When manoeuvrability is important and lens quality crucial, the L-series EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM stands alone as the professional's lightweight standard zoom.
Features
L-series optics
Lightweight 4.3x zoom
f/4 through zoom range
3-stop Image Stabilizer
Super UD and aspheric lens elements
Fast auto focus
Super Spectra coatings
Circular aperture provides pleasing background blur
Soft case and lens hood
The professional's lightweight standard zoom.
L-series quality
The EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM incorporates Canon's highest standards of precision optics. The L-series is Canon's flagship professional lens range, combining outstanding image performance and ultimate operability with dust and moisture resistant construction.
Lightweight
Weighing just 670g, the EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM offers 4.3x zoom in a lightweight body.
Fixed aperture
With no change in aperture over the full focal length range, photographers can set exposure at the widest aperture and zoom through to 105mm without slowing shutter speed.
Image Stabilizer
The EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM features Canon's 3-stop Image Stabilizer (IS). Ideal for handheld work, IS allows use of shutter speeds up to 3-stops slower with no perceptible increase in image blur.
Super UD and aspherical lens elements
The lens incorporates a Super UD (ultra-low dispersion) glass element to eliminate secondary chromatic aberrations and aspherical lens elements to correct spherical aberrations. The result is crisp, high contrast, undistorted images throughout the entire zoom range without colour fringing at subject outlines.
Auto focus
A ring USM (Ultrasonic motor) uses ultrasonic frequency vibrations to drive responsive, near-silent high speed auto focus. Good holding torque stops the focusing lens group with precision without overshoot. Full time manual focus override is available without having to switch out of AF. Minimum focus distance is 0.45m throughout the zoom range.
Super Spectra coatings
Optimised Super Spectra lens coatings and lens element shaping suppress flare and ghosting - more prone to occur with digital cameras due to reflection off the image sensor. Coatings also help achieve true colour balance and increase contrast for vivid hi-fidelity images.
Pleasing background blur
An almost perfectly circular barrel aperture helps to create an even and attractive background blur.
Accessories
A petal shaped hood and soft case are included.
* The above SRP is Canon's Suggested Retail Price including VAT, prices may vary from high street stores.
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Author
Interpreter Member of the Wild Empire
Registered: October 2006 Posts: 314
Review Date: Tue 28, August, 2007
Would you recommend it? No |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 10
Strengths:
Inexpensive zoom lens
Weaknesses:
Suffers from severe curvature of field
This lens came as part of a kit with a Canon 5D. I used the camera on a trip to the Azores earlier this year and found that any images produced which showed the horizon, were unusable, due to the terrific curvature of field. Normal photographs i.e. not at either end of the focal length range were not much better.
At 24mm the lens suffered from severe curvature of field which made itself know as barrel distortion. At 105mm, the barrel distortion ceased and was replaced by pin cushion distortion. At intermediate focal lengths, off centre verticals leaned outwards from the centre.
The lens was duly sent back to Canon for examination and was returned to me with the following note:- Lens geometry checked, compared with Canon stock lenses - Satisfactory.
Slight curvature of field is normal & effect will magnify at longer distance (due to construction of lens elements).
So Canon have turned out an L series zoom lens of 24 to 105mm focal length which cannot be used at 24mm or 105mm or at any focal length in between, if there are any vertical or horizontal lines in the image. This is not a cheap third party lens, but one of Canon's L series which is said to be their best.
Don't buy this lens.
------------------------------ Don't bother me with facts. My mind is already made up.
