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scott_scheetz
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Registered: Oct 31, 2012
Location: United States
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Mar 22, 2013
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $800.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Sharp, Fast and quiet AF, Great Build Quality, Very good Bokeh, Weather-Sealed
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Cons:
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AF sometimes hunts on my 5D, even in daylight.
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This lens is sharp, and has some beautiful bokeh. I shoot with a 5D, and it is wonderful on a full frame camera. It has now replaced the 28mm f/1.8 as my walk-around lens.
The build quality is incredible. It really is built like a tank, and the reverse zoom design is genius. My only complaint is that it occasionally hunts a little bit before actually locking on to the subject. I'm using the center point on the 5D, and it can happen under any lighting condition. Maybe I got a bad copy. Most of the time though, the AF is quick, accurate, and very quiet, with no hesitation. It doesn't seem to track as well as the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS either, but it isn't terrible. Just not as good.
Here are some sample images:
(5D, wide open):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/scottscheetz/8578206482/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/scottscheetz/8577104435/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/scottscheetz/8577806174/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/scottscheetz/8529632163/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/scottscheetz/8529555325/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/scottscheetz/8525251531/
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 Mar 22, 2013
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Pierre_B
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Registered: May 21, 2010
Location: Canada
Posts: 2
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Review Date: Mar 19, 2013
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,700.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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build, sharpness, perfect zoom focal length
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Cons:
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weight
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As a music photographer working in arenas and such, this is my workhorse lens. If I could chose only one lens to live with, this would be it. The focal length is perfect to get some full body shots, and yet long enough for some nice head shots.
On a bigger stage, I'm not able to get a close up of the drummer, thats why I also have the 70-200 on a second camera.
The lens is amazingly sharp and has a very fast focus speed, which is essential for the photography I do - always in the dark.
The new version is sharper, but not sure it is worth it for the price. I'm still keeping this tried and true favorite for a while.
In fact, while my second body was being fixed up, I shot for about 2 weeks with only one camera and one lens, and this was the lens.
Here is a link to a bunch of show images all done with the 24-70 in a show this past March 2013
http://pierrebphoto.com/2013/03/show-matt-kim-metropolis-montreal-music-photographer/
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Mar 19, 2013
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haringo
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Registered: Oct 7, 2009
Location: United States
Posts: 12
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Review Date: Mar 17, 2013
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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sharpness, build quality, great overall image quality, color
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Cons:
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none
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I used to have the older version of this lens. It is called Canon EF 28-70mm F2.8. Both the older version and this one are amazing. I use it every weekend for professional photography. You need this one and the 70-200mm 2.8 or 4.0 and you are covered. You may need to add the 17-40 if you want to shoot wide and you are set!
Be careful when you buy a used one because my friend photographer ended up with a "soft" copy. Buy it new and send it back if colors and sharpness is not top. You will be happy for ever if you get a good copy of it.
Anyway! It is an amazing and very versatile lens. You won't regret of buying it. I use it for all types of photography scenarios. You can find photo samples here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Haring-Photography/154205936576
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Mar 17, 2013
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kezeka
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Registered: Feb 18, 2010
Location: United States
Posts: 420
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Review Date: Jan 26, 2013
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,150.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Good contrast, OK sharpness, good coloration, fast AF, built like a tank.
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Cons:
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Hood is massive, not-small amounts of CA/fringing wide open, distortion wide open at both ends of the zoom spectrum.
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While I used this lens with a 1.6x crop factor camera for a while, the 24mm end really shines on a full frame sensor. In fact, this lens lives to be used on a full frame body. There is a fun bit of distortion to play with at 24mm but you really have to be careful with it when taking photos of buildings.
For the most part, this lens is for photojournalists who need the zoom range to quickly adjust the crop factor on a dime. It gets the job done every time and wont miss a focus point (the hit rate is astonishingly good).
The reason I sold it was that it never really produced superb images in my hands. Sure, it ALWAYS captured the moment and did it in focus with good color and decent sharpness but the photos never had that magical/3D/whatever feel that a great photo has. I'll be damned if there isn't a better all around "get the job done and do it well" lens though... except for the 24-70 f/2.8 mkII.
I know some people have complained about the weight of this lens but it never bothered me in the few years I owned it and walked carried it around for 8 hour days. For reference, my 70-200 f/2.8 non-IS never bothered me either during 3 hour football games.
Some sample photos:
http://smu.gs/14hUxXi
http://smu.gs/X0BhrX
http://smu.gs/14hVgYO
http://smu.gs/X0BxHB
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Jan 26, 2013
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coffeyboy
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Registered: Feb 12, 2010
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 28
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Review Date: Nov 8, 2012
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Superb build, reliability, fast and accurate focus, sharp with good technique, reverse zoom, Bokeh near MFD
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Cons:
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A tad heavy
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I bought this lens second hand in 2006 and used it on a 5D and 5DII for everything from landscapes to weddings.
It is my most used lens and images are vivid with excellent contrast when stopped down a stop or two.
Build quality is solid and the zoom ring, focus ring and barrel extension are as smooth as when I bought it.
