Friday 29 May 2015

How do I choose between 24-70 f/4 and 24-105 f/4 Canon lens?


I am getting a new medium range zoom lens for general use and occasional weddings. This new 24-70 f4 was top of my list until I watched this review:



Canon 24-70 f/4 L IS vs Canon 24-105 f/4 L IS - Fight!


The guy, who owns the "L" lens (??? They're both "L" lenses -ed.), complains that 24-105 f4 is a sharper lens and he claimed that there are other people who feel the same, but I couldn't find any other reviews complaining about this lens sharpness.


I don't want the spec of the lens which I already know but is there anyone here who actually owns those lenses and is happy with the quality of 24-70 f/4 over 24-105 f/4? i.e. is it worth paying extra for 24-70 f4 over much cheaper 24-105 f/4?


[Update]


I went with 24-70 f2.8 II and been very happy ever since.



Answer



If you are doing weddings, the extra stop of an f/2.8 lens is almost essential when shooting in churches that don't allow the use of flash. For about the same price as the EF 24-70mm f/4, you can buy a Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 Di VC. The reviews I have seen place it between the original EF 24-70mm f/2.8L and the EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II in terms of sharpness. The Tamron, unlike both of the Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 versions, also has Vibration Compensation (VC) which is equivalent to Image Stabilization (IS) in Canon nomenclature.


The only real advantage of the EF 24-70mm f/4L IS over the EF 24-105mm f/4L IS is the much shorter minimum focal distance that is useful for close photography of smaller objects. It is not a true macro lens, but with a maximum magnification of 0.70X, it is a lot closer than the other 24-70mm lenses and the 24-105mm.


Compared to the EF 24-105mm f/4L IS in terms of sharpness the EF 24-70mm f/4L IS is sharper at 24mm (most notably on the edges), less sharp at 50mm, and only slightly less sharp at 70mm when the aperture is set at f/4 on both lenses.


If you will use it more for the wide angle end, get the EF 24-70mm f/4L IS. If you will use it more on the longer end get the EF 24-105mm f/4L IS. If you are serious about doing weddings, get one of the 24-70mm f/2.8 lenses.



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