topic Re: 5D Mark III and 100-400mm IS II images never sharp in EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras

5D Mark III and 100-400mm IS II images never sharp

wells440 — Sun, 22 Nov 2015 21:08:13 GMT

Hi Experts,

I need some help. I've tried everything I know. I've done the AF Microadjustments test and it came out great. Both wide and telephoto. I've removerd the filter. I've shot on a tripod with and without the IS on my lens. I don't know what else to do. I have attached a photo of an eagle that I cropped. It was approx 100 yards away. He was still and I was resting on a fence. As you can see, it's not very sharp. All my pictures come out like this, not tack sharp. Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

Re: 5D Mark III and 100-400mm IS II images never sharp

cicopo — Sun, 22 Nov 2015 22:34:47 GMT

At that distance I suspect you've cropped away a big part of the file. We'll need a lot of info on how you take your photos. ISO, SS, Aperture and mode used, weather conditions (humidity, wind etc). Shooting RAW or jpg? Method to post process etc.

Re: 5D Mark III and 100-400mm IS II images never sharp

wells440 — Sun, 22 Nov 2015 23:14:59 GMT

Thank you cicopo for responding so quickly.

Yes, I've found out with this full frame, I crop away a lot when bird shooting. I use Lightroom 5 to PP and shoot RAW. The eagle shot was sunny day with little wind. Approx 11:30 am so sun was high at the eagles left.

1/1000 @ f/8 400 ISO 560mm(400mm + 1.4x) I was approx 75-100yrds away, hand held with IS on the lens.

I would say it's the distance but it seems anytime I shoot over 25-30yds, I lose a lot of sharpness. Even when I shoot with my 24-70mm lens, I don't get that tack sharpness. Maybe I expected more from the 5D Mark III. The camera is brand new, 2 months old. Thank you.

Re: 5D Mark III and 100-400mm IS II images never sharp

ScottyP — Mon, 23 Nov 2015 11:17:51 GMT

Can you retry at ISO 100 or 200? Higher ISO not only produces grain but it also lowers the amount of detail captured. ISO 800 is not all that high on a 5d3, but you are cropping aggressively which will expose any lack of detail.

I don't have a full answer/solution but I do know that getting closer (or a longer lens) so you crop a whole lot less will help, as will shooting at lower ISO. Avoid backlighting (tough for a bird I know) because the subject will be dim and lose detail and color and contrast.

Re: 5D Mark III and 100-400mm IS II images never sharp

cicopo — Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:15:28 GMT

I'll suggest that you test your set up at what I call a reasonable distance before doing much else. Mount it on a solid tripod & shoot some samples from 60 feet & then about 100 feet with & without the TC. Carefully examine those & if they are soft it's gear or settings but if they are sharp distance to subject is your problem amplified by atmospheric haze & minute camera shake.

Re: 5D Mark III and 100-400mm IS II images never sharp

cicopo — Fri, 04 Dec 2015 18:59:46 GMT

You might find this helpful too.

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=857871

Re: 5D Mark III and 100-400mm IS II images never sharp

ebiggs1 — Wed, 02 Dec 2015 14:46:21 GMT

A couple of things, remember the camera is not 'tack sharp'. The lens is. Of course a better camera will make a great lens better. But the better camera is not going to make a average lens better.

The first version of the ef 100-400mm is an average lens. I suspect that is as good as it gets at that distance. The resolving power of any lens goes south at that kind of distance. Unless the subject is huge. Like the Moon.

Now that is not to say you can't do some things to help it. That also depends on your technique. So first suggestion is, get closer. Make very sure you don't mis-focus. For that shot use only the center focus point. And of course the extreme cropping is a no-no. Like Scott said the lower ISO numbers are going to be best but I doubt you can see any difference between 100 and 800 on a 5D Mk III. The 100-400mm needs to be stopped down at least one stop to be at its best.

MFA at that distance is not likely a big factor since DOF will increase (unless you missed your focus point). And you know never use any filter on that lens. It simply doesn't have the IQ to give up. It goes without saying don't use any tele converters either.

Big always do point is use the hood. All the time. Every time!

Now about your 24-70mm? Is it first version or second? Can you show me a sample from it that isn't sharp? Also don't strip the EXIF from it. The second version of that lens is one of the sharpest lenses I have ever used and used. The first version is just an average lens. Don't get me wrong here it is a good lens, used one for years, it just isn't in the same league as the new version.

Re: 5D Mark III and 100-400mm IS II images never sharp

DOUGALBERT — Fri, 24 Feb 2017 15:36:50 GMT

I have both Canon 7d and 5d mark iii, when using 100-400 lens all images from 7d tack sharp, all settings. However when using 5d mark 111 all images are soft, all settings.

Is there a software update for 5d markiii? Or particular setting that will correct.Very dissapointed with the 5d.

Re: 5D Mark III and 100-400mm IS II images never sharp

Waddizzle — Fri, 24 Feb 2017 15:31:36 GMT

You might look into AFMA, auto focus micro adjustment. Do a search on YouTube for "Dot Tune Focus Adjustment".

