70-300 IS USM sharpness

topcatproduction

topcatproduction

Suspended / Banned
Messages
500
Edit My Images
Yes
I sold my 75-300 and replaced it with a 70-300 which I bought from the forum here a couple of weeks ago. It is much nicer to use and has a bit of weight to it, but I can't say I'm blown away with the IQ at all. I haven't had much testing with it on nice sunny days etc, but the results dont actually look any better than my old 75-300 on the 400D- I'd have thought the 70-300 + 40D combo would have blown it away!!!

As mentioned it is much nicer to use and focusses very quickly unlike the grrrrr hunt, grrrrr hunt, grrrr hunt too late missed the picture of the 75-300, the IS does make a difference but IQ?? :suspect:

I was hoping it was going to be my first truly sharp AF lens but alas, looks like I might have to buy a nifty fifty so I have something sharp in my bag!!!
 
Sample pic? Comparison pics?

Try it outside first, in decent light with a high shutter speed and careful focus. It should be a pretty sharp lens.

Edit: that lens, like most of similar spec, is sharpest at mid-range focal lengths, say between 100-200mm, and is least sharp at 300mm. Optimum aperture will be around f/8.
 
I bought the 70-300IS USM about a month ago and have used it a couple of times now and love it, admittedly the only thing I can compare it to is the Tamron 70-300 kit lens and not much experience in the realms of photography but absolutely love the lens and the results I have got so far!
 
I never found it sharp wide open either. My sharpest lens are 50mm and 24-105 although the latter is an L
 
Well here are a couple with my old 75-300 and 400D, which considering it was an old £80 lens and entry level camera I didnt think were too bad, never done motorsports before either and these are straight out jpegs.

IMG_2602.jpg


IMG_2656.jpg


I'll have to find some with the 70-300 and 40D now...
 
Very few lenses are sharp wide open and those that are are generally upwards of the 1000 quid mark.

I can't say I ever noticed anything I would call "unacceptably soft" about the 70-300IS at all. More importantly over the 75-300 all the nasty CA had gone away.
 
HoppyUK said:
Try it outside first, in decent light with a high shutter speed and careful focus. It should be a pretty sharp lens.
Click to expand...

I would second this, I found my copy to be sharp at the wider end, above about 200mm it starts to soften a bit and by 300mm you will need some serious sharpening to get a good result. This is on a 40D, and like all lenses though you will need to sharpen the digital output a bit (never used it with film)

I used to reagard 200mm as the maximum useable focal length for this lens.

A few more thoughts HERE save me re typing.

I think for the money it's a good lens, you just have to be aware of it's limitations.

HTH

David
 
As mentioned by the others, it's at it's best up to about 200-250mm and with the aperture stopped down a little if possible. Bear those points in mind and you can get some stunningly sharp shots out of it.
 
To really see the difference you need to be pixel peeping and comparing 100% crops of static subjects, in general use at web sizes my money says you won't see much of a difference but what you do have is less CA, Less distortion and much faster focussing. In general use most lenses will supply you with an acceptably sharp shot for the average amature which is why I'm more than happy with my ancient 70-210 F4 I'm sure if I took exactly the same shot with a new 70-200 F4 and compared 100% crops from the corners wide open I'd notice a big difference and this is why I don't!
 
Just took a few in a break in the drizzle, ok theres no comparing the AF speed and accuracy from the 75-300 :lol: and they aren't exactly bad, all shot wide open as quite dull.

70mm ish
IMG_6529.jpg


100mm ish
IMG_6530.jpg


200mm ish
IMG_6528.jpg


300mm ish
IMG_6527.jpg

and
IMG_6532.jpg


Not the most interesting of subjects but they serve a purpose!

(Mods if the files are too big I will change the pics to links instead!)
 
When you resized those to put up, did you unsharp mask them before saving them and posting them on here?
 
I downloaded the last one on to my pc for a better look, it appears he has applied no sharpening and in all honesty it sharpens up a treat.
Can't really see what your complaint is m8, like others have said if you want tack sharp wide open then you need to spend £1k + in most cases.
 
Unsharp mask what?! I'm back to shooting jpeg and using straight outta camera, at most I sometimes adjust the brightness/contrast in CS3, I have so many things to do I just dont have the time to learn to pp properly so I like to try and get it right in camera!

They actually came out better than I thought on screen- I shouldn't have judged the lens so soon! Hopefully I can have a good play when I next have some time for a stroll or go racing!!!
 
topcatproduction said:
Unsharp mask what?! I'm back to shooting jpeg and using straight outta camera, at most I sometimes adjust the brightness/contrast in CS3, I have so many things to do I just dont have the time to learn to pp properly so I like to try and get it right in camera!

They actually came out better than I thought on screen- I shouldn't have judged the lens so soon! Hopefully I can have a good play when I next have some time for a stroll or go racing!!!
Click to expand...

If you only shoot in-camera jpgs, then sharpening is already applied. You might want to bump up the level a bit as Canon are renowned for slightly soft jpgs.
 
You need to use unsharp mask. Read Canon's own documentation if you really want, they tell you to do it because its needed due to the way their digital cameras work (and everyone else's too!)

Use USM as the final stage, particularly after a resize.

You'll find your pics look a bucket load better without looking "oversharpened"
 
Isn't "smart sharpen" thought to be better than unsharp mask?
 
Yes and no. We are talking about using USM specifically. If you want to really sharpen, then smart sharpen is better, but you still need to USM after the final resize to get the best out of your photos
 
"Yes and no. We are talking about using USM specifically. If you want to really sharpen, then smart sharpen is better, but you still need to USM after the final resize to get the best out of your photos"

Sharpen twice?

I don't know how familiar you are with smart sharpen but just like usm you can apply a little or a lot.

I just ask out of interest. I know that digital files are supposed to be sharpened but I find that the default sharpening in Rawshooter Essentials is enough for me and I usually don't apply anything further.
 
they all look good to me, I certainly would not complain :shrug:
Btw are we looking at a 3.5t or 1.5t mini digger on the trailer :thinking:
 
unsharp mask is a thing you can do in photoshop. I don't have any photoshop at all though, and last time I checkd, my images were fine...
 
Canon say:

Canon EOS digital cameras have an anti-aliasing filter installed on the image sensor.
This filter improves color rendition and practically eliminates moiré. The liability is a
slight reduction of sharpness. To reduce the softening effect of the anti-aliasing filter we
recommend applying an unsharp mask to the image in Adobe® Photoshop
Click to expand...

As I said, its not just a Canon thing, the comment is equally valid for all DSLR's.

There are dozens of threads on here trying to tell people that "straight out the camera, no tweaks" just really means "the cake is half baked".
 
desantnik said:
There are dozens of threads on here trying to tell people that "straight out the camera, no tweaks" just really means "the cake is half baked".
Click to expand...

If thats true then does that mean that anyone who gets a stunning shot straight out of the camera is a genius?
(Please note- I'm not trying to start an arguement!)
 
No, it means that your stunning shot can look even better with USM... :D
 
topcatproduction said:
If thats true then does that mean that anyone who gets a stunning shot straight out of the camera is a genius?
(Please note- I'm not trying to start an arguement!)
Click to expand...


More to the point, does it mean that anyone who can't, is an idiot!
Sometimes it works out OK, sometimes it doesn't! :shrug:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top