@shaileshplm wrote:
I have canon ef 100-400 mm f/4.5-5.6 l is lens, since 2014 and usages of this is limited for cricket and wildlife. this lens having softness at 400mm! how can be fix, pls advice. Using this lens with canon eos 7d and 50d.
Do you have a "protection" filter on the lens?
Which version of the lens is it? The "Mark II" was introduced in 2014, but both were available that year.
If it's the first version of the 100-400mm... the one with the single push/pull zoom and focus ring... many users have found that it doesn't "play well with filters". Quite a few who had complaints have been very surprised how sharp their lens actually was, as soon as they removed the filter (which really serves no purpose since the lens' deep hood can probably provide better protection than some thin piece of glass ever could).
If it's the "Mark II" version (separate focus and zoom rings), I really don't know. I shoot with one of these lenses, but can't recall ever putting a filter on it. But, depending upon the quality of the filter, if you have on on the Mark II lens I'd also try some test shots without it and see if it improves. My 100-400L II is quite sharp throughout it's entire range of focal lengths, including 400mm.
Another possibility is that it's not the lens at all, but is due to camera shake. Did you have IS enabled? What shutter speeds were you using? IS on either version of the 100-400L is very effective, but can only do so much. And shake blur, which can be pretty easily mistaken for lens softness or missed focus, is most likely to occur in images done at the 400mm end of the range, where it's most magnified.
Have you tried Micro Focus Adjusting the lens on you cameras. Both your cameras have this feature, though they both use the earlier version that only allows a single adjustment even with a zoom (so you may need to compromise).
How old is the lens? Has it been used a lot, bumped around in a camera bag or even dropped or knocked against something? With wear and tear, heavy and hard use, a lens might lose calibration or even see internal problems such as a decentered element. Maybe it just needs to be checked out and serviced, if it's seen a lot of hard use. .
Let us know what you find out.
***********
Alan Myers
San Jose, Calif., USA
"Walk softly and carry a big lens."
GEAR: 5DII, 7DII (x2), 7D(x2) some other cameras, various lenses & accessories
FLICKR & EXPOSUREMANAGER
