Canon 70-200ISII not right?

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adam*

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Adam
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Hi Guys

Not sure if my 70-200 is II has taken a bump but looking at the out of focus areas, especially to the right when close to wide open something doesn't look right. Anyone have any opinions? Particularly the OOF bloke and railings on the 2nd image crop.

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Apart from all the Grockles cluttering up the Hoe, what do you think is the problem?
 
Better example here. Focus on surfers (outer point of 5dmk2 to be far)... problem is the background OFF rendering.

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Now i'm hoping i'm just imagining it but i've been seeing ghosting on out of focus cars and OOF areas, don't think this is normal.
 
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adam* said:
I'll show you a better example but due to nature of image will take down after 5 mins in case it's nicked!
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Just black the middle out.

Back to the "problem"....you haven't got a UV filter on it have you?

Bob
 
Canon Bob said:
Just black the middle out.

Back to the "problem"....you haven't got a UV filter on it have you?

Bob
Click to expand...

I'd put money on it... ;)

Edit: Oops! Crossed post with the OP. Try it without the filter... I'm continually amazed that folks don't think sticking a filter on the front, no matter how good, cannot make a difference. It's particularly noticeable in bokeh areas with long lenses, as the narrow field of view means everything is on-axis or close to it. Take the damn thing off!
 
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adam* said:
It's had the HD filter on it from day one... where I never used to see the problem?
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It doesn't show up all the time, usually with out of focus highlights. The main problem is the filter is flat, and acts like a mirror bouncing ghosts back down off the shiny sensor. You can't see it through the viewfinder.

Try it with/without.
 
Will do a quick few now. Surely such an expensive filter shouldn't do that? I'd be very hesitant to use the lens without one on news jobs..
 
adam* said:
Will do a quick few now. Surely such an expensive filter shouldn't do that? I'd be very hesitant to use the lens without one on news jobs..
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It will.

It's pointless putting that on your lens, bung it in the bin.

Just use the supplied hood.
 
Really? :( Only bought such a good one as alot of other top professional's in the industry swear by them. I always use a hood.. guess i'll keep it off besides for when there's water involved / news events where it may get hit etc.
 
adam* said:
Will do a quick few now. Surely such an expensive filter shouldn't do that? I'd be very hesitant to use the lens without one on news jobs..
Click to expand...

Use the lens hood, take care. Only fit a filter when there's imminent danger of damage and be aware of the risks. And don't be afraid to clean the lens - they're meant to be cleaned and are far more robust than you perhaps imagine.

I've never used protection filters and not had a problem in 40 years. Not had much flare or ghosting either ;)

No lens comes with a filter fitted as standard - for a reason. Well, actually that's not strictly true. On the big Canon primes the front element is only for protection but that's because they are huge and vulnerable and very expensive to repair. And significantly, they are not flat!
 
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Ok cheers. Just tested outside on/off and can see no IQ diff at all. Guess it must be as you said - it randomly happens and definitely happens more with OOF highlight areas than dark areas.

There's no way i'd have used that lens on the beach without a UV filter though!

What's the best method for cleaning? I have a Hama lens pen..
 
Would shooting into a bright area and overexposing by about two stops to get the subject exposed correct create alot of problems for a UV filter?
 
adam* said:
Would shooting into a bright area and overexposing by about two stops to get the subject exposed correct create alot of problems for a UV filter?
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Yes. There are all sorts of different issues with filters, none of them good, and they show up in different situations, differently, with different lenses, focal lengths and apertures. The heart of the (main) problem is the shiny mirror-like surfaces of both the sensor and the rear of the filter.

I use a rocket blower (Giottos, Amazon) and a microfibre cloth. Sometimes a bit of heavy breathing for a finger mark. To see how tough lens coatings are, take your Hoya HD filter and rub it with a cloth as hard as you can near the edge. You won't mark it. While you're at it, see if you can actually scratch it with a key or something. You'll struggle - I've tried :eek: Hoya HD is very tough!
 
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Can you recommend a decent cloth? I've had loads of crap ones in the past.
 
Doesn't matter how good the filter is, it is an often caused problem.
 
I still can't believe people actually spend money on them, let alone some of the prices I've seen the Hoya HD's go for!

They seem to cause a lot of issues with bokeh on lenses with IS as well?

I find jessops lens tissues very good, and you can buy good lens cleaning kits for under £10.
 
I try to turn IS off unless needed generally. Hear alot of people saying it causes IQ issues at higher shutter speeds.
 
adam* said:
I try to turn IS off unless needed generally. Hear alot of people saying it causes IQ issues at higher shutter speeds.
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Leave IS on, unless on a tripod. There is a theory that IS can affect image quality at higher shutter speeds, usually from Nikon users for some reason, but I've tried hard to create it (I'm rather sadly interested in these things ;)) and failed. I've also googled high and low and never seen any substantive pictorial evidence of it whatsoever, only hypothethis.

Any old microfibre lens cloth will do, from opticians or Jessops sell nice big ones. I know you have an expensive lens there, but don't be too precious about it - they're professional tools. Also, a few specs of dust here or there will make zero difference.
 
I never turn IS off on my 70-200 II unless it's on a tripod and haven't noticed any problems right up to 1/8000. The problems come when you forget to turn it back on and start shooting at slower shutter speeds.
 
I also get weird bokeh from my 70-200/2.8L IS II sometimes. Very rarely though and now that you mention it, I haven't used a filter for 2 months and don't remember seeing it. So it could be that. It's only happened when the background is very busy like pine trees with needles in the background.

I'll try to dig up an example, though I've probably binned them all. It's always shown up in only one shot even if I've taken multiple shots in a row. So out they go...
 
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