Hello everyone, I have a question to ask- is it possible for a lens (in my case, the Canon 100-400) to lose sharpness? I have been using this lens since 2008 (it is the "dust pump" model not the newer one) and I have traveled all over the world with it (Australia, Belize, Brazil, Costa Rica, Indonesia, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, etc. some multiple times). Despite a few superficial blemishes from years of wear, there does not appear to be anything mechanically wrong with it. However, over the last couple of years, I've noticed it just doesnt "nail" some of the shots that it would have before. It seems I need to be almost entirely still to get a sharp wildlife shot, whereas before I could be moving or on a boat, etc. and still get the shot. Should I give up and get a new lens or do you think a cleaning may help? Can accumulation of dust inside the lens cause this? I don't think it is the camera itself. I have a Canon 7D Mark II and I purchased it much more recently (November 2016) and my smaller lens doesn't have the same problem. Thanks!
Hello, without see any photos or what setting you used I would suggest placing the camera and lens on a tripod and take a few photos and see if they turn out ok. Next using a higher ISO and higher Shutter speed when not using a tripod. Try testing the lens out before investing in a new one.
Have you tried focus microcalibration? There should be a guide at the end of this link - https://cdn.static-bl.com/images/manual/Canon-AF-Micro-Adjust-Guide.pdf
Hi everyone, sorry for the delay. Here are some photos of my settings. Also attached a recent snake closeup...it looks fine but its not tack sharp. Settings were- f/14, 1/640 sec., iso400, 100-400mm lens Does everything look right for wildlife?
