Strong construction. F2.8. Bokeh. IQ. Sharpness

Some focus inconsistency.

I love this lens especially with 5D MkII. Sharp from f2.8 and gets a bit sharper when stopped down. It has great bokeh and IQ is outstanding. I love shooting in a low light with f2.8. Built very well and zoom ring is tight (for now). Heavy but not like EF70-200 f2.8. Actually the weight helps me to hold this lens steadier. One thing bothers me is that focus inconsistency on 24mm side. Sometimes I have to zoom in to 70mm to make sure if it focused right. That's pretty annoying. Over all, though, it's great lens. It's pricey but considering collecting all the L primes lenses of this zoom range. It's well worth it.

Similar Products Used:

Sigma 24-60mm DG. Canon EF 28-135mm IS

focal range, colors, built quality, AF

weight, sharpness

Nice zoom.
The global rendering is what you can expect from a L zoom, the focal range is perfectly adapted for any situation except maybe sport BUT:
-No IS for a 2.8 aperture, that would be a plus for wedding pictures and low light situations
-Not that sharp on full frame. Any prime beats it. Of course they are primes but at this price I would expect a bit more sharpness, especially at 5.6 or 8.
-Heavy as hell; try to carry this long and heavy zoom all day long on a 5D or 1D and you'll break your neck and back, that's the principal reason to resell it.

All in all, if you have pro contracts and a FF camera, then you MUST have it because of colors rendering and focal range but if you are just someone that like to shoot and take your time to do it, then forget it and take a few good primes.

Excellent Lens!

The 28-70 I mostly use it for real estate photography on a 5D. I also use it for aerial pictures although it is a bit heavy for it.

For interior shots it is not the best, I use my 17-40.

Image quality is also good. It is a little bit bulky though.

I mainly use it for real estate photography and wedding photography. www.usafromabove.com If you want to see samples.

Look for the interior pictures.

I would recommend it.

Fast focusing with crisp pictures
Great for Street photography
Nice chunky build
Wide angle at 24mm
May replace that 50mm prime (or you will definitely not bother with the 50mm f1.2 L)

None

This is becoming my lens of choice. The absence of image stabilisation was at first a concern but at f2.8, you won't need it. Quite, fast, excellent to work with and the 24mm wide angle is surprisingly wide.

Customer Service

Not needed

Similar Products Used:

EF 70-200 f2.8 IS USM L
EF 50mm f1.4
Sigma 20mm

VERY FAST!
Quiet
Sharp crisp pictures
Has over twenty lens accessories
wide angle
perfect lens for the pro!

If there is, I haven't found any!

Only one of the best lenses I've ever used! Just another example of why Canon is the best line of photographic equiptment on the market. This lens is very fast and of course with the Ultrasonic Motor, very quiet also. The pictures are always VERY sharp and the saturations are perfect! Alot of improvement over the 28-70L series lens. A little wider of an angle for the DSLR's with a 1.6x magnification and this lens is sealed better against dust.

Customer Service

Never used it. I heard it excellent though

Similar Products Used:

28-70 2.8 L
28-135 IS
70-200mm 2.8 L
180mm 3.5 L macro

Incredible image qulity with the right camera body such as the EOS 5D. Colours are vivid and dynamic but also accurate and the detail and resolution are fantastic.
Focus is silent and fast and very accurate with a good body.

Some would say heavy and it is expensive but with this you do pay for what you get!

Probably the best quality standard zoom lens in the world. My experience having used various alternatives, including the canon 24-105L and 17-55, is that the resolution is superior in comparison and is particularly useful with a camera such as the EOS 5D which makes use of its additional autofocus sensors with a f2.8 lens.

I have kept the 24-105L also but the results from this is consistent and I would say almost always exceptional for my needs. The colours are fantastic and even cropped images display incredible detail on par with most prime lenses. It is slightly heavier than others but thats not surprising considering its constant f2.8 aperture and in reality is not much different say to the 24-105L in daily use.

Similar Products Used:

Canon 24-1-5L f4 IS zoom
Canon 17-55 f2.8 zoom

Large Aperture (Useable).
Sharpness.
Tone.
Contrast.
Weather Sealed.
Build Quality.
Good distortion control (Tele end).
Excellent Lens Hood.
Excellent control of Lens Flare.

