Picked up this lens during the refurbished lens sale, but have to return it due to some issues with the lens (including softness wide open at 24mm). It's out of stock so I have to return it rather than getting an exchange.
Since this lens would be a workhorse lens for me, I'm thinking if I get another copy I'll just go the brand-new route and pony up the extra couple of hundred bucks.
That being said, I'm a bit torn about the lens itself and whether I should give it another shot.
My DSLR kit is increasingly becoming more of a "special occasion" camera, and I use it primarily to shoot various events. My primary lens for that purpose has been the 24-105L, so the 24-70 was the natural comparison to that for me.
Although I had the lens briefly, I was able to use it to shoot an event - a co-worker's birthday party. Outside the issue at 24mm, I thought the lens lived up to its billing. The IQ wide open was very good, and noticeably better at all apertures than my 24-105 (but not to the degree I was expecting. It was better, but not mind-blowingly so). The AF was snappy and accurate.
But the extra stop of light wasn't as useful as I thought it would be. This is the first zoom lens I"ve used with a DSLR that did not have IS. Also I was constantly running around trying to get quick shots, so I wasn't able to slow down, breathe, and steady the lens as much as I wanted to. As such, at 70mm, I generally needed to keep my shutter speed around 1/80-1/100 for sharp shots. With IS on my 24-105, I could do 1/50. Of course, this is as long as my subjects are still. But generally I thought the IS was very helpful, and I missed it more than I thought I would.
As for DOF, when I wanted shallow and to isolate the subject, I felt like f/2.8 didn't make much difference from f/4, especially if I used the longer end of the 24-105. For this purpose, I think f/2 or faster might be what I need (something like an 85mm 1.8 maybe).
In sum, the 24-70 generally improved on the 24-105, but not as much as I thought it would, and the 70-105 range was missed.
Then again, the 24-70 is an impressive lens that is the go-to lens for tons of event photographers, so obviously there's a reason for that. So I'm wondering if I should give the lens another shot (maybe I'll get a much better copy this time), maybe work on my technique a bit (so I can use slower shutter speeds). Or does it sound like the lens, as good as it is, just doesnt' really work for my style of shooting, and I should invest the money elsewhere?
, which I specifically mention.
