Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Standard Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras
by Canon
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: CanonModel: 8014A002
Product features:
- EF mount; standard zoom lens; Comes with Lens Cap E77U, Rear Lens Cap, Lens Hood EW-83F, Soft Lens Case 1219.
- Ultra-low Dispersion glass with Fluorite elements; inner focusing ring; full-time manual focus; aspherical lens
- 24-70mm focal length
- f/2.8 constant maximum aperture
- UltraSonic Motor (USM) AF actuator
- Nissin Di622 Speedlight for Canon Digital SLR Cameras, Guide number 145
- Dolica CF6-ND77 77mm 0.6ND 4X Neutral Density Filter
- Dolica CF9-ND77 77mm 0.9ND 8X Neutral Density Filter
- Dolica CF-U77 77mm UV Filter
- AmazonBasics Lens Pen Cleaning System
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Standard Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras
Customer Review: Very sharp on the narrow end 40 to 70mm but heavy
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased this lens as a backup to my Canon EF-S 17-55 IS for wedding photography. I will be using it when my daughter is photographing a wedding with me and she will be using the EF-S lens and myself the 24-70mm on my Canon 5D Mark II. I performed some tests back to back and both lens are amazingly sharp at normal distances. Plus it's a good compliment to the other lens because of a slightly different reach. I also found the 24-70 to be better at macro photography as it can blow the subject up larger and seems sharper at very closes ranges. And the 24-70 seemed to have a little better contrast and colors. The 24-70 is much heavier then the EF-S and does not have IS. But it does have a little more reach and is weather sealed.
I was disappointed that my copy of the 24-70 has the same poor grabby zoom feel as the EF-S lens. All my other Canon L zooms have buttery smooth zoom action especially my 17-40 F/4 L. The 24-70 is sharper then the 17-40 F4 L on the long end at 40mm but surprise of surprises the 17-40 is sharper then the 24-70 at 24mm towards the wide end. But Surprise after sending my 24-70 in for repairs the zoom is much better and it's actually sharper then the 17-40 at all settings now.
Also the long length of this lens blocks the built in flash for 40D and Rebels in bottom part of photos. This should not be a problem for most people in this budget range as the cost of a Canon Speedlite is not that high and completely solves the problem.
Bottom line though is the color, saturation and sharpness of this lens are simply second to none in the Canon wide angle zoom arena.
Pros:
Very sharp stopped down
Weather sealed
Great lens hood included
Great colors and contrast
Great USM super fast auto focus
That little red ring around the end of the lens!
Length does not change when zoomed if lens hood is mounted
This lens has Auto Lens Vignetting correction using peripheral Illumination control see Auto Vignetting comments below:
Cons:
Cost
Size
Heavy
Repair prone, the most likely to need repair lens I have (see below)
Very soft wide open (sent back to Canon for Calibration and they fixed it see update 10-6-2008 below)
Wide angle a little narrow on cropped sensor cameras
Blocks built in flash for 40D and Rebels in bottom part of photos
Zoom action was poor and grabby when new but later went smooth after a few hundred photos
Would be nice if it had Image Stabilization IS (Canon does not have a single IS wide angle L lens)
8-6-08 Update
I find myself mainly using this lens during weddings when my daughter is using my Canon EF-S 17-55 F/2.8 IS lens. Over the zoom range the 17-55 is sharper and the contrast is very similar but the big difference is the 17-55 has Image Stablization (IS) and is much lighter and can go much wider when needed. The IS makes a huge difference in a very dark location like inside a church lit by candle light when you may already be at 3200 ISO just to get the shot. There are times I can use the extra reach of the 24-70 but more and more if I am free to move about and approach the bride and groom during the ceremony this makes the extra reach of the 24-70 unncessary. Still I am keeping the 24-70 for use on a full frame camera like the new 6D whenever it comes out.
For the most part the EF-S 17-55 IS F/2.8 is THE lens I have on my 40D most of the time. If I wasn't shooting weddings and wasn't going to be adding a full frame camera to my arsnel I would suggest buying just the 17-55 IS F/2.8 and not the 24-70 at all.
