dimsonation

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no weather sealing, vulnerable knobs

I purchased this lens to become my main landscape workhorse (that is untill i can find a decent UWA with corner to corner sharpness and one that can accept filters).
Initially i was hesitant, after using 17-40L for a while and getting used to its wide angle. However the transition from 17 to 24mm proved to be less traumatic than i expected and it did provide a more natural perspective.
the ability to stitch panoramas with the shift function proved to be priceless while the tilt allowed to use the sweet spot of the lens without compromising the DOF
it's sharpness and contrast pretty much blew me away from the first shot compared to my 17-40L, no complaints there

my only complaint about this lens would be the lack of weather sealing ( i often shoot in less than ideal weather conditions that might include rain and/or sea spray, so i have to be extra cautious with that lens. the other thing are the knobs and lock levers on the lens which don't feel too reliable.

other than that its a great lens which fits my needs almost perfectly

i bought this lens used, 2 weeks after getting my first DSLR. it's been in my possession for almost 5 years now and i still love it.

the compromise between minimal working distance and the weight, when compared against longer macro lenses in the 150-180mm range is great. the lens is compact, relatively light, and a pure joy to use

the only downside i found to this lens is the tripod collar design. now, while none of the 3rd party alternatives don't feature it, this is another plus, but the design is not the best. if not careful the collar will slip off. but it a very minor con, and in most scenarios you won't need a collar anyway

here are some images I've shot with this lens (click on the thumbnails):

http://www.photolight.co.il/category_macrophotos/gallery10086.html

not my most used lens but definitely a fun one when i DO need it. considering it's age, it provides excellent results even on today's demanding FF bodies. my copy is VERY sharp across the frame from f/5.6 to f/11
it's a real shame canon stopped making it, rather than introducing an updated version with USM

soft corners on FF body

I've had this lens for almost 2 years now. first i got it as an upgrade for my tamron 17-50 on 50D, when i was making lens lineup adjustments for my move to FF. needless to say it performed flawlessly on a crop body. both the build quality and the IQ were deserving it's L mark

After moving to 5D Mark II i realized what everyone been talking about. while the center sharpness is great, the corners are falling behind unless you close it down to around f/8.

I compared it to 2 copies of 16-35 II, the corners were just slightly softer on my copy but the center sharpness was identical, and when closed down beyond f/11, the differences are almost non existent

In the past year I've been using it as my main UWA for landscapes, mostly in it's widest (and optically the weakest) setting. When closed down to around f/11-f/16 it provides a very good corner to corner sharpness with very little softness in the extreme edges. the contrast and color rendition are great

It's a great option for any FF user on a budget