First impression: I was expecting this lens to be heavy because of all the whining about how heavy it is. It's not heavy. It's not even close to heavy. What's heavy is this lens, with a 5d-II body, a battery grip, a 580-EX and a light sphere. And a second 5D-Mark II body with all that, plus a 70-200 2.8. That's heavy.
If you are not prepared to do whatever it takes to get the best image possible, perhaps you should rent this lens first and see what you think of it's weight. If you're a pro, you know that pro level equipment is heavy because it is done right, and you're used to dealing with that fact in the quest for image quality.
I'd like to address another point I see in the previous reviews. If you are a hobbyist or an amateur who is only thinking about buying this lens because you can afford it... don't complain when you can't use it with your on camera flash. It's not designed for use with an on camera flash. It's a professional lens, and professionals rarely if ever use an on camera flash. Why? Besides being sorely underpowered, an on camera flash is too close to the lens and gives horrid lighting and shadows. So if you get this lens, expect that you'll be either using available light, or a real flash.
Okay, on to my review.
Well, it's surprisingly light for all the complaining I read about it being heavy. I'm not a very big guy, either.
It feels solid, but don't equate that with "heavy". Focus ring and zoom ring are very smooth on mine, but the 24-28mm range seems a bit more resistant. I am finding that it's confusing to me which ring is which after using the 28-135 for so long because the focus ring is where the zoom ring used to be, and the zoom ring is significantly smaller. Now the zoom ring is close to the camera and smaller, and it's slightly awkward to zoom. I used to be able to hold the camera body with my right hand and hold the lens with my left, and zoom from this position. Now I cannot zoom from a lens holding position (beneath the lens) and must switch to an overhand position to zoom, which defeats the support and puts added stress on my right wrist and forearm. I'm sure I'll get used to it, but that's probably going to smart once I start shooing weddings again.
Indoors, I was getting shots I simply could not believe using my standard wedding photography settings - not because it was so sharp (more on that in a bit) but because these settings produced EXACTLY what I saw with my own eyes, in camera, regardless of light. I mean EXACTLY... even when I was shooting a window in a dark room. Even when I was shooting in the dark room with nothing bright in the scene. I was stunned, because usually I have to constantly fiddle with the exposure compensation to get this result. Somehow, this lens paired with this camera body seems to be more intelligent with regards to this consideration. It does require some fiddling occasionally, but a standard -2/3rds compensation seems to work wonders indoors with no flash -- perhaps it's just that this lens isn't struggling, as my 28-135 used to.
It quickly became apparent that I have a sharp copy because even magnified as much as my camera can magnify, the results are noticeably sharper than my best day with the 28-135. I can count blades of grass across the street, see power lines in the distance that escape my eyes, differentiate the stones in a wall a mile and a quarter away, and read the labels of small bottles across the room, by ambient light.
Testing showed that this lens resolves such fine detail that ISO really affects the sharpness of the results. I'm shooting at 2.8/ISO 2000 in this dim room, and it's bringing the IQ down to about the level of my 28-135. However, when I use my 580-EX II with a light sphere attached, I can see the pores on people's faces clearly in the resulting images shot from several feet away. Individual eyebrow hairs are also clearly present and separated from each other.
Out in the garden, shooting in overcast conditions, I set my camera to 1/80th, Tv, auto-ISO and a -1 exposure compensation. The resulting images are so vibrant that I can't believe my eyes. Saturation, contrast and color accuracy are insane. It chose an aperture of f/4, though, which didn't give me much DOF to work with... but wow. I then turned my attention to a car a block over, and was able to read 4/6ths of the license plate letters in the magnified image. I could not even see the license plate with my naked eyes (and with glasses, I have 20/20 vision)!
I spent many years wishing I could afford an L lens. Now that I have one, I have absolutely no regrets spending that kind of money on this lens. If I didn't want the best, I'd have bought something else. Now I can rest assured that any mistakes are mine, and not the camera or the lens. It's going be good for keeping me on my toes.
Auto focus is very fast and very accurate, nearly instant but not necessarily dead-on. What I mean by that is, it jumps to the focus point and then makes one minor adjustment. This all takes about a fifth of a second in most lighting conditions. Focus is very accurate as far as I can tell so far. It managed to find focus in about half a second in a room that was darker than I have ever been able to focus in by ambient light, on a dark subject. I'm impressed!
Image stabilization: It would be nice, but I'm not missing it. I only used it on my 28-135 when the lens was unable to keep up with lighting conditions, an I don't see myself having too much trouble with that. I shot some portraits by ambient light in a dimly lit restaurant and was doing spot on exposure at f/3.2, 1/80, ISO 2000-3200. Not the largest DOF, and not the least possible noise, but the shots are quite usable. It seems that this will allow me to work in most situations without having to use a flash, as long as I am careful about the plane of focus and the DOF.
