I use this lens mainly for weddings and portraits. People think that the results look professional.The 5D demands good glass and this lens provides it.

This is my second L series lens (my other one is the 70-200 4L IS). I use both lenses on an XTi. I love both of them, even though they are big investments. I keep the 24-70 mounted on my XTi most of the time. When I need the extra reach, I mount the 70-200 (and sometimes I use the 1.4 extender with it, successfully!). Some may think the L series lens is overkill for the XTi, but in my experience with this combination I am convinced it is a very good combination. Some of those people may truly know what they are talking about, but the L series lens does produced excellent quality exposures on the XTi. The XTi APS-C 1.6 form factor is great on the long end but of course limiting on the wide end, which can affect the desired exposure. But this is true for any lens used with the APS-C size CMOS sensor. It's easy to deal with that! There are some very good lenses specifically designed for that sensor, but they are not L series lenses, even though at least one of them (EFS 17-55 2.8 IS) produces L series sharpness, they do not have the build quality of the L series lens. The XTi works very well with the L series lens, producing excellent quality photos that are very sharp. Yes, I could get by nicely with the 70-300 and the 28-128 or similar lenses, but the build quality of the L series lens and the exceedingly high quality output of the L series lens is worth the extra investment for me (big investment!). I say, if you have the money then go for the L series lens, even to use with the XTi. The XTi is a very good camera and works well with these lenses. Yes, canon makes higher quality DSLR cameras that work even better with the L series lens. But, the XTi is a great camera that works very well with the L series lens. When I mounted the 24-70 2.8 L lens on my XTi and began snapping pictures I was amazed at the high quality of exposures. I am completely impressed with this lens. The 24-70 L lens really surprized me for two reasons: large size and heavy weight, and quality of pictures (maybe that's three reasons?). Yes, it is a heavy and big lens, but when I got used to that I found it is not overwhelmingly big or heavy! And the exposures are simply the best I have ever taken or seen, even hand held without IS! I was astonished at the pictures from this lens mounted on my XTi, even the ones I half-heartily took. I highly recommend this lens. It is excellent!

Extremely fast and quiet focus that is spot on target. This lens is a little heavy, but you can feel the quality every time you turn the zoom ring. Usually, you have to wait until you see the final pictures to judge a lens, and this one gives you great pictures. But, what's amazing is that I can tell a huge difference on this lens, just looking through my camera. Even my friends, pro or amatuer, all say WOW! when they look through my camera for the first time with this lens on it!

I love shooting with it wide open, while trusting the accurate auto-focus. I've been looking for this lens' "sweet spot", but haven't found it yet, because ALL the pictures look great, regardless of the focal length or aperature that I choose.

I'm an amateur photographer with limited skills. I bought this lens to use to shoot waterfalls and other landscapes. I'm very pleased with it.

Yes this lens is expensive (more than my XTi camera body) but look at what you're getting. An incredibly fast lense capable of shooting in low light conditions without flash. The photos you'll take with this lens are as sharp as reality itself. You'll be especially impressed with the macro capabilities, you can get really close and capture incredible fine details that you might not even notice with your naked eye. The lense is a little heavy but it feels great in the hand and the heft lends to your confidence and steadiness while shooting. I call my lense "The bomb" because it takes photos that are an explosion of color, detail and beauty. My recommendation is to spend the money even if you are a simple photo hobbiest like me. You'll be taking pictures that will be noticed by yourself and others as the best.

Stop squirming and wiggling. Buy it! Deal with whatever pain you have to at home. Nothing short of divorce should stop you, and if it does cost you a separation, then the resulting pain will make an artist of you.

My favorite along with the 10-22. These lenses collect light an a very mysterious and esoteric way. It makes you a better photographer knowing that you have to live up to a lens that will not hose your shot. No more excuses.

Read the other posts for the tech stuff, this is a sweet lens.

I have had my 24-70 lens for some time now and every time I shoot with this lens I am amazed. The pictures come out so clear and sharp. Like a number of other Canon L lenses, when you put thie lens on your camera, people know you mean business.

The lens has a little weight to it but feels good in my hands. This combined with my 20d camera makes an awesome combination that takes marvelous pictures.

Highly recommend for the professional shooter that does not want to compromise on image quality. This lens and the Canon 70-200 2.8 IS are IMO two of the best lenses Canon makes..

After a long time of talking myself out of dropping the large amount for an L series lens, I finally decided to bite the bullet and pick up the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens. I am very impressed with the image quality that this lens constantly produces and am rather disapointed I didn't purchase this years ago.

IT weighs significantly more then my non-profesional lenses, but is not awkward to carry or shoot by any means.

It's true that you get what you pay for, and in this case, you are getting a really nice lens.

I purchased the 24-70 2.8L and was expecting a superb lens for the price. After comparing with my 70-200 4L, the 24-70 performed worse at 70mm f4 than my 70-200 4L. At 35mm, the sharpness was only average, slightly less than my 28-135 at f4. The image does get sharper as I increase to f8 or higher, but the whole purpose of getting this lens is for the f2.8. The color and contrast was outstanding as expected from Canon L series. The lens is also big and heavy, not a lens you want carry around your neck all day. It's not very practical lens for me and copy I got doesn't perform up to optical quality I expect. I won't bother send it back to Canon for calibration. It's going back to the store.

I bought my lens after years of unsatisfying results with dedicated non-Canon lenses.
The main attraction to this was the environmental seal, designed to keep out dust particles. However, after one year of use the lens has several permanent dust particles deep inside (which have to be digitally removed from the photo on a computer), although admittedly unsealed lenses were a lot worse.
The primary problem with this lens is that it doesn't focus accurately at the 24mm setting. You have to zoom in to 70mm, adjust the focus, then zoom back out for the wider angle. This is infuriating if you need to work quickly - which in my case is taking live action news-related or entertainment photos. I wouldn't buy this product again; it's overpriced and produces images that aren't pin-sharp anyway.