Focus is quick and accurate with the center points on the 5 series though I wish it were parfocal.
Sharp corner to corner landscapes can be achieved if used with proper technique. I've found that focusing a third into a frame as recommended often results in softish corners with this lens even at f11-f16. My workaround is to focus at slightly short of infinity (at the start of the infinity line) while letting the aperture take care of close details. Found this to be the same for the Nikkor 14-24 I also own and is probably a result of the field curvature of both lenses.
Overall I'm very pleased with this lens though may consider adding the new 24-70mm f/4 for travel and landscapes.
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Nov 8, 2012
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Gunzorro
Offline
Buy and Sell: On
Registered: Aug 27, 2010
Location: United States
Posts: 4572
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Review Date: Sep 26, 2012
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,250.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Great coverage of the most-used focal lengths for activities. Fast aperture. Very sharp.
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Cons:
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Bulky and heavy.
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My most-used lens for all sorts of events and activities. Not the greatest as a travel lens due to its size and weight, but performance is impressive, and unparalleled for quite a long time.
Still a contender for great shots, I don't feel any need to trade up to the new version II just yet.
Mine has impressive IQ over the whole length, and acts almost like a macro at 70mm with its close focusing.
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Sep 26, 2012
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Unlimited85
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Registered: Jul 24, 2012
Location: Spain
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Jul 24, 2012
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Superb construction, effective hood in all focal lengts, sharp stoped down, circular bokeh even closing, close focus
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Cons:
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Heavy for carry and work with it all day, some examples might be bad lenses
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This is may be one of the best zoom lenses for FF. The only alternative (at least in the line of Canon's brand) is the 24-105 F4 IS. this one might be a little better with his stabilizer, zoom range, but it doesn't give the same sharpnes of this wonderful lens. 24-105 also have a heavy vignetting, but still being a good one.
24-70 have one of the best build quality I ever seen, a lens for a "war"  But it have some flaws, isn't perfect lens (i think that dont exist the perfect one) One of them may be the field curvature at 24mm, even at F8-10 it give some signals. Also its a lens that not all the examples have the same sharp/optical quality.
I think my lens isn't the best example but im really happy with them despite I still using APS-c (sometimes I work with a given 5D) and it gives great results in both formats, beeing best in FF, for angular vision and sharpness, of course
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Jul 24, 2012
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amesbah
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Registered: Mar 19, 2008
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 12
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Review Date: Jun 26, 2012
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Excellent optical performance, solid and precise mechanically.
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Cons:
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Its heavy
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I've owned two of these 24-70s in the past five years and of all lenses I've had its the one I can find least to complain about. Its arguably the most versatile lens available and performs consistently well. Neither copies exibited any exceptional optical flaws.
With the high pricing of the mkII version this is a lens I do not wish to part with!
Its weight is the only downside but on a FF its definitely recommended.
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Jun 26, 2012
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JackyFong
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Registered: Apr 27, 2006
Location: Singapore
Posts: 0
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Review Date: May 3, 2012
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Typically coverage from wide to medium zoom; f2.8 constant; build and weather sealed; nice colors and lens quality.
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Cons:
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Reserving zoom - Lens barrel out when at 24mm and in at 70mm, a bit odd for me, needs time to get used to it.
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When rumours of the mk 2 version surfaced, we had foreseen that many users would be selling away the mk 1 version and it came true. We were overjoyed when someone posted a mint copy for S$1400/- on our local buy and sell forum.
This is a time where we are upgrading the video setup to a Panasonic AF102 and this 24-70mm mk 1 of ours comes just in time. This lens is also able to be mounted to our Canon setup of 1Dmk3 and 7D as well.
We do not know why Canon wants to update a quality lens without an IS. But the odd decision is our gain. It has been sometimes that we own a f2.8 zoom, the last was the 16-35mm f2.8 mk1 many years ago. The large aperture is essential for our wedding business although we own the 24-105mm f 4 IS as well.
Image quality from L glass never fail us although there are a few bad L out in Canon lineup.
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May 3, 2012
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ivofreriks
Offline
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Registered: Feb 27, 2012
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Apr 27, 2012
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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High resolution
Large, constant aperture
Well built
Extra sealed against dust and moisture
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Cons:
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Heavy and a high price
No image stabilization
Visible vignetting
Visible distortion at 24 mm and 70 mm
Lower resolution at 24 mm, aperture 2.8 to 5.6
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The Canon 24-70 mm is built like a tank: large and heavy. In combination with the Canon 5D MK2 the Canon 24-70 mm yields a very high resolution. It's weaknesses are vignetting, distortion at 24 mm and 70 mm and chromatic aberration at 24 mm. They all can be corrected with software afterwards. Many amateur photographers probably will prefer the cheaper, lighter and more compact Canon 24-105 mm, which also offers a larger zoom range and built in image stabilization.
