Is my new 70D bad or is this normal?

I've been using a 30D for almost 8 years. A few months ago I started getting ERR99, first occasionally, then constantly. I googled it, tried the suggested fixes like cleaning lens contacts, etc, to no avail. I assumed it was the old camera. I had just got my annual bonus so I decided to buy a new 70D. After a few days of use I started getting ERR01. Realizing it was the lens, an EF-S 17-55 2.8, I sent it in to Canon Service in Irvine, CA. $250, new AF, and new IS mechanisms later I thought I was good to go.

I went on vacation for 2 weeks. When I started to go through my photos I noticed that some were very soft. After doing some experimenting I found that when I use either the 19 point AF mode or the zone AF mode the photos are fuzzy. When I use a single point autofocus, manual focus, or live view AF they are much sharper. Is there something wrong with the camera, is it the lens again, or is this just the way it's supposed to be? Of course I'll contact Canon but I thought I'd post this here to get some feedback so I can understand better what's going on.

All of the example photos are 100% crops done at f2.8, ISO 100, on a tripod with timer delay, at about 42mm focal length and about 9 feet from the target. Thanks for any comments or help.

No comments? Since I first made the mistake of thinking I had a bad camera when I really had a bad lens, I'd really like to know if it's still the lens or if it's the camera before I send more equipment off to Canon.

I don't know about the 70D, but I've been playing with my "new" refurbished 7D for a few days and the zone and the 19 point auto select both do the same thing yours is doing on a lot of the things I've tried them on. Center point works great. I never had much luck with the 9 point auto selection in my T1i either, but single center point always got 'er done. I'm thinking there's nothing wrong with your camera.

some of these definitely look suspect, but without seeing a full frame with an overlay of where the focus points actually are, it's pretty hard to make much of what your testing has shown.

The 19 point & center zone focus shots - could be anyone's guess as to what it's actually used to focus on, can you open these with DPP or Zoombrowser and check which focus point has been active?

joeseph wrote in post #17100910
some of these definitely look suspect, but without seeing a full frame with an overlay of where the focus points actually are, it's pretty hard to make much of what your testing has shown.

The 19 point & center zone focus shots - could be anyone's guess as to what it's actually used to focus on, can you open these with DPP or Zoombrowser and check which focus point has been active?

Images as posted here don't show EXIF or the focus point although I suspect the originals do. Can you repost, maintaining the full EXIF, so we can much better help you?

Thanks for the replies. I've always used the center focus point for most shooting but I thought with the new camera and the new AF on the 70D I would try out the other AF modes. The target was taped to a flat wall so all of the focus points, no matter which was chosen, should be in the same plane. But I'll try and do that with DPP to show them.

Not to jump the gun, but are you aware that many people have reported having focus issues with the 70D when using f/2.8 or faster lenses? Where do you fall in the poll at https://photography-on-the.net …80558&highlight​=70d+poll?

I know exactly what you're describing here. My first 7D did the same thing. Testing on a completely flat target (e.g. brick wall), plane of focus nicely parallel with target. Individual AF points good, zone a little front focused, 19 points mode even more front focused. Again, there was no other subject in the frame that were closer than the target. Only a flat subject. Still different modes produced different results.

John from PA, that poll is asking about long distance focusing, this was done at about 9 feet, my vacation photos were done at anything from 5 or 6 feet to 50 feet. All of them, no matter what distance, show poor focus when using the 19 point or zone AF.

Gabe, is this a fixable problem or is this just the way it is?

Here are crops from DPP showing the focus points for the two AF modes giving the problems. The first is with the 19 point AF, the second is with the center zone AF.

I would have done these tests at 5.6 or 8 since 2.8 is its widest.

Kent Clark wrote in post #17101959
John from PA, that poll is asking about long distance focusing, this was done at about 9 feet, my vacation photos were done at anything from 5 or 6 feet to 50 feet. All of them, no matter what distance, show poor focus when using the 19 point or zone AF.

Gabe, is this a fixable problem or is this just the way it is?

Here are crops from DPP showing the focus points for the two AF modes giving the problems. The first is with the 19 point AF, the second is with the center zone AF.

That 7D of mine was not perfect when focusing with certain lenses. My second one (a Canon refurb) was much better.

kjonnnn wrote in post #17102161
I would have done these tests at 5.6 or 8 since 2.8 is its widest.

doing focus testing at anything other than wide open would make it harder to see the issue.

Looking at the shots with the focus objects on them makes me think there's something that needs Canon's attention - probably be worth contacting them again and get it re-looked at.

There are some Canon guidelines online for testing focus, some obvious things like using a tripod, but they also recommend shooting at the widest f stop for the lens and placing the camera at least 50 times the focal distance from the target.

I'm going to contact Canon and explain this to them to see what they can do.

joeseph wrote in post #17102245
doing focus testing at anything other than wide open would make it harder to see the issue.

Why, since wide open is the LEAST sharp aperture in most instances. You're doing a test at the len's most vulnerable aperture wide open. Make more sense to test a lens at or near its "sweet spot."

kjonnnn wrote in post #17102291
Why, since wide open is the LEAST sharp aperture in most instances. You're doing a test at the len's most vulnerable aperture wide open. Make more sense to test a lens at or near its "sweet spot."

Clearly the lens is sharp at the selected aperture, since some shots are sharp. All you get by stopping down is a larger DOF which makes it harder to see if the focus is correct.