So far, I am very impressed overall, and I can feel myself falling in love. The real test will come when I have more time to hammer this baby and see what she's really capable of, and when I have had some time to do that, I'll update my review here.
So far: 4.9 out of 5 stars. (I'm finding the zoom ring placement isn't quite as easily accessed as I would like right now.)
Update 08-21-2010:
I am now noticing a recurring theme to my night time photographic outings. I can get the shot, usually hand held, and my uncle has trouble even on a tripod. He shoots Nikon, but the killer is that he's using mid range lenses that are 3.5-5.6. I'm using 2.8 constant. For instance, last night we went to shoot a train and a bridge at night. Both using tripods, both shooting at 3200 ISO, both using 1/40th of a second shutter speed and both using full manual. I got usable shots (slight motion blur), and he didn't. It's all about that 2.8.
I was shooting at a rest stop on the Interstate with him the other day, shooting semis, and I was getting clear shots (no motion blur) at an incredible 1/13th of a second hand held (!) at 24 to 50 mm, while he was struggling to get the shot on a tripod. Still having a hard time believing that!
So far, there has been no reason at all to take this thing off my camera. The 16-35 L and the 70-200 L II are going to be its only competition, when I get them.
Update 12-08-2010
So I have had six months now to use this lens, and I have had the 70-200 2.8 L II lens for a few months as well. This lens is a tad less sharp than the 70-200 when I am shooting at ISO 100-640 on my 5D-Mark II, and above that noise equalizes them. But while I love the concept of the 70-200 more than I like the "boring" 24-70, it is this lens, my beloved 24-70, who stays on my camera 98% of the time. I try and I try to find use for the 70-200, but... well... in most situations, I have to return to this lens within 5 minutes of shooting.
The only thing I can think of to knock this lens on is that while it makes a wonderful portrait lens, it's a bit too sharp for that sometimes... and, I have noticed that if you try to make a panorama with it set at 50mm, you'll get a little too much edge distortion to do so without compensating in software.
Since using this lens to shoot models, my keeper rate has jumped from 1 to 5% (with the 28-135) to 25% and up. It's getting to the point that I end up with several times as many awesome images as I need from every shoot... I'm sure part of that is me getting more skilled, but this lens certainly contributes it's share.
I can't tell you how much I love this lens, and my work has dramatically improved since I got it. It took me a few days to get used to the difference from the 28-135, and now I use this like it's a part of me. If you only ever get one lens... you should make it either this one, or the 50/1.2, depending on whether you need zoom more or speed more. Awesome lens, and one I suspect that will be thrilled to use forever. If you don't have one, and you prefer zooms to primes, get one. If you prefer primes, get the 50/1.2.
Update 11-07-2011: After returning from eight weeks wandering the country doing photography, I can say that this lens was the one I used more than the 16-35 or the 70-200. It is sharper than the 16-35, but not as sharp as the 70-200, and in most cases during the day it's just what the doctor ordered for focal length, especially for landscapes. But I am now seriously noticing a real need for this lens to have IS when I can get a shot with the 70-200 that I can't get with this lens, both hand held, same settings, same light, and there is no time to change lenses or no way to frame the same image with 70-200 mm focal length. Tripods aren't always an option, although I do prefer to use them when possible. Based on that... I think this lens goes from 5 stars to 4 stars. Still a great lens, but starting to show the age of the design, without including IS.
Add to your order
Coverage for accidental damage including drops, spills, and broken parts, as well as breakdowns (plans vary)
24/7 support when you need it.
Quick, easy, and frustration-free claims.
Cover this product:
3-Year Protection $119.99
2-Year Protection $89.99
Cover all of your eligible devices:
Tech Unlimited – Protect Eligible Past and Future Purchases with 1 Plan (Renews Monthly Until Cancelled) $16.99/month
Select a plan
Add to your order
Coverage for accidental damage including drops, spills, and broken parts, as well as breakdowns (plans vary)
24/7 support when you need it.
Quick, easy, and frustration-free claims.
Cover this product:
Select a plan
Buy this product as Renewed and save $295.95 off the current New price.
