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Product details
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Product Description
Manufacturer's Description
This telephoto lens boasts high image quality and carrying ease. With two UD-glass elements and rear focusing to correct aberrations, image delineation is extremely sharp. Background blur is also natural-looking, as was simulated by Canon. The lens comes with a dedicated, detachable hood.
Product Description
The EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM is a high-performance lens. It has been developed as a successor to the EF 28-70mm f/2.8L USM, but with a wider zoom range to meet the needs of photographers using certain digital cameras.Features-High-speed AF.-Optimized lens coatings.-Highly resistant to dust and water droplets.-Min. focusing distance of 0.38m at all focal lengths.-Front of lens does not rotate during focusing.-Manual focus is possible in AF mode.-Only lead-free glass is used.The EF 28-70mm f/2.8L USM has proven very popular with professional and advanced amateur photographers since it was introduced in 1995. However, the increasing use of digital cameras, most having sensors smaller than a 35mm film frame, has increased the demand for a high-performance standard zoom lens with a wider wide-angle setting. The EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens meets this need. The optical design is based on the previous lens, but incorporates new design features that allow the broader focal length range while maintaining the superb image quality. At the same time, the minimum focusing distance has been reduced from 0.5 metres to 0.38 metres.Improved water and dust resistance ensure that it will become the leading standard zoom lens in the EOS system.FeatureProduct FeaturesTechnical detailsAF actuatorUSM Magnification0.29 Filter size77mm Colour of productBlack Lens systemViewing angle84-34/53-19 30/74-29¶ø Aperture rangef/2.8L Focal length24-70mm Lens structure16/13 Number of diaphragm blades8 Closest focusing distance0.38m Minimum aperture22 Weight & dimensionsWeight950g Length123.5mm Diameter83.2mm FocusingManual focusY Auto focusY
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
This lens does not disappoint. The box does not involve a lot of pomp and ceremony; it simply contains the beast itself (with lens caps), the hood, the lens case (tote bag style), manual, and warranty. The serial number of the lens is engraved on the metal docking ring which connects to the camera, as well as a date code which tells you when and where the lens was manufactured (see The Digital Picture web site for details of how to interpret the code).
The 24-70 is built like a tank, and it is weather sealed. It feels very solid indeed, and weighty too. The weight does put some people off, but I have to say I find that oddly reassuring. I'd be somewhat less than satisfied to spend all that money on a lens that felt light and flimsy. One word of warning though is that for those of you using the Joby Gorillapod SLR Zoom, it does NOT do a good job of supporting this lens! You need to be very careful with that combo, because as good as it is the Gorillapod SLR Zoom can struggle to support this heavy glass.
Because of the ring USM system, focusing is VERY quiet and reasonably fast. It's so quiet you can actually find yourself thinking nothing has happened. Full time manual (FTM) focus is enabled. One odd feature of this lens is that it reverse zooms. Physically speaking it is shortest at the 70mm focal length, and longest at the 24mm end, with the front-most element retreating towards the camera as focal length is increased.
The front does not rotate, for those of you wishing to use polarising or graduated filters (it's a 77mm thread), and the lens hood stays static relative to the main body while the front element moves back and forth inside it. This means that at all zoom levels the lens is using a lens hood of correct depth, instead of the ridiculous "one size fits all" approach that most other zoom lenses are forced to use.
Colour reproduction and detail capture are great. I originally used this with a Canon EOS 40D, and after buying the lens I started shooting in full manual mode - it simply makes that big a difference to your shots that it is a massive confidence boost. I also started using live mode more often, since the super sharp lens made it easier to manual focus accurately with the underwhelming 230Kpixel LCD screen on the back of the 40D. When using live mode and manual, I found that I made more use of the invaluable histogram (RGB mode), which again was basically this amazing lens forcing me to up my game.
I have now upgraded my 40D to a 7D. While it gave good results on the 40D the lens needed a slight AF Micro-adjustment tweak on the 7D to give the sharpest results from auto-focusing. In combination with the 7D's superb viewfinder and hi-resolution LCD the lens gives a bright and easily-focused image which is a joy to work with. The 24-70mm has been off my 7D only once since I bought the body, and that was because I absolutely needed to use a 10mm focal length. The combination is unstoppable!
