My camera did come with the same factory setting as yours, but after reading the manual I changed the Picture Style to neutral, which has a setting of 0 for all parameters including sharpness, which perhaps explains why my images are not as sharp as I’m used to. I need to do an experiment to confirm that changes in in-camera sharpness setting are maintained when the RAW image is converted.
I came across the document below this morning, I don’t know if you’ve seen it? It states that:
“Entry-level and advanced amateur models such as the EOS Digital Rebel, 10D and 20D use a 5-step sharpness scale from -2 to +2, with default settings typically at 0 (mid-scale) or +1. This is a noticeably higher level of in-camera sharpening than the default settings for EOS-1 class Digital SLRs, and may cause some concern for photographers who use both cameras [me!]. On the other hand, the default setting for sharpness level on EOS-1 class Digital SLRs is 0 on a scale from 0 to 5 [this is not true of the MkII N!]. This lack of in-camera sharpening was intentionally chosen by Canon to preserve as much image detail as possible with in-camera JPEGs. (In-camera sharpness settings do not apply to RAW files because they can be overridden during conversion.) The default “no sharpening” setting allows maximum latitude for post-processing.”
Note the sentence: “In-camera sharpness settings do not apply to RAW files because they can be overridden during conversion.” This seems to contradict the Mk II N manual, but perhaps things have changed with the introduction of this camera? The default setting for sharpness, as we’ve discovered, is not 0.
The document also suggests the following settings for high quality inkjet printing as a starting point for Adobe USM with EOS 1 series cameras:
Amount: 300%
Radius: 0.3 pixels
Threshold: 0 pixels
http://photoworkshop.com/canon/EOS_Digital.pdf
I use the 400mm f5.6 L USM. I’m very happy with the sharpness of the lens, so my issue is with the software settings I’m sure. I notice you’re a landscape photographer; I photograph birds, so perhaps we have slightly different requirements in terms of sharpness?
I’ll get to the bottom of it I’m sure!