She's fast...real fast f/2.8 throughout. Optically outstanding...sharp as a tack. Just a negligible amount of pincushion at the long end and (very) slightly soft corners at large apertures. Other than that, razor sharp. Canon ultrasonic (USM) focusing is very fast and quiet. Build quality is excellent...at 2 lbs. this L lens feels substantial, but it's certainly not too heavy to lug around shooting all day. The only true drawback to this lens is price....that's why they say "it's expensive as 'L'" However, it is my duty to inform you that this lens is absolutely worth the pricetag.

The 24-70mm f 2.8L USM is a superb Lens. Its one that every serious photographer must have in his armoury. In fact together with the 70-200 f 2.8L IS USM, they make a pair of the most useful lenses a Canon Photographer could possibly want in most situations. For one on the move, these 2 lenses will cover most requirements. Yes they are heavy; but when you want quality glass, they will weigh! With time you will easily learn to handle their weight.

I finally took the plunge and invested in my first L lens. Out of the box, it's impressive. Very high quality feel. The images, however, left me with mixed emotions.

The 2.8 is great for low light situations - I found myself shooting without a flash in incredibly dark situations, and the background blur was fantastic. The problem was the images were just not sharp. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't get crisp images. I ended up mounting it on a tripod and shooting with a shutter release, and comparing that to my friends Nikon D80 with the kit lens under the same setup. The Nikon easily outperformed the L lens in terms of sharpness. (I was shooting on a 30D).

I did some research and hear that Canon has been having some quality control issues, it looks like I might have gotten a bad copy.

don't let this stop you from getting the lens, as based on it's other abilities I'm sure that it's 100% fantastic. Just keep your receipt and start testing it soon so you can replace it if necessary.

I will be sending mine in for recalibration. If that doesn't fix it, then I might have to switch to Nikon just out of principal...

I have one of these lenses andf it's either faulty at point of purchase or it's jut not as sharp as it sould be, specially for the price!

This lens is great . Didn't realize what I was missing . The detail on close ups is incredible.
Jim

I will keep this review short and sweet. This is the 1st Canon lens I have purchased for my 30D (my only other lens is a Sigma 70 - 200mm f/2.8). I have used my new 24 - 70 lens quite a bit now, and it has delivered flawlessly. I only wish it wasn't so expensive.

I've been an avid amateur photographer, using Canon equipment for thirty years, but this is the first pro quality lens I've ever bought. I ordered this lens several weeks ago, and it arrived within days, in perfect condition. The first time I took it out to use for street photography, I fell in love with it. It's solidly constructed, versatile in range, and not only doesn't eat light, it seems to create its own. I've gotten shots I otherwise couldn't have tried, in dim light, late dusk, and even at night under streetlights without flash at a 1600 iso setting. I took over 400 shots during a one day street festival and got great results. I won't be using this for wildlife photography and distant applications, but for photojournalism, event, and portrait photography, this is a joy to own, and worth every penny. Highly recommended!

No other words to describe it but amazing. I'm a pro photographer and this is now my prime lens with my 5d

This is one amazing lens the moment i picked it up i noticed it was significantly heaver then my pervious 28-135 lens. The weight and reverse zoom is going to take some getting used to. I noticed that the lens isn't extremely sharp when at 70mm, f/2.8, and in marco. The performance of this lens is great the focus is fast and accurate. The pictures I take with this lens at f/2.8 are much more appealing than with any other aperture or lens. The color reproduction is also extremely good. Over all this is an amazing lens especially if want to do portraits, weddings, or anything in low light.

This has to be one of Canon's greatest lenses. The images are super sharp, contrasty, and the colors are super accurate. The lens has some weight to it and attached to my 40D with a battery grip, it makes for quite a bit to carry around. I am a bigger guy so I prefer the weight. This is the perfect walking around lens. It is not super wide angle on a cropped body but again, this is my walk around lens. I have a wide angle lens for those purposes.
I highly recommend this lens to anyone who wants a great lens that will wow them every time they take it out. I should have bought this lens a long time ago.

When selecting a "starter" lens for my new 40D, this lens looked perfect, and it is! The quality is superb (typical of Canon's "L" series), and the zoom range makes it a perfect all-purpose lens. I couldn't see any point in accepting what Canon (or sellers) thought were "starter lenses" if I was buying a good-quality camera body. I strongly suggest NOT wasting your money on a cheapie lens; this is a great "first" lens! I expect it to remain on my camera 90% of the time. Highly recommended.

After about 22,000 shots with my Canon 20D and several lenses I finally bought this one. I was looking for one walk around lens that could do most things. I suppose you might find a better macro if you are really into macro photography but for flowers and such this is just fine. For everything else it is simply outstanding.
Until you get this lens you are just playing..I didn't think I was but after I got the lens and went to work with it I just could not believe the results, crystal clarity, true vivid colors, no more need for unsharp mask with this lens. Virtually every one of my shots was tack sharp. I don't know how to go into all of the technical terms but this is the lens..I know, I know it is expensive and am I really that far into photography that I need it? Yes..if you own a camera that fits it you will take leaps forward in image quality. Simply all it is advertised to be and more. The only negative is I have yet to get my mind around the lens being at full zoom when retracted. Seems assbackwards but I will get used to it and whatever it takes it is worth it. It is also a little heavy but somehow that is a comfort for me so I like that about it.
If you can't afford or don't think you can go rent one for a day or a week at one of the big camera stores that have the service. I think the results will make your mind up for you. After showing some of my photographer friends the images I shot with it they were literally speechless.

