Canon 24-105 F4L IS or 24-70 F2.8L

leinsterman

I was thinking of getting a single lens in the "normal" range as a walkaround for the 1D Mk III ...


Looking at two -

24-105 F4L IS
24-70 F2.8L

I'm leaning toward the 105... it may be a stop slower but this is at least partially compensated by IS ... but it is also a bit lighter and smaller than the 24-70 ... I understand ?

Does anyone have any experience of either or both ?

Fajitas!

http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews



I've used both, but prefer the 24-70, hence me buying it. I think any benefits of the 24 end will be negated by a cropped sensor though. The 24-70 is a horrible lens on a 1.6, but a fantastic lens on a full frame. Don't know about a 1.3 crop.

georgey

I have the 24-70 and its a great great lens, I have been using it on a 1.3 crop, it is'nt light for sure and its very big in comparison to the 24-105 (which I have used but not owned). IS is a great thing but with the ISO performance of todays Canon's at this focal lenght I think the extra stop is all you need. I used the 24-105 for a few hours and revied the images at home later and I just felt it lacked something straight from the camera, it did'nt do it for my like my 17-40 or indeed my 24-70 but of course it was a brief encounter and may have been due to user error,that said I do think that as a walk around lens on a 5D the focal lenght and weight would be ideal (24-105).
Well thats my 2c worth
Philip

mikeanywhere

Si, I have both lenses so they will there for you to have a play with tomorrow

The 24-70 is stuck on mine all the time and yes it is friggin heavy specially with the battery grip too. Its great for the portraits and thats why I bought it in the first place - I am very happy with it!!!

Paulw

The 24-70mm is the lens that is attached to my camera most of the time. It's my general walkaround lens. Yes, it is heavy, but it's well worth it.

I can let you borrow it for a few days next week, if you like.

Canonfan

I was in the same position and bought 24-70mm. It's a nice lens.

I never looked back, because I don't know the performance of 24-105.

The price difference is huge, will that explain something?

feileacan

again no experience of the 24-105 but the 24-70 is always on mine.

i agree that its heavy but get great images on the 5d

leinsterman

Wow pretty emphatic response for the 24-70 F2.8L ... I already have the Sigma version of this ... but I've never really been all that happy with it ...

I am still leaning towards the 24-105 ... but I'll have a go of both tomorrow Mikey ... my concern for the 24-70 is it 1KG weight ... I want a lens for travel ... that will stay on either the 20D or the 1D Mk III all day long while at the same time not incurring ridiculous excess baggage fees ... to be fair if I'm going some place I think is dodgy I'll probably bring the Sigma 18-125 and the 20D ... since if I lose it is won't be such a big deal as a 1D Mk III and a 24-70/24-105 ...

The prices of the two lenses are close enough with the 70 being about USD 200 more ... presumably because one has IS while the other is a full stop faster ...

leinsterman

Hmmnnn ... having had the chance to use both lenses over the weekend I'm still not decided ... I really think the 24-105 offers the best flexibility from a travel perspective ... so it may be the winner for me ... but the 24-70 is nice ... there is no denying it!