The bokeh this lens creates is just out of this world when you have stepped up from non-L glass. At f/2.8 it gives a dreamlike and smoothly transitioned blur to objects both in front of and behind the plane of focus. I have yet to take a photo with this lens that has an unacceptable bokeh, and believe me when I say I have tried to take deliberately bad "worst case scenario" shots.
I had seen no obvious vignetting, pin-cushion or barrel distortion problems until I upgraded to the wonderful Adobe Lightroom 3.0, which can automatically correct these on import and thereby makes them stand out. I suspect I didn't notice the effects beforehand because they were just so very minor and only had subtle consequences. This is possibly because I use a body with a 1.6x crop factor (so vignetting for example largely occurs in parts of the image circle that are not captured by the cropped sensor). Another reviewer mentioned chromatic aberration throughout the zoom range but I have not seen this with my own - perhaps he has a bad copy :sadface:
I'd love to test this lens on a full frame body, but I have no such camera. From what I have read, as good as the 24-70mm is on cropped bodies, it really shines when coupled with full frame. The "Pixel Peeper" web site is a great place to visit for extensive libraries of test photos.
Minimum focusing distance is 1.25' (0.38m) and the maximum magnification is 0.29x. Maximum magnification is 0.63 to 0.18x with the Canon Lens Extension Tube EF 12 II and 1.25 to 0.40x with the Canon EF 25II extension tube. The lens is not compatible with the 250D close-up lens but the 77mm 500D version will fit it giving a maximum magnification of 0.40 to 0.13x. Lastly, the lens is not, repeat NOT, compatible with either the 1.4x or 2x Mk II extenders.
In short this lens is fantastic and it hooked me on L-glass. It encouraged me to buy a 70-200mm and the 100mm f/2.8L macro. One final comment - I know other reviewers have mentioned it but I want to reiterate the point: This lens may burn a hole straight through your savings but YOU WILL NOT REGRET BUYING IT.
** Edit 02/01/2010 **
There are a lot of people holding off on buying this lens at the moment, because rumours of a 24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM abound on the internet. Well, those rumours have been around for nearly two years and still... no IS lens. If you are holding off in hope of an IS version replacing this one, just flipping buy it. The IS version will be released at a massively higher price point anyway and if the Mk I versions of the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS can hold their value in the face of being superseded by the best Canon lens ever made, then I am betting that the prices of the 24-70mm Mk I are hardly likely to crash any time soon.
** Edit 07/02/2012 **
So more than two years on, the Mark II lens has now been announced (but without image stabilisation, sadly). Canon RRPs are as predicted much higher than the current cost of this version of the lens: $2299 from Canon USA and 2299 from Canon Germany. Canon's RRP for the original version is £1540, so expect actual launch prices of about £1900-2200 in the UK for the Mark II.
The 24-70 is built like a tank, and it is weather sealed. It feels very solid indeed, and weighty too. The weight does put some people off, but I have to say I find that oddly reassuring. I'd be somewhat less than satisfied to spend all that money on a lens that felt light and flimsy. One word of warning though is that for those of you using the Joby Gorillapod SLR Zoom, it does NOT do a good job of supporting this lens! You need to be very careful with that combo, because as good as it is the Gorillapod SLR Zoom can struggle to support this heavy glass.
Because of the ring USM system, focusing is VERY quiet and reasonably fast. It's so quiet you can actually find yourself thinking nothing has happened. Full time manual (FTM) focus is enabled. One odd feature of this lens is that it reverse zooms. Physically speaking it is shortest at the 70mm focal length, and longest at the 24mm end, with the front-most element retreating towards the camera as focal length is increased.
The front does not rotate, for those of you wishing to use polarising or graduated filters (it's a 77mm thread), and the lens hood stays static relative to the main body while the front element moves back and forth inside it. This means that at all zoom levels the lens is using a lens hood of correct depth, instead of the ridiculous "one size fits all" approach that most other zoom lenses are forced to use.
Colour reproduction and detail capture are great. I originally used this with a Canon EOS 40D, and after buying the lens I started shooting in full manual mode - it simply makes that big a difference to your shots that it is a massive confidence boost. I also started using live mode more often, since the super sharp lens made it easier to manual focus accurately with the underwhelming 230Kpixel LCD screen on the back of the 40D. When using live mode and manual, I found that I made more use of the invaluable histogram (RGB mode), which again was basically this amazing lens forcing me to up my game.