I purchased this lens a couple of months ago after renting an example for a shoot. This is a fantastic lens. It took my digital images up a couple of levels. f2.8 at all focal lenths, razor sharpness, great contrast, excellent fit/finish/quality. I love it, the clients love the results. Highly recommended.

It's very sharp and fast, and AF is also fast and low noise. the only problem is that it's too heavy, feels like a brick on your neck...

I've had this lens for over a year and have been very happy with it. I am not sure what the person is talking about who say's that it is not sharp at 2.8, the parts of the face that I focus on are tack sharp at 2.8, the rest depending on the distance will be soft or blurry. I have quite a few L lens, but this is the one that goes on my 1Ds when photographing events. The camera settings also can influence the sharpness.

I just received this lens today and of course did some controlled comparative shooting against my other Canon L lenses and a 24-60 sigma. My control tests were with and without a flash on a tripod and wireless shutter release.

I find the images very soft on the ends. From 4.0 to 20, photos were acceptable but not stunning. 5.6 seemed to give the sharpest picture which I find strange.

Needless to say, this will be back in the mail tomorrow and just not in the mood to play swap and shop and praying for a descent copy. I can pull any sigma or any other brand off the shelf and get much better results at 1/4 the cost.

I rated this 2 stars for excellent color and contrast, although this deserves 1 star.

$1000 for this junk? C'mon canon, get real.

i just bought this from Amazon US...having real issues with it being very very soft at the wide end. The problem is inconsistant, but more often than not. Seems to be as much an AF issue as an optical issue. i'm told Canon will recalibrate it for me in London, which i'll find out next week. This is a known issue and a real shame it happens. All my other (non-pro) Canon lenses are perfect! i just came back from a trip, looked at my photos and i'm very very disappointed. Not a lot of the photos are useable.

i'm the UK now too, so hopefully Canon will honour it's world wide warranty on lenses.

Caveat emptor.

I just bought a Canon 40D and was looking for a high-quality walk-around zoom lens. I was strongly considering the 17-55mm f/2.8, the 24-105 f/4, and the 24-70L f/2.8. I tried all three lenses and am very happy that I decided on the 24-70L. The 24-70L is very heavy but the build is solid, the sharpess and the bokeh are first rate. Although the f/2.8 is wide, it is still not wide enough for some applications. In these situations, I would use the 50mm f/1.4. The addition of image stabilization would otherwise make this a perfect walk around lens.

Overall:
Pros: Sharp, fast, extremely nice bokeh (great for portraits and for isolating objects), very well-built.
Cons: Odd zoom range on a cropped SLR (not wide enough for some situations), it is quite heavy, lack of image stabilization

Highly Recommended

I have been shooting digital for years, Nikon, and now Canon mainly because of the L glass. I love changing lenses, wide angle, macro, zoom, and trying out different angles and approaches to photos. The problem with this lense is, well, I can't bring myself to change it. Everything it shoots is remarkable- especially with wedding photography. I get my assistant photography to take all of the extreme wide angle shots with the other lenses, because I want to keep this on the whole time in case a shot comes up that I have to get, quickly (super fast focus, even in low light). I can zoom in on the subject and it will be crystal clear, or I can zoom out and fit most everyone in the frame. If you are serious about photography, you have to have this lense.

It's a great lens and I use it 90% of the time when shooting, but it does show some slight purple fringing (chromatic aberration) fairly often in outdoor situations with challenging lighting. It is very slight but I do notice it when editing. It prevents me from giving the lens a perfect rating, but I still recommend the lens overall. If I had it to do over again I would still buy it for sure.

I purchased this lens together with my 1D Mark III about a month ago. I've shot 3 weddings,1 engagement, 1 Official School Athletic Meet, Birthdays etc etc. I have taken more than few thousand pictures the last five weeks with no problems with the Lens or the Camera. I have noticed some of the reviewers complaining the pictures being soft, quality etc. I can assure at the professional level, pictures turn out just fine. This is an awesome lens only in good/experienced hands. If you are an amateur or pro level photgrapher, you will appreciate what this lens can do for you.

Two reasons you should consider this lens:

1) You make money from photography and every last detail or amount of color saturation matters, or
2) Money is no object.

Remember, it is not the lens, but the photographer, that makes great pictures. That being said, a lens of this caliber can squeeze that extra fraction of vivid detail/color out of many shots. However, unless you are making money from photography or just have money to burn, those improvements are costly and fractional.

It is also very heavy and big...not exactly good for the wife to pick up and use to take kiddie pictures.

I own many lenses that csot much less than this lens and I have many shots I would never part with. Don't oversell yourself, unless you can justify it using criteria 1 and 2 above.

4 stars b/c it did not impress me on too many shots, for the money I spent on it. Which reinforces the point that it is the photographer, not the lens, that really matters.

I've heard great things about this lens so I spent the $$$ on it. To my disappointment it wasn't very sharp. I'm not sure if I had a bad lens or what but I would think spending that much money it whould at least be a little sharp. I posted a few orginals on some photography sites and the most comments I got was "its very soft" and "not very sharp". I'm a die hard Canon person but I'll have to say that I'm not very happy with this lens.

awesome pro lens with a great range. gets you that desirable depth of field effect in no time. i can only recommend it.

I am a serious hobby shooter. This was a big expense for me, but well worth it. This is the lens that is on my camera most of the time. I am very pleased with how well it does in very low light and for close-up shots. Better than I would of ever expected. You never realize how important a fast lens is until you try to shoot moving subjects in low light.

