I don't think my 70-200 IS is sharp....

tested it again today. f/5.6, 1/640, 70mm, ISO 100

I was concerned when I got the lens last week from B&H that the manufacture code was Nov 2005. Have they really had this lens sitting around for a year or was this someone else's return? I would think that B&H turns their inventory pretty fast.

First pic is full and 2nd is 100% crop

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why only shooting at 5.6? try to shoot a portrait with it. that helps me decide it a lens is sharp.

Question. Do you have a filter on the lens?

Ask yourself how often you'll be printing images at 100% ( >20x30'').

I doubt it's someone's return. You can't keep a lens for a year and then return it. It's like two weeks. Say someone got it February of this year (no uncommon to get a lens a few months after its date code). They'd have to return it by March, so I doubt it. Maybe B&H doesn't rotate their stock of lenses and simply haven't run out of them, but are now selling lots of them, and so they finally got to the "old ones".

canonloader wrote in post #2221250
Question. Do you have a filter on the lens?

No, I did not have a filter on the lens.

Any suggestions on how else to test the sharpness?

Was that photo taken using a tripod with IS turned off? Also we (being the viewer on the web) can't make a true judgment call on any image that is downsized from the original where compression loss is an issue. You need to use a web photo hosting service to get more accurate results.

no...handheld.

This was on a tripod with IS on.

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=235835

Is the date code on the back UT11....if so I would be calling B&H and request a new one if you paid the price of a new lens. This is also not good if you want to sell the lens down the road because technically it's already a year old and has no warranty without bill of sale.

Dan

Date code is UT11

Frank send it back.....Why should you pay full price for a 1 year old lens.
Call them and voice your oppinion

Dan

col4bin wrote in post #2221443
no...handheld.

This was on a tripod with IS on.

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=235835

You can't judge accurately going by handheld. Its my understanding the IS needs to be turned OFF when using a tripod and there again on using an image hosting service.

I could see 4 or 5 monthes old but not 12

col4bin wrote in post #2221452
Date code is UT11

Return the lens! I wouldn't accept a year old lens from anyone as "new". Hard to believe that B&H would have a lens of this demand for a year on the shelf. I'm smelling something here- . Gerry

I am going to send it back. When I first got the lens the box was not even closed properly...as if it had been repackaged. This along with the less than pleasing results I am getting is just not right. Heck, I paid a lot of cash for this lens and I should be satisfied.

Bluedog...with the generation if IS in the 70-200, you do not need to turn it off on a tripod (according to Canon).