Is it supposed to be like this??

I tested my lens (24-70mm) again today and noticed something "weird". It seems to be focusing on the wrong spot. For example, let's say I focus on the letter "E" in "Exposure", the E would come out decenly sharp while the X and P would come out even sharper. See below.

1st pix- focused on the center of the flower on the right (the wholesome looking one). The flower in the back seem to be about the same sharpness yet the pedals between the 2 flowers are blurry.

2nd pix- focused on the word "the". It looks a lot more blurry than the specs on the black sheet it's resting on.

Thoughts please???

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EXIF....

Both pix were taken in M mode with JPEG format.

1st pix- 1/60, F2.8, 70mm, ISO 200.
2nd pix- 1/13, F2.8, 70mm, ISO 1600

No one??

A lot more information is needed. Are these hand-held shots? From a tripod with mirror lock-up and timer or cable release? What camera? Do you have issues with it with other lenses?

Your shutter speeds are pretty slow at 70mm 1/60th, and very slow at 1/13 (!). If these are hand-held, you need better testing methods.

You were probably in the pseudo-macro region of the 24-70.
How far away were you?

I never realized 1/13 is possible That's a damn sharp shot at this speed...

Guys, girls,
come fast.
we MUST solve the OP's issue before someone embarks on the "you've got a soft copy... 24-70s are know for that" classical delusion. Come on, come on, it's a matter of minutes...

Exposure101 wrote in post #8025760
I tested my lens (24-70mm) again today and noticed something "weird". It seems to be focusing on the wrong spot. For example, let's say I focus on the letter "E" in "Exposure", the E would come out decenly sharp while the X and P would come out even sharper. See below.

1st pix- focused on the center of the flower on the right (the wholesome looking one). The flower in the back seem to be about the same sharpness yet the pedals between the 2 flowers are blurry.

2nd pix- focused on the word "the". It looks a lot more blurry than the specs on the black sheet it's resting on.

Thoughts please???

From your pictures it appears that the whole word in Monopoly is not on the same focal plane and as a result I would expect part of the word to be out of focus. To accurately determine if there is a problem with the AF ensure that the subject is straight in front of the lens and not on an angle. Hope this helps!

Brett wrote in post #8026086
A lot more information is needed. Are these hand-held shots? From a tripod with mirror lock-up and timer or cable release? What camera? Do you have issues with it with other lenses?

Your shutter speeds are pretty slow at 70mm 1/60th, and very slow at 1/13 (!). If these are hand-held, you need better testing methods.

and in any case you need better light.

ed rader

It just looks normal to me: objects close to the plane of focus are sharp; those that are further away are less so.

The petals are projecting toward the camera, out of the plane of focus.

Rodinal wrote in post #8026099
I never realized 1/13 is possible That's a damn sharp shot at this speed...

Yeah, stick it on a tripod and test it with flash, with a focus chart, then you will know....

Before I sent my mk III in for the most recent fix I thought my 24-70 was crap, all my other glass was good, I got the mk III back (not the 2470) and now it is amazing....

Battery test time

Get some batteries, AAs, align them diagonally spaced fairly evenly on a surface with good lighting and then with your camera on a tripod, focus on one of the middle batteries and take a shot...

That will tell you if your focus needs recalibration [well, at least clue you in if theres an issue]

TBH, they look fine to me...

The camera was mounted on a tripod to minimize any chance of shaking. I was about 1 foot from the subjects. Camera is XSi.

xarqi wrote in post #8026149
It just looks normal to me: objects close to the plane of focus are sharp; those that are further away are less so.

The petals are projecting toward the camera, out of the plane of focus.

At first I thought it was DOF but doesn't make sense because the center of the flower looked sharp yet the petals looked blurry. The flower behind those pedals, however, looks in focus too.

I hope so. I mean maybe it is normal but I just wanted to make sure since I've never noticed that before. Usually at 2.8 only the point is in focus. The battery idea sounds good- I'll give that a shot.

Tripod, remote release and/or timer, Mirror lockup.