Ok here it goes. It is big,havy and in my humble opinion perfect. I broke my bank for this but I got lucky and I have a good copy to play with. All the great reviews from pros and non are true. I have nothing else to say but this " HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY" . This is bar non the best all around lens at this price tag.I own two more of the L class lenses. This is the one I should have bought first. Some of the negative reviews are the result of some "soft" in short defective lenses.They sould have send them back and get other ones. Perhaps from a different vendor.If you have the dollars spend them on the L glass.Camera bodys will become cheeper and better and most of us will upgrade again.But this lens will stay with you for a good long time and will keep its value.Look at the prices for used ones and you will understand . Always buy through Amazon. Play safe and good luck to you.

Ive rented this lens several times and now I finally own one. By far in my opinion its the sharpest lens Canon makes. Its the perfect walk around lens. The contrast and sharpness it creates allows for amazingly detailed photographs. If you have to buy only one lens, make sure this is it!

I purchased this lens to replace the EF 24-104mm f/4"L" IS USM that I had sold. I know there are many people who prefer that lens for its IS, but for my needs, the 2.8 just takes the cake and IMHO the Bokeh is superior. I use it on a crop body XTi (400d) and couldn't me happier. It compliments my Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8"L" IS USM very well. Check out its reviews on"photography-on-the.net" or "fredmiranda.com" and I think your decision will be an easy one!

Amazon advertises the hood as a seperate Item. Just know that the actual lens does come with a hood. Also, the hood in the image is different from the real hood...the image looks like it's the hood for the 24-105 (maybe?)

This is my favorite standard zoom lens that Canon makes. For the longest time, I used the EF 24-105mm f/5 L IS USM lens as my daily "beater" lens and it performed very well, but I wanted something a bit faster. This lens was the answer. It wasn't much more in price than the 24-105 glass, but it much faster.

This lens is tack sharp!

My only gripes about this lens:
- it zooms "backward" compared to any other extending zoom lens I know. At fully contracted, it's zoomed all the way out (70mm). At full extended, it's zoomed all the way in (24mm). Can't figure out why it's opposite.
- the copy I got had a slightly loose focusing ring and i sent it back under warranty and it was fixed. Canon needs to step up their QA a notch.

I use the Canon 40D as my main camera body, keeping my Rebel as my backup camera.
For several years, my main zoom lens has been the Canon EF 28-135 f/3.5-5.6 IS lens.
For family portraits, I typically close up the Canon f/3.5-5.6 IS lens a couple stops to f/6.3 or 7.1.
(A Canon 50 mm f/1.4 is my favorite prime lens.)

My expectations for my first `L' lens, the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Standard Zoom Lens, were so high that my first session indoors making portraits with a flash was a little disappointing.
When I close up this lens a little, to f/3.2, the plane of focus is so narrow that in a group photo, only one person's face is in focus.
Wide open, at f/2.8 or 3.2, using a flash, at ISO 100, shutter speeds of ¼ sec were common. The long shutter time required I use a tripod, and even when using a tripod, the model's movement created blur.

So, if you want the eyes of one model to be in focus, while the person standing next to the model is out of focus, this lens is for you. If you want both the mother, and the baby in arms to be in focus, this is more lens than you need.

This f/2.8L lens does capture more light than the f/3.5-5.6 IS lens, but even with this fast lens wide open, I still need to set the ISO to 400 or 800 to get a hand hold-able fast shutter speed.

I still need a f/6.3 to f/8.0 aperture to have everybody in focus during group shots.
I still need to use an ISO of 400 or faster in low light conditions.

A good sharp lens? Yes! But I wanted this lens to work miracles compared to the Canon EF 28-135 f/3.5-5.6 IS lens, and they didn't happen.

It is amazing what good glass will do for your images. While it won't make ugly people beautiful it definitely will not make them look any worse!

We use this lens all the time and it is fantastic. It does add a bit of weight to your camera but well worth the added detail to your images.

This thing is built like a tank. I was a bit reluctant to make the purchase because of the high price tag but it was worth it. I'm using it with a Rebel XTi and it seemed soft in the beginning but it was just my lack of skill. Haha. Still learning and it's a great lens.

WoW!! That's what comes to mind first.

This lens is everything they talk about, it's fast focusing, nearly inaudible, sharp all the way to the edges on a 1.6x format camera. This thing is heavy duty too, you can tell there is a lot of glass in this lens. Surely the heaviest standard zoom lens I've owned which may or may not be a plus if you are thinking about carrying this in your hands all day, deffinately lighter than a dedicated super zoom but you'll start getting fatigued after a while. I compared this to a canon IS lens and two tamron zoom lenses over the same focal length and the proof is in the detail. This lens absolutely captures more fine detail than the others especially in the shadows, highlights were pretty much a draw.

For me, shooting family photo's and candids this is a great very responsive lens with amazing photo quality, build quality and great color representation. I'd recomend it to anyone willing to fork over the high end $$ for one.

Whenever I shoot with this lens, I feel like I am sacrificing something within the image. I always want to shoot a little bit wider, or with a little bit less DOF, or a little bit sharper or with a little less flare, or a little more telephoto. It's just not wide enough to shoot a really awesome, dramatic, landscape (I have a 17-40 for that) . It's not fast enough to shoot in the dark or create that magical DOF (I have a 35mm f/1.4L and 50mm f/1.2L for that). Nor does it have enough reach to shoot a great portrait (I have a 135mm f/2.0L for that)

It just ends up being the lens I'd use when I don't care to take the best possible photos. In other words, it just sits in my bag.

In a world where differentiation is the difference between success and failure, I can't afford to shoot with this lens.

I am so happy with this lens! I use it for wedding photography and just in general. It is a real workhorse kind of a lens. It is more expensive than some other lenses, but it is well worth the money!

Save your nickels and dimes because this lens is definately worth the dive into your piggy bank. I've been shooting with this lens and the 70-200 f/2.8L IS and I have virtually all the focal length I need. If you are shooting on a body with a 1.6x crop factor it might not hurt to add an ultra wide to your arsenal to round things out. The images from this lens are ultra sharp at all focal lenghts. I have zero complaints.