I have now upgraded my 40D to a 7D. While it gave good results on the 40D the lens needed a slight AF Micro-adjustment tweak on the 7D to give the sharpest results from auto-focusing. In combination with the 7D's superb viewfinder and hi-resolution LCD the lens gives a bright and easily-focused image which is a joy to work with. The 24-70mm has been off my 7D only once since I bought the body, and that was because I absolutely needed to use a 10mm focal length. The combination is unstoppable!
The bokeh this lens creates is just out of this world when you have stepped up from non-L glass. At f/2.8 it gives a dreamlike and smoothly transitioned blur to objects both in front of and behind the plane of focus. I have yet to take a photo with this lens that has an unacceptable bokeh, and believe me when I say I have tried to take deliberately bad "worst case scenario" shots.
I had seen no obvious vignetting, pin-cushion or barrel distortion problems until I upgraded to the wonderful Adobe Lightroom 3.0, which can automatically correct these on import and thereby makes them stand out. I suspect I didn't notice the effects beforehand because they were just so very minor and only had subtle consequences. This is possibly because I use a body with a 1.6x crop factor (so vignetting for example largely occurs in parts of the image circle that are not captured by the cropped sensor). Another reviewer mentioned chromatic aberration throughout the zoom range but I have not seen this with my own - perhaps he has a bad copy :sadface:
I'd love to test this lens on a full frame body, but I have no such camera. From what I have read, as good as the 24-70mm is on cropped bodies, it really shines when coupled with full frame. The "Pixel Peeper" web site is a great place to visit for extensive libraries of test photos.
Minimum focusing distance is 1.25' (0.38m) and the maximum magnification is 0.29x. Maximum magnification is 0.63 to 0.18x with the Canon Lens Extension Tube EF 12 II and 1.25 to 0.40x with the Canon EF 25II extension tube. The lens is not compatible with the 250D close-up lens but the 77mm 500D version will fit it giving a maximum magnification of 0.40 to 0.13x. Lastly, the lens is not, repeat NOT, compatible with either the 1.4x or 2x Mk II extenders.
In short this lens is fantastic and it hooked me on L-glass. It encouraged me to buy a 70-200mm and the 100mm f/2.8L macro. One final comment - I know other reviewers have mentioned it but I want to reiterate the point: This lens may burn a hole straight through your savings but YOU WILL NOT REGRET BUYING IT.
** Edit 02/01/2010 **
There are a lot of people holding off on buying this lens at the moment, because rumours of a 24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM abound on the internet. Well, those rumours have been around for nearly two years and still... no IS lens. If you are holding off in hope of an IS version replacing this one, just flipping buy it. The IS version will be released at a massively higher price point anyway and if the Mk I versions of the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS can hold their value in the face of being superseded by the best Canon lens ever made, then I am betting that the prices of the 24-70mm Mk I are hardly likely to crash any time soon.
** Edit 07/02/2012 **
So more than two years on, the Mark II lens has now been announced (but without image stabilisation, sadly). Canon RRPs are as predicted much higher than the current cost of this version of the lens: $2299 from Canon USA and 2299 from Canon Germany. Canon's RRP for the original version is £1540, so expect actual launch prices of about £1900-2200 in the UK for the Mark II.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
This lens almost always sits on my camera. With a 24-70mm range, it covers most needs. It's very sharp and the f2.8 gives you a great depth of field, and of course is very handy in low-light conditions. Some say that the 24-105 is better - but at just f4, I'd rather go with this as I need the extra stop, and certainly haven't had any problems with it.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
330 reviews
638 of 650 people found the following review helpful
A great general-purpose lens
15 Dec 2005
I've owned the 24-70mm for almost a year now. This lens has been a favorite of many since it replaced its well-regarded predecessor, the 28-70mm. It shoots images that are very sharp and have excellent contrast and saturation. It's sharp wide open and only gets better when stopping down. The USM (Ultrasonic Motor) focuses very fast, and full-time manual focusing is allowed. I've thought about buying a 50mm f/1.4, but the results from this lens are so good, I'm having a hard time justifying the purchase. I've been nothing but pleased with the pictures I get from the 24-70mm. The constant f/2.8 aperture is great for shooting indoors and produces a very nice bokeh (background blur) when shooting portraits. This lens is much heavier than comparable consumer-grade zooms, but I don't object to the weight. I actually like the heft and feel of this lens on my 20D. The only feature I wish it had is IS (image stabilization).
