24-70L review

[RobDickinson]

Borrowed one from a friend to try out on a crop body see if I get along with the focal range, wow what a lens , part 1 here:
http://zarphag.com/index.php?option=com_content&am...

[cirks]

Rob,
the ones of the gulls certainly show the quality (not sure some of the others do!). It's a great lens and one I wish I'd find more time to use - unfortunately, most of the shots I'm getting at the moment are with 10-22 or 70-200 or longer! I should set a rule to only have the 24-70 for a day...

[jon-]

I was dead set on the 24-70 for ages until i actually borrowed one then found myself fairly underwhelmed.

Sure it's a great glass, but I found the focal range on a cropped body awkward to use. 24mm wasn't wide enough and 70mm not long enough and like cirks above I found myself switching between a 10-20 and 70-200. If I have the need to shoot between 24 and 70 there's always a 35mm and 50mm prime, plus my legs

[tog]

I've had mine since it first came out. It replaced a 28-70 2.8L that I'd used a lot on film bodies, then found I hardly used with digital - it was really awkward on my old DCS520 with a 1.6 crop, and only little better on it on EOS-1Ds with their 1.3 crop. The 24-70 was a lot more useful, but I still didn't use it that much. The 16-35/70-200 combo was better.

However since going to full-frame EOS-5Ds I find it is hardly off the camera (unless I'm travelling light with just a 35mm f2 as a walkabout lens). It is a cracking zoom - really sharp at all apertures, but for me it would not be useful on a small sensor camera.

[smack]

tog said:

I've had mine since it first came out. It replaced a 28-70 2.8L that I'd used a lot on film bodies, then found I hardly used with digital - it was really awkward on my old DCS520 with a 1.6 crop, and only little better on it on EOS-1Ds with their 1.3 crop. The 24-70 was a lot more useful, but I still didn't use it that much. The 16-35/70-200 combo was better.

However since going to full-frame EOS-5Ds I find it is hardly off the camera (unless I'm travelling light with just a 35mm f2 as a walkabout lens). It is a cracking zoom - really sharp at all apertures, but for me it would not be useful on a small sensor camera.

I second everyting tog said, using a 24-70 for about 6 years. On a 1.6 crop, it isn't wide enough for day to day use.
When used on 1D models with 1.3 crop, it is more useful, and I usually use it in wide open spaces. But when shooting with my 1V film body, it is my most often used lens.
Great lens wide open, and a very usable macro ability.