Canon, along with more traditional f / 2.8 lenses, is developing the L line with f / 4 lenses. They are smaller, cheaper and lighter than ordinary ones, but they are of high quality and characteristics such as tightness and durability.
The f / 2.8 series includes professional Canon lenses such as the 70-200, 24-70, 16-35 (IS). F / 4 represent models 70-200, 24-105, 17-40 and IS. This review will focus on the EF 24-105mm / 4L IS USM.
Feature Overview
The fact that the device belongs to the L series can be said immediately, as soon as the lens falls into your hands. And not only because of the presence of a red ring at the leading edge - this is indicated by its strength and reliability. A metal mount is much less susceptible to wear than a plastic mount, and dust and moisture protection come in handy when shooting in light rain. The ultrasonic ring motor accurately, quickly and almost silently finds the perfect focus. Manual mode is also available.
EF 24-105mm / 4L is a Canon lens, the technical characteristics of which provide it with an excellent set of focal lengths. Probably even better than 24-70 mm / 2.8L. 24 mm provide true wide angle. Both lenses cover the normal range in the region of 50 mm, but this model also covers portrait, as many call focal lengths of 80-100 mm. Full-format cameras with these parameters provide excellent frames such as “head and shoulders”. A 70mm 24-70 limit means this lens is less suitable for such shots.
In addition, the model in question perfectly captures landscapes, groups of people and buildings. This is one of those general-purpose lenses that are difficult to manage without and with which you can have a great vacation. For those who like to shoot with great focal lengths, the model will provide such an opportunity. Of course, 105 mm is not enough to do photo hunting - it will have to be supplemented with 100-400mm / 4.5-5.6L telephoto optics.
With a weight of 670 g, the lens is much lighter than the model 28-70mm / 2.8, the mass of which is 950 g. True, this does not make it light or compact.
The maximum aperture of f / 4 is not the limit of desires, but at least it is constant over the entire range of focal lengths and is a whole division better than most zoom lenses in their upper limit. To shoot indoors in low light conditions, high ISO settings will be required. But on the other hand, another advantage of the Canon EF 24-105mm / 4L is the integrated image stabilization system, which allows you to increase the shutter speed by 3 times. So if the photographer received sharp photos without IS at 105 mm in 1/125 s, now he can take pictures in 1/15 s. That's why the lens is well suited for indoor shooting, especially in the daytime, although the IS cannot prevent blurry images of moving objects, only a shorter shutter speed can handle this. F / 2.8 optics EF 24-70, which does not have a stabilizer, or an incomplete 17-55, are more suitable for capturing images in low light conditions. Of course, a flash can always come to the rescue, but it destroys the atmosphere of natural light.
When the lens (along with the 70-300 IS) first appeared in 2005, the first samples under certain conditions suffered from glare. The design was quickly fixed, and since 2006, lenses began to be produced without this drawback.
Optics consists of 18 elements, including one Super UD and three aspherical, which allowed to increase image quality and minimize aberration, even when the aperture is wide open.
This lens for the Canon camera is completely tight, which means there are gaskets under the focus switch and zoom rings, as well as on the mount. Moreover, the latter is fully effective only when the optics are used with a sealed camera. These are mainly EOS 1 series devices. Canon recommends using a 77mm UV filter if the lens is used in the rain for added protection.
Design Features
The lens is perfectly balanced with 40D or 5D cameras. It is not lightweight, but quite compact, and it is convenient to hold in your hand. The only thing that confuses users a bit is that the zoom ring is located at the back, and the focus ring is located at the front. Other professional lenses for Canon with USM motors (for example, 20-35, 28-135 IS, 17-85 IS) differ in that they have the opposite position. You can quickly get used to it, but, according to users, they often get confused and change focus when they want to change the zoom.
The design is very durable, although it uses plastic more widely than in other all-metal lenses of the L series. Scaling and focusing are performed smoothly and without jerking, as with the entire model range of the line. Black color, of course, makes the device a little more “secretive” than white Canon EF 70-200mm / 4L lenses.
The lens hood that comes with the kit costs $ 60 if you buy it separately. It is quite small, but since the lens zooms to 24 mm, it is simply necessary. It has a petal shape, which provides the maximum possible coverage, but nevertheless it is not very effective when the optics are stretched to 105 mm. This is a problem for all zooms. One of the advantages of a shallow lens hood is that you can reach it and rotate the lens polarizer. Designed for use in a full-format camera. The lens hood also works great on other digital SLR cameras, although not as efficiently even in the 24mm position, so a smaller viewing angle requires a deeper lens hood to get rid of vignetting.
The 77mm filter will fit some other lenses, such as the EF 300mm / 4L, 20-35mm / 3.5-4.5, 400mm / 5.6L, 17-40mm / 4L, 16-35mm / 2.8L, EF-S 10-22mm et al. Note that an EF 16-35mm / 2.8L II requires a 82mm filter. Perhaps this is the only Canon lens that needs a larger size. Using a lowering adapter, 77 mm filters can also be used on smaller optics. True, in this case it is no longer possible to install a hood.
