Grainy and blurry images on the outer rim of photos using Mark 5d ii

[KozupPhotos]

I use the canon 5d mark ii with the 24-70mm lens typically.  Lately the photos have been grainy and blurry on the outer rim of photos.  I replaced my lens thinking that was the problem and it is still occurring with the new one.  Its not as noticable with the 70-200mm lens... any ideas on what the problem is?  I think this photo is not totally in focus, however the grain and blur is still more than it should be.  It was taken using the timer on a tripod at 200 ISO, 4.5 f-stop, 1/400 shutter, 34 mm.

[Waddizzle]

You've cropped the sample images quite a bit.  I would not expect perfect images.

What was your AF focus point locked on?  You should have had plenty of DOF, not unless the lens is focused on something in background, which could pull near edge of the DOF close to where the people are standing.

[KozupPhotos]

Thanks for your response.  The focus was on the snowman.  Here is another image that shows more distortion on the lower portion and the left standing boy.  I bought a new lens after this photo thinking I may have cracked it but that last outdoor snow photo tells me it might be the camera and not the lens.  

[Waddizzle]

Okay.  Can you post a crop of a portion of the image that you feel is correct?  Most of what I think I am seeing is mostly correctable in post.  Again, your crops are pretty small.  I would not expect perfection at that size, particularly with a wide angle lens.

[KozupPhotos]

Here is the center of the photo:

[Waddizzle]

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@KozupPhotos wrote:

Here is the center of the photo:

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Without knowing the focal length and aperture settings, it looks like Depth-Of-Field issues to me.  When I look at the above photo, the eyes are in pretty good focus, but the lower portion of the basketball is not. 

Perhaps, the ball was moving, but the most out-of-focus portions of the ball are those that are closest to the camera.  I look at the focus of his fingers, as they hold the ball, compared to the focus of his wrists and forearm.  There are noticeable differences.

Also, the shape of the plane of focus of a lens usually isn't flat.  It is usually an arc, or curve, with the lens at the center.  Macro lenses tend to focus on a flat plane.  But, conventional lenses typically do not.