soft 17-40mm F4L lens?

I just recently purchased the 17-40L and its a gem for the price. On my XTI the lens performs just aswell as my Sigma 18-50EX except the sigma is f/2.8. The sharpness wideopen is absolutely amazing for a zoom IMO. On the 5d its an ultra wide lens (reason for purchasing) and it give a "fun" fisheye look at 17mm -2xmm due to barrel distortion.

When I first put my new lens on my XTI at the camera store I tested it wideopen hand held in real life walkaround useage. The eyelash detail when photographing my 2yr old daughter was very impressive. What impressed me the most was the colour/contrast of the photos straight out of the camera. Stopping my copy to f/4.5 the sharpness increased dramatically which is already extremely impressive at f/4.

I have had a 17-40 for quite a number of years and rarely use it.
There is no getting away from the fact that my copy IS just SOFT.
It is soft throughout the entire range. I have compared it to 2 other copies - they were fine.

It does not appear to miss-focus in any way it is just has a hazy softness to it right through the entire zoom range.
About to send back to Canon and see if they can help.
And before anybody comments, it has been tried on 10D, 2x30D's, 1D11n and a 5D.

perryge wrote in post #6932073
The 17-40L is known for being a lot sharper at 17mm than at 40mm. This is consistent with my copy, which I'm really happy with. At 17mm, it's frighteningly sharp - it gives my 200L a run for its money, which is INSANE. At 40mm, it's good, but certainly nowhere near as impressive as it is at 17mm.

Yup. Prime-like at 17mm.

If it's been such a problem on so many different bodies over a period of years, why haven't you sent it back sooner? Hopefully they'll make some sort of adjustment at no charge, but the fact that you've held it so long may weaken your case.

jtfoto wrote in post #6934815
I have had a 17-40 for quite a number of years and rarely use it.
There is no getting away from the fact that my copy IS just SOFT.
It is soft throughout the entire range........About to send back to Canon and see if they can help........it has been tried on 10D, 2x30D's, 1D11n and a 5D.

Did some testing this morning....apparently had the camera set wrong for some reason.
The lens seems to be only very very slightly softer than my 24mm f2.8 prime lens...which I think is acceptable. Stopped down to about 5.6 and the difference is negligable.
I will know more in a couple of weeks....wife gave me to go ahead to get a 5D...so get to do a little online shopping. Was also looking at the 5D mark 2, but those are too pricey for my blood.

Overexposure? Underexposure? Congrats on the go-ahead for the 5D purchase..... marvelous little machine .

Denton wrote in post #6935986
Did some testing this morning....apparently had the camera set wrong for some reason........

pics??? where's the sample?

I had a couple of softies before finally got a nice sharp one on the third try. Guys at the cam shop agreed that it was a bit too soft for their liking as well and were very accommodating in getting a sharper one. Nevertheless, with a little photoshop the images (even on a softer lens) sharpen up very nicely!

Got my 5D...super nice camera and I am happy! The 17-40 F4L lens is fairly sharp stopped down and compared to my 24mm f2.8 prime lens indicates very little difference in color and sharpness. Thanks to all that replied.

Glad to hear it worked out for you Denton - we like success stories and happy shooters . I feel the same way about my combo.

Denton wrote in post #6970308
Got my 5D...super nice camera and I am happy! The 17-40 F4L lens is fairly sharp stopped down and compared to my 24mm f2.8 prime lens indicates very little difference in color and sharpness. Thanks to all that replied.