EFS 18-135mm nano USM "double image" out of focus at wide apertures?

[TootsMcgee]

I've been shooting landscapes/hiking with a T5 + 18-135mm STM for years and loved it. Before that I got some great photos with the same camera and the venerable 18-55mm IS II. I've gotten a lot of mileage out of that camera including with a dinged up (front element damage) 28-135mm that makes absolutely dreamy photos in the sun.

I was gifted a T7 + 18-135mm Nano USM (the problem lens/camera combo) and my gut says something is wrong with either the lens or the camera. Unfortunately the T5 is off with someone else at the moment, but while I'm waiting for it to come back, what do you all think of these symptoms? I need a sanity check.

My eye isn't good enough to tell what's going on. Metadata is in photos and caption. All of them are center point focus only and IS is on in all cases, shot handheld, 1/1000,

The first image is just soft AF (pun intended). DPP assures me that the focus point that locked was the center one just above and to the right of the cabin. 1/1000 f/4.0 29mm ISO 100

1/1000 f/4.0 29mm ISO 100

This second photo looks soft but in a weird way. Everything has this fringe to it. My gut almost feels like an element is misaligned or moving within the lens. 1/1000 f/4.5 35mm ISO 160

1/1000 f/4.5 35mm ISO 160

The last photo is more of the same. 1/1000 f/4.5 35mm ISO 100
1/1000 f/4.5 35mm ISO 100

I have more photos but they have humans in them and I don't want to post them for privacy reasons. One of them has that weird "double focus"/fringe effect very badly, and not too far off center either. Here's a cropped example that is roughly halfway between center and upper-right.Look at the road sign. It is about 20ft back from a car that was the focal point, roughly 20 feet from me.

I wouldn't mind as much if it was a DOF where only one part of the image was in focus, but for a lot of these, nothing seems focused at all.

What kind of soft focus/missed focus/movement smear does this look like to you? Am I expecting too much from this lens? I feel like something is inconsistently wrong in a way that I can't put my finger on. Hopefully I will have my T5 back soon from the person who borrowed it 🤣The only other camera I have available to test is a 40D.

Unfortunately I got these gifted used from Keh so I think I'm out of luck in the warranty department... 😞

[Tronhard]

Hi and welcome to the forum:
it is hard to come to conclusions based on the size of the images, but some are definitely lacking definition.  As you say you were gifted this camera + lens combination,  so may one assume that it has been used?  If that is the case, it is quite possible that something is out of alignment due to a knock or other mechanical issue.  I would suggest taking it to a service centre to have it checked out.

As you say the camera is being used by others, you might want to consider the risk of lending delicate camera equipment to others, who may not (intentionally or not) not take the same care that you would.

[Tintype_18]

I have the EF 18-135mm and found it to be useful, many times as my go-to lens. As Trevor stated, sounds like someone didn't treat it with TLC. Have it checked out but the cost might be more than the lens is worth. I found mine at a used book store (!) for $90.

[ebiggs1]

If you have two camera bodies switching them out and testing should be easy enough. However, my fried, your choice of settings is a bit suspect. First IS is not helping with a SS near or over 1/1000. Second photos like what you are wanting need a much slower SS and a much more narrow aperture. Lets try f8 to f16 and a SS near 1/60 to 1/100 not 1/1000. Set ISO to 200. Use One shot and never AI-servo with just the center focus point. 

"I would suggest taking it to a service centre to have it checked out."  Yeah, I wouldn't. That's probably not going to be a good idea but if you choose to go that route make sure you get estimates before and you know what used replacement values are. Repairs can quickly exceed what you can buy a replacement camera/lens for. At any rate try the adjusted new settings first. You should do a full reset of the camera first off, too. Always, always do that first thing on new to you used gear.