Holy Cow...... It is a BRICK

I just took the 24-70 out of its box and man, you all were right! It is a heavy lens. Also, I have gotten so used to the internal zoom of my 16-35 that I was startled by the fact the 24-70 protrudes in and out. Its weight feels like I'm shooting with my 70-200. I'm sure I'll get used to this lens as my walkaround lens. I'm off to get a filter and some test shots; hopefully I won't have any sharpness issues as I have read on this forum. Also, how many of you use the hood it came with? It seems bulky. I thought it would come with a flower hood like the 16-35.

I always use the hood. Yes it is very heavy. I find I need to have a shutter speed of 1/160 so that I don't get shake induced blurriness when hand held.

joepineapple wrote in post #5782324
I just took the 24-70 out of its box and man, you all were right! It is a heavy lens. Also, I have gotten so used to the internal zoom of my 16-35 that I was startled by the fact the 24-70 protrudes in and out. Its weight feels like I'm shooting with my 70-200. I'm sure I'll get used to this lens as my walkaround lens. I'm off to get a filter and some test shots; hopefully I won't have any sharpness issues as I have read on this forum. Also, how many of you use the hood it came with? It seems bulky. I thought it would come with a flower hood like the 16-35.

the 24-70L is a brute. my relationship with it is certainly love/hate. use the bucket hood. it may be monstrous but really doesn't add much to the weight.

ed rader

It's a great lens. Use the hood (among zooms it's the smartest design).

It's not that heavy.

pcunite wrote in post #5782358
I always use the hood. Yes it is very heavy. I find I need to have a shutter speed of 1/160 so that I don't get shake induced blurriness when hand held.

Really? I don't think I'm that strong. But I've shot this hand held @ 1/15th without a big issue. 1/60 and up is not a problem at all. You do use two hands to shoot?

I have had mine for a week. Yes it is heavy and I always use hoods for both protection and glare. Here is the first shot I took with it. Bokeh!!!!!

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Just got mine as well. Loving it so far. Fortunately, it's not as heavy as I'd feared based on posts here, and I love how well it balances on the 1D.

It's a great lens, for when you might have to shoot just about anything!

from

I sold my 24-70. It weighed more than my 70-200 f/4. It was not as sharp at f/2.8 as either my 50 f/1.4 or 85 f/1.8 at f/2.8 and it was 1/3 stop darker then either prime. Those two factors made it a poor choice for basketball pics in "my" gym. Actually, the 24-70 wasn't as sharp wide open as my 17-55 f/2.8 either so it wasn't just a zoom vs. prime issue.

I sure loved the IQ at f/5.6 or f/8, but as an f/2.8 lens, I found it wasn't really a "Wow". Too heavy, not optically worth it for me ... it's gone.

n1as wrote in post #5783062
I sold my 24-70. It weighed more than my 70-200 f/4. It was not as sharp at f/2.8 as either my 50 f/1.4 or 85 f/1.8 at f/2.8 and it was 1/3 stop darker then either prime. Those two factors made it a poor choice for basketball pics in "my" gym. Actually, the 24-70 wasn't as sharp wide open as my 17-55 f/2.8 either so it wasn't just a zoom vs. prime issue.

I sure loved the IQ at f/5.6 or f/8, but as an f/2.8 lens, I found it wasn't really a "Wow". Too heavy, not optically worth it for me ... it's gone.

That's too bad. It should weigh more than the 70-200 which is only a f/4 lens. For those wondering 950g (24-70) vs 705g (70-200).

I have heard there are focusing issues with the 24-70 back/front focus. Possibly that was your problem? When I pay over $1,000 for a lens you can be sure I am going to check it out! The pic I posted above was at f/2.8.

I had the 17-55 f/2.8, but sold it. Sooner or later I hope to graduate to a 1 series body.

Michael1116 wrote in post #5782775
I have had mine for a week. Yes it is heavy and I always use hoods for both protection and glare. Here is the first shot I took with it. Bokeh!!!!!

Beautiful shot! Looks like the flower's floating.

the weight is ok if you're shooting only for a few hours.

it IS an issue if you shoot for a very long time. I shot for about 18 hours two weekends ago holding that stupid brick and I actually injured my back. I only started feeling it at the very end of the day and by morning it was really bad and I have to ice it and get treatment for it. bloody brick...

What you do is slap the 300mm f2.8 on the 1D and carry that around for a few hours. Then put the 24-70 on your 20D, and it feels like a tiny P&S camera!

Take it to the gym with you and work out with it. Do toe-touches, situps, and bicept training. Rep until failure. After a month, move up to the 85L. Then you can go to the 300 f/2.8 L IS.

That's my recommended traing regimen - and at the end, you'll have some nice lenses, too!

The 24-70 is heavy but feels nice compared to the 70-200 2.8 IS on the Mark II.