40D a bit soft?

I just got a 40D last week (upgraded from my trusty 10D). I love the speed of the camera and the high ISO capability compared to the 10D, but one thing that i noticed was that I get sharper quality photos from my 10d than i do from my new 40d. i just transferred my 24-105L lens from the old body to the new one. even when i choose different picture modes, it still seems to produce softer photos. The 24-105L produced really nice sharp photos on the 10d.

my coworker has a nikon D90 so i did some side-by-side comparisons and that camera produces some phenomenal shots. tack sharp... better than anything i've taken without sufficient post-processing. both cameras were set to P mode, ISO auto just to be on equal playing field. granted i'm sure that there are quite a few things that differ between the 2 cameras, but the difference was night and day.

so here are some of my suspected culprits (in no particular order):

1. camera shake
   
2. internal 40d custom settings
   
3. lens
   

I read some reviews that has the same "problem", if you shot i jpeg format, canon has preprogramed to be softer, that you can easily change in the picture style at "standard" set.
If you shot at raw file, you can see big difference.

oh, and i am shooting in raw. even in jpg it had similar results.

Need to see some samples.

As above,If you shoot jpeg, play a bit with styles and their setting, particularly sharpening and contrast, the default setting render softer than expected images
Is very easy to solve that

We really need to see some samples to diagnose the problem, but there is nothing inherently "soft" about the 40D. Assuming sound photographic technique/lighting, you should be getting tack sharp images. I get very sharp images with my 40D.

Sure make to sharpen in post process since you're shooting raw.

Those photos of the Manfrotto on your flickr don't seem soft at all.

I have owned/used a Rebel XT, 40D, and 5D. My 40D is the sharpest camera I have seen.

How about a firmware upgrade? could it be on a old and defunct firmware?

also- doesnt the 40D have the auto lighting thing switched on by default?, possibly that could degrade IQ, (im no expert by the way, im new - Hi!) just worth checking.

It could very well be front/back focus issues. If the lens was sharp on your 10D, it would be just as sharp on your 40D if something weren't amiss.

I suspect this is a classic front/back focus issue. Unfortunately it's a 40D and not a 50D. That means you'll have to send your camera and lens to Canon for calibration. That's one of the top selling points of the 50D is that you can make these adjustments yourself in just a few minutes thereby avoiding shipping costs and any fees Canon may charge you for the service.

All isn't lost, I would just have Canon calibrate things.

borism wrote in post #7655492
As above,If you shoot jpeg, play a bit with styles and their setting, particularly sharpening and contrast, the default setting render softer than expected images
Is very easy to solve that

I had the exact same "problem" a few days ago. And then I looked at the settings and noticed that the sharpness was down a bit on the default setting. I question Canon's motives in doing this... Sharpness is very desirable right?

Keenster86 wrote in post #7659702
I had the exact same "problem" a few days ago. And then I looked at the settings and noticed that the sharpness was down a bit on the default setting. I question Canon's motives in doing this... Sharpness is very desirable right?

Sharpening in post is better but I agree with your statement.

Also, the 40D is one sharp camera. Post some samples with EXIF intact and that'll help diagnose the problem you are having.

i was messing with the settings this morning. i took some pics with the contrast and sharpness cranked up on a custom setting, and it seemed to help a little. i will try to take some on tripod with a shutter cable and mirror locked up to eliminate those factors.

will post up some pics with 100% crop samples over the weekend or next week for you all to see. the pictures of the tripod were taken in raw and pp'ed in LR2 to sharpen them up. thanks for the suggestions guys.

BTW, for those with 40Ds, what custom settings do you have your camera set at which gives you the sharpest shots? thanks

hecster wrote in post #7659918
i was messing with the settings this morning. i took some pics with the contrast and sharpness cranked up on a custom setting, and it seemed to help a little. i will try to take some on tripod with a shutter cable and mirror locked up to eliminate those factors.

will post up some pics with 100% crop samples over the weekend or next week for you all to see. the pictures of the tripod were taken in raw and pp'ed in LR2 to sharpen them up. thanks for the suggestions guys.

BTW, for those with 40Ds, what custom settings do you have your camera set at which gives you the sharpest shots? thanks

Don't sharpen them in LR, just output as jpeg with EXIF intact. When I had the 40D it didn't matter what custom settings, the photos are sharp regardless. Also have you tried updating the firmware? Don't know if that'll make a difference but worth doing.