Why isn't my amazing 35 1.4 not sharp anymore???

Did you also try the cam with a different lens? And the lens on a different cam?

Post a couple of shots.

Could it possibly be your aging eyes ?

Batdude said:

Hi guys,

I did an event last week and lots of the photos came out soft/blurry. I said to myself fine it must have been me by not applying faster shutter speed, so I let it go.

I have another event today and I took some photos to double check this issue and out of pure curiosity I took some photos imported them in LR and the photos are indeed soft/blurry wide open. 90% of the times I use this lens to shoot wide open, that's why I bought it for but I did stop it down just a little to 2.8 and still a bit soft.

What happened to my sharpness? These lenses don't need AF fine tuning, correct? If something went bad in the lens what kind of repair do you think it might need? I did check the XT1 camera to make sure no dirt or something is on the sensor and also checked the front and rear glass on the 35 1.4 and everything is perfectly fine.

I will say that I have shot thousands of photos with this lens so it is possible the lens is starting die on me?

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The word "event ' don't go together.. I suspect slow AF equals OOF!

Depends on the event obviously and also the light levels but I have seen most of my friends using manual focusing (strictly pre focusing) to get the shots.

As was requested above .. Do some shots

My 35 is sharp too but you need to do a controlled test to see if it really is still sharp. Tripod and good target etc... Rule out the AF as a possible cause.

All the best with it

Alan Brown said:

Batdude said:

Hi guys,

I did an event last week and lots of the photos came out soft/blurry. I said to myself fine it must have been me by not applying faster shutter speed, so I let it go.

I have another event today and I took some photos to double check this issue and out of pure curiosity I took some photos imported them in LR and the photos are indeed soft/blurry wide open. 90% of the times I use this lens to shoot wide open, that's why I bought it for but I did stop it down just a little to 2.8 and still a bit soft.

What happened to my sharpness? These lenses don't need AF fine tuning, correct? If something went bad in the lens what kind of repair do you think it might need? I did check the XT1 camera to make sure no dirt or something is on the sensor and also checked the front and rear glass on the 35 1.4 and everything is perfectly fine.

I will say that I have shot thousands of photos with this lens so it is possible the lens is starting die on me?

Click to expand...

The word "event ' don't go together.. I suspect slow AF equals OOF!

Depends on the event obviously and also the light levels but I have seen most of my friends using manual focusing (strictly pre focusing) to get the shots.

As was requested above .. Do some shots

My 35 is sharp too but you need to do a controlled test to see if it really is still sharp. Tripod and good target etc... Rule out the AF as a possible cause.

Click to expand...

I have had this lens for years and have shot thousands of photos with it. This lens has never disappointed me and every time It always gave me razor sharp images at 1.4. I don't have to do no "controlled" tests. The images are soft now land I have checked here at home under plenty of light.

The point is that it was not like this before. If I get it repaired, whatever the problem is, it will cost me, probably more than what the lens is actually worth. :-(

I did put my 16mm on the camera and that's okay. The 35mm lens is what's different now.

grazuncle said:

All the best with it

--
There is a very fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness.' :'!':

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Check my thread: https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4195623

Maybe you have the same issue?

Have you checked with a strong LED flashlight for fingerprints or condensation inside the lens. I found fingerprints on the back of 1:1.4 lens this week. After cleaning it was much better.

arrrr said:

Check my thread: https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4195623

Maybe you have the same issue?

Click to expand...

What was the solution? I couldn't find it.

Hi,

Commiserations on the problem.

Batdude said:

I have had this lens for years and have shot thousands of photos with it. This lens has never disappointed me and every time It always gave me razor sharp images at 1.4. I don't have to do no "controlled" tests. The images are soft now land I have checked here at home under plenty of light.

The point is that it was not like this before.

Click to expand...

Exactly. Given that the lens has been sharp for years, something has changed. You know that. But you probably do need to do some testing to narrow in on why. You seem to have asked for our thoughts, but it's almost impossible for us to offer them without more info, images and EXIF.

Your problem raises many questions...... How far out is it? What was the AF set up? Exactly where is it it focusing? Is any part of the image sharp? Is it an AF issue? Can the lens achieve perfect focus manually or is the softness possibly an optical issue? Could it be a DOF issue? Could it be a camera issue? A settings issue - eg a shutter speed issue? Could it be wear and tear? How does this lens operate on another body? Would a replacement 35mm work better on the same camera body?..... Etc, etc, etc.

Batdude said:

If I get it repaired, whatever the problem is, it will cost me, probably more than what the lens is actually worth. :-(

Click to expand...

Maybe. Sadly, repairs are costly and you lose the camera and lens for a while. A new (used lens) might be cheaper. But I'd try further to narrow in on the fault first. And if, in the end, you can't find it or fix it, and it's been heavily used for years, maybe you have to adopt the philosophy that it's done a great job, depreciate it against your tax and buy a new one.... They can't last for ever.

Good luck with it.

Regards, Rod

Batdude said:

I did put my 16mm on the camera and that's okay. The 35mm lens is what's different now.

Batdude said:

All the best with it

--
There is a very fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness.' :'!':

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Did you have the camera set to manual focus?

No solution. My local Fuji office tells me, that my camera is fine and I'm washing their brains and spending their time.

Did you have it set to continuous focus on the front dial by mistake? This can make images slightly blurry and is easily switched on by mistake when carrying the camera around (talking from experience!)

Perhaps the problem is not the lens or camera itself but maybe your computer monitor may need to be recalibrated. They do go bad after many years of use.

No. It was set intentionally. Even more: it's not missing focus in continuous mode. No idea why.

Did you check for fungus inside the lens?

I have read somewhere that if you have some in the lens you have to take it outside and let it directly under the sun