Entered CNET Catalog: 08/16/2005
SKU: CNETCANON24-105
Manufacturer: Canon USA, Inc.
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User opinions
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User Rating: 
9/10
More than the sum of its specs
Pros: An outstanding total experience
Cons: The usual technical quibbles w 4.4x zoom
Review:
I bought this lens after shooting a concert event with my 5D and my trusty Tamron 28-75 f/2.8. Usually I shoot those events with my Canon 20D, which has a better AF system, but that camera was out on loan. Hence the 5D....and a night of hunting for focus lock with the 5D's less amenable AF system.
So I bought the 24-105 f/4 with some trepidation. But I needn't have worried. While it lacks the extra f-stop, this lens communicates with the 5D like no lens-body combination I have ever used. Even in low light, it targeted and re-targeted focus quickly, quietly and reliably. And the IS is an added bonus...and a big bonus at that.
My images are sharp, clear, and contrasty - and defocused backgrounds look great with the 8-blade leaf. Even at f4, a fully usable stop on this lens, bokeh is quite pleasing.
This lens' minor technical deficiencies are well documented elsewhere (barrel distortion at the wide end, and some vignetting too if wide open, slightly soft at 105 though apparently quite sharp at 104). The original lens flare problem has been long since fixed. Nuff said.
It's important to put each lens into its proper context. And the proper context for this lens is that the quality of the overall experience is a big part of the raison d'etre of this lens. Though there are specialty lenses that might (or might not) outperform it at one thing or another, the EF 24-105 f/4L delivers full quality professional results, and a worry-free experience.
So I bought the 24-105 f/4 with some trepidation. But I needn't have worried. While it lacks the extra f-stop, this lens communicates with the 5D like no lens-body combination I have ever used. Even in low light, it targeted and re-targeted focus quickly, quietly and reliably. And the IS is an added bonus...and a big bonus at that.
My images are sharp, clear, and contrasty - and defocused backgrounds look great with the 8-blade leaf. Even at f4, a fully usable stop on this lens, bokeh is quite pleasing.
This lens' minor technical deficiencies are well documented elsewhere (barrel distortion at the wide end, and some vignetting too if wide open, slightly soft at 105 though apparently quite sharp at 104). The original lens flare problem has been long since fixed. Nuff said.
It's important to put each lens into its proper context. And the proper context for this lens is that the quality of the overall experience is a big part of the raison d'etre of this lens. Though there are specialty lenses that might (or might not) outperform it at one thing or another, the EF 24-105 f/4L delivers full quality professional results, and a worry-free experience.