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Standard Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras (Renewed) $944.00 & FREE Shipping
(62)
Works and looks like new and backed by the Amazon Renewed Guarantee
(62)
Works and looks like new and backed by the Amazon Renewed Guarantee
Consider a similar item
$177.88
Climate Pledge Friendly Frequently bought together
Similar items that may ship from close to you
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Compare with similar items
 | Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM Standard Zoom Lens | Canon 5175B002-cr EF 24-70mm F/2.8L II USM Standard Zoom Lens, Black (Renewed) | Canon EF 24–105mm f/4L is II USM Lens, Black - 1380C002 | Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM Art Lens for Canon | Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Medium Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras - Fixed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Customer Rating | (726) | (962) | (80) | (203) | (731) | (2267) |
| Price | $1,239.95 | $1,899.00 | $1,374.03 | $1,299.00 | $1,175.00 | $499.00 |
| Sold By | Fast Ship Direct | Amazon.com | Minty Gadgets (we track serial numbers) | Amazon.com | Digital Village | Amazon.com |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 4.86 x 3.28 x 3.28 inches | 4.45 x 3.5 x 3.5 inches | 4.45 x 3.5 x 3.5 inches | 4.6 x 3.3 x 3.3 inches | 3.5 x 4.2 x 4.2 inches | 2.83 x 2.95 x 2.95 inches |
| Item Weight | 2.09 lbs | 1.77 lbs | 2.55 lbs | 1.75 lbs | 2.00 lbs | 0.94 lbs |
| Lens Type | Standard | Wide Angle | Standard | 24-105mm | Zoom | Telephoto |
| Maximum Aperture | 2.8 | 2.8 | 0 millimeters | f/2.8 | f/2.8 | 1.8 |
| Maximum Focal Length | 70 millimeters | 70 millimeters | 70 millimeters | 105 | 70 | 85 millimeters |
| Maximum Aperture Range | F2.8 | F2.8 | — | — | f/2.8 | F1.8 |
| Maximum Format Size | 35 mm FF | 35mm FF | Full Frame | Full Frame | — | 35mm full frame |
| Minimum Aperture | 22 | 22 | 1 | 22 | 22 | 22 |
| Minimum Focal Length | 24 millimeters | 24 millimeters | 24 millimeters | 24 | 24 | 85 millimeters |
| Minimum Operating Distance | 0.381 meters | 0.38 meters | — | — | — | 0.85 meters |
| Photo Filter Thread Size | 82 millimeters | 82 millimeters | — | — | 82.0 millimeters | 58 millimeters |
Videos
Page 1 of 1Start OverPage 1 of 1
Videos for this product
2:01
Click to play video
Extremely nice lens! WATCH for my thoughts before you buy!
✅ TJ
Videos for this product
2:51
Click to play video
Canon 24-70mm vs 70-200mm Lens COMPARISON #thisorthat
⭐ Kaitlin & Jared
Videos for related products
1:47
Click to play video
Actual footage from my 24-70mm - Review from a pro!
Zoey & Casey
Videos for related products
4:36
Click to play video
Canon 50mm L f1.2 vs Canon 50mm f1.4 Lenses #thisorthat
⭐ Kaitlin & Jared
Videos for related products
2:19
Click to play video
Canon 24mm f1.4 vs 135mm f2.0 vs 85mm f1.4 #thisorthat
⭐ Kaitlin & Jared
Videos for related products
1:23
Click to play video
A must have upgrade to the Kit lens
Zulf - TrustedCreators
Reviews with images
Submit a report
A few common reasons customers report reviews:
- Harassment, profanity
- Spam, advertisement, promotions
- Given in exchange for cash, discounts
When we get your report, we'll check if the review meets our Community guidelines. If it doesn't, we'll remove it.
Sorry, there was an error
Please try again later.Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2014
Style: 24-70mm f/4.0LVerified Purchase
I enjoy landscape, travel and macro photography and felt the 24-70 4L IS USM would be a good fit for me. Here's what I thought about it after several months of use.
BUILD is excellent: quality plastics, weather seals, attractive semi-matte finish and sturdy metal mount. Electrical switches are beefy and nearly impossible to inadvertently change. The ribbed rubber zoom and focus rings are large and grippy, and positioned similarly to my 17- 40L and 70-200 4L IS. Appearance is similar to the 24-105L but slightly shorter and lighter. It feels solid and balanced on my 6D.
FOCUS is internal so the barrel doesn't rotate or change in length. AF is blazing fast and accurate on my 6D. Manual focus is always active (no switch flip required), smooth and finely pitched, allowing precise adjustments.
ZOOMING is accomplished via a single nested barrel. Zoom action is smooth but slightly stiff between 50 and 70. There is no zoom drift when pointed up or down so the barrel lock at 24mm seems superfluous. However, zooms tend to loosen with use so maybe I'll appreciate the lock a few years from now.