Although the Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 "L" lens does a good job, it does not compare with the clarity, contrast, or the color saturation that I can get with the Canon 70-200mm IS f/2.8 "L" lens. The Bokeh of the 70mm-200mm is much more pleasing then the 24-70mm Canon lens and that may be due to the different focal lengths. I don't know if I have an execeptional 70-200mm or that I have a 24-70mm that is below normal standards for the lens.

I bought this lens for my Canon DSLR camera about 3 weeks ago, and since then I've been using it for many projects and under different conditions. Let's see all the different aspects of the lens:

1- Build: Really professional and strong build, and that's what you would expect from an L-series lens. Hard plastic construction with rigid rubber on the focusing and zoom rings. It's manufactured to be dust and moisture proof (but I personally didn't test this, and I hope I won't).

2- Mount: The EF mount for Canon systems that comes with this lens is a perfect fit, once mounted on the camera, it will feel like it was built with the camera.

3- Aperture: With a maximum aperture of 2.8 you would be able to shoot in really dim conditions with no blurry results. Also at this aperture one can achieve really great depth of field effects (great in macro and portrait shooting).

4- Focal Lenght: 24-70mm means a good range for all purposes (check out the lens' offical link from Canon to see the MTF charts).

5- Weight: It's a bit heavy, and with a big camera the overall weight would be relatively heavy. But it's not a big deal when you achieve great imaging results.

6- Included Accessories: Deep hood that will prevent any sun flares, front and rear caps, soft leather bag.

7- Overall: Amazing lens for all purposes and under any situation. A great lens for anyone searching for a one-show lens.

I hope this review was useful.
Ahmed Safer.

Assuming that you are a "model based" photographer... and you were only able to afford one L series lens - this should be it.


The 24-70 range is great for shooting people at a comfortable working distance. My primary portrait lens is the 85 1.2L, but prior to going with a prime - this was my primary lens.

It's sturdy. It's really sharp at 5.6 and above. And though it only goes down to 2.8 - the zoom is really enough of a benefit to outweigh a limited specialty use of a wider aperture.

Downside: heavy and expensive.
Upside: great range, good sharpness, excellent color rendition

I strongly recommend this over the 24-105 4.0L IS. I have that one too - and I find that this lens is better for natural light situations - while I find myself using the other one more in studio.

I purchased this lens as a backup to my Canon EF-S 17-55 IS for wedding photography. I will be using it when my daughter is photographing a wedding with me and she will be using the EF-S lens and myself the 24-70mm. I performed some tests back to back and both lens are amazingly sharp at normal distances. Plus it's a good compliment to the other lens because of a slightly different reach. I also found the 24-70 to be better at macro photography as it can blow the subject up larger and seems sharper at very closes ranges. And the 24-70 seemed to have a little better contrast and colors. The 24-70 is much heavier then the EF-S and does not have IS. But it does have a little more reach and is weather sealed.

I was disappointed that my copy of the 24-70 has the same poor grabby zoom feel as the EF-S lens. All my other Canon L zooms have buttery smooth zoom action especially my 17-40 F/4 L. The 24-70 is sharper then the 17-40 F4 L on the long end at 40mm but surprise of surprises the 17-40 is sharper then the 24-70 at 24mm towards the wide end.

Also the long length of this lens blocks the built in flash for 40D and Rebels in bottom part of photos. This should not be a problem for most people in this budget range as the cost of a Canon Speedlite is not that high and completely solves the problem.

Bottom line though is the color, saturation and sharpness of this lens are simply second to none in the Canon wide angle zoom arena.

Pros:

Very sharp
Weather sealed
Great lens hood included
Great colors and contrast
Great USM super fast auto focus

Cons:

Cost
Size
Heavy
Blocks built in flash for 40D and Rebels in bottom part of photos
Zoom action is poor and grabby (my friends copy is much better so this could be just a poor copy plus it is getting a little better with use.)

Lens I currently own:
Canon EF-S 17-55 F/2.8 IS Ultra sharp, great colors, great low light, poor zoom action
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Rebel XTi Kit lens Muddy, slow, pile of junk
Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 L Fantastic colors, sharp zoomed 17 to 24mm, ultra smooth zoom action, light weight
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L Fantastic colors and contrast, sharp zoomed 40 to 70mm, zoom a little stiff at first, heavy!
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Good budget portrait lens, light weight, disposable, sharp from F/2.5
Canon EF 85mm F/1.2 L II The best portrait lens for female and children clients, buttery smooth Bokeh, heavy and expensive it shares sharpness with 135mm
Canon EF 135mm F/2.0 L The best portrait lens for males and tied with Canon 85mm F 1/.2 for sharpest lens I own, buttery smooth Bokeh
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L fantastic colors, sharp for a zoom, very versatile ego boosting and attention getting and heavy!

My next lens purchase I'm saving for right now:
Canon EF 300mm F/2.8 IS L the finest lens ever made by Canon

After using this lens, I have found it to be my favorite. It is versatile and sturdy. Some say it is too heavy and I don't find that to be the case. It does weigh some but not enough to offset me using it.

Met all expectations. Note this is not a image stabilization lens. After 3 weeks it has met my needs however.

Excellent quality as would be expected from a L series lens. Good range however, I wish Canon would make a lens with this quality and speed in a 24-105mm range. Perhaps the technology is not there yet. That being said, you won't be disappointed with the sharpness, contrast and overall high quality produced by this lens.

I've used several copies of 24-70mm 2.8L in the last few years. I bought two copies from Amazon. All of them are sharp, fast and accurate focus. It produces high quality images. I like this lense very much and always the first lense in my camera bag.

