Should I return/replace my lens? EF-S 55-250mm sharpness/focus

Hi,

I'm concerned about the sharpness of my lens. Can you guys help me see if there's anything wrong with it?

Lens: Canon EF-S 55-250mm
Body: Canon Rebel T6i

I use autofocus on the center point, and I do believe that I use settings that are generally supposed to come out with sharp photos, such as an appropriate aperture + 1/FL, etc.

I'm still within the return period, and am wondering where the problem lies: lens, body, or perhaps it's just operator error? Or perhaps all of these images are acceptably sharp for this lens.

Many thanks in advance for your help

Focus point is on back of head, but hair seems to be not "tack-sharp." I submitted this to ShutterStock and it got rejected for out-of-focus.

Fur seems blurryish

Here's another shot I just took. Shot in JPG, so this file is directly uploaded as it was shot.

I don't know, it seems like things are just fuzzy compared to some other shots I've seen on the forum. Thoughts?

ISO is out of control, with over-done processing (reduces detail). Lots of veiling glare, greatly reducing micro contrast.

There might be an underlying softness, but you'd have to test for that specifically.

Recommend the new 70-200/2.8 III. 

Best of luck!

R2

streetsnyc wrote:

Hi,

I'm concerned about the sharpness of my lens. Can you guys help me see if there's anything wrong with it?

Lens: Canon EF-S 55-250mm
Body: Canon Rebel T6i

I use autofocus on the center point, and I do believe that I use settings that are generally supposed to come out with sharp photos, such as an appropriate aperture + 1/FL, etc.

I'm still within the return period, and am wondering where the problem lies: lens, body, or perhaps it's just operator error? Or perhaps all of these images are acceptably sharp for this lens.

Many thanks in advance for your help

Focus point is on back of head, but hair seems to be not "tack-sharp." I submitted this to ShutterStock and it got rejected for out-of-focus.

Fur seems blurryish

as mentioned by others, the cat shots with ISO 4000 or 3200 show lots of processing artefacts, that's not the lens.

start off with something static and flat, using live view and a tripod to check if the lens is sharp, 100 ISO.

Nope. For what this lens costs it does a very good job.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions and help!

By using live view and taking a photo of an analog wrist watch, I think that I've determined that the lens can definitely create sharp images. What do you think? I know it's not ideal as my space is not well-lit and I had to shine a flashlight to even see anything...

Manual focus

Auto focus

So, given that, I believe that it is not my equipment that is defective, and that it's just me that needs improvement

Any general tips for capturing sharp images when it comes to shooting street portraits of people or animals in motion? For instance, I'm never sure if I should use AI Servo or One Shot. It's hard to do a controlled test of this, for obvious reasons

Speaking of which, would the autofocus system of my camera be another issue? Because I believe that I achieved the sharpest image (using the watch as a test) by manually focusing. The difference is barely noticeable except when viewed at 100%, but it made me wonder if there's anything I can do to optimize AF accuracy? For instance, I use an AmazonBasics UV filter.

Get a hood and get rid of the UV filter. Cheap filters will degrade image quality.

jvc1 wrote:

Get a hood and get rid of the UV filter. Cheap filters will degrade image quality.

If you are going to use one get  B+W or something like that. It may cost as much as the lens.

-- hide signature --

I keep some of my favorite pictures here,
https://www.flickr.com/photos/129958940@N03/

Good to see the watch is also working.

Jura S wrote:

streetsnyc wrote:

Speaking of which, would the autofocus system of my camera be another issue? Because I believe that I achieved the sharpest image (using the watch as a test) by manually focusing. The difference is barely noticeable except when viewed at 100%, but it made me wonder if there's anything I can do to optimize AF accuracy? For instance, I use an AmazonBasics UV filter.

What mode of focus acquisition do you use?

I typically use One Shot autofocus, but have also experimented with AI Servo. I've read that AI Focus isn't reliable or is generally rubbish.

Good advice re cheap filters and hoods. I'll replace my filter with a better one. As for the hood, I'm not sure which to buy. Is there a specific form/shape I should look for? Or would a generic 58mm lens hood suffice?

streetsnyc wrote:

Jura S wrote:

streetsnyc wrote:

Speaking of which, would the autofocus system of my camera be another issue? Because I believe that I achieved the sharpest image (using the watch as a test) by manually focusing. The difference is barely noticeable except when viewed at 100%, but it made me wonder if there's anything I can do to optimize AF accuracy? For instance, I use an AmazonBasics UV filter.

What mode of focus acquisition do you use?

I typically use One Shot autofocus, but have also experimented with AI Servo. I've read that AI Focus isn't reliable or is generally rubbish.

Good advice re cheap filters and hoods. I'll replace my filter with a better one. As for the hood, I'm not sure which to buy. Is there a specific form/shape I should look for? Or would a generic 58mm lens hood suffice?

You are going need to adapt to using AI Servo for anything moving. When the subject comes into focus in the viewfinder - fire away. Trust the process.

You might want to check on the AF-ON to help with AF.

A third-party hood will be fine, but get one that fits properly.

Dave wrote:

A third-party hood will be fine, but get one that fits properly.

Thanks Dave. Would you you recommend a petal over a tube hood?

If you have an ebay account, just search "canon 55-250 hood" and take your pick of the cheaper 3rd party offerings.

Zeee wrote:

You are going need to adapt to using AI Servo for anything moving. When the subject comes into focus in the viewfinder - fire away. Trust the process.

You might want to check on the AF-ON to help with AF.

Thank you so much, I remember experimenting with back-button focus and, for whatever reason, forgot to get back into that practice. I think maybe I was doing street photography, using a 24mm lens and shooting from the hip using FlexiZone AF. But now that I have this telephoto zoom lens, I'll be far enough away to use the viewfinder.

I feel very fortunate to have so many people sharing their knowledge