OPTICAL PERFORMANCE at F4 is sharp edge to edge. Center frame is similar to my 24-105 4L but corners are vastly improved. The best overall performance is at 24mm and 70mm, with slight deterioration at 50mm. This lens required +5 Microadjustment (MA) at 24mm for optimal sharpness (was front focusing). The long end was tack sharp at default (0). In contrast, my 24-105 4L is sharp at defaults (0) and required no MA on my 6D or 5D MKII.
There is a small amount of light falloff or corner darkening at 24mm and F4 but noticeably better in this regard than the 24-105 4L. Light falloff at 70mm is about the same as the 24-105L. Stopping down to F5.6 renders light falloff inconsequential. I don't notice light falloff unless testing on a white wall.
The most noticeable improvement over the 24-105L is the near absence of barrel distortion at 24mm. My ocean horizons are true! Chromatic Aberration (CA) is also reduced: a tiny amount of color fringing is visible via pixel peeking in corners at 24mm, but almost nothing at longer settings. It certainly bests my 24-105 4L in this regard.
Sunsets, spotlights and other bright light sources exhibit little to no flare. Flare resistant is markedly better than the 24-105L, making blazing Hawaiian sunsets a snap! However, use of the included EW-82L hood is recommended for protection from stray light, raindrops and doggie noses. This hood sports rayon flocking, matte black paint matched to the lens and petal cutouts. It has a lock release button but is a little loose and will come off with a light whack or firm rub on a beer gut. I prefer the snug fit of the EW-82H, the OEM hood for the 24-105 4L IS USM. And, yes, the EW-82H fits the 24-70 4L perfectly albeit slightly deeper. There is absolutely no vignette so it's staying on my 24-70 4L.
Macro results are impressive at .7x, making it ideal for flowers, small products and artwork. Press and hold the macro switch while turning the zoom past 70mm to engage macro range. Combined with Hybrid Image Stabilization I got sharp free standing flower shots I normally need a tripod for. I still prefer a tripod for such shots but being able to get a sharp impromptu macro is a wonderful feature for travelers.
IMAGE STABILIZATION (IS) gave me three additional stops of hand holdable range at 70mm, sometimes four on a good day (no coffee and 8 hours sleep!). The big deal is Hybrid Image Stabilization compensating for both up-and-down and swaying forward and back movements. The swaying back and forth movement often foiled my attempts at shooting museum artwork where tripods weren't allowed, so a welcome feature along with auto panning mode.
In a quiet room, I can't hear the IS mechanism while using the camera. IS is only audible if I place my ear directly on the lens. So quieter than the IS unit in the 24-105 4L USM (audible as soft grinding in quiet rooms).
LAST BLURB: I had to calibrate (MA) this lens for optimal sharpness. Once dialed in, images were satisfyingly sharp, contrasty and vivid from edge to edge. The game changer--and the main reason to pick this lens over the 24-105L--is the macro and Hybrid IS features. It's basically two lenses in one--normal zoom and macro--and lets me leave my macro lens at home when traveling light. Finally, the most frequent criticism of this lens is the high selling price ($1499). As of August 31, 2014, Canon reduced MAP to $999, making this a darn sweet deal.
BUILD is excellent: quality plastics, weather seals, attractive semi-matte finish and sturdy metal mount. Electrical switches are beefy and nearly impossible to inadvertently change. The ribbed rubber zoom and focus rings are large and grippy, and positioned similarly to my 17- 40L and 70-200 4L IS. Appearance is similar to the 24-105L but slightly shorter and lighter. It feels solid and balanced on my 6D.
FOCUS is internal so the barrel doesn't rotate or change in length. AF is blazing fast and accurate on my 6D. Manual focus is always active (no switch flip required), smooth and finely pitched, allowing precise adjustments.
ZOOMING is accomplished via a single nested barrel. Zoom action is smooth but slightly stiff between 50 and 70. There is no zoom drift when pointed up or down so the barrel lock at 24mm seems superfluous. However, zooms tend to loosen with use so maybe I'll appreciate the lock a few years from now.
OPTICAL PERFORMANCE at F4 is sharp edge to edge. Center frame is similar to my 24-105 4L but corners are vastly improved. The best overall performance is at 24mm and 70mm, with slight deterioration at 50mm. This lens required +5 Microadjustment (MA) at 24mm for optimal sharpness (was front focusing). The long end was tack sharp at default (0). In contrast, my 24-105 4L is sharp at defaults (0) and required no MA on my 6D or 5D MKII.
There is a small amount of light falloff or corner darkening at 24mm and F4 but noticeably better in this regard than the 24-105 4L. Light falloff at 70mm is about the same as the 24-105L. Stopping down to F5.6 renders light falloff inconsequential. I don't notice light falloff unless testing on a white wall.