According to user reviews, the available set of focal lengths is best used on a full-frame camera. The APS-C body turns a normal lens into a telephoto zoom, since from 24 mm on the APS-C they give the same angle of view as 35 mm in full frame format. But the Canon EF 24-105mm / f 4L IS USM combines very well with 10-22mm / 3.5-4.5 on 40D type SLRs. If there are both lenses, no one will regret the absence of 23 mm, having the equivalent of 16-168 mm in terms of a full-format camera.
Performance
Mostly what is said here applies to full-size matrices (such as the EOS 5D), but the Canon 24-105 f / 4L lens can be used by others in the manufacturer's digital SLR cameras, including the EOS 20D, 30D, 40D and the Digital Rebel series. Since cameras with an APS-C sensor actually crop a full-frame image, their performance regarding things like distortion, vignetting, edge sharpness and chromatic aberration will be even better than full-format ones. This is because the APS-C simply captures the middle ground in the center of the frame, where most aberrations are lower than at the edges. The price for this is the loss of a certain angle of view and the need to increase the cropped image 1.6 times in order to obtain an equivalent image size. This reduces overall quality like printing with small negatives compared to large ones.
Distortions
Distortions range from moderate barrel-shaped distortion of 24 mm to very small changes in the range of 50 mm and soft cushion-like distortion of 105 mm. The distortion will probably not be very noticeable in most ordinary shots, but if the subject is architecture with a large number of vertical and horizontal lines at the edges of the frame, this can be a problem. Of course, the distortion can be corrected - Canon’s own DPP RAW converter is able to automatically apply corrections to RAW images obtained using 24-105 / 4L. When shooting slides or negatives for ordinary optical printing (which is very unlikely, but possible), you should probably choose a lens with minimal distortion. For all other cases, scale distortion is a fact of life and can be corrected with a slight or imperceptible effect on image quality.
Vignetting
As you would expect, vignetting becomes noticeable in full-size shots using a wide-open aperture. At 24 mm at the maximum aperture, you can notice dark angles, especially in the photo with a uniform tone (for example, blue sky). Vignetting at 50 and 105 mm is not as strong as at 24 mm, but it is. Again, it will become noticeable when shooting scenes with uniform angles. Setting to f / 5.6 greatly reduces vignetting power. Since the APS-C matrix cuts out the image from the center of the full frame, this effect is invisible on such SLR cameras, even with a maximum aperture of 24 mm. Some owners of APS-C, who have already used full-format lenses and switched to the corresponding cameras, may expect a surprise when they see that most (if not all) of their optics began to show vignetting.
After automatic correction of the image, the clarification of the corners becomes noticeable. This feature can also correct distortion and chromatic aberration at the same time. Users note that when printing large shots, all standard paper sizes crop corners, since no standard matches the 2: 3 aspect ratio. Therefore, dark areas of the photo will be cropped anyway.
Bokeh
Bokeh, or the quality of a defocused image, is more than worthy for f / 4 optics, especially at longer focal lengths. Defocused edges are slightly overloaded and sharp, but this is normal for such optics.
The degree of blur depends strongly on the ratio of the distances from the camera to the subject and from the subject to the background. As long as it is closer to the camera than the background, the bokeh will delight.
Although the lens cannot compete with wider aperture lenses, especially with the EF 85mm / 1.2L, 24-105mm / 4L, 105 mm separates the subject quite well from the background.
Stabilization
Canon claims that enabling image stabilization can increase shutter speed by 3 times. Pictures at 24 mm with a shutter speed of 1/6 s are quite clear and even about 50% of the frames taken at 1/3 s are successful. At a distance of 105 mm, most of the good photographs can be taken at 1/13 s. Of course, the shots are not quite the same as if they were taken from a tripod, but quite clear. These numbers are consistent with Canon's statement of three additional divisions. When shooting with such slow shutter speeds (1/3 s at 24 mm, 1/13 s at 105 mm) it is always a good idea to capture at least two or three frames, this will significantly increase the chances of getting at least one sharp image. It's all about the percentage. The more photos are taken, the higher the chances of making a successful shot.
Sharpness
The Canon 24-105 mm f / 4L lens allows you to get clear pictures at all apertures both in the center of the frame and in the corners, even when using the full-frame EOS 5D sensor. There is only a slight increase in sharpness when closing the aperture to f / 5.6, which indicates how good the optics are at f / 4. It may be less sharp by 105 mm than 24 mm, but nonetheless provides sufficient sharpness at these focal lengths. The fact that the Canon 24-105 / 4L has high definition with a wide aperture is impressive. Since the relative aperture is smaller, the absence of the need to narrow the aperture to get clear shots is a definite plus.
