100-400 maybe focus problems

I am starting to wonder if I am having some issues with my lens on my 7D. I pretty much hand hold all my shots and always have. It seems that any shots that I take that are far away zoomed to 400 are mostly blurry but if the object is say 20 feet away they are crisp. I did some tests today when the sun finally showed itself. Wasn't much to take pictures of but I shot a log on the other side of the river and it turned out blurry. My shutter speed I thought was 1/400 but it looks like it was only 1/250. I tried it with IS on and off. Both shots were blurry. I took a picture of a rock about 20 feet in front of me with and without IS and both shots were in focus. Is it just harder to hold the camera still when the distance is greater? Maybe I am just getting shaking hands as I get older. It was windy out today and I am sure that didn't help either. I was out to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons last fall and I just didn't seem to have near as many keepers as I usually do. I am just wondering if I have a problem or is it just me.

Can you try it mounted on a tripod (turn IS off)? If it's still blurry, it's not you.

400mm at 1/250 is too slow. Boost your ISO to get your SS up to 1/800 minimum. The pixel density of the 7D sensor requires VERY steady hands. Any blur due to hand holding will be magnified by a 400mm focal length and the pixel density of the 18 mpx sensor.
Edit
If you have a tripod do as Bob suggests to eliminate your technique.

Hope this helps.

Remember that IS only helps with lens shake. If you have subject movement, then it doesn't help.

So while a rock might be static, grass, tree branches, birds etc might move in the wind.

Nascar Nut wrote in post #16746339
My shutter speed I thought was 1/400 but it looks like it was only 1/250. ............... I am just wondering if I have a problem or is it just me.

At 400mm if you're less than a SS of 640 it's you. Get your ISO up so you get a SS of 640 or more. Can you hand hold at less than that, yeah if the subject is not moving, the wind is not blowing, take multiple shots and some will come out.

I will get my tripod out tonight after work if the sun stays and see how it works. I will post back with the results.

Ok I took some pics out in my backyard. The pics that I took at around 25 feet seem to be spot on. The ones I took at 50 feet almost look like it is front focusing (the grass right in front of the turtle looks to be the focus point.) Here are a couple of samples to see what you guys think. These are much better then when I hand held it. Maybe the wind was making it worse. There was no sticks or blades of grass blowing around in the photos I took yesterday. I use to be able to hand hold this lens at 1/250 and get some decent shots. Also you can download the raw files here:
http://the-outdoorsman.net/temp/I​MG_4450.CR2
http://the-outdoorsman.net/temp/I​MG_4451.CR2
ISO 400 1/800sec.

2500 x 1667

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2500 x 1667

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I there any particular reason you're trying to get away with shutter speeds of 1/200 ? ? ? This will be the single reason you can't get sharp shots at 400mm. Even off a tripod or mono pod I'm still looking 1/800 minimum. As far as your examples ( and I'm only on an iPad so can't be specific ) what AF modes are you using, the camera will lock onto the black pipe as a good contrast in those under exposed shots.

There is a sticky on how to test for possible focus issues - https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=857871

Not surprisingly, shooting complex scenes in the dark is not one of its recommendations.

I am using the center point focus with the dot in the middle. It should have locked on the turtle I would think using that. If you download the raw file you can zoom in on the pic and see that the turtle is not sharp and to me the grass in front of it is. Now maybe at this distance the center point takes a larger sample and that is why. As far as the shutter speed I just need to make sure it is higher when not using a tripod. I was just feeling it was starting to have a problem focusing because I was getting so many bad photos. As far as what I originaly posted the tripod fixed that as my photos then where very blury. I just need to accept the fact that I can't hand hold the camera like I use to unless I keep the shutter speed up. With this 7d I hate turning the iso up much as I start getting noise. I am going to have to work on that.

I will have a look at the link you shared, thank you

Did you made focus microadjustment procedure? If not, you should do it. Just in case

I went out and took more pics with the lens trying different options. It seems that every photo I take zoomed to 400 is blurry. Is it me moving the lens or is it plain not focusing when zoomed to 400. I don't know if that is even possible or not. But I had the shutter speed up and it is still blurry. I tried birds in flight and geese setting on the water. All stuff I have shot many times hand held in the past. I always had keepers. I took probably 300 pictures and not one was in focus. Here are a few sample with 100% crops. Do you think it is user error or a problem with the lens. I am headed to Yellowstone in two months and I need to get something figured out. I would appreciate any suggestions you may have.

I would just avoid any tests on moving targets.

Use a tripod.
Turn off IS.
Use mirror lock-up.
Aim at a fixed subject - like a tree or similar.
Use a short enough shuttertime that it doesn't if it's a bit windy.

Another test - aim at a field. Is there a specific range that is Sharp? Where you focused or closer to you or further away?

Is there a filter on the lens? If so take it off. There are few filters made optically flat enough for 400mm so the image will get blurred.

Here is an example of a 100-400 with and without a filter:
http://www.clarkvision​.com …filter_quality/​index.html

Whilst I agree with other posters that you should test at a higher shutter speed, you shouldn't be seeing consistent camera shake issues at 1/250th with IS on. I frequently used my 100-400L at that speed with very rare cases of camera shake. Given good conditions and a stable bracing pose, I could shoot at 1/50th with a usable number of sharp shots, when light demanded it. I certainly never felt that I needed to go faster than 1/400th on any of my cameras, crop or FF, to avoid camera shake.

I think your shots of the concrete (?) turtle look pretty much in focus, the detail on those things is generally soft in real life, they don't have crisp sharp relief on them. Having said that, the birds are definitely not right.

The way those birds look, it makes me wonder if you have a filter on the lens? I have seen quite a number of posts by people who were getting results like that, then when they were advised to take the filter off the problem went away and they got sharp, clear shots. It seems that the 100-400L is particularly intolerant of filters. The other thing that springs to mind is are you using spot AF? That can also cause focusing issues as it is such a small area it can have trouble finding a line of sufficient contrast unless very carefully aimed and placed on such a line.

I would also suggest you try and MFA the lens at 400mm and that longer distance and that should solve the problem if it is just front focusing a little.