The most noticeable improvement over the 24-105L is the near absence of barrel distortion at 24mm. My ocean horizons are true! Chromatic Aberration (CA) is also reduced: a tiny amount of color fringing is visible via pixel peeking in corners at 24mm, but almost nothing at longer settings. It certainly bests my 24-105 4L in this regard.
Sunsets, spotlights and other bright light sources exhibit little to no flare. Flare resistant is markedly better than the 24-105L, making blazing Hawaiian sunsets a snap! However, use of the included EW-82L hood is recommended for protection from stray light, raindrops and doggie noses. This hood sports rayon flocking, matte black paint matched to the lens and petal cutouts. It has a lock release button but is a little loose and will come off with a light whack or firm rub on a beer gut. I prefer the snug fit of the EW-82H, the OEM hood for the 24-105 4L IS USM. And, yes, the EW-82H fits the 24-70 4L perfectly albeit slightly deeper. There is absolutely no vignette so it's staying on my 24-70 4L.
Macro results are impressive at .7x, making it ideal for flowers, small products and artwork. Press and hold the macro switch while turning the zoom past 70mm to engage macro range. Combined with Hybrid Image Stabilization I got sharp free standing flower shots I normally need a tripod for. I still prefer a tripod for such shots but being able to get a sharp impromptu macro is a wonderful feature for travelers.
IMAGE STABILIZATION (IS) gave me three additional stops of hand holdable range at 70mm, sometimes four on a good day (no coffee and 8 hours sleep!). The big deal is Hybrid Image Stabilization compensating for both up-and-down and swaying forward and back movements. The swaying back and forth movement often foiled my attempts at shooting museum artwork where tripods weren't allowed, so a welcome feature along with auto panning mode.
In a quiet room, I can't hear the IS mechanism while using the camera. IS is only audible if I place my ear directly on the lens. So quieter than the IS unit in the 24-105 4L USM (audible as soft grinding in quiet rooms).
LAST BLURB: I had to calibrate (MA) this lens for optimal sharpness. Once dialed in, images were satisfyingly sharp, contrasty and vivid from edge to edge. The game changer--and the main reason to pick this lens over the 24-105L--is the macro and Hybrid IS features. It's basically two lenses in one--normal zoom and macro--and lets me leave my macro lens at home when traveling light. Finally, the most frequent criticism of this lens is the high selling price ($1499). As of August 31, 2014, Canon reduced MAP to $999, making this a darn sweet deal.
Images in this review
Top reviews from other countries
KeensightPhotography
Well priced yet premium quality standard zoom.
Reviewed in Canada on June 12, 2019Style: 24-70mm f/4.0LVerified Purchase
KeensightPhotography
Reviewed in Canada on June 12, 2019
Initially I believed an f4 maximum aperture would be a handicap. This proves to be false, in the case of this lens. When mounted on a full frame body, performance seems superior even to the f2.8...
Breakdown of pros and cons:
Pros:
-extremely well priced
-optically delivers better results than a borrowed f2.8L
-quiet and responsive AF usable even for video.
-IS seems effective down to about 1/15 sec.
-macro switch is a nice touch, though takes some getting used to
-lightweight and relatively discreet
-rugged enough to be caught in a shower/use in dusty natural environments
Cons:
My version arrived in a plain box with no warranty card. I'm assuming it's a grey import.
-zoom action feels a little coarse, would be problematic for serious movie making.
-external zoom can be annoying when using on a light body such as RP or crop sensor.
-macro is useful, but the switch is a little worrisome until user becomes habituated.
-the styling is a bit old fashioned which is not surprising. This is not a recent iteration but a tried and tested formula. I tend to tape over the logos and superfluous writing in any case so this is a non-issue for me.
My uses:
-Hobby, including aviation and nature/landscape shots.
-location photography for events and commercial purposes
-weddings, as a wide and close portrait/group lens when moving around is not an option.
Perfect for a hobby photographer to take on a stroll. It would more than deliver great results under wide ranging conditions... even on a crop sensor body the lens would provide a good focal range and a relatively decent weight ratio.
Images in this review
Vladyslav
Great lens but go with 2.8 if you can
Reviewed in Canada on December 15, 2017Style: 24-70mm f/4.0LVerified Purchase
D.J.G.
The best lens ever.... over 8 years later.
Reviewed in Canada on June 7, 2020Style: 24-70mm f/2.8LVerified Purchase
Kim
Great lens, quality pics
Reviewed in Canada on December 6, 2019Style: 24-70mm f/4.0LVerified Purchase