Is a heavy weight!
No Image Stabalisation.
Expensive.
Bulky with or without hood fitted.

Canon's classic 24-70mm f/2.8 L was until recently without peer as a standard zoom. It's solid, weather proof and so sharp you can hurt yourself. You now have the choice of this or the 24-105mm f/4 L IS. Having tried both I'd still go for this every time unless I was a travel photographer perhaps.

This is a definate top choice for portraiture, weddings (especially with flash use). It's also a great walkaround lens for day to day use. It's a bit conspicuous for street photography though I have got away with it from time to time.

The photographs from this lens are superbly sharp and have a great contrast and tone with very little post process required. The lens resolves excellent fine detail and controls light well with flare being very rare and CA being negligable.

My only (minor) gripe is slight distortion at 24mm end whch to be honest I'd expect to some degree with any wide angle lens.

If I had one zoom lens in my bag then this would be the one.

Customer Service

Never had to use in last Six years

Similar Products Used:

Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 EX DG
Canon 24-105mm f/4 L IS
Nikon 28-70mm DX?

Sharpness
Contrast
AF speed
Balance with the 5D
Lens hood in cost
Zoom length for landscapes
Ideal walkabout lens with the 5D

Cost of filters 77mm diameter.

This lens is sharp quick to use in both manual and AF mode and has become my standard lens on the new 5D I bought at the same time.

I use this lens for walking about and for landscape photography. The images are always pin sharp from 24-70mm range and the contrast is excellent. Complements the sensor on the 5D brilliantly.

Weight is not an issue for me and the balance with the 5D is perfect.

Hand held shots only so far and used it in light that surprised me, I thought I would have needed a tripod.

Customer Service

Jessops Exceptional as usual

"L" Glass
Contrast
Saturation
Fast Focus
Sharp
f/2.8
Build Quality
Hood included
Black finish
70mm nice on x1.6 crop
Case included
High resale value

Expensive
Weight
Size
24mm not very wide on x1.6 crop
Costly 77mm filter size

This is a high quality lens and it shows in build, samples, and other user opinion.

I've used the lens so far at a formal birthday and at Disney's California Adventure.

As an event lens, in a typical hotel banquet hall with loads of tungsten lighting, the lens was too slow for low light photography at f2.8. For no flash shots, I used 800ISO which had a lot of noticeable noise on the Canon 30D. My shutter would wander between 1/20 and 1/40 @ f/2.8. With my 580EX on, the shots came out fine.

http://gallery.photographyreview.com/data/photography//500/Bravo042107_0006_h500.JPG

The lens did well in the outdoors or course.

http://gallery.photographyreview.com/data/photography//500/IMG_0067_h500.JPG

As a walk around lens, you have to be mindful of those around you. The lens hood makes the lens pretty long and may hit people passing you. I bought a neoprene neck strap by to help with the weight. I believe it works.

So as an event lens in low light situations, use your flash always. As a walk around lens, size and weight maybe an issue to some.

You'll read this everywhere but the lens is fast, sharp, and has great contrast and saturation. I tell people it makes things better looking that actually seeing it in person.

Customer Service

n/a

Similar Products Used:

Canon 70-200 L f/2.8

Fast, Sharp, Weatherproof, Comfortable weight

none that i can think of

Just a follow-up on my last review, which was actually written before I owned this lens. I finally bought it toward the end of this past summer, and I have used it almost every day since. The first thing you notice about this lens is how it feels. It really has a presence that no other lens does. On my 20D it felt unbalanced and bulky, but on my new 1D Mark II N (see my review) it feels right at home. It is HEAVY. Heavier than you would expect for a 24-70mm lens. At 2.1 pounds, it is 1.4 pounds ligher than the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM, but it feels almost as weighty. This is NOT a bad thing, at least for me. I personally really like the weight; it feels comfortable and adds stability when hand-holding my camera, especially when shooting indoor basketball, or other low-light situations. Performace is as you would expect from any high-end Canon lens. This thing provides super-sharp images, and of course proves itself when it comes to durability. I love this lens!

Customer Service

canon's customer service rocks!

Similar Products Used:

Canon 70-200mm f/.2.8L IS USM, Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L USM