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16-35 L USM lens and struggling with sharp focus and depth of field.

dvoros
Apprentice

I just purchased the 16-35 L lens after reading all the reviews. I was previoulsy using the 24-70mm and was happy with the results. I am new to the Canon Mark 5D III and the new wide angle lens. I took pictures yesterday for over two hours and came back with no sharp images and no depth of field even when shooting at F/22. I zoomed in or moved close to my subjects expecting the images to be tack sharp but I am extremely disappointed. Not ONE of my pictures were tack sharp. What am I doing wrong? Are there correct settings for close-ups, landscapes and portraits with this lens? At F/22 I shoot 1/3 of the way into the picture expecting that everything in front and behind will be sharp. Not so. I am very frustrated as a newcomer to this camera. Please advise or guide me to a great source to learn.

thank you

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

ebiggs1
Legend
Legend

Probably not a welcomed reply but the problem is not f22 and it is not the silly DOF light fall off non-sense or micro-lens adjustemnt.  It is most likely your technique.  Smiley Frustrated

You moved or your subject moved or you shook the camera and didn't hold it still enough. And your light was probably not right.

Sorry but investigate this first.

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!

View solution in original post

11 REPLIES 11

ebiggs1
Legend
Legend

"I zoomed in or moved close to my subjects expecting the images to be tack sharp"

 

How close?  Even at 16mm it will have a limit on how close you can get.  But there is so much info missing here it is hard to perscribe a fix for you.

We need all the info about how, what, where, lighting, ISO, shutter and so on.  It may have nothing to do with the 16-35mm or it could be a faulty lens (highly unlikely for an "L" but possibile).

 

Do you have a friend with a Canon camera to try the lens on?  And how does your camera do with your other lenses?

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!

Hi

Thanks for responding. I know that there is a limit on how close you can get to your subject. I pulled back until the subject became sharp in my viewfinder and fully expected the image to be sharp when shot. Not the case. It also occurred with trying to achieve depth of field. I have tried to attach some sample shots but the sizes are too large to upload.

It'd really help to see an example, it's hard to guess without seeing it.

 

You shouldn't have to stop down to f/22 to get a large DoF at 16mm.  In fact, part of what you might be seeing is softness from diffraction at that aperture.  Try f/8, the DoF is actually quite wide at that aperture.

 

What shutter speeds are you at?  Yes, you can get away with much slower speeds with UWA, but it can still soften images.

 

Lastly, I've never been able to get results out of an UWA like I can with longer lenses or a prime.  I can get good results, and they clean up quite nicely in post, but viewing untouched photos at 100% it's never sharp like a good prime, or even a good tele really.  So I don't know what you're expecting out of it.  It usually doesn't matter since UWA are used for larger subject matter than the other lenses... but that has been my experience.

hsbn
Whiz
Like Skirball said, what you are experience is Diffraction by stopping the lens down to F22.
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/understanding-series/u-diffraction.shtml
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cale_kat
Mentor

@dvoros wrote:

I just purchased the 16-35 L lens after reading all the reviews. I was previoulsy using the 24-70mm and was happy with the results. I am new to the Canon Mark 5D III and the new wide angle lens. I took pictures yesterday for over two hours and came back with no sharp images and no depth of field even when shooting at F/22. I zoomed in or moved close to my subjects expecting the images to be tack sharp but I am extremely disappointed. Not ONE of my pictures were tack sharp. What am I doing wrong? Are there correct settings for close-ups, landscapes and portraits with this lens? At F/22 I shoot 1/3 of the way into the picture expecting that everything in front and behind will be sharp. Not so. I am very frustrated as a newcomer to this camera. Please advise or guide me to a great source to learn.

thank you


So you didn't get a single sharp picture? You have one of the finest instruments ever produce for photography both in terms of camera body and lens and you couldn't get a single sharp picture. What a disappointment.

 

Would you please share what you were shooting with prior to acquiring the 5dmkiii

 

 

I had a Rebel EOS T4i

The 5D3 will put everything you know and use to a test. It is almost 400 grams heavier than the T4i which means that it needs a very sturdy tripod to achieve maximum stability. It offers less DOF than the T4i because it has a larger sensor. The larger sensor is receiving light from almost the entire area of coverage which means that light passing through the "less optimal" outer edges of the lens are included in the picture. (Even expensive L glass comes with compromises.) When the large area of coverage is combined with the shallower depth of field and the extremely difficult nature of manufacturing a fast wide-angle zoom lens, it is not surprising that your initial experience was disappointing.

 

I agree that you need to mix up your choice of f-stop and open the lens up more. The 16-35 f2.8L was designed to offer optimal performance at f2.8, wide open. Try to move closer to that optimal opening. Make certain that your tripod is rated for the weight of your camera and lens and is situated in a sheltered spot or anchored (weighed down). Try not only different combinations of exposure settings but also a variety of focal lengths. Most zoom lenses, even hallowed L lenses, perform best in the central area of focal length.

 

Good luck.


@dvoros wrote:

I had a Rebel EOS T4i


Your T4i didn't have autofocus microadjustment; your 5D3 has a particularly elaborate version that lets you set separate adjustments at the long and short ends of the zoom range. Try that before you give up and demand a replacement lens.

Bob
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA


@RobertTheFat wrote:

@dvoros wrote:

I had a Rebel EOS T4i


Your T4i didn't have autofocus microadjustment; your 5D3 has a particularly elaborate version that lets you set separate adjustments at the long and short ends of the zoom range. Try that before you give up and demand a replacement lens.


I want to help the OP too but Canon is pretty clear about not messing with the autofocus adjustment settings unless you're a pretty experienced photographer. 

 

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