The other day I bought the new Canon EF 24-70mm f2.8L II USM lens. After shooting with it for only 3 days, I can honestly say that this is currently my favorite canon photographic lens. I had complete my research and understood what I was getting, but nevertheless, it didn't stop me from having a few troublesome doubts in my mind. Doubts about the $2,300 price was my primary concern. I understood it would be a fantastic lens, but was it really worth that much money? I've been a pro photographer for a few years now but that does not prevent me from thinking and questioning the worth of digital camera equipment.
When I bought the lens home I positioned it carefully on my desk. I looked at it for a minute almost as if I was letting the purchase sink in. I began to unfold the box and gently pulled out the lens. It's not anything remarkable to look at. It's simply a lens. Okay, I will admit, I have the familiar "Red-Ring" fever. This is an affectionate way of discussing a Canon shooters dedication to using nothing else but L series lenses. It describes me completely. Well, you can't blame me really, they are incredibly beautiful and sharp quality.
So what's so extraordinary about this lens that I simply must put in writing a review about it? To start with, the glass quality is not anything like Canon have ever made before. If you hanker after clarity then this is your lens. I discovered that apertures at in the region of F11 present more clarity and sharpness than other lenses at do at F11.
It will understand the finer fine points of a subject in quite dull lighting. This is one of the benefits of using a fast lens. Fast lenses work perfectly in low lighting conditions. They do this because of the open aperture. But large fstops are not as clear as smaller fstops, right? Exactly. So what do we do about getting the right focus and sharpness in low light? Does this lens still maintain the clarity of the scene? Yes it does. There is sharp detail at F2.8 even if you underexpose a photo.
I took a handful of shots around the office. I chose F2.8, no flash fill or overhead lighting was used. I selected 6400 ISO to assist get as much lighting as I could. My shutter speed was around a 50th of a second. To my astonishment I discovered my test images to be clearer and sharp. Clear and sharp in very low light? You bet they were!
Not only does the dim light sharpness functioning delight me, so does the reaction of the lens. I discovered that when I worked on getting good focus on an region of a scene it grabbed it and held sharp. I didn't have to keep getting the right focus and sharpness all the time. Some lenses I have shot with in the past have had difficulty getting the right focus and sharpness, in particular when the subject was deep black or very dark gray. The lens held the focus quite sharply all the way to the edges of the frame. Admittedly I used a smaller aperture to keep focus the entire picture, but it's the speediness and precision of how the lens mastered this dim subject that impressed me the most.
When I was doing my test shots, I did not use a tripod. It was pretty much hand holding the camera in really low light to see what would happen. I wanted to see how the lens kept focus and sharpness. In a shady scene you would have absolutely observed camera motion.
I have discussing getting the right focus and sharpness in dim light. What about responsiveness and other performance issues? Well, aside from being quick to focus, I am impressed by the lack of lens flare and no distortion at the edges of the frame. In a number of lenses you find some maddening warping at the start or end of the focal length scale. For example some 24mm lenses can make the precise edges of the photograph look like they were photographed through a bit of glass. That's because when the light hits the lens, it begins to bend and creates a warping outcome. Not with this lens. I have not noticed any warping at all. This is relevant to the 70mm end of the range also.
It seems to understand colours a lot better than any other lens I have shot with. So far all my colour changes have been very slight. This is great because it means you do not have to invest a long time retouching your photos. It just seems to pick up more correct colour than my other lenses.
Responsiveness, clarity, enhanced colour capture and optimum low light performance is what I love about this lens. It's a bit heavy in weight, but all the L series lenses are. I am used to bulky equipment now so it does not worry me in the slightest. I have yet to come across why this lens is so first-class. Canon have truly set precedent for the whole industry. I highly recommend this lens.
When I bought the lens home I positioned it carefully on my desk. I looked at it for a minute almost as if I was letting the purchase sink in. I began to unfold the box and gently pulled out the lens. It's not anything remarkable to look at. It's simply a lens. Okay, I will admit, I have the familiar "Red-Ring" fever. This is an affectionate way of discussing a Canon shooters dedication to using nothing else but L series lenses. It describes me completely. Well, you can't blame me really, they are incredibly beautiful and sharp quality.
So what's so extraordinary about this lens that I simply must put in writing a review about it? To start with, the glass quality is not anything like Canon have ever made before. If you hanker after clarity then this is your lens. I discovered that apertures at in the region of F11 present more clarity and sharpness than other lenses at do at F11.
It will understand the finer fine points of a subject in quite dull lighting. This is one of the benefits of using a fast lens. Fast lenses work perfectly in low lighting conditions. They do this because of the open aperture. But large fstops are not as clear as smaller fstops, right? Exactly. So what do we do about getting the right focus and sharpness in low light? Does this lens still maintain the clarity of the scene? Yes it does. There is sharp detail at F2.8 even if you underexpose a photo.
I took a handful of shots around the office. I chose F2.8, no flash fill or overhead lighting was used. I selected 6400 ISO to assist get as much lighting as I could. My shutter speed was around a 50th of a second. To my astonishment I discovered my test images to be clearer and sharp. Clear and sharp in very low light? You bet they were!
Not only does the dim light sharpness functioning delight me, so does the reaction of the lens. I discovered that when I worked on getting good focus on an region of a scene it grabbed it and held sharp. I didn't have to keep getting the right focus and sharpness all the time. Some lenses I have shot with in the past have had difficulty getting the right focus and sharpness, in particular when the subject was deep black or very dark gray. The lens held the focus quite sharply all the way to the edges of the frame. Admittedly I used a smaller aperture to keep focus the entire picture, but it's the speediness and precision of how the lens mastered this dim subject that impressed me the most.
When I was doing my test shots, I did not use a tripod. It was pretty much hand holding the camera in really low light to see what would happen. I wanted to see how the lens kept focus and sharpness. In a shady scene you would have absolutely observed camera motion.
I have discussing getting the right focus and sharpness in dim light. What about responsiveness and other performance issues? Well, aside from being quick to focus, I am impressed by the lack of lens flare and no distortion at the edges of the frame. In a number of lenses you find some maddening warping at the start or end of the focal length scale. For example some 24mm lenses can make the precise edges of the photograph look like they were photographed through a bit of glass. That's because when the light hits the lens, it begins to bend and creates a warping outcome. Not with this lens. I have not noticed any warping at all. This is relevant to the 70mm end of the range also.
It seems to understand colours a lot better than any other lens I have shot with. So far all my colour changes have been very slight. This is great because it means you do not have to invest a long time retouching your photos. It just seems to pick up more correct colour than my other lenses.
Responsiveness, clarity, enhanced colour capture and optimum low light performance is what I love about this lens. It's a bit heavy in weight, but all the L series lenses are. I am used to bulky equipment now so it does not worry me in the slightest. I have yet to come across why this lens is so first-class. Canon have truly set precedent for the whole industry. I highly recommend this lens.
About the Author:
Amy Renfrey is a professional photography teacher. She shows you how to take stunning photos every single time, even if you have never used a digital camera before. To discover how to take beautiful photographs/ visit her website today.
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