Canon EF 24mm f/1.4 L USM II Wide Angle Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras

by Canon

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 3.4 x 3.4 x 3.4 inches ; 1.4 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B001GNCWCE
• Item model number: 2750B002
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 17, 2008

Product Description

Canon EF 24mm f/1.4 L USM II Wide Angle Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

81 of 97 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My New Favorite Lens, October 7, 2009

By 

Matt Van Zant "True Reviewer" (San Bruno, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Canon EF 24mm f/1.4 L USM II Wide Angle Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras (Electronics)

The Canon 24-70/2.8 has been my primary lens for the past two years. It has served me well and was hands down my favorite lens for this focal length, until I tried the 24/1.4 II from Canon. This lens has very fast and accurate focus, and the images are incredibly sharp, even wide-open. I've decided that I can live without the 25-70mm focal length of the 24-70 for this lens.

The minimum focus is 0.8ft, which allows you to get incredibly close to your subject, and the 24mm gives you a very wide view to capture your entire subject.

The 1.4 aperture is incredibly fast. Combine that with fast focus and incredible sharpness and you now have a lens you can use indoors without flash (Note: 1.4 aperture comes with a thin depth-of-field. Focusing on the eye will leave you with a blurry nose and forehead, very smooth bokeh).

I've used the following Canon lenses and this one tops the list and is now on my 5D II 70% of the time (have to leave time for the 70-200).

Canon 16-35/2.8 II: Fantastic lens if this is the focal length you're looking for. This lens has the fish-eye effect at 16mm with full-frame sensors

Canon 50/1.4: Great focal length and speed, but overdue for a refresh. This is a great lens if you're looking for the soft feel of photos.

Canon 85/1.2: Excellent lens, if your subject isn't moving. Very slow focus combined with very narrow depth of field equals out-of-focus photo.

Canon 135/2: Very sharp. Perhaps one of the sharpest lenses Canon makes. The 24/1.4 II is as good if not better.

Canon 70-200/2.8 IS: Hands down the best lens in this focal length (ok, you could argue the 135/2 is better if that's the length you're looking for).

Canon 300/4 IS: Very sharp lens with quick and accurate focus. It's also about 25% of the price of the 300/2.8 IS.

If this is the focal length you're looking for, this lens will prove to be an incredible choice. This lens is not on the cheap end, with respect to price. But I feel the 24/1.4 II is worth every penny. If you're on the edge of purchasing the lens, rent it and you'll be back here hitting the "Add to Shopping Cart" button.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is simply an amazing lens, September 20, 2010

By 

genesis - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Canon EF 24mm f/1.4 L USM II Wide Angle Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras (Electronics)

I've a lot of L grade Canon zooms and primes.
I particularly appreciate the colors and the sharpness of these lenses.
Even zooms lenses are unbeatable for speed and practicality, primes are the best in terms of image quality and creativity possibilities.
I finally decided to purchase this lens as my 35L is not wide enough and, frankly, the quality of my 16-35-II at wide aperture is unsufficient. Well, the 24L-II matched perfectly the good characteristics of my 35L. It is not a perfect lens: wide open is quite soft but when stopped-down to 2 -2.8 it become sharp as a razor. In conclusion it is a great lens!

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars No alternative in 1.4!, February 7, 2011

By 

Khiem Do (Yorba Linda, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Canon EF 24mm f/1.4 L USM II Wide Angle Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras (Electronics)

I have a trusted FD 24mm 1.4 from the film days I am now using on NEX (=36mm) and Micro 4/3 (=48mm) with adapters. This is an excellent lens which gave me the best photos I've made with it's low light abilities.
I recently purchased the EF 24mm 1.4 Mkii from amazon to replace it on Canon Digital Full Frame (5d Mkii) and Crop Sensor (60D) and worry myself sick after having read here and elsewhere about back/front/inconsistent focus, and softness at 1.4.
I am no lens tester, just Joe (long time )user but here are my findings:
My copy does not have focus problems, although operator error is frequent at this 1.4 aperture.
Compared directly to the old FD at 1.4 (on the same Panny G1 body)the EF have more details and contrast . Even on the 3" screen, photos are snappier.
Compared to the Canon 50mm 1.4 EF at 1.4, the 24mm have more definition. The 50mm has that halo-dreamy look at 1.4. None of this with the 24mm.
Compared to the Sigma 24-60mm/2.8 (another VG lens in my kit and an absolute bargain) at 2.8 and 24mm, the Canon wins hand down.
Compared to the Tokina 16-28mm 2.8 (newly released but reputed the best in its class?) at 2.8 and 24mm, the Canon is slightly better in the center but corners are softer.
Construction, focus speed, focus noise are superior to the other lenses. It is large and heavy though, even when compared to the gigantic 16-28mm. I guess a battery holder will help balance it at least on the 60D. Manual focus, I like the old FD better but of course the old FD does not AF.
I am happy and am going to keep it, as there is no real alternative in this FL and aperture on EF mount. I have considered the Sigmas 20mm/1.8 and 24mm/1.8 but AF is noisier and the manual/AF feature not convenient to me although I can certainly use the difference in price ($1200!). I also suspect that at 1.8 the Sigmas might not be as good as the Canon L in the center at 1.4 but I have no way to tell. I have also considered the Zeiss 18mm and 21mm in the same price range but one opens at 3.5 and the other at 2.8. I'll go with the Zeiss 21mm if I can do with 2.8. The Nikon 24mm/1.4 G might be adapted to Canon EF but it is even pricier and certainly will not AF.
There is the concern of corners softness and vignetting which at the 1.4 aperture very real. In my case, It will actually help me spend less time darkening and blurring the corners in PS :-D
For landscapes (which I have not verified for myself), my guess is this lens at 8.0 is as good as any.
Hope this helps you in your decision. It was a difficult one ($1700) for me!