Canon 60D noise reduction under image fine tuning ruined footage, any fix?

[TekAzurik]

I have a 5Dmk3 that I have used ML on since I got it and always loved it.  I finally installed it on a 60D an office I work for had.  I haven't checked if my 5D has it, but under image fine-tuning there is a feature called noise reduction.  I don't remember enabling it, but perhaps the firmware defaults to on.  Either way, the operator they hired shot a whole event with it and looking at the footage it all looks a bit blurry, but in a weird digital way.  I found the noise reduction had been turned on. 

I'm sure this data is baked in, but is there any way to undo the damage?  Any suggestions would be helpful.  This is definitely not a feature I will be using in the future.

Thanks

example (not all the footage is this bad off but the weird crunchy edges are in everything):

[Frank7D]

That one edge (guy's arm) does look weird, but surely this shot is not properly focused?

[TekAzurik]

That's about as sharp as this shot gets. Like I said, it's the worst of it, but it's definitely a major problem throughout.

[kihlbahkt]

 One could try a variety of things. In after effects you could duplicate the layer and try blurring and blending modes and opacity to minimize the impacts of those artifacts.  You could use mocha to track these weird edges and use data from another layer (solid with color you need) to obscure. Use blending modes, opacity to tweak the look. Using mocha would be hard if you don't have a good idea of how it works already. Layer dupe with blend mode and opacity tweaks is worth a try as a first pass. Even if you do know how to use mocha it would be a real task if you have lots of footage. Regarding the softness, the image is not in focus. Investigate sharpen, unsharp, and noise reduction to clean it up. These recommendations are off the top of my head. If you really need to do something with this footage, go youtubing for vids that might touch on this subject. That is all I got. Maybe someone else can provide alternatives.

[a1ex]

perhaps the firmware defaults to on

Not true.

Tip: there is a Delta menu, which shows all the settings you have changed.

I kinda doubt this feature blurs that much - can you shoot a resolution chart with and without it? With a little luck, that may help finding an inverse filter.

[babarasghar]

I think the issue is somewhere else. I'm using ML on my 60D since 2012 n it has been brilliant  ever since. No issues what so ever. Perhaps ur HDR thing is enabled n the photographer didn't know it. My limited knowledge says this HDR could be an issue.
Otherwise try one more thing, load a new card with latest firmware (remove ML) n then take shots. Let's see if the issue is really in ML settings or otherwise.

[Frank7D]

In case I wasn't clear enough, have you considered the possibility that the camera's lens was out of focus?