Dust and moisture resistant and incorporating Canon's very finest standards of precision optics, the EF 24-105mm f4L IS USM is designed for reportage, event, travel, and celebrity photographers looking for a lightweight and maneuverable lens with minimal image quality compromise.
Complementing the
EF 17-40mm f4L USM and
EF 70-200mm f4L USM, the lens completes Canon's f4L-series zoom lens range. These lenses are designed for professional photographers requiring a light zoom lens with a fixed aperture throughout the zoom range. For outstanding camera-shake reduction, Image Stabilizer allows shutter speeds of 3 stops slower than would otherwise be possible, with no perceptible increase in image blur.
The L-series is Canon's flagship professional lens range, designed to include outstanding image performance, ultimate operability, and weather resistance. The EF 24-105mm f4L IS USM offers a lightweight alternative to the renowned
EF 24-70mm f2.8L USM.
Image Stabilizer Image Stabilizer (IS) dramatically reduces image blur caused by camera shake. Gyro sensors detect unwanted vibrations, triggering the corresponding movement of a correcting lens group perpendicular to the optical axis. This alters the light path, returning the image to its correct position on the sensor or film plane.
The 3-stop advantage means that photographers normally shooting a 105mm lens handheld at 1/125 second can obtain a shake free result with a shutter speed as low as 1/15 second, for vastly extended options in low light conditions.
Superb autofocus The ring-type USM motor found in the EF 24-105mm f4L IS USM employs ultra-sonic frequency vibrations to drive autofocus with unrivalled speed and near-silent operation. A powerful CPU and improved AF algorithm contribute to speed performance. Good holding torque stops the lens with precision and accuracy, the instant it arrives at the correct focus point and without overshoot. Photographers can choose manual focus instantly and at any time simply by moving the manual focus ring without first having to switch out of autofocus mode.
Constant f4 aperture from 24 to 105mm The EF 24-105mm f4L IS USM offers the highest possible optical quality with no change in aperture over the full focal range of the lens. This allows photographers to set exposure at the widest aperture and zoom all the way through to 105mm without having to vary the shutter speed. It is the perfect lens for professional photographers looking for a lightweight and extended zoom alternative to its EF 24-70mm f2.8L USM counterpart. The lens employs an almost perfectly circular barrel aperture, helping create attractive, defocused backgrounds.
Image quality To limit lens size and improve image clarity over the total image area, an Ultra-Low Dispersion glass (UD) element is used to eliminate the secondary chromatic aberrations that otherwise reduce sharpness and introduce color fringing. Aspherical lens elements correct spherical aberration for crisp, high-contrast, corner-to-corner quality. By optimizing Super Spectra lens coatings and lens element shaping, Canon's engineers have been effective in suppressing flare and ghosting--more prone to occur with digital cameras due to reflection off the image sensor. By increasing light absorption, coatings reduce reflections off lens element surfaces to deliver crisp, undistorted images with natural color balance.
EOS system integration The EF 24-105mm f4L IS USM includes distance metering information, providing compatibility with the E-TTL II flash system of late-model cameras such as the
EOS-1D Mark II N and
EOS 5D. When used in conjunction with Canon's range of EX Speedlite flash units, the lens passes distance information to the flash algorithm for markedly improved flash exposure metering. To match the weather resistance afforded by EOS-1 professional camera bodies, an O-ring seals the lens against the lens mount and numerous seals around the lens' moving components provide protection against the ingress of dust and moisture.
AF Mode and IS switches have been reshaped, making them less susceptible to being engaged or disengaged accidentally.
The EF 24-105mm f4L IS USM comes with a bayonet mount lens hood EW-83H and soft lens pouch LP1219. In keeping with Canon's Kyosei philosophy of living in harmony with the environment, the lens features only lead-free glass.
I am a hobbyist and this review is for people like me. What I mean by that is that I take pictures for fun and nobody buys my pictures. I mostly shoot landscape, nature, and portraits of family, friends, and relatives. I will refer to 24-70mm as the 70, and the 24-105mm IS as the 105. I first made the mistake of buying the 70, then I returned it with a hefty restocking fee and bought the 105 - I don't have the slightest regret and I could not be happier. I'm taking my time to write this review so that you can spend your hard earned money wisely. Let's analyze the trade-off between the two: * Both lenses have excellent build and image quality. So these are not differentiating factors. * The one and only advantage of the 70 is the one smaller f-stop. For me, this means more blur when I shoot portraits, so this is all good. * The advantage of 105 over the 70 are as follows: - You get an extra 35mm, which is 50% more zoom. I like this. - You get a 3-stop IS. For me, this is a great advantage, because I rarely use tripods and IS saves the day. I would choose the 105 over 70 for the IS alone. - The 105 is 10 ounces lighter and close to half an inch shorter. The last part is the most important part: that additional 10 ounces make a heavy lens TOO HEAVY, and that extra length makes a big lens TOO BIG. Carrying the 70 on my 50D was a pain. I can assure you, the 70 is just too heavy to walk around and take pictures for fun. The keyword here is "fun". The 70 is a pain, the 105 is fun. The 105 is still heavy, but not too heavy. It's still big, but not too big. After having the 70 for a few weeks, I lost all my joy for shooting. It just made me very uncomfortable (and I'm 6-foot 2). When I replaced it with the 105, it did make a difference. I enjoy taking pictures now, once again. Pros might like the 70 because they need it for their professional work. But if you're shooting just for fun, stay away from the 70 and get the 105.
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