If you are a frequent traveler and like to do landscape + street photography then this is a good choice. 24-105mm is also a good option, but I prefer 24.70mm because of 2.8 A factor. It will produce nicer colors, bokeh, ... Also, from 50-70mm, you can also produce excellent and truly portrait photos.

For indoor photography with natural light (wedding, event photos) then this is a must have lense. I don't have to say much but most of wedding photographers will use this lense most often.

This is a fantastic lens that has the ability to make any photograph better. The real beauty of this lens is that, in my experience over the past 18 months, the impact of this lens is directly proportional to the quality of the picture taken. That is to say, its effect on mediocre pictures tends to be marginal, if you really look you'll notice a minor improvement in detail and crispness. Take a great picture, something with a lot of details that demands clarity, and that's when this baby start to shine. The more challenging your subject, the more you likely you are to be impressed with this lens.

Nothing in life this good comes cheap, and the costs of this lens are measured in more than just the typical "L" class price tag. As is typically the case with any of the Canon "L" lenses, it is significantly larger that what one might expect a lens of its power range to be. This was the first "L" lens I ever used. When I took it out of the box I though someone had shipped me a 200mm lens. This is a BIG lens for its class with a substantial girth -- the product pictures do not begin to do it justice. It's also a heavy lens, even taking its size into account. This needs to be kept in mind if you are considering using this for your "normal" lens -- which I do. A final consideration is that when this lens is paired with a camera configured for 1.6X field of view magnification, which most Canon digital SLR's are, the 24MM wide angle really doesn't get very far into the wide-angle range. In these cases the lens functions less like a wide-angle to short-tele zoom, and more like a normal to short tele zoom, with a hint of wide-angle capability thrown in for good measure.

Taking all of this into consideration, it is still a fantastic lens. It is difficult to imagine any photographer, pro or hack, not being pleased with it.

I now own 4 "L" lenses (see below). I can't think of a single downside to this lens. It is fast, quiet, and the 24-70mm is a great range. On my 40D with a crop factor of 1.6 the lens has a 35mm equivalent of 38.4-112mm. A really nice range. The lens is great for portraits but does so much more. Highly recommended.

Canon Digital EOS 40D
Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM
Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM
Canon EF 1.4X II Extender

I use it on my 5D...Nothing more needs to be said if you know about the 5D...right?

Tim
tfarrisphotography.com

Perfect range if you have a 5D and love the short DOF of wide aperatures!

Put it on my EOS 450D as my standard lens. Incredibly sharp, bright colors and dimensions better than theSigma lens I used before. Same techniques being used - my pictures look significantly better!

I bought this after trying the Sigma and have since returned the Canon to get another copy... The lens back focused between 24-50mm but was very sharp out to 70mm. I'm looking to get my next copy locally so that I can swap until I find a sharp version. Maybe the 50D lens focus tweaking will fix this!!

WONDERFULL forget the other macro just because it is red ring. this baby is good enough for forensics.

I have used this lens with my 1D for about 6 months now and I have to say the images are truly outstanding. When I first tried it out in a shop I was amazed at the fast focus and that was using a 30D! Of course I also was amazed at the weight but you have to have that weight with glass of this quality! It is not a lightweight set-up to carry around but its not impossible to deal with. The focus with my 1D is fast and accurate, its apeture is wide enough to shoot in available light, and the images are tack sharp and vivid! It is built like a tank, and I have taken it to the base of Niagara Falls (as wet as that is) with no issue whatsoever. This is about the best all around lens you could have, i think slightly better than the 24-105 due to faster autofocus on the 24-70. When you see the results you can get with this lens, you wont mind lugging it around!!!

This is my favorite Canon lens. It is sharp at both 24 and 70, and its fast F/2.8 aperture makes for excellent shots in low light, and creamy Bokeh.

The zoom is smooth except for a tiny hitch in its linearity at 24MM. I understand this is due to the shape of the cam in the zoom mechanism. The positive is that the lens doesn't "creep" like the 24-105 F/4 IS USM. Also - when you are at 24MM, the lens is fully extended; at 70 it is retracted. This makes for a large lens hood, but it blocks flare effectively.

My only con is its heavy weight, but if you are shooting L glass, weight is secondary to picture quality.

If I could only have one Canon lens, this would be it!

Extremely disappointed with this lens. Poor focus after 15', Images never sharp under any condition. Not at all what you would expect from an L series. Lots of $$$$ poor performance. Working on third copy. Unfortunately did not get chance to evaluate prior to warranty running out.

CAUTION!!!!
PS failed to research product reviews prior to purchase, My Bad, Better luck to all!

When I was looking for a General Purpose glass I contemplated between the 24-105mm F4L & this one. I knew that this lens would weigh much heavier than the 24-105 because of the 2.8 glass which could be a potential concern. I really didn't need the extra focal length as I already have the 70-200 for that. I knew that the 24-105 & 24-70 would run neck & neck as far as sharpness being that they're both L-Lenses. But I did love the speed of the 2.8 on my 70-200IS so I decided on the 24-70.

I have no regrets but damn!.. damn!. damn! What a piece of Glass! And the weight while on any of my Canon bodies, indeed, it's Heavy... But I don't mind after seeing the results. I actually like it being heavy. My, my, my it's 'Oh so sharp! Another bonus feature I love is the Lens Hood which BTW came with the lens & I have it on 100% of the time, stays in a fixed position (it does not extend/retract), the objective lens retracts deeper into the hood as the focal length is increased. The hood is deep & huge! It looks DOMINATING!

