Please solve my dilemma

[shmne]

No problem, luckily it is a lens that will be most useful outside.

If you have the funds buy a monopod, you'll be amazed at how slow you can go while maintaining little to know blur! You can always use your tripod as a makeshift monopod but it won't be as lightweight.

 

[white]

Why don't you reread the posts and see where I mentioned that it was purely mechanical issues? You won't find it, there is no point where I claimed that it is solely the lens and not user error.

Nonsense. Most of your first post was about returning the lens, which implies that it is because of poor craftsmanship. You also said later on you've been shooting "for quite awhile".

I replied the way I did because this thread is completely asinine. Apparently it's easier to blame equipment than to increase the iso 3 stops to rule out motion blur.

 

[LiveStrong2009]

Obviously a L-series lens is not going to have faulty craftsmanship...

I have been shooting for quite a while, that does not make me a pro. The only other lens I have used has IS.

Why didn't you just say "Try bumping up the ISO a bit" This is the beginner forum, I surely still consider myself a beginner especially when I am trying to learn how to use new equip properly.

Interesting, maybe a monopod is worth a shot.

Seriously though, is it as simple as bumping up the iso and shutter speed? Or should I be considering a lens with IS?

 

[Derrel]

I would definitely try some photos done in good light levels, but with the ISO elevated to 400,and the lens aperture at f/5.6 to f/7.1...I think you'll find that on floral close-ups, the smaller apertures and higher ISO's will be the difference....at f/4 and f/4.5 on close-range flower photos, there is not much depth of field,and things can look kind of bad...

 

[pgriz]

If you’re wondering about the lens, there are some things you can do.
1) Get rid of any filters up front (I’ve had skewed filters before, and blamed the lens until I removed the filter(s)&#8230
2) Put your camera/lens on a tripod, focus on a high-contrast, well-lit scene with fine detail, and use the “live-focus” to make sure you are really focusing on your test subject. If the picture is still blurred then it’s definitely the lens.
3) If the image from #2 above is sharp and clear, then the next possible problem is the auto-focus. Cameras can have front-focusing or back-focusing issues, especially with low-contrast scenes. To test this, set up a scene with a main subject, a foreground subject at about 10% closer distance, and a background subject at about 10% farther distance. Wide open aperture, camera on tripod, live-focus (manually) on the center subject. Take a second shot with the autofocus aimed at the same subject. If the two are identical in terms of where the focus point is, then front/back focusing is not an issue, if not, you need to have your camera adjusted.

Beyond this, you can try testing your ability to hand-hold shots by shooting the same scene with slower and slower shutter speeds. At some point, you are going to have visible blur due to handshake or camera motion. While the usual rule is not to shoot slower than the focal length of your lens, (ie, 1/100 sec for a 100 mm lens, 1/200 sec for a 200mm lens), this varies by photographer and whatever IS or VR one is using, so testing YOUR ability to hand-hold is a useful exercise.

I’ve also seen poorly-focused pictures because the photographer manually focused and had the wrong diopter dialed in…

When diagnosing problems it’s best to try to keep as many variable constant as possible, and vary only the one you’re testing. Then you’d get a clearer idea of where the problem is. When I have issues with images, sometimes it’s the equipment, but usually it’s the idiot (ie, me) behind the camera…

 

[bazooka]

You're not going to get a good IS zoom for $650. I have 5 lenses and none of them are IS, and I'm happy with all of them. I do use a tripod much of the time however. If you're situation warrants IS, then that's what you need, but I don't think any of the above shots would need IS. For me, IS is a luxury I can't afford, nor do I need.

 

[KenC]

If you're not used to shooting above about 135 mm, it is surprising how little depth of field there is and how high a shutter speed you need. Either use a tripod or monopod, or if you're like me and don't like to carry one around, get the 70-300 4-5.6 IS. It is a little slower at 200 mm (probably about f5), but the IS more than compensates in reducing camera shake (of course, with moving subjects you would need the bigger aperture). With IS I can shoot at 1/60 near the long end and get a good shot. This lens is about $550 and is optically very good. I'm sure the L is better, but depending on what you are doing you may not care about the difference.

 

[Idahophoto]

Does this happen on basic things? Let's say go out take a shot of a parked car or family member using a decent shutterspeed. 1/60 or higher should be plenty. It seems to me from the above shots like you do have a faulty lens but I can only guess at this here. Judging by the flower it should of been more sharp than this especially at 1/320th of a sec. You may of needed more for the bug in flight but that should of been more than enought for the flower to stay sharp. I have a similar shot I did a couple years ago with a bee. Ill see if I can find it and I think I used 1/250. Ill look after this and see if I can find it in my mess of shots and look at the meter, but yeah I think its safe to say your lens may need replacing.

 

[syphlix]

stick it on a tripod, autofocus on something pretty close at wide open.. and see how it looks... if it's sharp... then the other ones are user error (of the type everyone has already mentioned)

if you still can't get a sharp image that way... mebbe try manual focusing w liveview... if still fail... then maybe the glass is bad...

like ppl said though... 99% of the time it's not the lens fault...

 

[gsgary]

There is nothing wrong with your lens it is all down to user error, every shots has been shot with too slow a shutter speed all shot at 200mm, you are shooting below or at bare minimum shutter speed for something stationary, the light you were shooting in was too dark for ISO 100 @ 200mm, ISO400 you would have been ok,. That is one of the best lenses you will own, it is sharper than the F2.8
here's a selection shot with that lens

Shot inside

You just need to learn how to use it properly

 

[Ryan L]

Wow Gsgary, can you give your settings from #2 (the one where he is giving the guy a reach around, lol) For being inside with only half ass lighting I imagine, the shot came out awesome.

 

[LiveStrong2009]

Thank you all very much for your helpful comments, I went to a local store to compare various things and discuss it with pros. After talking it over, I decided that a standard zoom might fit my current needs a little bit better.

Surely this is kind of lame, but I am headed on vacation very very soon and do not have the time to practice and learn before my trip. I do not want to end my days in some of the most scenic areas with blurry pics. User error or not, I will stick with a standard zoom with IS until I have advanced my knowledge and technique further.

 

[gsgary]

Wow Gsgary, can you give your settings from #2 (the one where he is giving the guy a reach around, lol) For being inside with only half ass lighting I imagine, the shot came out awesome.

That is top secret actually there was a studio light involved
ISO1250 to let in ambient so the background is not dark F4 1/250, body was a 1Dmk2 next time i may try my old 1Dmk1 because it will sinc at 1/500