9-12-2008 Update Canon EF-S 17-55 F/2.8 IS vs Canon 24-70 F/2.8 L:
I am taking photos tonight of a stage special and again will need to use both my Canon 17-55 F/2.8 IS lens and my Canon 24-70 F/2.8 L lens since my daughter and I will be shooting at the same time. I can't help comparing the two again. The 17-55 feels much lighter but at the same time feels so much cheaper in the hand between the cheap plastic feel the grabbing in the center of the zoom and the plastic build. The 24-70 feels like a heavy quality jewel that will last two life times or more and it's weather sealed. Still if you have to carry the 24-70 around for a few hours you wish for the lighter weight of the 17-55. The 17-55 has a wider view but the 24-70 has more reach. The 17-55 seems sharper throughout the range but seems to have just a little less contrast and slightly cooler colors then the 24-70. The zoom on my 24-70 is now almost broken in and feels smooth as silk and totally professional the 17-55 zoom feels like a cheap plastic toy and when you zoom even with a lens hood the front of the lens moves in and out. The 24-70 length does not change as long as you have the lens hood mounted. The 17-55 has image stabilization and the 24-70 does not so I end up using a monopod for most dark shots with the 24-70. The 17-55 is an EF-S and will not fit a full frame camera, the 24-70 will. I'm thinking forward to the future when I will be adding a full frame Canon camera body to my collection and I think the 24-70 will be perfect on that camera.
9-16-2008 Update:
After comparing photos to my friends taken wide open at F/2.8 I'm seeing a problem with the photos being much softer then his. We both have Canon 40D's and so I have to wonder if there is a back focus or front focus problem. I am going to send in to Canon and see what they say.
Auto Vignetting peripheral illumination control:
Canon has this super sweet Auto Lens Vignetting correction that works with this lens both in camera with JPEG's and in RAW using peripheral Illumination control in Canon Digital Photo Professional (DPP) when using newer Canon digital EOS cameras (Canon Rebel XSi, 40D, 5D Mark II etc.) . No more vignetting when shooting wide open!!! When shooting Raw open the file(s) in DPP and click on NR/Lens Lens Aberration Correction / Tune and click on Peripheral illumination. The cameras listed above have already picked up the amount of vignetting based on focusing distance, zoom setting and F stop from the lens and the camera has saved the information with the Raw file. You can then adjust the amount under Peripheral Illumination if you don't like the amount automatically suggested. If you shot JPEG then you get the auto amount. SWEET!!!
Conclusion: In the end I will just have to keep both of them.
Update 10-6-2008:
I got my Canon 24-70mm F/2.8 L lens back from the Canon repair facility and it is tack sharp at F/2.8 at all zoom settings close up and tack sharp from 35mm to 70mm out near infinity. It's still a little soft at 24mm at F/2.8 near infinity but much better then it was.
The zoom feels much better.
I'm a very happy camper!!!
Here's what they said was wrong with it.
"We have examined the lens according to your request, and it was found that the adjustment of the pcb assembly was incorrect the image was blurred. Electrical adjustments were carried out on the pcb assembly. Other electrical adjustments, inspection and cleaning and mechanical adjustments were carried out.
01-01-2009 Update:
Vignetting:
I have noticed on the full framed 5D Mark II my Canon 24-70 F/2.8 L lens with the peripheral illumination correction turned OFF the 5D Mark II images will severely vignette or be dark in the corners when shot wide open (F/2.8). It's almost like looking through a dark tunnel. It's especially noticeable shot wide open with the sky as a background.
Canon Auto-correct to the rescue!! With the peripheral illumination correction turned ON it's almost magical the darkening in the corners for your JPEG images is gone! If you want you can even shoot in Raw mode and adjust the amount of Vignetting or darkness in the corners for effects such as when shooting portraits and you want to emphasis the person in the middle of the photo. Just open the Raw photo in DPP and click on the NR/Lens / ALO tab and select Lens Aberration Correction Tune and adjust the peripheral illumination to suite by dragging the slider or entering and amount. Or select all the photos in a directory and you can correct all your photos at once. This way you can either have no Vignetting or as much as you want.
