70-200/2.8 IS is giving weird images

Sad to say that my lens seems to not be working correctly anymore.

A few weekends ago it was yielding perfectly fine images.

A few days ago I picked it up to use and I noticed the subjects through the viewfinder looked out of focus even though I was definitely focused (according to the blinking red AF points). I checked the diopter and it was on its usual setting. Put the images on my computer and was aghast to see what looked like ghost images. I will post an example once I get back home (at work currently). Basically there was another subject about 0.5cm to the left and right of the real subject at full 100% magnification of the image. Even zoomed out, you could notice that the subject looked OOF...and of course I'm not accepting this new effect in one of my top zooms.

Not sure why I'm posting this here, since in the end it will need to go to Canon. Just wondering if anyone has experienced anything similar.

The last time I really used it was during a portrait photoshoot. It was yielding perfectly fine images. Then I brought it along in my Lowepro Vertex 300AW backpack on a clothing line shoot with my friends serving as models. A couple of them were using my 40D with a 50/1.4 on it. The 70-200 remained in the bag for the shoot...neither I nor my friends put it on a camera. I suspected that one of my friends might've dropped it or something, since it was working fine prior to this clothing line shoot, and now after that shoot it doesn't yield good images. I checked the lens and there are no visible scratches or dents, and the glass inside looks normal. Basically the 70-200 has been sitting inside that well-padded backpack which has just sat around my room aside from that clothing line shoot...so it makes me wonder if something happened on that shoot while I wasn't watching (I was away from my bag for awhile at some points, during which I asked my friends to watch my gear). I doubt they would have maliciously done anything. My bag was unzipped and lying on its back like I usually leave it when I'm shooting in one location for awhile (I usually just lay the top on it). If they had perhaps tried to pick the bag up by the top handle, any contents would've likely spilled out, but I don't think my bag moved much during that shoot, aside from when I was carrying it around and of course I know to zip it up...in any case it doesn't matter...now I have a problem on my hands. I've been really careful with my lenses, and it sucks to see this happening and not knowing the cause.

Again, I'll post images by tonight. Thanks in advance for any advice.

Just spilling out of a bag should not really hurt it much but who knows. Use it again on different subjects at different settings. Using a UV filter? Take it off and see if it matters. Try MF using Liveview and 5x on a tripod, remote switch.

Have you tried it on both of your bodies?

gasrocks wrote in post #8357039
Just spilling out of a bag should not really hurt it much but who knows. Use it again on different subjects at different settings. Using a UV filter? Take it off and see if it matters. Try MF using Liveview and 5x on a tripod, remote switch.

Yea, I've heard a story about one falling off the back of an elephant with no effect. And I've accidentally had it roll a couple feet down the incline of an empty concrete fountain a year ago and not had any problems with it after. Not using a UV filter. I'll do some more extensive tests with diff subject distances and also using liveview and whatnot. I actually briefly tried liveview and it looked fine.

Dorman wrote in post #8357073
Have you tried it on both of your bodies?

I briefly looked through the viewfinder of my 40D with the 70-200 attached and it seemed to be focusing correctly, but the vf in my 40D is dim due to the EF-S focusing screen. Will test again tonight.

Thanks for the replies so far.