Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens for Canon EOS SLR Cameras

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Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 6 x 2 x 2 inches ; 1.5 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000AZ57M6
• Item model number: 0344B006
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (144 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #36 in	Camera & Photo > Lenses > SLR Camera Lenses
  #42 in	Camera & Photo > Lenses > Digital Camera Lenses
  #56 in	Camera & Photo > Accessories > Film Camera Accessories

• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 14, 2004

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Dust and moisture resistant and incorporating Canon's very finest standards of precision optics, the EF 24-105mm f4L IS USM is designed for reportage, event, travel, and celebrity photographers looking for a lightweight and maneuverable lens with minimal image quality compromise.

Complementing the EF 17-40mm f4L USM and EF 70-200mm f4L USM, the lens completes Canon's f4L-series zoom lens range. These lenses are designed for professional photographers requiring a light zoom lens with a fixed aperture throughout the zoom range. For outstanding camera-shake reduction, Image Stabilizer allows shutter speeds of 3 stops slower than would otherwise be possible, with no perceptible increase in image blur.

The L-series is Canon's flagship professional lens range, designed to include outstanding image performance, ultimate operability, and weather resistance. The EF 24-105mm f4L IS USM offers a lightweight alternative to the renowned EF 24-70mm f2.8L USM.

Image Stabilizer
Image Stabilizer (IS) dramatically reduces image blur caused by camera shake. Gyro sensors detect unwanted vibrations, triggering the corresponding movement of a correcting lens group perpendicular to the optical axis. This alters the light path, returning the image to its correct position on the sensor or film plane.

The 3-stop advantage means that photographers normally shooting a 105mm lens handheld at 1/125 second can obtain a shake free result with a shutter speed as low as 1/15 second, for vastly extended options in low light conditions.

Superb autofocus
The ring-type USM motor found in the EF 24-105mm f4L IS USM employs ultra-sonic frequency vibrations to drive autofocus with unrivalled speed and near-silent operation. A powerful CPU and improved AF algorithm contribute to speed performance. Good holding torque stops the lens with precision and accuracy, the instant it arrives at the correct focus point and without overshoot. Photographers can choose manual focus instantly and at any time simply by moving the manual focus ring without first having to switch out of autofocus mode.

Constant f4 aperture from 24 to 105mm
The EF 24-105mm f4L IS USM offers the highest possible optical quality with no change in aperture over the full focal range of the lens. This allows photographers to set exposure at the widest aperture and zoom all the way through to 105mm without having to vary the shutter speed. It is the perfect lens for professional photographers looking for a lightweight and extended zoom alternative to its EF 24-70mm f2.8L USM counterpart. The lens employs an almost perfectly circular barrel aperture, helping create attractive, defocused backgrounds.

Image quality
To limit lens size and improve image clarity over the total image area, an Ultra-Low Dispersion glass (UD) element is used to eliminate the secondary chromatic aberrations that otherwise reduce sharpness and introduce color fringing. Aspherical lens elements correct spherical aberration for crisp, high-contrast, corner-to-corner quality. By optimizing Super Spectra lens coatings and lens element shaping, Canon's engineers have been effective in suppressing flare and ghosting--more prone to occur with digital cameras due to reflection off the image sensor. By increasing light absorption, coatings reduce reflections off lens element surfaces to deliver crisp, undistorted images with natural color balance.

EOS system integration
The EF 24-105mm f4L IS USM includes distance metering information, providing compatibility with the E-TTL II flash system of late-model cameras such as the EOS-1D Mark II N and EOS 5D. When used in conjunction with Canon's range of EX Speedlite flash units, the lens passes distance information to the flash algorithm for markedly improved flash exposure metering. To match the weather resistance afforded by EOS-1 professional camera bodies, an O-ring seals the lens against the lens mount and numerous seals around the lens' moving components provide protection against the ingress of dust and moisture.

AF Mode and IS switches have been reshaped, making them less susceptible to being engaged or disengaged accidentally.

The EF 24-105mm f4L IS USM comes with a bayonet mount lens hood EW-83H and soft lens pouch LP1219. In keeping with Canon's Kyosei philosophy of living in harmony with the environment, the lens features only lead-free glass.

Product Description

The L-series is Canon's flagship professional lens range, designed to include outstanding image performance, ultimate operability and weather resistance. The EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM offers a lightweight alternative to the renowned EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM. offers the highest possible optical quality with no change in aperture over the full focal range of the lens. This allows photographers to set exposure at the widest aperture and zoom all the way through to 105mm without having to vary the shutter speed. Image Stabilizer (IS) dramatically reduces image blur caused by camera shake. Gyro sensors detect unwanted vibrations, triggering the corresponding movement of a correcting lens group perpendicular to the optical axis. This alters the light path, returning the image to its correct position on the sensor or film plane. The 3 stop advantage means that photographers normally shooting a 105mm lens handheld at 1/125 sec can obtain a shake free result with a shutter speed as low as 1/15 sec, for vastly extended options in low light conditions. The ring-type USM motor found in the EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM employs ultra-sonic frequency vibrations to drive auto focus with unrivalled speed and near-silent operation. A powerful CPU and improved AF algorithm contribute to speed performance. Good holding torque stops the lens with precision and accuracy, the instant it arrives at the correct focus point and without overshoot. Photographers can choose manual focus instantly and at any time simply by moving the manual focus ring without first having to switch out of auto focus mode. Circular aperture producing attractive background defocus Inner focusing, ring USM and new AF algorithms for fast and quiet autofocusing Manual focusing enabled even during AF mode (full-time mechanical manual focus) Only environmentally friendly lead-free glass used in lens construction Filter diameter 77 mm / Dimensions (dia x len)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

