Help! I have a 7D LEMON

I am not sure if this request belongs in the hot topic section, but this to me is more like despair, panic and disappointment.
As properly most of you have heard the Canon 7D has a problem with soft focus. I have made extensive test with 4 different lenses. One of them a very sharp 100mm 2.8 L macro lens. I have used manual focus, auto and live view to focus. The problem is not always predictable and it seems that the Camera has a random problem. I tried to take photos on a Tripod with different settings, turn the camera off and on and get different results with the same above settings. I have checked the net for that problem and to my surprise found many others complaining about the same thing. I have also tried to micro adjust to the lens, sometimes it Improves other times it goes nuts again. Many people
have send their camera to Canon. After a long down-time most of them reported that
the camera was in worse shape.
I started with the 10D, which I am using now again and after a long savings period
purchased the 7D anticipating much better quality. Up to now my 10D does a better
Job taking pictures. I took a trip to the Grand Canyon last August and that’s when
I noticed the problem. I have lost many photos on that trip. Maybe the quality is
acceptable to some if you do not exceed 13 x19 prints, but that is not what Canon
advertised.
Does anybody have any advise or solution with my lemon?
I have been very discouraged to take any photos knowing that most of the photos
will not be satisfactory. Also I can not effort to purchase another camera. I purchased
this camera 1.5 years ago.

Thanks,
Holger

I moved the post to the Photo Gear forum where it's probably a better fit. Just to clarify, despite having this problem, you held on to the camera for 1.5 years and never sent it in for repair or replacement?

Guy

Guy:
As stated above, I was not aware of any problems until
Last August when I went to Grand Canyon. My first thoughts
were that I must have done something wrong. I came
to the conclusion not until recently with my test that there
was a problem. It seems that this problem was not there
before my trip.
I am always concerned about sharpness and in-focus and
I was very satisfied before, with this camera.
Holger

I guess the obvious question then is why not send it to a Canon repair center? By definition, if it was working properly for more than a year, it is not a lemon and likely just needs adjustment.

Guy

I agree with Guy. Something happened to cause this issue; it could be a fault of the camera, or something you accidentally did. A trip to a Canon facility is the next step, in my opinion.

--P

Guy:
I do not want to be negative, but when there is a major
Discussion about this problem on this particular model
On the web; I can not rule out that there is a problem.
Many people have reported and documented this problem
as soon as they purchased that model and had to returned
it to Canon Repair only to get it back in worse condition.
Don’t get me wrong, I have been using Canon cameras
Since 1973. My first Canon was a F1. I never had any
problems. Now I am retired and live on Social Security,
my budget does not allow to gamble IF they could fix it.
That is why I asked if someone had any experience with
This problem and how they solved it.
In conclusion, if a product has any continuous problems
From the beginning, it is classified as a lemon. My problem
Happened to show up later which makes my situation worse:
NO WARRANTY and no funds to correct it. Lucky me I
Still have my D10.
Despite this problem, I would buy another Canon if and
When I can effort it.
Holger

Holger, when I first purchased my 7D, I had focus issues. I sent it to Canon, they concurred, fixed it, and no problems ever since... seems like the best way to me.

Brian:
Thanks for responding. Sounds promising.
Was this problem on all lenses?
Was your camera still under warranty?
If not, could you give me a ballpark price?
How long did it take to fix it?
Where did you send it?
Thanks, looking forward to your reply!
Holger

Hi Holger,

yes--it was all lenses, and like you, I tried the many various suggestions for fixing/resetting things myself to no avail, so I called Canon, shipped it to their service center (I'm pretty sure the one in CA), and had it back within 2 weeks or so. It was under warranty, so no charge for me... but still seems like the only real option you have--if you can't fix it yourself, you probably need to let them take a crack at it... Good luck,
Brian

My wife has been using a 7D since the first month they were available without issues. The camera has traveled all over the USA and a trip to Africa and Machu Picchu and the Galapagos and focused and continues to focus well with multiple lenses. We did do a micro AF adjustment with a lens or two needing a setting other than zero. The AF of our 7D is one of its best features.

If you are having issues send it in for inspection/repair. Then calibrate your lenses to it.

Did Canon come out with a firmware update that might have addressed this issue?

Ed:
I envy you for your good working 7D. I like all of the
Features this camera offers. I will find out today from
Canon how much they will be charging me for calibration.
Thanks for the encouragement.

Peter:
Actually, I am not to sure whether I updated firmware
before the trip or after. I looked for the original firmware
on the net but it is not available any more. I do remember
though my problems crept up at that time. Does anybody
have the old firmware or where I can get it. I am curious
if that could have anything to do with it.

Thanks for all of your support!