Re: 5D Mark III and 100-400mm IS II images never sharp

DOUGALBERT — Fri, 24 Feb 2017 15:39:06 GMT

Will do. Thanks,

Re: 5D Mark III and 100-400mm IS II images never sharp

Bryston3bsst — Sat, 25 Feb 2017 20:09:36 GMT

I cannot imagine that combination would not yield very sharp pictures.

I use the 100-400 II for birding on my 6D. I realize it is a different body but I would think the cababilities of the Mark III would be great enough to provide you with spectacular pictures. Do you maybe have a freind that is a birder that you could have use your camera and see what kind of results they might get with it? That would eliminate any errors on your part anyway.

Just as an example I shot this one with my 6D and 100-400 II. He was probably 75-100 yards out and this is a crop of the original and I have never done any of the 'micro adjust voodoo' either. By the way, your example image above is very small and hard to see any kind of detail.

Re: 5D Mark III and 100-400mm IS II images never sharp

DOUGALBERT — Sat, 25 Feb 2017 23:10:02 GMT

Mark iii with 100-400 lens produces this soft image. Shot on tripod, decent settings. Nothing is sharp. But I Will try that. I think it is some incorrect setting. Thanks.

Re: 5D Mark III and 100-400mm IS II images never sharp

ebiggs1 — Sat, 25 Feb 2017 23:40:24 GMT

You are concerned with the overall shot? Focus adjustment will not likely help if that is the case.

If I were you I would set up a test with a stationary target. Put the camera on a tripod and do the necessary test. That is the only way you can know if there is a problem. I don't own the version II but I have used it and have several friends with one. They are all pretty good.

It seems to me that all the super zooms out right now are pretty close in IQ. The 100-400 II and the SIgma 150-600 S are nearly identical in IQ.

Do the test!

Re: 5D Mark III and 100-400mm IS II images never sharp

ebiggs1 — Sat, 25 Feb 2017 23:41:30 GMT

"Just as an example I shot this one with my 6D and 100-400 II."

And a darn nice example, I'd say. Good job.

Re: 5D Mark III and 100-400mm IS II images never sharp

DOUGALBERT — Sun, 26 Feb 2017 01:04:37 GMT

Done that. Test shot OK not extra crisp.

Re: 5D Mark III and 100-400mm IS II images never sharp

Waddizzle — Sun, 26 Feb 2017 07:30:39 GMT

@DOUGALBERT wrote:
Done that. Test shot OK not extra crisp.

A short reply like that leads me to believe that your "test shot" [test shot, singular] may not have been very meaningful. If you want to take meaningful test shots, one way is to go through the motions of taking test shots for an AFMA adjustment. The "Dot Tune" method is fairly well documented. I suggest you try that.

Taking just one test shot tells you absolutely nothing. Nothing. When making an AFMA adjustment, one would typically take many test shots. You take numerous test shots because each shot will vary slightly. By taking numerous shots, you can discern whether or not the source of the variance is your testing methodology, or your gear.

Re: 5D Mark III and 100-400mm IS II images never sharp

DOUGALBERT — Sun, 26 Feb 2017 21:01:24 GMT

Did take 20-30 shots. Three different times and locations

Re: 5D Mark III and 100-400mm IS II images never sharp

ebiggs1 — Sun, 26 Feb 2017 22:06:30 GMT

You need to contact Canon.

Re: 5D Mark III and 100-400mm IS II images never sharp

TTMartin — Mon, 27 Feb 2017 02:07:49 GMT

@DOUGALBERT wrote:
Did take 20-30 shots. Three different times and locations

Please review the Canon Microfocus Adjustment Guidebook.

One of the key things to note is they recommend putting your focus target on the ground, so you can see on the grass or carpet where the camera is actually focusing. If you just photograph a vertical target, you can't tell if the camera is front or back focusing.

Re: 5D Mark III and 100-400mm IS II images never sharp

teachersailor — Wed, 17 Jan 2018 21:34:14 GMT

I came to the same conclusion. Today, a cloudy day in Sarasota, FL, I took some time to do some lens comparisons. I own the Canon 500 prime IS, the Canon 100-400 version II, and I also have the second generation 1.4 extender. I compared these on the Canon 7D MkII and the Canon 5D Mk III. I shot all exposures at iso 800, f8, and whatever shutter speed the conditions landed me. (That was about 1/1600 sec in afternoon cloudy conditions.) Most of my configurations yielded very good, and very similar results, with slight differences. For example, the 1.4 extender, with either the 7D or the 5D, resulted in very slight, barely noticeable sharpness reduction. My best results, on both bodies was with the 500 prime without the extender, as expected.

(I did not bother to try the 100-400 with the extender, as I don't intend to use it that way.)

Here's what surprised me: There was a very noticeable difference between the 5D MkIII with the 100-400 II and the 7D with the 100-400 II. The 7D definitely yielded sharper images. I tried the test again, to confirm, and got the same results. I don't know why the image quality is so noticeably reduced on the 5DIII, but I've decided to avoid that configuration. The good news, I suppose, is that the 100-400 (at 400) is really excellent on the 7D Mk II. It's almost as good as my 500 prime.