Originally posted by Murfy Okay lets try this again with a better test photo. So I basically set the camera down, 2 sec timer, used a piece of paper with the lens name on it to test the lenses too. I took one image with focusing live view, then took one image focusing with viewfinder - I used autofocus each time. When I look at the live view, it's slightly out of focus. Like in viewfinder image, I can see the paper grain. In live view it's not as sharp.
As the grain of paper is really only tiny peaks and troughs on the surface, the way light hits it is crucial for comparisons. You only have to look at the sneaky way anti-wrinkle creams are sold. The before cream application photo has the worst angle light possible to accentuate wrinkles, while the second is much more flattering (check the shadows under the chin
). I think the same thing is happening here. The paper is not dead flat, and has been moved for each shot changing the focus point and the way the light is hitting it. Unless your tripod is top-notch, a 1 second shutter speed will pick up the slightest camera shake giving a motion blur. I don't think this is the case here though. For a focus test, I feel that a better subject is required. Ink on paper has too many variables to try and duplicate between shots IMO. Something with well defined edges, like a coin in good light, will give the camera a much better chance to focus. If the light and subject position are identical between the 2 photographs, a true comparison can be made.
I only mention the above, because I have tweaked your images and believe your camera is fine to my eyes. I put the grain visibility issue down to lighting only. The ink writing and the printed advertising text on the paper look as sharp on both images as those subjects can be. Apologies for downloading your images without consent, and I will delete them from my computer as soon as I put them here. I increased the exposure and made them sepia to show tonal differences of how the light is hitting the paper..
Edit - The top image is listed as Liveview and the bottom as Viewfinder on my downloaded images.