The one thing preventing an unqualified recommendation is the recent release of the Canon 24-105mm f/4.0L IS. The latter lens costs about the same and has some noteworthy advantages. It is .7" shorter, .2mm narrower and .6 lbs. lighter. It has 3rd generation IS that gives you a 3-stop shutter speed advantage when shooting handheld. I know from my 70-200mm f/2.8L IS that image stabilization is a very welcome feature when shooting handheld at slow shutter speeds. And, obviously, the 24-105mm adds an extra 35mm of focal length on the long end.
The 24-70mm bests the 24-105mm in one way: It's a faster lens. That translates into the following advantages: At f/4.0, the 24-105mm cannot stop subject motion blur as well in low-light situations where the 24-70mm's f/2.8 can give you a shutter speed that is twice as fast. Note that IS does not have any impact at all on subject motion blur, only on camera shake on your end. If bokeh (background blur) is important to you, the 24-70mm will have a slight advantage over the 24-105mm given its wider aperture. A wider aperture also helps a camera focus a little better in low light.
The first run of the 24-105mm had a flare problem (see Canon's Web site for more info), and the early production models have been recalled. But the problem has now been fixed. You'll have to consider your photography priorities when deciding which of these two excellent lenses best suits your needs. You would be well served by either.
Update 2-12-12: It's been over six years since I wrote this review, and I continue to use and enjoy my 24-70mm, which is now paired with a Canon 7D. Anyone considering buying this lens today, however, should know that Canon announced on 2-7-12 the successor to this lens: The 24-70mm f/2.8L II. Contrary to rumors that had been circulating for years, the mark II version does not add image stabilization. Canon's USA website lists the MSRP for the new lens at $2,299.00.
The one thing preventing an unqualified recommendation is the recent release of the Canon 24-105mm f/4.0L IS. The latter lens costs about the same and has some noteworthy advantages. It is .7" shorter, .2mm narrower and .6 lbs. lighter. It has 3rd generation IS that gives you a 3-stop shutter speed advantage when shooting handheld. I know from my 70-200mm f/2.8L IS that image stabilization is a very welcome feature when shooting handheld at slow shutter speeds. And, obviously, the 24-105mm adds an extra 35mm of focal length on the long end.
The 24-70mm bests the 24-105mm in one way: It's a faster lens. That translates into the following advantages: At f/4.0, the 24-105mm cannot stop subject motion blur as well in low-light situations where the 24-70mm's f/2.8 can give you a shutter speed that is twice as fast. Note that IS does not have any impact at all on subject motion blur, only on camera shake on your end. If bokeh (background blur) is important to you, the 24-70mm will have a slight advantage over the 24-105mm given its wider aperture. A wider aperture also helps a camera focus a little better in low light.
The first run of the 24-105mm had a flare problem (see Canon's Web site for more info), and the early production models have been recalled. But the problem has now been fixed. You'll have to consider your photography priorities when deciding which of these two excellent lenses best suits your needs. You would be well served by either.
Update 2-12-12: It's been over six years since I wrote this review, and I continue to use and enjoy my 24-70mm, which is now paired with a Canon 7D. Anyone considering buying this lens today, however, should know that Canon announced on 2-7-12 the successor to this lens: The 24-70mm f/2.8L II. Contrary to rumors that had been circulating for years, the mark II version does not add image stabilization. Canon's USA website lists the MSRP for the new lens at $2,299.00.
333 of 340 people found the following review helpful
You will not be sorry you bought this!
11 Feb 2006
In April of 2005 I bought the Canon 20D with the 18-55 kit lens, my first SLR camera. After getting used to properly taking pictures with the camera I bought the 24-70 as a lens upgrade - and what an upgrade it is. All the positive stuff you read about this lens is true ... the color, the contrast, the sharpness, it's unbelievable how well this lens performs compared to a consumer grade lens.
A lot of reviews complain that the 24-70 is too heavy, and it is heavy for a lens, but it's not "too" heavy to carry around all day. I also regularly use my Canon 70-200 f/2.8 IS - that's a lens that is maybe too heavy for regular use but it's also A LOT bigger than the 24-70.
