A Tale of 3 Lenses: The Soft, The Bad, and Thank You

This is my first 'real' post so, first, some background: I was a film SLR hobbiest until I went digital with a PowerShot G2 in 2002, loved it, and then bought a 20D in 2005. I also bought a 24-70 f/2.8L and a 70-300 f/4.5-5.6 DO IS, figuring that those would be great lenses to cover everything that I wanted to shoot. But I was a bit disappointed with the results and I thought maybe DSLRs just weren't that advanced yet. Or it was user error. But after a year, I got a 24-105L f/4 and really started enjoying it and the other 2 lenses often sat on the shelf.

Then, in spring 2010, I got seriously interested in really improving my photography and I started lurking on forums. On POTN, I learned about SOFT lenses and BAD COPIES (terms that I had never heard of before even in all my photo books and magazines). I thought about my 24-70 and 70-300...and I ran some fairly rigorous focusing tests (using much of the protocol that I found here) and, indeed, the 70-300 WAS soft at f/8 at all focal lengths (especially compared to the 24-105). The 24-70 was front focusing.

So, I sold the 70-300 to a camera store and replaced it with a VERY sweet 70-200 f/4L IS and a 1.4x TC. I sent the 24-70 back to Canon (cost about $200). Canon said "...the adjustment of the mechanical chassis was incorrect..." They replaced the chassis, the collar, and apparently some other things and did all the rest of the refurbished adjustments. Ran my tests again. Perfect now.

Then, I was having so much fun last summer that I bought a 300 f/4L IS, quickly took some photos of pelicans on water and they didn't look quite right, so I ran my lens focus tests and confirmed that the lens was front focusing. I sent it back within a week. Got a new copy. PERFECT. Loving it.

It never occurred to me, until I lurked on these forums for a long time, that there could be anything wrong with Canon lenses that cost over $1000. Thank you POTNers for sharing your knowledge and for the education about lenses and everything else that I have gotten here in the past year.

Oh, I got a 7D along the way, too...and a bunch of other stuff...forums are expensive...

Glad you have it all worked out!

Congrats, April! hope this summer you can have even more fun shooting, knowing that your glass is on point

Be sure to thoroughly check your 7D as well. Mine disappointed me until I sent it to Canon, which said the sensor was "misaligned" and corrected it under warranty. Now it rocks.

It's very disappointing that you had to pay extra to correct something that proper quality control never would have let out the door. And who knows what the impact of recent events in Japan will be on that QC?

Well, true enough, but also, things can wear, fail or get out of adjustment over a period of time. My 24-70 used to be darn good, but here recently had got to where it was mis-focusing. Actually, to me, it looked like nothing was in focus. Off to the Virginia (USA) service center it went. Just got it back a couple hours ago, and it is once again great. They replaced the "AF assembly and other parts". I've had it for several years so it was in fact out of warranty.

themadman wrote in post #12483566
Glad you have it all worked out!

Thanks!

MatthewK wrote in post #12483622
Congrats, April! hope this summer you can have even more fun shooting, knowing that your glass is on point

I am already having a blast! No bird is safe from my 300+1.4x TC! Thanks for the good wishes.

theoubobcat wrote in post #12483696
It's very disappointing that you had to pay extra to correct something that proper quality control never would have let out the door.

Well, in theory I agree, but I do accept the responsibility for the repair because the lens was over 4 years out of warranty. At least now I know what to look for...

george m w wrote in post #12490379
Well, true enough, but also, things can wear, fail or get out of adjustment over a period of time. ... I've had it for several years so it was in fact out of warranty.

Yeah, me too. I think mine came that way but at least it's fixed now! It won't happen to me again, but it would be nice if owner's manuals (which I do read!) would come with instructions of how to check things out!