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
Review :
The Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM Lens is an impressively high performing zoom lens. I regard it as one of the best general purpose lenses available and for the same reasons, it is one of the most-professionally-used Canon lenses. The 24-70 L is as good as it gets in this focal length range.
The Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM Lens shown above is mounted to a Canon EOS 1D Mark III.
The Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM Lens is a very sharp lens - few zoom lenses reach this level of sharpness. The 24-70 L is sharp in the center at f/2.8 at all focal lengths and performs very well in the corners. Some corner softness is visible at the wide end of the focal length range and more softness is apparent in the 50-70mm corners. As usual, stopping down (selecting a narrower aperture) to f/5.6 makes a big difference in the longer focal length corners.
Like most 24-xx zoom lenses, the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM Lens shows some barrel distortion on the wide end. More specifically, a bulge in the middle of the frame. Barrel distortion disappears around 35mm. A very slight pincushion distortion begins at 50mm and becomes moderate by 70mm.
Color, contrast and saturation are excellent. CA (Chromatic Aberration) is very well controlled - especially for a zoom lens. The wide 8-blade aperture produces a nice quality background blur and a nice amount of it.
Prime lenses (fixed focal length lenses) are often compared favorably to the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM Lens. They are generally less expensive, smaller, lighter, faster (aperture) and very sharp. My personal preference is for zoom lenses for my photography applications in this focal length range. To me personally, the ability to change framing instantly far outweighs the slight image quality advantages fixed focal length lenses offer over the 24-70 L.
I'm often asked - can images shot with a consumer zoom lens be post-processed to result in images similar to 24-70 L images? The answer is: you can adjust contrast and saturation, but you cannot add missing detail. And, color can be very difficult to match later. So, using a better lens will usually result in better post-processed images. Most primes and L lenses are noticeably better than consumer zooms.
Image quality is not the only pro-grade feature of the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM Lens. Excellent AF is part of the equation. A Ring USM (Ultrasonic Motor) AF system delivers quiet, fast and accurate autofocus. The 24-70 L's f/2.8 aperture enables the enhanced-sensitivity of many Canon EOS DSLR body's AF points. As usual for a Ring USM AF system, FTM (Full-Time Manual) focusing is enabled. The 24-70 L does not extend with focus and the 77mm filter ring does not rotate.
The Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM Lens' MFD (Minimum Focus Distance) is about best (shortest) in class even without an extension tube. This short focus distance provides a very nice MM (Maximum Magnification). While not close to a 1:1 macro lens, the 24-70 L can take nice flower shots, product pictures ... Although it is not compatible with Canon's extenders, extension tubes will extend the 24-70 L's macro capabilities. Canon's extension tube offering are the FE 12mm extension tube and EF 25mm extension tube. The Canon 500D is a close-up lens that attaches to the filter threads - it also allows closer focusing distances - sorry, I don't have the spec for this one.
Sporting a red Canon L Series Lens ring, the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM Lens' build quality is also, as expected, top of the line. Though not light, the 24-70 feels solid, is comfortable to handle and has a logical layout. The focus and zoom rings are nicely-sized and operate smoothly. Weather sealing (when attached to a weather sealed body) completes the physical quality package.
The Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM Lens tips the scales at 33.6 oz (950g) - about 50% more than it's closest Canon competitors, the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens and the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0 L IS USM Lens. Of course, the 17-55 gains its advantage by not delivering a full frame 35mm image circle (being an "EF-S" lens) and by having a lesser build quality. And the 24-105 allows only 1/2 as much light through its body at wide open aperture (f/4 vs. f/2.8).
The Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM Lens' 77mm filter diameter makes sharing filters (such as a circular polarizer filter) with most of Canon's other L-Series zoom lenses easy (and more affordable of course).
Canon Normal Zoom Lenses Size Comparison - Retracted
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