New Refurbished EOS EF 70-300 II

[kvbarkley]

Just got my refurbished lens - great deal at the Canon refurbished store!

So, what do you guys do to check out a new lens?

[Waddizzle]

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@kvbarkley wrote:

Just got my refurbished lens - great deal at the Canon refurbished store!

So, what do you guys do to check out a new lens?

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Every photographer has a favorite spot or something they like to photograph to test out new gear.  For me, it is a park that offers good views of a bridge.  There are ducks and geese that like to hang out in the area.  There are flower gardens for testing closeup shots.  There is also a baseball field and soccer field in the park, so I can experiment with action shots.

[EDIT]. Enjoy that lens, BTW.  I would get a B+W Nano Clear Filter for it from B&H. 

[shadowsports]

My 16-35 and 85 were both Canon refurbs.  Both arrived in pristine (looking brand new condition) and operated the same.  

For people like us, I think checking front/back focus at various focal lengths would be one of the first things I'd check. 

Take about 10 photos.  A few mnimum focal length and some max.  Then, manually stop down the lens at various aperatures.  Then some auto focus shots with subjects at various distances (bright and dimly lit conditions) TTL gets good fast lock.  Then I'd review my images. 

You're experienced enough to know when something isn't right. 

[ebiggs1]

I just got a "New Refurbished EOS EF 70-300 II" "...what do you guys do to check out a new lens?"

On that lens nothing. Just use it and go.

I don't actually know how many lenses I have had over my lifetime so far but it is in the hundreds.  The number that needed any attention at all, focus adjustment or whatever, is very few. Very, very few. However, the few that did need it were awful and apparent there was a problem with out any real testing. I typically only buy top line or what I consider high end lenses so that may skew my experience.

A lot of guys screw around with their lenses when there isn't any thing wrong with them. Some mistakenly think focus adjustment will make the lens sharper. It doesn't.  And, to me, it seems like the cameras and lenses that would benefit most from focus adjustment don't have it.