Canon 24-105 lens user reviews, comparing its sharpness with 24 / 2.8 optics, called sharper in the corners, but also with a high level of vignetting and distortion. The sharpness in the center is maintained, and with smaller relative apertures the optics provide good quality, even around the edges.
On APS-C matrices, the result looks even better, since the corners of the full frame are cropped and the sensor sees only the central part of the image, where there are fewer aberrations.
Chromatic aberration
According to owners, chromatic aberrations are within acceptable limits at all focal lengths. A very weak border color is visible at the edges of the full frame, but if you shoot in RAW mode, then automatic correction in DPP allows you to fix this, or you can use a graphics editor such as Photoshop. The distortion levels at 24 mm are comparable to 24 mm / 2.8, although perhaps a little less.
Glare
Users note that glare is well controlled. The Canon 24-105 / 4L lens at the rear has a rectangular aperture, which undoubtedly contributes to their low level. When the model was first introduced in 2005, it had a slight glare problem with 24 mm, but it was quickly eliminated, and since 2006 this defect has not been observed.
EOS Integration
The lens provides information on the distance to the subject, ensuring compatibility with the E-TTL II flash on 1D and 5D. When used with EX Speedlite, it transfers distance data to the exposure calculation program, which greatly improves the result. In addition, while maintaining the dust and water resistance of a professional camera, the lens is equipped with a sealing ring at the point of attachment to the camera, as well as numerous seals of moving components. The shape of the AF and image stabilization switches has been changed in such a way as to avoid accidentally turning them on or off.
Accessories
Optics are sold in a standard modest pouch along with a hood. There is also a Canon 24-105 mm f / 4L lens cap. Although the lens hood is not made of modern plastic with a rough surface that protects it from scratches much better than the shiny plastic used here, according to the owners, it copes with its task of preventing the appearance of glare - unwanted reflections in the photo caused by the sun, which is located in the frame, and haze - loss of contrast and color saturation, also caused by a source of bright light, which is not necessarily present in the picture.
The lens hood is petal-shaped and so small that it gives you access to 77mm filters. Using circular polarizers and gradient filters, which must be rotated before each shot, according to user reviews, is not difficult, since the front element of the device does not rotate when zooming or focusing.
Canon 24-105 Lenses: Feature Overview
According to users, the 24-105 / 4L is one of the best standard general purpose zoom lenses. It is very durable, equipped with an excellent ring-type ultrasonic focusing engine and image stabilizer, which allows 3 times longer exposure time compared to normal conditions. The maximum aperture is constant over the entire range of focal lengths, which, according to the owners, is not very attractive for wide-angle shooting, but very good for 105 mm. Users do not recommend the use of this optics with APS-C cameras for the reason that the effective range of 38-168 mm is not very practical.
The lens is very clear and its resolution is superior to the more expensive 24-70mm / 2.8L. With wide-angle zoom, the real problem is image distortion and the focal plane curvature (the rest of the focal lengths are in order). Closer to the corners, colored stripes appear in the focused parts of the frame, but out of focus this effect is not so noticeable. Round aperture provides good bokeh. As with all wide-angle lenses, a shadow is present at the corners of the frame, but it can be reduced by reducing the aperture or by software (if this is a problem).
Although the lens is neither small nor light, it is much more convenient than the larger and heavier 24-70mm / 2.8L.
Long-standing users who have taken many photos are very pleased with the lens. This is a truly universal optics, and you can take it with you on trips to nature. For professional work, owners recommend using the 24-70 / 2.8L because of its narrower focus range, which has a higher aperture and provides more creative options. According to the owners, the Canon 24-105 lens (price - 999 US dollars) is worth the money, but the buyer himself must decide what suits him best. A variant with f / 2.8 with the size and cost of EF 24-105 / 4L would be ideal, but the manufacturer does not do such optics so far.
Verdict
The Canon EF 24-105mm / f 4L IS USM is a really good lens. According to the owners, on full-format digital SLR cameras, the range of its focal lengths is ideal for general-purpose optics, including its use for shooting landscapes and portraits. The lens allows you to shoot with a wide aperture and produces very clear images, and stabilization 3 times increases the allowable shutter speed. Clear photos are obtained at shutter speeds up to 1/3 s at 24 mm and 1/12 s at 105 mm. Significant vignetting and distortion somewhat reduces the overall impression, especially at 24 mm. This can be easily fixed by digital post-processing, but it is always better when such a need does not arise. If the Canon lens were designed to eliminate vignetting and distortion, it would probably be significantly larger, heavier and more expensive and lose some of the focal lengths. If so, then the compromise found has paid off.
In full-format digital SLR cameras, the focal length of the Canon 24-105 / 4L lens is equivalent to 38-168 mm of a full-frame camera, so the user loses in wide-angle coverage. However, the image quality is very high, since the edges and corners of the frame, where vignetting and aberration are strong, are cropped. If you carry a Canon EF 24-105 lens along with 10-22 / 3.5-4.5, this will provide 10-105 mm coverage.