Did I get a bad 85mm 1.8?

Here are two test images with 100% crops. Focus was center focus on the top bar code on the box.

60D
85mm 1.8 @ 1.8
1/200 second
ISO 100

At these settings I was testing it last night as well with my wife. If I focused on the eye furthest from me then that eye would be kind of out of focus while the closer eye was sharp. If I focus on the closer eye then they are both slightly out of focus. So I am thinking it's either a soft lens or it has focus problems. Or is this kind of expected with an 85mm @ 1.8?

The DOF at 1.8 is razor thin, so it's easy to mis-focus. But it does seem that yours is front focusing a bit. No micro-focus adjust on the 60D, right?

nope... no micro focus

I may try exchanging it for another one....

Set the batteries up in a row slightly offset and aim for the second one. That way you can see the degree of missed focus. Shoot so that they fill the frame so you have lots of detail to work with.

Keep in mind that:

a) I'm no expert

and

b) it's hard to tell from just a couple of random pics.

Google for a focus adjustment image and how to use it. Set your camera on a tripod in good light and do some real testing. If it's still off and your lens is under warranty, I *think* Canon will adjust it for you.

Is this on a tripod?

sbao26975 wrote in post #15707703
Is this on a tripod?

yes, as well as a 2 second timer.

sbao26975 wrote in post #15707703
Is this on a tripod?

^^ This. At 1.8, even your breathing can throw focus off. There's a reason why many portrait photographers stop down, especially with super fast primes.

ok, here are some battery pictures. For the most part focus seemed ok. Focused on the second battery from the front. One turned out as being out of focus. Wonder why the variation...

That doesnt seem too bad to me. Its helpful when you test these wide open to have the camera on the same plane as the subject, shooting down on the batteries can affect the sharpness across the battery thats in focus.

I also did a focus test chart and it seems fine... Maybe when taking some pictures it was not just focusing well due to low light or low contrast?....

Ratjack wrote in post #15707806
I also did a focus test chart and it seems fine... Maybe when taking some pictures it was not just focusing well due to low light or low contrast?....

That certainly could be the case. A lot of people try to test their new gear in the house and bad light and then blame the lens. Bad light is bad light.

I also read an article a couple weeks ago that outlined just how big the center focus point cross is. It's much larger that the focus point box you see in the viewfinder. If the strongest contrasting point in your image is touched by the center focus point cross, it could be grabbing focus on that instead of the point you aimed at.

In the article the shooter was aiming at a small, low contrast area in the foreground with a large, high contrast area in the background. The image clearly had the high contrast area in focus even though the focus point was on the closer area.

With portraits, the cheek area is of lower contrast than the eye area, so aiming at the cheek may result in the camera focusing on the eye. With a razor thin depth of field, this could be an issue.

Having said all that, I have also seen variations in focus accuracy while was trying to MFA a lens. Same lighting conditions, using a tripod and timer, same focus point. Different results. It happens.

For those battery pictures, also move the batteries a little further apart on the horizontal plane (your front to back distance is good). The 1st and 2nd battery are kind of close together so it is also possible that the focus point may have hit part of the 1st battery on pic #3.

The arrangement you have in pic #1 is perfect, which probably also explains why the focus is the best in that picture. The arrangement in 2, 3, 4 are all too close together.

And as has already been mentioned, use the best light you can get when taking these test shots. If these are indoor, take them during the day with the windows open so you get some more light. However, based on pic #1 of the batteries, I think your focus is probably fine.

I did have some front focus in my copy of the 85 1.8 but luckily both of my camera bodies have MFA.