EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM
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A definitive contender...
If your still doing homework on a lens of this caliber and price tag, then my review should only add confidence in a purchase. The build is of rigid and pretty standard professional grade expectations added the weather seal for environmental elements. I shouldn't be noted but common sense applies to complete the seal with a filter as stated in the manual. Im old fashioned and like the heft and feel, i could ask for better containment than engineered plastic, how about t-6061 aluminum?? Maybe then no one would complain about a price-tag. Furthermore, the optics are just phenomenal, from 24-70 if you use the focal length respectfully. Sharp, sharp, sharp and not afraid to use it wide open in any circumstance. Slightest distortion but critical in studio. Focus and zoom execute excellent and comfortable turns. simply a pleasure and all around contender.
March 25, 2013
I used it mostly during my travel. Sharp and fast auto focus. Used for portraits and landscape. It is coslty. Wilsh it had image stabilization.
December 29, 2012
EF 24-70mm f/2.8 II USM
I received this lens on Monday, and sold my previous favorite, the 24-70mm L f/2.8 on Tuesday. I have waited for this lens for too long. I shot all day Monday and found this new upgrade really brilliant; It's lighter, looks better and the photos that come out of it are a lot sharper. The color rendition matches those of my 85mm L f/1.2 and the 70-200mm L f/2.8. If Canon had included IS into this baby it would have been a work of art, a masterpiece. I am sure there is a reason for this; Canon knows better. I shoot manual and don't think I desperately need IS. Moreover, I am learning how to lock my elbows as I shoot, and the result is paying off...I have taken about a thousand photos and every single of them is as sharp as the other.
Thank you Canon. I love what this lens does!
October 24, 2012
Amazing go-to lens...
This is my first experience with a 24-70 variant... Coming from the 24-105L, the difference is quite significant. This lens has incredible resolution at 24mm edge to edge on my 5D Mark III. Even wide open, the microcontrast is simply amazing. The images look better wide open than the 24-105L does at f/8. It is THAT good.
The lens does soften a tad at 70mm. It is still extremely sharp, but not exactly to the level of 24mm. To give a comparison, I find the 24-70 II at 70mm similar in sharpness to the magnificent 70-200 II at 70mm. You would be hard pressed to find any difference in image quality.
Build quality is excellent. Most of the exterior is engineering plastic versus metal or other materials. Still feels extremely high quality and the weight reduction from the previous version is welcomed.
The only downfall with the lens is the lack of IS and the cost without it. Not exactly required for everybody, it is a very nice feature on the long end of the zoom range. For the price of this lens, IS should have been included. I am assuming Canon had good reason to omit IS for image quality benefits.
As far as copy variation, the first copy of this lens I had to return due to a decentered lens element causing softness on the right side of the frame at 24mm... My second copy I am currently using appears to be perfect.
Other image quality attributes this lens offers include beautiful 18-point sunstars when conditions are right. CA levels are extremely low if not non-existent. Flare is well controlled. There is quite a bit of light-falloff (vignetting) but is easily corrected in post if need be. The lens also features very quick AF, one of the fastest I have used honestly.. As with the 70-200 II, I really like the locking lens hood. The zoom lock is also a very nice feature as zoom lenses have the tendency to creep with heavy use over time. There is no zoom creep so far, but time will tell how the internals will hold up to heavy use in this case.
I am extremely impressed by this lens overall. It has prime lens image quality (if not better in some cases) with the versatility of a zoom. I highly recommend this lens.
October 24, 2012
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