All I know is that if I went with the 24-105mm F4L, soon if not later I'll always wonder how the 24-70mm F2.8L would be & probably end up buying one down the road. Hence, ending up with 2 General Purpose glass that have practically similar focal range. Grant it the 24-105 has IS, extra focal length & much lighter(No, thanks). I get nothing less than Tactically Tac-Sharp images! Going with the 24-70mm F2.8L route, I'll never wonder about the 24-105 nor own one for that matter. If you get the 24-105 you'll end up buying this later on I'm sure of it. If you get this first... After using it - Believe me, you'll never want the 24-105. Save & spend your money on the 70-200mm F2.8L IS instead. As partners, these two are a one two punch to have in your Canon Gear!

I bought this lens 3 months ago and I'm loving it. There is still slight back focusing issue in some distances condition, but it's really ignorable. The picture is sharp as knife and L lens reputation does what it suppose to do. Previously I had 18-55mm, 50mm 1.8 and Sigma 18-200mm DC OS, now I sold all of them because this lens deserves every penny I paid. Zoom range is little dissappointing but I heard 3x zoom range is the maximum capability that can bring the best picture quality, which means if the zoom range go more than 3x, the quality degrades.
So for example 18-200mm lens is good for all around purpose which covers 10x zoom from wide angle to super zoom, but the quality isn't great as lens that zooms 3x or less.

So I'm quite happy with this lens so far. And if I point out one that really bothers me about this lens is its weight. Because after I carry this lens with my 40D on my shoulder for hours, I easily get tired. =P
Everything else is wonderful. You will forgive tireness once you see the quality of the pictures you take with this lens. I highly recommend this lens to all canon users. 5 stars!

For some perpective, I use a 5D and other lenses I own and use are: 15mm fisheye, 70-200 2.8 non IS, 17-40, 50 1.4, 85 1.8, 135 f2. I owned for some time the 24-105 f4 IS concurrently with the 24-70. I have recently sold the 24-105. I prefer the 2.8 and to me, it seems to you have to work harder to get good, sharp images from the 24-105. Again, I don't think you can compare the 2, but I hardly used the 24-105 which is why I sold it. IS or no. the f4 is what did it for me. After using both lenses, I have come to the conclusion that my preference is to have 2.8 without IS than f4 with IS. this lens is NOT that heavy. If you've used the 70-200 then this should not be any heavier. If it is, either get a neoprene strap or you're purchasing the wrong class of equipment for your needs. Good glass, esp those with fast apertures, are large. The front element needs to be large. Add to that zoom and it gets larger still. I have owned this lens since using a 20D (crop body).

When I buy equipment, the weight does not factor. If it provides great images, then that's my criteria. Obviously if we're talking about shooting pictures of the moon, then stability is an issue, but for wide to medium or 200-400 focal lengths, why even look at the weight? Again, if that's important, then this may not be the lens for you. But then neither is the 70-200 2.8 series. Or a 1D body. Or carrying extra batteries. Or a tripod on your back or shoulder. Know what I mean?

I rented this lens before (and the rental store takes care of their equipment) -- it was made in 2004 I think? It was terrible. At any aperture or focal length. So I was hesitant to purchase, but it seems the newer ones are all sharp. Perhaps the question "Is yours a sharp copy?" no longer applies.

On a full frame, the wide to medium tele are perfect for capturing just about anything. It focuses a little slower than say a 70-200 but it has a different focal range and focuses much closer so it's understandable.

I want lenses that are sharp wide open (or near wide open if it's cheap enough). Otherwise, why pay $1000+ for a lens you need to stop down? This fits the bill. Sharp at 2.8, color, contrast are all there. Vignetting to me is also a non-issue. Many times desirable, fixable in software when it's not.

Great lens for crop or full frame, wide is great on a full frame.

LOVE, LOVE this lens!!!!! It produces beautiful, SHARP images! It is a must have!!!

I picked up this lens along with a 40D for my wife. I did research for months and talked to every one I knew about what lens to buy. I finally settled on the 24-70 2.8L mainly because of the volumes glowing praise for the quality of images it would take.

the good:
The reviews are right, the pics are breath-taking. After just a few weeks of dinking around with the camera my wife is taking shots of our kids on par with what we get at the local semi-pro photographer studio. We also have some nice shots of bugs/flowers, this isnt a macro lens but it does a damn fine job at it if you ask me.
The long and short of it was I wanted 1 lens to use for pretty much all occasions and this delivered just that.

The Bad:
Its freaking huge! I was ready for heavy, and it is a little heavy, but the lens is so big my wife dosent like to take it with her. She complains it makes her stand out in a crowd. With the lens hood attached folks tend to stair making it hard to get candid shots. There is no-chance of blending into the background with this beast stuck to the front of your face.

The conclusion:
Was it worth the 1300 spent? Heavens YES! This is a fantastic chunk of glass. Ive had the chance to shoot some other glass in the last few weeks and I keep going back to it. The only reason for 4/5 stars is the size.

The lens can be found on my camera 80% of the time. As a wedding photographer the range is great for tight spaces where brides get ready and reception shots. The 2.8 aperture is great and where I keep it most of the time.

Why a 4 instead of 5? Does need to be serviced at least once a year to keep focusing sharp. Canon factory repair can service it no problem and then it focus' beautifully. Before I send it in I notice it back focusing.

I was increasing disappointed with the quality of my pictures from my 30D and the 18-55 non-IS kit lens. I shot RAW only and had to adjust every picture to get close to what I wanted but could never seem to get what I expected.
I have now had the 24-70/2.8L for several months and I'm loving it. Contrasts are so well handled. I don't have to fight my pics on the computer; now I can only minor touch up some levels and my pics come out awesome.
It is a bit heavy (making the whole thing especially heavy with the extra grip) for which my wife complains about (at least I don't have to worry about her taking over my camera). I don't mind the heaviness at all. It isn't any more difficult to lug around than it was before with the kit lens.
I do miss the 18mm-24mm side but not very often. I think the extra on the long end and the f2.8 more than make up for it. I'm hoping to go for a 5Dmark? someday down the road so that tipped me over on my decision of what lens to buy and I'm very glad I went with the 24-70.