A note about debates you'll find everywhere comparing the 24-70 to the new Canon 24-105 f/4 ... These lenses are not built to be an either-or, they are different lenses targeted at different uses. The main complaint I found online about the 24-70 is that it lacks Image Stabilization, a complaint I eventually dismissed as irrelevant. I've taken thousands of photographs with this lens and not once did I miss a shot because the lens didn't have IS. Simply put, this lens isn't long enough to require IS.
If you're new to SLR photography be careful when reading product reviews, especially those in discussion forums. Just like any other hobby (like computers), people who are in to photography have very strong opinions and tend to have to have the latest and greatest thing that just came out. If you're thinking of purchasing a lens this expensive and are unsure if you should get one or the other, try renting one for a few days.
Another reviewer on this page commented on using this lens with the built-in flash on a 10D. If you're buying an $1,100 lens you should know that Canon didn't design it specifically so you could use it with the built-in flash. They probably assumed that if you could spend a grand plus on a lens that you could also step-up and buy a real flash. This reviewer gave the lens a 3/5 rating because his camera body didn't have the right flash, something that has nothing to do with the lens at all.
A lot of reviews complain that the 24-70 is too heavy, and it is heavy for a lens, but it's not "too" heavy to carry around all day. I also regularly use my Canon 70-200 f/2.8 IS - that's a lens that is maybe too heavy for regular use but it's also A LOT bigger than the 24-70.
A note about debates you'll find everywhere comparing the 24-70 to the new Canon 24-105 f/4 ... These lenses are not built to be an either-or, they are different lenses targeted at different uses. The main complaint I found online about the 24-70 is that it lacks Image Stabilization, a complaint I eventually dismissed as irrelevant. I've taken thousands of photographs with this lens and not once did I miss a shot because the lens didn't have IS. Simply put, this lens isn't long enough to require IS.
If you're new to SLR photography be careful when reading product reviews, especially those in discussion forums. Just like any other hobby (like computers), people who are in to photography have very strong opinions and tend to have to have the latest and greatest thing that just came out. If you're thinking of purchasing a lens this expensive and are unsure if you should get one or the other, try renting one for a few days.
Another reviewer on this page commented on using this lens with the built-in flash on a 10D. If you're buying an $1,100 lens you should know that Canon didn't design it specifically so you could use it with the built-in flash. They probably assumed that if you could spend a grand plus on a lens that you could also step-up and buy a real flash. This reviewer gave the lens a 3/5 rating because his camera body didn't have the right flash, something that has nothing to do with the lens at all.
370 of 379 people found the following review helpful
Best available all-around Canon lens
27 Aug 2004
Amazon Verified Purchase
Simply put, this is the best all-around lens that Canon manufactures. It produces razor-sharp images with startling color and saturation, and at f/2.8 across the zoom range is capable of shooting in all but the dimmest of lighting conditions. The "L" glass (Canon's professional line of lenses) is simply the best out there, bar none, from any manufacturer. It's pricey, but well worth it.
I use this lens for portrait and wedding photography, landscapes, sports, and anything else that doesn't require extreme telephoto. In concert with my EF 70-200mm f/4 L USM lens, I find that these two lenses cover just about everything I ever want to shoot. Of the two lenses, if I could pick only one, it would be the 24-70mm, because it's so versatile and can shoot so many situations (the 70-200mm is also a marvelous, invaluable lens, but at 70mm is limited in wide-angle situations).
I can't recommend this lens highly enough. If you can afford the entry fee, you'll have no hint of buyer's remorse once you see the spectacular images this lens produces.
I use this lens for portrait and wedding photography, landscapes, sports, and anything else that doesn't require extreme telephoto. In concert with my EF 70-200mm f/4 L USM lens, I find that these two lenses cover just about everything I ever want to shoot. Of the two lenses, if I could pick only one, it would be the 24-70mm, because it's so versatile and can shoot so many situations (the 70-200mm is also a marvelous, invaluable lens, but at 70mm is limited in wide-angle situations).
I can't recommend this lens highly enough. If you can afford the entry fee, you'll have no hint of buyer's remorse once you see the spectacular images this lens produces.
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