I just wanted to write a little review on this lens, comparing with past lenses and being as honest and humble as I can be about this new Canon offering... I will throw in some pictures at the end taken this weekend at the Aviary... Click on the image to view at full resolution at my Flickr page.
When announced, I was really excited... But the lack of IS was a worry, especially for the price. Once reviews start coming in (mostly LensRentals article) it got me really intrigued, to say the least. I was able to find one at PC Nation on Thursday last week in stock (no pre-order) and had it overnighted to me. I got it Friday along with all my gear back from CPS for check/clean and calibration (great timing to say the least!). In case you are wondering, I am selling off my trusty 24-105L and the 35L I had to fund this lens.
Pulling it out of the box I was surprised at the weight, or lack of. After reading so many complaints about the weight and all that of the old one, although I knew they did weight reductions, I was really shocked to feel how light it was compared to what I was expecting. It honestly feels nearly identical to the 24-105L... No longer will weight be a factor for this lens, IMO.
Build quality is excellent, as you would expect. Very smooth focus ring and a very smooth, fluid zoom ring. Very well dampened with a slightly different feel than the 24-105L. The large use of plastics does not bother me one bit and it still feels very high quality. The zoom-lock is a very nice feature for me, as I generally walk with my lenses hanging downward. It does not 'cheapen' the lens one bit. It is actually a very nice feature.
The lens simply put, performs incredible. I was really not expecting it to be as good as it is! From 24mm to 70mm wide open, the level of detail and contrast is extremely impressive. Colors are beautifully rendered requiring very minimal post work. The images taken this weekend required less than 30 seconds of edit time each. Out of focus areas are extremely smooth and pleasing, even with busy backgrounds... Unlike the 70-200 II which can get 'harsh' and busy looking at times, this lens did not show this one bit. Backgrounds really melt away at longer focal lengths and near MFD at 24mm.
Compared to the 24-105, the images simply pop more, for one. Less distortion, much less CA (if not non-existent) and vignetting. Many images taken this weekend give a near 3D look you only get with amazing detail and microcontrast. I really enjoy the 24-105L, but it does not reach the type of detail this lens can render. In fact, compared to my 70-200 II, I find the 24-70 just as good, if not superior in terms of sharpness. I think the 24-70 II and 70-200 II combo will be my workhorse combo for many years to come, no doubt.
Edge sharpness is really good... An image at f/8 below shows the entire image and extreme 100% crops (photobucket compression here may lower the resolution a little... The rest are on Flickr)... Not the best image (poor actually, but the only one I had stopped down to show!).
Right:
Left:
I also found the lens to have probably the quickest AF I have used. Regardless of the light level, it zips right into place and locks on extremely fast. Even in very dark conditions it has no problem what so ever.
Overall, I am more than impressed with this lens. Even given the steep price point given the lack of IS, I don't think I will really miss it... The image quality alone makes you forget that one downfall this lens has. The prime IQ from 24mm to 70mm wide open is stunning, the build quality is top notch and the AF speed is extremely impressive... There is nothing not to love about this lens (minus price for some). It has become my favorite lens in the very short time I have owned it. It just may top my "Canon's Best List" for those I have used, including the 35L, 85L, 135L, 300/400L and a few others. It really is that good.
6M3C0602 by invertalon, on Flickr
6M3C0625 by invertalon, on Flickr
6M3C0626 by invertalon, on Flickr
6M3C0649 by invertalon, on Flickr
6M3C0651 by invertalon, on Flickr
6M3C0672 by invertalon, on Flickr
6M3C0721 by invertalon, on Flickr
6M3C0741 by invertalon, on Flickr
6M3C0788 by invertalon, on Flickr
6M3C0799 by invertalon, on Flickr
6M3C0635 by invertalon, on Flickr
6M3C0659 by invertalon, on Flickr
6M3C0719 by invertalon, on Flickr
When announced, I was really excited... But the lack of IS was a worry, especially for the price. Once reviews start coming in (mostly LensRentals article) it got me really intrigued, to say the least. I was able to find one at PC Nation on Thursday last week in stock (no pre-order) and had it overnighted to me. I got it Friday along with all my gear back from CPS for check/clean and calibration (great timing to say the least!). In case you are wondering, I am selling off my trusty 24-105L and the 35L I had to fund this lens.
Pulling it out of the box I was surprised at the weight, or lack of. After reading so many complaints about the weight and all that of the old one, although I knew they did weight reductions, I was really shocked to feel how light it was compared to what I was expecting. It honestly feels nearly identical to the 24-105L... No longer will weight be a factor for this lens, IMO.
Build quality is excellent, as you would expect. Very smooth focus ring and a very smooth, fluid zoom ring. Very well dampened with a slightly different feel than the 24-105L. The large use of plastics does not bother me one bit and it still feels very high quality. The zoom-lock is a very nice feature for me, as I generally walk with my lenses hanging downward. It does not 'cheapen' the lens one bit. It is actually a very nice feature.
The lens simply put, performs incredible. I was really not expecting it to be as good as it is! From 24mm to 70mm wide open, the level of detail and contrast is extremely impressive. Colors are beautifully rendered requiring very minimal post work. The images taken this weekend required less than 30 seconds of edit time each. Out of focus areas are extremely smooth and pleasing, even with busy backgrounds... Unlike the 70-200 II which can get 'harsh' and busy looking at times, this lens did not show this one bit. Backgrounds really melt away at longer focal lengths and near MFD at 24mm.
Compared to the 24-105, the images simply pop more, for one. Less distortion, much less CA (if not non-existent) and vignetting. Many images taken this weekend give a near 3D look you only get with amazing detail and microcontrast. I really enjoy the 24-105L, but it does not reach the type of detail this lens can render. In fact, compared to my 70-200 II, I find the 24-70 just as good, if not superior in terms of sharpness. I think the 24-70 II and 70-200 II combo will be my workhorse combo for many years to come, no doubt.
Edge sharpness is really good... An image at f/8 below shows the entire image and extreme 100% crops (photobucket compression here may lower the resolution a little... The rest are on Flickr)... Not the best image (poor actually, but the only one I had stopped down to show!).
Right:
Left:
I also found the lens to have probably the quickest AF I have used. Regardless of the light level, it zips right into place and locks on extremely fast. Even in very dark conditions it has no problem what so ever.
Overall, I am more than impressed with this lens. Even given the steep price point given the lack of IS, I don't think I will really miss it... The image quality alone makes you forget that one downfall this lens has. The prime IQ from 24mm to 70mm wide open is stunning, the build quality is top notch and the AF speed is extremely impressive... There is nothing not to love about this lens (minus price for some). It has become my favorite lens in the very short time I have owned it. It just may top my "Canon's Best List" for those I have used, including the 35L, 85L, 135L, 300/400L and a few others. It really is that good.
6M3C0602 by invertalon, on Flickr
6M3C0625 by invertalon, on Flickr
6M3C0626 by invertalon, on Flickr
6M3C0649 by invertalon, on Flickr
6M3C0651 by invertalon, on Flickr
6M3C0672 by invertalon, on Flickr
6M3C0721 by invertalon, on Flickr
6M3C0741 by invertalon, on Flickr
6M3C0788 by invertalon, on Flickr
6M3C0799 by invertalon, on Flickr
6M3C0635 by invertalon, on Flickr
6M3C0659 by invertalon, on Flickr
6M3C0719 by invertalon, on Flickr
