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  Reviews by: Robin Smith  

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Canon EF 24mm f/2.8

ef24mmf_28_1_
Review Date: Dec 19, 2012 Recommend? yes | Price paid: Not Indicated | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Good image quality even at full aperture. Cheap. Light weight. Handles well with dedicated hood.
Cons:
No USM. Color fringing present at high contrast boundaries. Build quality only adequate. Some distortion.

This lens is an older design and was never particularly expensive. It does not inspire with its build quality which is adequate However this does not matter as it is a surprisingly good performer. Completely useable wide open on a full frame 5DmkII and gets even better stopped down. Some color fringing is noticeable at harsh contrast transitions - this can be removed in post processing. This is not an important issue in practice. AF is accurate but is not USM. I don't care about this since I find AF accurate, so I don't miund switching to MF when I need to focus manually. In performance terms it compares very well with the 24L at about 1/4 to a 1/5 the price. The L is faster and has better central resolution so shows a little more "snap", however the edge resolution is indistinguishable from the more expensive lens. Bokeh is OK but not stellar (few, if any, lenses of this focal length have great bokeh). There is some distortion, but about the same as its competitors. Wouldn't it be nice to get a non-TS 24 lens with negligeable distortion? To sum up: this is a bargain lens but with good-to-excellent performance. I periodically think about replacing it with a nicer 24/25mm lens (TS 24/Zeiss ZE 25/2) , but I have yet to decide that the much more expensive lenses really have much extra to offer for full frame, general use given their extra cost, larger size and greater weight . This is a superior lens to the equally old 28/2.8 and it is certainly staying in my bag.