125 of 129 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful general purpose lens, with the expected limitations, May 10, 2007

By	M. Broderick "mikebinok" (Oklahoma City, OK USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The name of the game here is portability, flexibility, and good but not incredible image quality.

This lens is often tagged a "walkabout" lens, and that's a good description. There's nothing better if you want to carry camera and lens about and get a variety of shots in the range from wide angle to short telephoto. It's difficult for lens designers to make all the compromises necessary to have a lens go from wide angle to telephoto, and have a max focal length over four times the widest focal length, but Canon has done a good job here. The image stabilization works excellently when hand held (it cuts image quality if you use the stabilization from a tripod, though). The f/4 maximum aperture cuts the size and weight down quite a bit. Image quality is excellent for a zoom from about 30mm up to 90mm, good from 90mm to 105mm, and tolerable from 24 to 30mm (getting better in the 28 to 30mm range). As expected, image quality is best stopped down to about f/8, but is still good wide open at f/4.

I can't say the lens has major flaws, but relative weaknesses are the wide angle performance, and the f/4 maximum aperture. The lens is not fast enough for shots of moving subject indoors. For stationary subjects, the image stabilization lets you take shots with slower exposure times than you'd expect, but stabilization won't do anything to improve a moving subject.

Build quality is excellent as expected, but the lens is quite compact and light, much better than the 24-70/2.8 zoom that is its obvious rival.

Also, if you are after the absolute maximum image quality, prime lenses will do better than this lens in the normal and telephoto range (35 to 105). My $75 50/1.8 lens far outshines this one in sharp, crisp imaging. Zooms that don't have to accomodate both wide and telephoto focal lengths will also outperform this one--My 70-200/4 lens is much sharper and more contrasty, and even my 16-35 lens outperforms this one in the 24-28mm range (the 24-105 does do better from about 30-35mm, though). All these things aren't surprising, and they are no reason to condemn or even criticize the 24-105.

If money isn't a major concern for you, and you want a superb compromise lens, this is the one to pick. The only lens that can hold a candle to it is the old 28-135 IS zoom. If you get that one, you'll get inferior image quality and much less effective stabilization. But you'll also save quite a bit of money!

133 of 139 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Superb Image Quality Once You Get a "Good Copy", March 26, 2006

By	Michael Morgan (The Last Hometown) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

I have owned two copies of this new lens (Nov 05 and Jan 06 builds). Both consistently front-focused on my Canon calibrated 20D. I kept the Nov 05 lens (much sharper than the Jan 06 copy when manually focused) and sent it to Canon for "calibration." The Jan 06 lens went back to Amazon with a note indicating how it was defective. The calibrated lens now provides very sharp and contrasty images, even wide open at f4 for 24-85mm. Image quality fades somewhat as 105mm is approached but is still excellent if the aperture is stopped down to f5.6. I've conducted controlled tests and this lens is just as sharp at f4 as my Canon 50mm f1.4 when stopped down to f4 and at 70mm it matches the image quality of my excellent 70-200 f4L. The image-stabilization really works and allows sharp photos of stationary or slow moving subjects to be taken in the same light as an f1.4 lens. I'm happy with the final outcome but Canon's poor quality control makes getting a good lens a matter of luck and/or determination.

49 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good lens for most but not for all and not the best you can get, September 20, 2006

By	T. Tom (SF Bay Area, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a great range for use as an every day walk around lens. It's very versatile, light and produces great image sharpness throughout the range. There is a bit of vignetting at the wide end, which I actually like.

However, being f4, this lens is simply not fast enough for me. I shoot a lot of images where I want the out of focus areas (bokeh) to be glassy smooth (for weddings, portraits and such) and you cannot get that with this lens as good as you can with the 24-70 f2.8. The 24-105 f4 lens does have image stabilization which will help you to hand hold and get the shot in lower light situations, but there is not much that can be done to get super smooth bokeh with it. If you zoom all the way in, your DOF will be low and pretty darn smooth though in my case, I just prefer the look and bokeh of the 24-70 overall rather than this lens. Although the 24-70 is super heavy in weight compared to the 24-105.

But I'm a professional photographer and so while my needs and likes are geared towards preferring the 24-70 f2.8, this doesn't mean the 24-105 isn't ideal for many if not most.