See full review @ Full frame:
http://camerastuffreview.com/en/?option=com_content&view=article&id=437
See full review @ APS-C:
http://camerastuffreview.com/en/?option=com_content&view=article&id=436
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Apr 27, 2012
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nswelton
Offline
Image Upload: On
Registered: Jan 16, 2006
Location: N/A
Posts: 243
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Review Date: Apr 11, 2012
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Good IQ, quick to focus, great colors, accurate, good deal on the used market
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Cons:
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none, but it could be sharper & have IS
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generally a good lens, though when i switched to nikon and used the nikon version i discovered how awesome a TRULY sharp 24-70 is.
that said, this is a solid version. certainly not as great as other canon zoom offerings, unfortunately. the contrast is punchy, which is nice, btu i'm not a fan of the zoom mechanism and protruding front element; makes the lens way bigger than it needs to be, and makes the hood absolutely ginormous. so i wish it was internal focusing.
in all honesty, i used my 24-105 90% of the time when i needed a lens in this range.
for low light work, i moved to primes. for sports, i moved to the f4 version due to the added reach. for landscapes i used the f4 because i found it to be optically better. so unless you have to have the 2.8 speed, maybe consider other options.
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Apr 11, 2012
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davidmarsh
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Registered: Oct 26, 2004
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 133
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Review Date: Feb 29, 2012
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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quality, build, clarity, robust
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Cons:
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None, just the usual Canon over charging, but what's new? Have you seen the price of the new USM II version!!!!!!!!
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I read with great interest the recent report by 'Kevin Sherman' and agree that build quality is important, I mean just recently I drove my beautifull and well made Bently of a 200FT cliff and was extremely annoyed to find a scratch on the bumper. I will of course send this back to Bently ASAP!
On more sensible note, this is one of Canon's finest creations offering near 'prime' quality in a zoom body. It's built like a tank and the quality is amazing. As a great all round L lens, there is none better.
I have often met with press and commercial photographers in London who agree. Sorry Kevin but that was funny!!
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Feb 29, 2012
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Kevin Sherman
Offline
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Registered: Nov 11, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 1042
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Review Date: Jan 19, 2012
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $950.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Money-maker. Sharp.
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Cons:
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Build Quality
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Since I traded the 24-105L for this lens, it's by far my most used lens. Sharp, fast, flexible, 24mm is great on FF. It's big and heavy, but that doesn't bother me at all (I shoot with a 1DM3 + 70-200 f2.8L IS for 16 hour days). The lens hood is genius, providing excellent coverage whether you're at 24mm or 70mm.
I mention build quality as a negative, here's why. This lens is built very well (like all L lenses) but after dropping it, I got a super tiny dent on the zoom ring, which is now incredibly stiff. I just sent it out for repair, hopefully it isn't crazy expensive to get fixed.
This lens is my money-maker.
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Jan 19, 2012
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harrappeter
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Registered: Dec 12, 2011
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Dec 12, 2011
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Recommend? no |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 3
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Pros:
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Though heavy on a 1Ds it handles well and the hood protects against rain as well as against flare. autofocus is good and it balances well with my body
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Cons:
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But, and it is a big but, I have so far had the use of four new ones, none of which is anywhere near as good as my 24-85mm f3.5-4.5mm. Curvature of field is so bad that it is like a magic lens. You can focus across a wide street at buildings on the other side, shooting down the street, and getting focus confirmation on the central AF point as usual, and where the point is focussed it will be sharp, but whereas my 24-85mm at 24mm will render everything in focus even at f2.8 into the distance, curvature of field with this extremely expensive zoom renders the rest of the street buildings unsharp, but someone a few meters down the pavement on this side of the street and figures in between that should be out of focus sharp, with an obvious bubble type distortion affecting their humanity- they look unreal. Stopping down even to 5.6 maintains this same problem, but crisps up the edge softness at f2.8 (again due to field curvature). I have been trying to buy a good sample here for three years. I know someone who has one, but he works in a store and could cherry-pick from ordered stock until he got a good one. In the UK poor winter light makes brighter lenses mandatory, but frankly, at 70mm its not sharp at the borders anyway, so why bother?
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Not as good as a good 24-85mm f3.5-4.5 .
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Dec 12, 2011
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filip_makowski
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Registered: Nov 25, 2011
Location: Australia
Posts: 0
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Nov 25, 2011
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willis
Offline
Buy and Sell: On
Registered: Jul 23, 2005
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 459
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Review Date: Oct 9, 2011
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Fast aperture, great colour and contrast, good bokeh for a zoom, built like a tank, useful range on FF and 1.3 crop.
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Cons:
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Sharpness at f2.8 not up to the standards of Canons latest lenses, heavy, no IS. Must be due for a make-over soon.
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A real workhorse lens which won't let you down but also won't thrill the pixel-peepers. Would really benefit from IS. Range not really suited to 1.6 crop cameras IMO and performs better on FF/APS-H rather than the latest high pixel density smaller sensors. It's heavy for what it is but well balanced on pro camera bodies/gripped cameras.
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Oct 9, 2011
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Reviews
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Views
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Date of last review
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531
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881320
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Mar 22, 2013
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Recommended By
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Average Price
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89% of reviewers
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$1,193.60
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Build Quality Rating
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Price Rating
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Overall Rating
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9.70
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8.39
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9.3
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