Sharpness of my 7d Mark II

[kshark343]

Hello Guys,

I bought a 7d Mark Ii last year and started to learn photography since then. However when compared with those photos on the 7d Mark ii review articles or videos, I always feel mine are less sharp than them. By sharp I mean when they zoom in the image, I can see the finest detail like grain of the wood or the feather of the bird. I understand it will make a huge difference depending on the lens used on the camera body. But recently I heard someone need to microadjust the AF on the 7d Mark ii to achieve a good AF. Unfortunately I am not 100% sure the IQ is caused by the difference of lens or there is a potential flaw on my camera, or it is just normal. 

Thus I wonder if anybody here can kindly check my photos and give me some idea. The bird is taken with EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM and the tree is taken with EF 50mm f/1.8.  

1. https://www.dropbox.com/s/a3th73vsgiyaw5o/20151223-Melbourne-395.dng?dl=0

2. https://www.dropbox.com/s/ho3xdud4a03x1kk/20160111-auto%20focus-010.dng?dl=0

This is my first post here, so if I did not ask the question in appropriate way, please fogive my ignorance. Any suggestion would be appreciated.

Thanks

Fanpeng

[jrhoffman75]

The tree bark and leaves photo looks sharp to me.

The bird is not, but that's not the best subject for testing. The bird was moving (I assume) and there is a shutter lag, so unless you were using AI Servo it is likely that the bird moved from the focus point between the time the camera achieved focus and when the shutter fired.

Test the zoom lens on a static subject with good contract and distinct lines, similar to the tree picture.

[kshark343]

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@jrhoffman75 wrote:
The tree bark and leaves photo looks sharp to me.

The bird is not, but that's not the best subject for testing. The bird was moving (I assume) and there is a shutter lag, so unless you were using AI Servo it is likely that the bird moved from the focus point between the time the camera achieved focus and when the shutter fired.

Test the zoom lens on a static subject with good contract and distinct lines, similar to the tree picture.

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Dear John,

Thanks for your reply. I am really glad to hear your opinion on the photo of the tree. As for the bird, I did use AI Servo drive mode and 65-point automatic selection when I took the photo. However I am not sure the exact AF position now as I already deleted the original .CR2 file. Considering all the replies given here, I assume the IQ of my photos compared with those in the review is caused by the optics performance of the lens temporarily.

[jrhoffman75]

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-S-15-85mm-f-3.5-5.6-IS-USM-Lens-Review.aspx

Take a few more photos under less challenging conditions and then see if its the lens or the situation.

[TTMartin]

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@kshark343 wrote:

Hello Guys,

I bought a 7d Mark Ii last year and started to learn photography since then. However when compared with those photos on the 7d Mark ii review articles or videos, I always feel mine are less sharp than them. By sharp I mean when they zoom in the image, I can see the finest detail like grain of the wood or the feather of the bird. I understand it will make a huge difference depending on the lens used on the camera body. But recently I heard someone need to microadjust the AF on the 7d Mark ii to achieve a good AF. Unfortunately I am not 100% sure the IQ is caused by the difference of lens or there is a potential flaw on my camera, or it is just normal. 

Thus I wonder if anybody here can kindly check my photos and give me some idea. The bird is taken with EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM and the tree is taken with EF 50mm f/1.8.  

1. https://www.dropbox.com/s/a3th73vsgiyaw5o/20151223-Melbourne-395.dng?dl=0

2. https://www.dropbox.com/s/ho3xdud4a03x1kk/20160111-auto%20focus-010.dng?dl=0

This is my first post here, so if I did not ask the question in appropriate way, please fogive my ignorance. Any suggestion would be appreciated.

Thanks

Fanpeng

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Unless it is the EF 50mm f/1.8 STM (which is relatively new), that lens is a 25 year old lens, with an even older focus motor.

Do NOT judge any camera's AF by the performance of the EF 50mm f/1.8 II. 

[ebiggs1]

"The bird is taken with EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM and the tree is taken with EF 50mm f/1.8."

IMHO, neither of these lenses are in the super sharp category.  The 50mm is pretty good though.   But you do need to do the test on a tripod at a fixed target.  Otherwise you know noting as there are too many variables.

Remember MFA adjusts only the AF point, not the sharpness of the lens or camera.

[TTMartin]

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@ebiggs1 wrote:

"The bird is taken with EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM and the tree is taken with EF 50mm f/1.8."

IMHO, neither of these lenses are in the super sharp category.  The 50mm is pretty good though.   But you do need to do the test on a tripod at a fixed target.  Otherwise you know noting as there are too many variables.

Remember MFA adjusts only the AF point, not the sharpness of the lens or camera.

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I agree, there is a difference between peak sharpness and focus. Many people look at a blurry photo and say it is 'out of focus'. There are many factors that can lead to a photo not being sharp. Focus only determines the where the plane of peak sharpness will be, not how sharp that peak sharpness is.

These videos are invaluable for anyone who thinks their Canon camera has an auto focus issue.

Join Canon USA's Rudy Winston for a two-hour session that will remove the veil of mystery, which for many photographers, surrounds their Canon EOS camera's autofocus system.

A Look at The Canon Autofocus System Part 1

A Look at The Canon Autofocus System Part 2 

A Look at The Canon Autofocus System Part 3

[kshark343]

Wow, that is a lot of information. Thanks for your patience to reply my question. I did take the photo of the tree with aperture varing from f1.8 to f8 (although not on a tripod), but I just uploaded f8 one since the DOF is the widest one (I also heard most lens are sharpest at f5.6-f8.0 or similar sayings) and it may be easier to judge whether the photo is sharp or not.

Actually I feel the AF on my 7d mark ii is working fine. In fact all the concerns of the AF or IQ arise from my plan to buy a Sigma 35mm f1.4 Art lens in the near future. Because I heard some perple having front or back focus problems with those lens, so I just try to pratice how to test the AF performance of a lens. (I tested the 50mm lens and saw the front focus phenomenon but I am sure it's caused by my experimental setup). The final goal for me is to gain the skill and understanding to adjust the Signma 35mm lens to its perfect situation.

BTW, I really like Rudy Winston (even his tone) from Canon USA. I watched his tutorial of 7d Mark II and how to choose lens on a presentation at B&H. He is always able to expain the idea in such a straightforward way. Thanks for your link about the AF system. I definitely will enjoy watching them

[ebiggs1]

From what you have done, you have learned nothing.  You must repeat the test using the suggestions from above.  Virtually every lens made is pretty sharp at f8.

Also when shooting BIF use a single AF point.

Be careful reading so many reviews.  Most of those people don't know what they are doing either.  Try to get suggestions from good reliable sources.  From folks that actually own and use a certain lens.  There are a lot of 'keyboard photographers' here and everywhere on the net.

The lenses you have are not even in the same zip code as the Sigma 35mm f1.4 Art lens.  But be warned if you don't know what you are doing and how to do it, MFA will make things worse.  Much worse

[TTMartin]

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Also when shooting BIF use a single AF point.

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Especially with the 7D Mk II this is bad advice.

When using AIServo and auto AF point selection the camera starts out with a single AF point and hands it off to neighboring AF points.

The 7D Mk II's AF is tied to not just the AF sensor, but, the also the 150,000-pixel RGB+IR Metering Sensor. The using color and infrared the metering sensor assists in tracking of birds in flight.

With the combination of it's 65 all cross point AF sesnor and the metering sensor it is truly amazing how well the 7D Mk II can track birds in flight even with cluttered backgrounds.

I do own the 7D Mk II and am speaking from experience, not just what I've read on the internet. Nor am I a former photographer spewing stale information based on experiences with old tech.