Canon 24-105mm f4 L

The 24-105mm f4 L comes as part of many of Canon's DSLR kits. A second version of the lens has been released so the specifics of this review will be based on the first version but the qualities of this particular range will apply to both. I got this lens with my purchase of the Canon 6D making it half the price compared to if I had bought it separately. The quality of this lens and the flexibility it has afforded me has been well worth its price tag in this configuration.

Where this lens excels most is in its range. I almost exclusively used this lens on a ten day trip to Nepal because it could be used for wide shots, street shots, and portraits. At 24mm, the angle of view is plenty wide on a full frame camera. It also encompasses both the 35mm and 50mm focal lengths making the lens good for general purpose shooting as well. Having the range extend into 70mm and 105mm is a bonus, giving you the ability to create interesting portraits or getting in close when you can't physically move closer. You can pretty much throw this lens on and shoot whatever you want. It does have some drawbacks however.

Optically the lens is not the sharpest I have seen. I would say as far as L lenses go it is in the lower optical quality group if there is one. It still produces decent results when shot wide open and stopped down, despite its lesser quality. If you are looking into buying a lens for sharpness, I hear the 24-70 f4 is slightly sharper but a little more expensive. (The Mk II of this lens may be sharper as well.) The lens has a fair amount of distortion and aberrations but none so bad they can't be taken out by stopping down or using editing software but they are apparent and visible. The longer end of the lens is better for sure both in sharpness and clarity. 

At a max aperture of f4, this lens is a little dark. Which is really a bummer because the lens is so versatile. Day time and golden hour shooting are perfectly fine, but blue hour and indoor shooting can be tricky to get right. Unfortunately a lot of the shooting I've don't at these times results in blurry or grainy images that could probably be resolved with one stop extra. Optical stabilization makes up a bit for the f4 aperture but it can still be a little dark. It also affects the out of focus areas in that it is not incredibly blurry unless you are close up or zoomed in.

Weather sealing and solid construction make this lens a little on the heavy side. The focus and zoom rings both feel good but the zoom can slip when pointed down. It also extends quite a bit at the 105mm end meaning that you need to set it to 24mm when packing it up. The 24-70 2.8 II locks at 24 for this reason. But even so, no complaints as far as construction and durability. 

Overall the lens is a very good option for someone looking for a lens with good range, solid construction, and doesn't mind the the smaller aperture size. I have been incredibly happy with my purchase and it has served its purpose for everything I have used it for. If you have this lens as an option when buying a camera it is well worth the money and comes in at around half the price as it is bought separately. If you are looking into this lens at full price, I would definitely consider some other options but this lens is a good choice regardless. 

If you are using this lens on a crop sensor camera it may not be such a good choice for the wide end. It is plenty wide on a full frame camera but may be too long for general use with a 1.6 crop. A 17-55 or 17-40 may be a better option for you. However, it would still be similar to a 35mm at the 24mm end.

Thanks for reading!