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 plainly must write an assessment about it? To start with, the optical quality is not anything like Canon have ever made before. If you require clarity then this is your lens. I discovered that apertures at in the region of F11 give more clarity and sharpness than other lenses at do at F11.
It will be able to detect the less obvious information of a subject in very filtered light. This is one of the advantages of using a quick lens. Fast lenses work skillfully in low lighting conditions. They do so because of the wide aperture. But wide apertures are not as clear as smaller fstops, right? Right. So what do we do about focusing in soft light? Will this lens still maintain the clarity of the image? Yes it does. There is clear 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 or normal room lighting was employed. I selected 6400 ISO to help get as much light as I could. My shutter speed was about a 50th of a second. To my surprise I discovered my test shots to be clearer and sharp. Clear and sharp in very low light? You bet they were!
Not only does the filtered light sharpness functioning delight me, so does the sensitivity of the lens. I found that whilst I worked on getting good focus on an region of a subject it locked on and held firm. I didn't have to keep getting the right focus and sharpness all the time. Some lenses I have employed in the past have had difficulty focusing, in particular when the scene was black or very dark gray. The lens held the focus quite sharply all the way to the edges. Admittedly I used a medium to small aperture to keep focus the entire picture, but it's the haste and accurateness 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 resolution. In a shady image you would have absolutely seen camera movement.
I have been talking about getting the right focus and sharpness in dim light. What about sensitivity and other performance issues? Well, aside from being quick to focus, I am delighted by the absence of lens flare and no warping at the edges of the frame. In a number of lenses you find some annoying warping at the starting point or end of the focal length scale. For example some 24mm lenses can make the exact edges of the shot look like they were shot through a bit of glass. That's because when the daylight goes through the lens, it bends and creates a warping effect. Not with this lens. I have not noticed any distortion at all. This applies to the 70mm end of the range too.
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 plainly must write an assessment about it? To start with, the optical quality is not anything like Canon have ever made before. If you require clarity then this is your lens. I discovered that apertures at in the region of F11 give more clarity and sharpness than other lenses at do at F11.
It will be able to detect the less obvious information of a subject in very filtered light. This is one of the advantages of using a quick lens. Fast lenses work skillfully in low lighting conditions. They do so because of the wide aperture. But wide apertures are not as clear as smaller fstops, right? Right. So what do we do about focusing in soft light? Will this lens still maintain the clarity of the image? Yes it does. There is clear 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 or normal room lighting was employed. I selected 6400 ISO to help get as much light as I could. My shutter speed was about a 50th of a second. To my surprise I discovered my test shots to be clearer and sharp. Clear and sharp in very low light? You bet they were!
Not only does the filtered light sharpness functioning delight me, so does the sensitivity of the lens. I found that whilst I worked on getting good focus on an region of a subject it locked on and held firm. I didn't have to keep getting the right focus and sharpness all the time. Some lenses I have employed in the past have had difficulty focusing, in particular when the scene was black or very dark gray. The lens held the focus quite sharply all the way to the edges. Admittedly I used a medium to small aperture to keep focus the entire picture, but it's the haste and accurateness 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 resolution. In a shady image you would have absolutely seen camera movement.
I have been talking about getting the right focus and sharpness in dim light. What about sensitivity and other performance issues? Well, aside from being quick to focus, I am delighted by the absence of lens flare and no warping at the edges of the frame. In a number of lenses you find some annoying warping at the starting point or end of the focal length scale. For example some 24mm lenses can make the exact edges of the shot look like they were shot through a bit of glass. That's because when the daylight goes through the lens, it bends and creates a warping effect. Not with this lens. I have not noticed any distortion at all. This applies to the 70mm end of the range too.
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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