sample photo - is this lens front-focusing?

[mike__us_ct_]

if this were your lens, would you return it?

 

http://www.icewater.org/misc/70mmf2.8.jpg

 

it's a canon 24-70mm f/2.8 L

 

i'm a novice photographer, but it appears to be front-focusing at

about the 2mm mark. i'm wondering if i should have it serviced.

[shambrick007]

"if this were your lens, would you return it? "<p>Close up, at 2.8? No.<p> Man, what did we do before digital? Oh yeah, actaully take pictures :-)

[KenPapai]

It's a nice lens. You're a novice anyway. Not to worry, looks fine.

[mark u]

No. See my answer in this thread:

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00ERXl&tag=

[les]

If your main subject is going to be a test chart - then definitely, yes, get it adjusted. Otherwise keep taking pictures and you will never know the difference ;)

 

BTW, WB should be better - do not use Auto WB when shooting with artificial light.

[PuppyDigs]

MF is always better than AF if you have the time. Besides, it's best to use MF for closeup

objects.

[jim_simon3]

Since the right side of the photo is in better focus than the left, it seems to me that you didn't line up the target properly. Also the thickness of the line means that the focus will not be in the middle of the line but is on the contrast between the light and dark . With that target you already start a bit off. Personally I think that, compensating for the angle, the focus is good.

[jim_doty]

Take pictures and be happy! Your lens looks fine.

[marknagel]

Looks good to me. If its within 4mm I'm happy. I had (2) 50/1.8s and a couple Tamron 28-75/2.8's that front focused from 10mm to 14mm.

 

Mark

[thierry_fortier]

wow! lucky guy... my 24mm 2.8 im complaining three post under front focus for about 6 inchs!

 

ok... sorry, im no help!

[chrisjb]

Hi, I`m just wondering if you would see the problem when taking a real ilfe pic. say for instance a portrait at 70mm wide open the models eye lashes are bout 10mm long. which part do you focus on to compensate for the lens error? ah a bit silly but its great to see a novice with a lens like this just use and enjoy,

 

now I had a sigma 15-30 serviced 6 weeks ago rechip and adj. it came back front focus 40-50mm. because we take people pix this meant 2/3 for 1/3 back, faces were sharp but back of hair line and ears were OOF at f7.1. The lens is 3yrs old done over 100k. seams the service dept did something so I sent it back. for some reason they did not get it right and replaced the lens. My hats of for Sigma that is top service. This one is just as sharp as the 1st, have not bothered with a test chart. just take pix.

[mike__us_ct_]

thank you all for putting my mind at ease. as you've said this is a nice - and for a novice hobby photographer, expensive - lens. the photos i've taken so far with it seem to focus fine, but i have had the experience more than once, in this and other pursuits, of thinking something is "fine" early on, and then seeing the shortcomings after i become more educated. i didn't want to get two years down the road and then regret not having the lens serviced.

 

i can give you another glaring example of the syndrome i mention above in the domain of photography. when i got my first point and shoot a couple years ago, if i indadvertently left the WB preset on "tungsten" and shot outdoors, i wouldn't immediately recognize the blue cast on the photo. no i recognize it immediately. and, after getting the dslr and passing on the p&s to my wife, she experienced the same thing.

 

but in any case, thanks again to all for taking a moment to look and saving me the trouble.