100-400 f/4.5-5.6 L (V1) mechanical issue?

I've been struggling to get consistently good shots out of a second-hand (like new) 100-400 v1.

I've managed to get some - intermittent - nice clean shots after setting +17 micro AF adjustment on the long end and -2 on the short.

What I'm seeing now is just as troubling as the focus point being off... any bokeh looks like double exposure - more like hand-movement than out of focus.

This shot was taken at 1/1600, ISO 1200 on a 5DMkIII. Out my car window, with my hand resting on the door sill, IS on. No hand movement detected in the in-focus area of the photo (though its still not as clear as a lens of this caliber should be).


This is about a 30% crop to show what I'm talking about. The bokeh on the background is simply awful, and not at all like other shots from this lens I've seen online. It looks doubled, horizontally in ever shot.

Look specifically at the taller, whiter stalks above the left-most critter, which are at about a 35 degree angle.

I can't comment on the other issues but the bokeh issue is fairly classic for this lens with a UV filter fitted.....do you have a filter on there?

Bob

Canon Bob wrote in post #17417979
I can't comment on the other issues but the bokeh issue is fairly classic for this lens with a UV filter fitted.....do you have a filter on there?

Bob

No filters. I took it off early after buying it after struggling with getting sharp results out of it. It's almost like one of the internal lenses isn't completely parallel to the focal plane. When with the depth of field range, it's just enough to add softness to the image, but outside, it's like a double vision effect.

does it make the noise without the IS being on? i would think that noise would just be the IS...as for the shot, that background is going to be rough for just about any lens...is it always that ugly even if the background is farther away?

The image seems heavily postprocessed with USM or similar digital filter.
In any case, it looks front focused by a couple feet.

I never used the 100-400, but I would not be happy with that technical image quality as it looks more like an el-cheapo mirror-lens (and not because of the bokeh). I would not hesitate 1 second to send the lens in to Canon for service.

Like I said in other threads: if you need micro AF adjustments then something's wrong.

I'd try shutting off the MFA or re-setting it to zero. And turn of the IS if you are using a steady support. Eliminate as many variables as you can.

I had a similar problem taking photos out my car window with a 7D and 100-400L IS v1. For me I discovered 'do not touch the car window or frame or anything else with the engine running'. Solved that particular issue for me. I hope yours is as simple.

Mike

Thanks for the feedback guys. Yes - I don't seem to have the strangely "hazy" shots with IS. Of course shooting at 400 hand-held is more of a challenge w/o IS, but I'm going to go out today (nice and sunny here in CO today) and do a round with no IS.

The MF is at +17. Yes, that does look front-focused a bit. The AF is not consistent (see the part where I mentioned the mechanical feeling "shift" of the internal lens assemblies during AF). Sometimes it seems spot on, the depth of field right on the single AF point, sometimes in front. I'm using a single AF point and am quite steady.

Setting it to zero front-focuses by a good 5% of the distance to subject. It's bad. At a far-off subject (airplane crash in a field a few weeks ago) I was a quarter mile off, and the focus point was solidly 100 feet in front of the plane. That's when I set off to tweak the AF with MF adjustments. All of my other lenses are at zero, with excellent, consistent results.

There was some sharping in the sample above in LR. Very little PP otherwise, if any. Every shot that's come out of this lens has needed sharpening, because almost every shot is soft.

I am familiar all the pitfalls of long lenses. Hand-held camera shake, slow shutter speeds (this shot was at 1/1600), heat saves / distortion coming off the ground, which is really obvious shooting the mountains from across Denver, atmospheric haze and humidity, etc. But I think my expectations are pretty in line with an L lens. The groundhogs above were just a hundred feet away.

I'm going to send the lens in to Canon if I don't get solid results today with it.

MikeWa wrote in post #17419431
I had a similar problem taking photos out my car window with a 7D and 100-400L IS v1. For me I discovered 'do not touch the car window or frame or anything else with the engine running'. Solved that particular issue for me. I hope yours is as simple.

Mike

I considered this was a factor - but I get the same issues with hazy, doubled-background in other situations, when using IS at least.

To the question re: all out-of-field backgrounds being like this, yes, they all have this strange, hazy, double exposure/camera movement effect, not blurred well at all. That's why I'm wondering if a lens or lens group is out of position laterally (Y-Axis). I don't notice it nearly as much with horizontal lines as with vertical lines.

I'll post some results later.

Looks fairly typical to me. This was shot with v1 100-400 and v1 7d. Had this combo for a few years and see that kind of bokeh all the time.

Okay. Un-processed samples. Loaded into LR 5.7 (no presets applied). No output sharpening, no lens corrections.

100% crop. 1/6400, f/5.6, ISO 400

See the halo around the edges? This is not what I'd consider CA. I took several of this subject, same results. Hazy. AF point is the bottom center.

The second image is 1/3200, f/5.6, ISO 400. Same settings. That hazyness is still there. AF point is on his nose.

Yes, the lens is completely clean. No UV or other filters of any sort. No smudges on my mirror, my other lenses are tack sharp.

Two more samples in next post - with manual focus. I have the AF MF adjustments dialed in the best they can be.

The ropey bokeh is typical of this lens. I am also observing it with the II version. It is not obvious all the time, but will show at times with high contrast backgrounds. Here is an example.

First shot - still autofocus. AF point on middle bird. 100% crop. 1/4000th, f/7.1, ISO 800. No processing.

Second, 1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 400. Same hazy look.

Archibald wrote in post #17420426
The ropey bokeh is typical of this lens. I am also observing it with the II version. It is not obvious all the time, but will show at times with high contrast backgrounds. Here is an example.

Thanks! That is similar to the bokeh I'm seeing. I'm still frustrated with the overall image quality.

Triplexbee wrote in post #17420312
Looks fairly typical to me. This was shot with v1 100-400 and v1 7d. Had this combo for a few years and see that kind of bokeh all the time.

Beautiful shot. Is that the full frame, or cropped? I guess with this lens - if I can get past the overall clarity, it's best to avoid busy backgrounds out of the depth of field.