Holger

There was some prior discussion on NPN about the "soft focus" problem with the 7D in a review done by Darwin Wiggett if I recall correctly. I own a 7D (I also own a 10D) and am mostly happy with it. I find the auto focus accurate or I should say as accurate as an automated system can be expected to be since it doesn't always choose the same point to focus on that I would.

There are several things at play here the first of which I note in the comment "Maybe the quality is acceptable to some if you do not exceed 13 x19 prints...". The fact is that the larger you make any image the more you tax the resolution. I wish I ahd a dollar for every time I looked at a contact print or the screen on the back of my camera and thought I had 'nailed' the focus only to discover later that it was soft at 8x10 or larger. FWIW the 7D is 5184x3456 pixel image. At 300ppi that comes to 17¼" x 11½". If you push it any bigger than that you are lowering the resolution. You can create more pixels by up-sizing the image but that will also increase softness. Since large prints are generally meant to be viewed at a greater distance that is usually not a problem. As an extreme example, in my youth I once put up a billboard image for a car dealer. You would be amazed how large the dot screen is on those billboards yet from the distance you view them while driving they appear sharp.

Which brings us to the other major factor in "sharpness" which is actually a matter of edge contrast. We see edges based on the difference in tone between one side of the edge and the other. As with film, the lens used can have a decided effect on that contrast but so can our processing of RAW images. I will not address JPG except to say that if you are shooting JPG there is little you can do to correct many problems if you surrendered the conversion of the image to the in-camera algorithm. All digital images are somewhat 'soft' by virtue of the way they are created. If you are shooting RAW I would suggest that you can improve "sharpness" by applying appropriate sharpening, not just once but in several sequential steps.

The only problem I have had with the 7D is that the auto-off function is prone to malfunction. I sent it for repair while under warranty but it was soon doing the same thing, locking up instead of turning off. The display indicates that it is functioning but nothing works. You have to remove and replace the battery to get it to recycle. I've talked to owners of 60Ds that have the same complaint. My solution is to change the time for shut down from the default 1 minute to 4 minutes and to turn the camera off manually during each break in shooting.

These are recent pictures I took for testing purpose.
Both were

1/60 | F32 | 17mm | ISO100 | manual focus=infinity | 100% crop

The bad one, I moved to a different location.
This happens randomly. The more I look at it, it looks
like a total malfunction of the censor or electronics.

Just a thought: could the camera pick-up viruses from
a computer via the card? And if so, what could the result be?

bad

"manual focus=infinity"?
Do you mean that you are using the scale to focus manually rather than looking through the viewfinder or at the live view?
If you were using the viewfinder did you judge the focus visually or go with the flashing focus indicators?

The infinity end of one of my lenses is actually past where it focuses on infinity. I never trust the scale. The only thing I can think of that would make that much discrepancy when manual focusing would be a loose element in the lens or a shift in the position of the sensor. I can't see how anything in the camera's electronics could mess up manual focus. Where the light focuses is a physical thing.

Jim:
It was focused in live view to the furthest point which just about shows infinity on the scale.
No, I never use the scale with a zoom lens.
Both of the above pictures were done the same identical way.
The forground in the bad photo was closer (about 35 feet) and with F32 something should have been in focus
even if I would use the scale with 17mm.
The repair shop told me they have to replace the censor and a cost which I can not do right now.
I have to rule out a defective lens because I used different lenses with the same results.
But you have an interesting point of a loose censor. Maybe that is why the repair shop wants to replace it.
Holger

If it was in focus on live view, it was in focus. Live view gets its image information from the sensor. I don't see how it could be focused on live view and not in focus on the sensor. The sensor can't send information to the live view screen that it doesn't have. Something had to change or physically move between your focusing and the exposure.

Jim:
I wish I could figure this out, I am puzzled and discouraged.
It is not that I am new to photography, I never had any problems
Like this with any camera. My 10D has never-ever given me any problems
with focus or blur of any kind. My hands are steady, I do not shake
and most of the time I use a very sturdy tripod which weighs a ton.
I have never drop or bumped my 7D. My 10D has seen more action
and I must say it is build well.
I appreciate all of the help from everybody and suggestions.
I have decided to trade this camera AS IS or for parts. I will take
my loss and get on with my life and picture taken, I enjoy the outdoors
and photography too much, it is not going to get me down.
I have a plan and I would like to ask for advise again later.
Thanks again to everybody!!
Holger

If you purchased the camera in the US (maybe Canada too, I don't know) with a credit card, there may be some hope for you. Many card companies extend the warranty for an additional year. Check to see if you comply and they play.

ME

Michael:
Thanks! I will check into it.
Holger