advices wanted - on lens EF24-105mm

[yoshi]

Hi, I am a Canon dSLR user and planning to buy a lens EF24-105mm F4L USM, using a cash back campaign which ends on the coming Jan.10th.
I would welcome comments/advices about this lens. And also whether you think it is a good addition to me in view of my other lenses often used.

This would be my first IS lens. Being a landscaper, I took it for granted to use a tripod for shooting landscapes with a SLR for long time.
But that shooting style has been changing these days.

So far the lenses I always carry in my bag are;

a. EF-S10-22mm F3.5-4.5
b. EF35-350mm F3.5-5.6L (yes, an old lens, no more in production)

in order to fill in the gap between 22 and 35mm of the above lenses, I also carry;

c. EF17-40mm F4L

and
d. tele converter x2 (older type, I suppose) - the one I always carry but never used while hiking. Originally I planned to shoot birds but they do not wait until I set up a tripod...

Depending on needs, I also add (mostly for fun, I would say)

e. Tamron SP500mm mirror lens (manual focus)
and/or another brand lens with adapter.

By adding EF24-105, I think I will remove at least 17-40mm from the bag. And further when I want to go light, I think, I just take two, that is, this 24-105mm and the above lens a.(10-22mm).
In this case the range 22-24mm is not covered but maybe I have to accept it.

yoshi

p.s. Until several days ago, I swayed among this 24-105 , the new EF70-300mm F4-5.6L IS USM and EF70-200 F4L IS USM. Only L lenses are subject to the campaign.
I narrowed down the candidates to one but not fully sure.

p.s.2 I can afford only one.

[yoshi]

Re: advices wanted - on lens EF24-105mm

Forgot to add; the body is APS-C (20D & 7D).

[Ian]

Re: advices wanted - on lens EF24-105mm

Stephen will be able to comment as he has both the 17-40 and 24-105.

Ian

[Stephen]

Re: advices wanted - on lens EF24-105mm

Hi Yoshi, yes I have this lens which replaced a 24-70 f2.8L when I got my 5DMkII. As you may realise on a full frame camera it gives that extra reach, however this is at the expense of the wider aperture on the 24-70 which I really miss. The IS is though a big bonus and I have managed to get very respectable results at 1/8th sec which I simply couldn't do before without a tripod.

I don't think you will be disappointed with the quality of the lens. IMHO it is made to the same standards as the other Canon L series lenses both in construction and sharpness

[yoshi]

Re: advices wanted - on lens EF24-105mm

Many thanks Stephen for the advice.
After thinking about once more as to which to choose between this one and 70-200/ f1:4, I made up my mind.

I have been trying to place an order for this lens for a few hours now on i-net at several shops. Regrettably Amazon.JP's price is more expensive by around US120 than the least expensive one which I never heard of.
So I chose some other smaller shops in-between including a few which I have used before for other goods.

Now it looks like the inventory at those shops are virtually exhausted. Maybe I have to call them by phone tomorrow and ask them if I can expect a quick delivery so that I'm eligible for the cash back campaign.
I do hope I can.

Thanks again.

yoshi

[devilgas]

Re: advices wanted - on lens EF24-105mm

bit late to this, but when i need to cover a variety of focal lengths, i use a sig 10-20mm, a canon 18-55 IS 3.5/5.6 and a 70-200 L (either the 2.8 or the 4 if i need to go lightweight)

the gap between 55 and 70 is nothing that can't be sorted by either getting a bit closer or cropping, so missing the 1mm between your 22 and 24 lenses ain't an issue

the 10-20 is on the heavier side. the 70-200 F4 is lightweight for what it is and the 18-55 IS is fat free. the 'surprise' lens is undoubtedly the 18-55. it's cheap as cheap gets, but the results are superior to my 17-40 L (ok, there's a focus problem with the 17-40, but even when it's firing on all cylinders, the 18-55 at the very least matches the 17-40).

the lack of mass with the 18-55 IS means that it's simple enough to include *if* i'm taking a bag and more than 1 lens and is definately worth considering.

[yoshi]

Re: advices wanted - on lens EF24-105mm

Thank you devilgas for your comment. I have never thought of this zoom range till now but it does is interesting. Without the comment, it would not have come to my mind at all. Canon have so many lens offerings so I can not recall everything by myself, especially for newer lenses.

Looks like, when I do want to go lightweight furthermore in future, it might be an interesting choice, although, this time, I happened to have placed an order for the 24-105mm early this morning. Appreciate your comment though.
yoshi

[devilgas]

Re: advices wanted - on lens EF24-105mm

no worries. of all the lenses that canon produce, virtually the 2 cheapest in the range punch way above their weight - the 50mm 1.8 and the 18-55 3.5/5.6 IS. sure, they look and feel cheap, but are hidden gems. the other 'budget' lens (budget in the sense of what you get for your money and if the 2.8 L is out of reach) that i'd recommend is the 70-200 F4 L