24-105L qualms

So, I picked up a 24-105L to use as a primary walk-around on my XSi. I'm not super satisfied with it. I do like the focal range. I do like the image quality in good lighting, but f/4 is just not cutting it. I often find myself shooting at 105mm and more often too slow in low light. I came from a 28-135mm that I may have even liked more; good IQ, f/3.5 on the wide end, lighter/smaller. Ideally, I'd like to drop to a 24-70L and use my 100L for that length, but I get tired of swapping lenses as is.
Thoughts?

I had a thread similar to this last year

Sigma 50-150mm 2.8

i had this debate when choosing between the 105 and 70. i think the 1 stop faster on the 70 won't make a huge difference. true you get a nicer bokeh from it but use slower shutter speeds (IS helps here) or raise the iso speed...maybe it's time you get a 70-200 2.8?

I gave my son my 5D with the 24-105L when I ungraded to the 5D Mark II. I miss the 24-105L because of IS, great photos with flash and in good light and shooting at relatively high ISO settings. F/4 is a limiting factor in low light for any lens, but it was my go to lens for 80% of what I was shooting. For what it is and can do, it is a superb lens and I loved it.
Cheers,
John

Get a second body with good high ISO performance and a 135/F2 or a 70-200/F2.8

same problem with my friend. He got a 24 105 with his 450d. he's not happy with its performance. Dont know why. Is it because of wrong setting? Or he always uses the auto mode.

allanmotol wrote in post #12082361
same problem with my friend. He got a 24 105 with his 450d. he's not happy with its performance. Dont know why. Is it because of wrong setting? Or he always uses the auto mode.

you would need to get your friend to post some pics. Shooting on auto mode for DSLR's is not generally recommended!

I've owned two copies of the 24-105 and used them on both a 1DMkII and 30D and both were nothing short of superb. Expecting great low light performance from an f4 lens (even with IS) can be a stretch.

XSi is not great at high ISO which also seems to be your problem. Upgrade your lens or upgrade your camera (or avoid the extremes that you end up being in).

Any thoughts getting the 60D or 7D and keep your same lenses?

The 24-70 is only going to give you one stop, the IS on the 24-105 is going to give you more than that. Of course if you are wanting a higher shutter speed to stop motion then IS isn't going to be an advantage. I would suggest doing some testing with your 100L with the IS off in the low light conditions to see if f/2.8 and no IS will work for you. I know that's not the perfect test due to the difference in FL from the 24-70 but it should help give you an idea. Compare that to what you get with the 24-105 with IS on and you should know whether or not the 24-70 will be what you need. Better yet, rent one and you will know for sure.

I can't see any pictures here!

BTW - I have got a 24-105L which I'm happy with.

David

If I'm not mistaken, the 24-105 was designed around the 5D body no? Lenses like this really shine more on FF cameras or 1.3x crop cams. I love my 24-105 on my Mark IV. The lens is really sharp even at F4. It's not as good on my 7D.

FWIW I compared the two head-to-head on my blog. It's a hands-on review, not scientific. Here's the link: http://****/nww24v24

I ended up selling my Sigma 24-60 before I got the 5D2. Even on the 1.3 crop, it wasn't long enough to be "long," and while it was decently wide, the 16-35 2.8II was so much better suited to that crop that I completely stopped using the Sigma.

Having now added the 5D2, I can see how a 24-xx zoom would be very beneficial. The 16-35 never really gets close enough to the action, and the 35 2.0 is just such a great lens in low-light on that body.

The 24-105 seems like a perfect fit for decent light, especially with the IS for shooting video. But with lens prices taking a bit jump lately, I think I'll just hang on and wait. If a good one pops up used I'll grab it, but otherwise I'll wait a bit and see.

On the 1.6 crop body, the 17-55 IS should almost be automatic, no? Especially if you want both IS and f/2.8?