Sharpening, more is better most of the time?

[Daniel Browning]

I also like the results I get from maxing out the sharpness to 10 in DPP during post-processing. Why isn't this the default?

It's just a matter of taste. Most people like the look of highly sharpened images. I'm one of those that doesn't. To me, highly sharpened images can sometimes look a little unnatural or "digital", whereas I prefer a more natural or "film-like" image, even though it's softer. Canon must feel that the default they chose is the best compromise for most types of images and photographer preferences.