on a tripod. The RAW file was PP with LR3.4.1.

Miguel

Sorry, but these shots are fake. Those bottles have way to much scotch in them to be real.

Thanks all for the posts. Sorry I have been away on holidays, this is the first time I have had a chance to check back here. Here are some with the EF-S60mm, this lens seems sharp after micro adjusting, however I can't micro adjust the 24-105 to produce anything as sharp as this.

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Thanks for the offer of looking at the RAW's Rai33, I have pm'd you for more detials

lightseeker wrote in post #13712139
Here are some with the EF-S60mm, this lens seems sharp after micro adjusting, however I can't micro adjust the 24-105 to produce anything as sharp as this.

Not a fair comparison.....The 60mm macro is of course sharper than the 24-105, that's the nature of marco lens and primes in general.

What you get from the 24-105 is trading sharpness for versatility. That's zoom lens for you.

Exactly the reason why I am going all primes and only keeping 24-105 for emergency purposes which is gathering dust anyway...

kin2son wrote in post #13712190
Not a fair comparison.....The 60mm macro is of course sharper than the 24-105, that's the nature of marco lens and primes in general.

What you get from the 24-105 is trading sharpness for versatility. That's zoom lens for you.

Exactly the reason why I am going all primes and only keeping 24-105 for emergency purposes which is gathering dust anyway...

I would take 'in-focus' at this stage.

lightseeker wrote in post #13712139
Thanks all for the posts. Sorry I have been away on holidays, this is the first time I have had a chance to check back here. Here are some with the EF-S60mm, this lens seems sharp after micro adjusting, however I can't micro adjust the 24-105 to produce anything as sharp as this.

That means your 24-105 isn't all that sharp unfortunately. Have you tried shooting at F/5.6 or F/8? It should improve a bit.

The problem is that due to having an APS-C sensor the image must be enlarged more than from a larger sensor, assuming the same image viewing size. The centre of the projected image is magnified more and the sides cut off, and naturally any lens softness is therefore more visible with APS-C.

In short, if you're going to be viewing your images so large you will need super sharp glass.

I'm not sure if your 24-105 is like all others or not as I've never owned one.

OP,

Friends don't let friends pixel peep!!

http://www.ukphotosafa​ri.org …t-friends-pixel-peep.html

The last shot looks in better focus than the first two. However, the fill flash seems too much. When I use fill, I set the flash compensation to -1/3 or -2/3.

I get the least amount of noise when I set the ISO on my 7d at 160. In LR 3.6, I zoom in to 200% to check for noise and usually, my NR setting starts at 25, Detail - 20 and Contrast - 0. Then I apply Sharpening. I start with Sharpening at 30, Radius - 1.0 Detail - 25 and Masking - 0. In the Basic tab, I make sure the Exposure/Recovery/Fill and Blacks result in black Histogram triangles. Also in the Basic tab, I set the Clarity between 30-70. These settings are a starting point and may need to be adjusted depending on what you see at 100% or 200%.

On the 7d, I usually use single point focus and never all 19 pts or Zone. The 7d will always try to focus on the closest point. Children running at you can be challenging. Shutter speed should be at least 1/250. The 7d seems to struggle locking focus in AI Servo, so I've had good results with AI Focus or One Shot. I think the most important thing is a fast shutter speed for children running at you.

My suggestions/settings are what works for me and what I photograph.