People who own the Canon 24-70L Lens

[jimchapin468]

On this lens what seems to be the "sweet spot" where pictures look the best?
I have had this lens for a week and the pictures are not as sharp as what I was expecting. Trying to figure out if it is the lens or the photographer.


Thanks for your help -- Jimmy

[ghocking]

With this lens being heavy, I think you need to find which settings are best for you. I bump up the shutter speed.

I did a test on tripod for my 24-70, 50 1.4, and 60 macro at all fstops upto f22. They are all very sharp, but IMHO the 24-70 came out just better than the 50.

[CoolToolGuy]

You may notice some softness wide open, but they sharpen up if you use 3.5 or smaller.

This upset me when I got mine, but you learn to live with it. If you need the low light capability, supplement the 24-70 with some primes - even the non-L primes in this range are great choices.

Have Fun,

[chris.bailey]

I would say its a shutter speed issue at I find my 24-70 pretty sharp across the board. It is heavy so try to get 1/200th and above. I would rather have 1/500 at 2.8 than 1/250 at 3.5.

[csnudelman]

ghocking wrote "...but IMHO the 24-70 came out just better than the 50."

And that ain't a bad place to be, I have the 24-70L

[Tom W]

I would say its a shutter speed issue at I find my 24-70 pretty sharp across the board. It is heavy so try to get 1/200th and above. I would rather have 1/500 at 2.8 than 1/250 at 3.5.

How about 1/320 at 3.5? ;)

Actually, f/2.8 is pretty sharp on mine as well, though like nearly every lens, it has its sweet-spot range. On this lens, its a wider range than most. The weight is higher than most, but its designed to be used with the 1-series bodies, which provide a good balance. It made my 10D a little nose-heavy, but balances very nicely with the 1D Mk II. I don't have any problems shooting at 1/15-1/60 second on the big body as long as I remain steady.

[Tom W]

They are all very sharp, but IMHO the 24-70 came out just better than the 50.

I had the opposite result, with the 50/1.4 edging out the 24-70 until about f/4 or so. From that point on, they were essentially indistinguishable from one another.

[shiato storm]

the L series is a very good lens, even matching/beating a prime. can't fault that now can we?

[wibbly]

I discussed this in a recent thread already, but I took a few shots here:

http://www.camera.fotopic.net/c574855.html

wide open @24mm, and f8 and 70mm for comparison. Look at originals (unedited parameter 2 jpgs right out of the camera). Idea was that the focus was on the building according to the title of the picture. Certainly soft and with CA in very high contrast areas in the corners. But sharpening helps a little with the softness.

J

[Salleke]

On this lens what seems to be the "sweet spot" where pictures look the best?
I have had this lens for a week and the pictures are not as sharp as what I was expecting. Trying to figure out if it is the lens or the photographer.


Thanks for your help -- Jimmy

The sweet spot on my lens is between F/5.6 and F/8. I have done the focustest and it's dead on the spot.
The biggist problem i have with this lens is that i can't keep it steady handhold due to it's wight.
I'm 55 years and not so steady anymore as i used to be.
My advice: keep your shutterspeed as high as possible, as other members allready mentioned,
and/or use a mono- or tripod whenever you can.

[ssim]

I love my 24-70. It has taken a couple or hard knocks and still produces the way it did at the beginning. If you are having to shoot down at the bottom range of the f-stops, you are probably shooting in lower lighting and hence a lower shutter speed as well. Many people complain of the sharpness of these shots when in fact it is just camera shake in some cases. My version is acceptable at all f-stop ranges but I prefer to stay up at 5.6 or better if I can. This gives you some error correction on focussing if you are not bang on your subject.

[csnudelman]

In regards to sharpness/softness/camera shake. I almost always (90% of the time) carry along my monopod. I use it both indoors and outdoors. If I don't need to be somewhat portable I use a tripod where often I lock up the mirror and often I use a cable release. May seem a bit over the top for some but every once in a while I'll take a shot or two free hand and it does make a difference for me. With today's formats being so small I would think it was even more important. I guess I will never forget what an advanced photographer told an 11 year old boy (this in the '50's) who just got his first 'real' camera. "Take every shot on a tripod". BTW, that camera was a Kodak Duaflex IV.;)