01-03-2009 Canon 5D Mark II Update:
The 24-70 F/2.8 is great on the 5D Mark II like the 17-40 L and has better reach then the 17-40. But it does not have that uncanny you are there feel of photos taken with the Canon 100-400 IS L zoom lens. Thank GOD for the auto peripheral as this lens is a Vignetting monster when shot wide open on a 5D Mark II, it was not on the 40D. With the Vignetting control built into Digital Photo Professional (DPP) and the on-board 5D Mark II auto control it's perfect and Vignetting is not a problem. This lens is fragile and has required sending back to Canon for recalibration but is a must have in my arsenal. I'm hoping Canon will come out with an Image Stabilized improved version that has that you are there feel of the 100-400 zoom.
3-18-2009 Update":
After getting this lens back from Canon repair it's turned into a better lens mounted on my Canon 5D Mark II at times approaching the look my Canon 17-40 F/4 L. It's sharp at F/2.8 but then softer until about F/4 for some reason but that's fine as I either shoot wide open or stopped down to F/5.6 or so. I'm much happier with it now after repair and the zoom action is smoother as well. Still I'm worried that it may need repairs again. I have other lenses I have even dropped onto the floor that are still flawless!!
4-5-2009 Update:
If I could shoot all day with the Canon 85mm F/1.2 II L I would. The Canon 5D Mark II clearly out resolves the Canon 24-70 F/2.8 L lens and that is very disappointing for a lens that costs over a thousand dollars. But at a wedding where you can't always zoom with your feet I reach for the Canon 24-70 F/2.8 L. Its good on the 5D Mark II but not as good as the 17-40 L but it has better reach then the 17-40. It also does not have that uncanny you are there feel of the 85mm F/1.2 II L or even my Canon 17-40 F/4 L zoom. Thank GOD for the auto peripheral as this lens is a Vignetting monster when shot wide open on a 5D Mark II, it was not on the 40D. With the Vignetting control built into Digital Photo Professional (DPP) and the on-board 5D Mark II auto control it's perfect and Vignetting is not a problem. This lens is also very fragile and has required sending back to Canon for recalibration but is a must have in my arsenal only because I do weddings. I'm hoping Canon will come out with an Image Stabilized improved version that has that you are there feel of the 100-400 zoom. Once again it seems like this lens may be losing it's calibration and I am starting to lose my patience. If I could I would change the rating to 3 stars!!!
4-25-2009 Update:
This lens is for sure going out of calibration again. To say I'm ticked off is an understatement! When you pay over a thousand dollars for an L lens you expect better. No other Canon lens I own has gone out of calibration or had to be sent back for repairs. I can hardly wait for the replacement lens to come out and I will try and get what I can out of this lens on e-bay.
4-27-2009 I just got back from photographing the World Premiere of X-Men Origins: Wolverine and once again the 5D Mark II was awesome. I ended up mainly using two lenses the Canon 24-70 F/2.8 L zoom and Canon 100-400 IS L zoom lens. When you have only one chance to get Hugh Jackman riding by on his Harley you want to make sure you have reliable quick focusing equipment. You can see my photos from this shoot at http://www.flickr.com/photos/grantbrummett/sets/72157617413952332/
Lenses I currently own:
Canon EF-S 17-55 F/2.8 IS Ultra sharp, great colors, great low light, poor zoom action
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Rebel XTi Kit lens Muddy, slow, pile of junk
Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 L Fantastic colors, sharp zoomed 17 to 24mm, ultra smooth zoom action, light weight
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L Fantastic colors and contrast, sharp zoomed 40 to 70mm, zoom a little stiff at first, heavy, repair prone! Disappointing on the Canon 5D Mark II
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Good budget portrait lens, light weight, disposable, sharp from F/2.5
Canon EF 85mm F/1.2 L II The best portrait lens for female and children clients, buttery smooth Bokeh, heavy and expensive it shares sharpness with 135mm
Canon EF 135mm F/2.0 L The best portrait lens for males and tied with Canon 85mm F 1/.2 for sharpest lens I own, buttery smooth Bokeh
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L fantastic colors, sharp for a zoom, very versatile ego boosting and attention getting and heavy! My favorite zoom lens!!!
Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L great IS, super colors, sharp for a zoom, extremely versatile, variable Bokeh, even more ego boosting and attention getting when extended and 400mm reach!!
My next lens purchase I'm saving for right now: _Canon EF 200mm F/2 IS L the finest lens ever
Description of Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Standard Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras
Canon EF 24-70mm f2.8L USM LensAccessories
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