Some help with my new 10-18mm IS STM please?

Steve Balcombe wrote:

ispyej wrote:

Hi guys,

I appreciate all your comments. I since took some photos with several different settings of the same landscape and ensured my focus was correct. I was experienced the same issue. Since more than one person has recommended to return the lens, it is what I have done.

Pity you've done that as there was almost certainly nothing wrong with the lens. I checked the two images you re-posted at a larger size, and in both cases they include the focusing distance in the maker Notes of the Exif data. The second one is focused at 5.53-6.56 m, and the first one is 1.19-1.4 m. It's not really possible to know how you did that, but maybe you half-pressed the shutter while still pointing at the ground in front of you? I've no particular reason for suggesting that other than it is one way to make that happen.

There is so much depth of field and so little background blur when shooting a wide angle lens at f/11 that the overall effect is an image which is very soft all over, rather than being obviously out of focus, and nothing is in sharp focus because the images have no foreground.

Where do I claim my prize?

Um. On APSC FL of 10mm at F11 aperture hyperfocal distance is 0.48m.  The near end of the depth of field at 1.2m would be about 0.32m and the far end would be infinity. In other words this exif data you found is useful but actually proves the opposite. Focus was correct and the lens must have an issue.