Only problem I had with buying this lens, I paid for overnight delivery but my credit card blocked the purchase since it was online and so expensive. Had to call them (Amazon Chase Visa) and allow purchase so I had to wait another day to get it (it about missed a vacation trip).

I ordered the new Canon 5D Mark II and the 24-70mm f:2.8L to arrive the day before Christmas (2008) and I was not disappointed as they arrived within about 30 minutes of each other. I was excited as I unpacked both and couldn't wait for the battery to charge. My other camera gear wasn't around so I didn't have a flash so my first pictures were an experiment in using the high iso settings on the 5DMKII. This is my first L glass, so I wasn't sure what to expect but I was amazed at the lens fast focusing indoors in a low light setting and the ability to take photos in very low light. On the first day, the few photos taken inside without a flash were just experiments with varying results depending on the settings. Taking photos inside with at 6400 iso were ok but I wasn't pleased with the color hues nor the sharpness, but I guess you could expect something less sharp at iso 6400. The very few photos taken outside with lower isos on a very cloudy/rainy day in East Texas were very good with great color and sharp as a tack.

I next used this lens on Christmas Day and used it without a flash indoors for a few family photos with similar results as the previous day and initial photos. The photos were ok and editing in Aperture made them usable as family prints to give others, but they were less than stellar. At this point, I didn't know if the color hue problems were due to the lack proper lighting, camera white balance, faulty lens, or other problems.

On Saturday 12-27-2008 we had our family Christmas and I took some 200+ photos with and without the flash. Funny, the first thing I noticed (other than the focusing speed) is that this glass is heavy. The heavy glass plus the additional weight of the 5DMKII over the 40D made me wish I had brought my mono pod I use for youth sports. I'm not sure why I didn't notice the weight on Christmas Day. Today the lighting was completely different from the previous two day's use and the color hue problem went away. I took photos at high isos without the flash and achieved good results...note: the walls in the home here were very neutral in color very much unlike the wall colors in our home for the previous photos. Yeah, I know the wall color in ambient lighting really affect the color hues of the photos...duh. Again, we experiment with manual settings, aperture priority, etc., and fully automatic. The fully auto setting for family gathering photos proved the camera was smarter than we were producing great results. The Canon 580MKII flash is awesome and provided the results that were were expecting from a $2700 camera and $1100 lens. Whew...

After reviewing the photos (589) from the three days, most were very good family photos and it appears that I'm going to be very pleased with the 5DMKII and the 24-70mm L glass. Shoot there is even one photo that I would gladly publish anywhere. I admit that I have a lot to learn moving from a 40D with a crop sensor to the 5DMK II full sensor.

The lens is heavy but then it's mounted on a Canon 5D. The point is to be prepared for the weight when you are going to shoot more than just a few photos. L glass of this quality is expensive. I'm very pleased with the results achieved, although, I'm not sure the results are worth the additional cost. There is always a cost to improved quality and there's always a decision to be made about spending the extra dollars for what I would call an incremental quality increase. I achieve very good results with a Tamron with VC (Vibration Compensation), but that's on a crop sensor and also after I learned how to deal with the very much slower focusing of the Tamron. I've also achieved very good results with a Canon 28-135mm non IS. I made a decision to spend the extra money for better photos, so now I just have to learn enough to make the investment pay off.

Pros:

Great build quality
Fast focus
Very smooth zoom
Short DOF at wide apertures
Nice brokeh
Color saturation
Very sharp
Nice macro capabilities

Cons:

No IS, but I knew that when I bought it
Expense of L glass

I was going to rate this lens a 4 because it didn't have IS and the weight, but then I felt as if my rating should be based on the quality of the results and the quality of the lens after my very short time with the lens. With the correct settings the lens is tack sharp, very fast focusing, provides great color saturation, etc. I purchased the lens without IS and read about the weight of the lens and coupled with the 5DMII then I shouldn't have been surprised. The performance of this lens deserves higher than a 4 rating.

I just received this lens. I am moving up from a Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM lens, which is the lens I bought with the body of my Xsi. This is my first DSLR, and got into it about 6 months ago with the birth of my first child. Since then I have been steadily getting better, fumbling my way into taking better pictures. After six months of taking about 5,000 pictures, I am now confident I can take technically correct pictures ( I learn the hard way). I decided I wanted to see what all the fuss was about with L lenses, also I wanted something with a constant aperture so I didn't have to mess with my settings every time I zoomed in or out.

After looking over several options I chose the Canon EF 24-70mm. Right out of the box, I knew I wasn't fooling around any more, the 24-70mm L Lens looks like it ate my EF-S 17-85mm. Heavy. But I am a big strong lad and don't mind......it is much harder to zoom back in by turning this lens, I assume because I am moving a lot more glass when I twist the ring. Looks to be durable. Happy that it came with the lens hood, I didn't really want to buy another $40 piece of plastic like I did for the 17-85mm. The lens bag it comes with is also appreciated but doesn't protect the lens much so I assume it just to keep your lens from getting dusty.

As previously stated by more qualified people then myself, this lens produces some crisp images. After taking the time to set the correct exposure and white balance, I took a few shots and was very pleased with the output. I took the pictures indoors with no flash and at a high ISO, and the pictures were still, to my eye, great. I also have a little anxiety after plunking down a chunk of my hard earned money, I want to feel like I got my money's worth. I am happy to say this is not a purchase I regret, thus far.

Only downside to this lens is you can't hide with this thing,for a normal zoom lens its BIG. it draws attention along with bad jokes about your need to compensate for other short comings.

It's not cheap and it won't make you a better photographer, but it might let you do more in less then favorable light.