400D Focus Issue

I have been frustrated for some time now because I felt like I could not get really sharp pictures. I have always assumed that it was just me needing to get better at this. After posting a recent thread with some pictures I had taken and once again being reminded that I am not getting really sharp pictures I decided to look into it further. The camera is not sharp when using any lens I have with autofocus or manual focus. I have spent the evening playing with the diopter adjustment, thinking that may solve the problem (not thinking that the autofocus doesn't rely on the viewfinder). Anyhow, the results of my test are not what I was wanting to see. These pictures were taken with the Canon 50mm f/1.4. The word I focused on is underlined. After doing this test, I focused on a word two lines above this and the underlined word was much more in focus. I haven't done the test with another lens, but as I wrote in the beginning of this paragraph, I have had similar results with all lenses in everyday photography.

So I guess my question is, what is wrong with my camera and how do I get it fixed. I am assuming I will need to send it in to Canon. Also, how much money should I expect this to cost? The camera is about 14 months old, so I don't think it is warranty (I am on a business trip, so I don't have that information with me.

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I don't think the test is conclusive, the focus point on the camera is really a much larger area than just the LED, so it doesn't know quite where to focus in all that text. That is why the focus charts have a solid dark line in the middle with no other contrasty items around, the sensor can only really focus on that line and nothing else. Not to say your body might have a calibration issue, just that the test material here is not greatly conducive to the tests.

If you really did focus on the word that is underlined, it would appear that the camera is front focusing a bit (maybe more than a bit). Not sure what you CAN do besides sending it to Canon. My 40D is currently on its way to the NJ Canon facility for this same reason. Good luck!

TeamSpeed wrote in post #6061221
I don't think the test is conclusive, the focus point on the camera is really a much larger area than just the LED, so it doesn't know quite where to focus in all that text.

I should have been more specific, I manually focused on the underlined word. I will perform the same test with a focus chart when I get back home.