Personal experience w/Canon 24-70 2.8

KY707 wrote in post #11836406
Mine is UY code. Wonder if the newer code has a better quality.

I have a great copy. It`s sharp, well built. Very great lens for general use on 5DmkII.
I`m using it one year and it never lets me down. Mine has UX code.

It was mounted on my 1D3 90% of the time..it was an AWESOME lens..sharp, good color fast focusing accurate. I sold it for a 17-55 when i bought a 7D but now I bought a 1D3 back and looking to pick up another 24-70 soon..I think if that was the only lens I had I wouldnt even complain

OK now I'm wondering if the quality control is better now? Would it be better to buy it new in case I have a problem with focus so it will be under warranty?

I wish Canon would introduce new rebates.

k9trainer wrote in post #11841077
OK now I'm wondering if the quality control is better now? Would it be better to buy it new in case I have a problem with focus so it will be under warranty?

I wish Canon would introduce new rebates.

The beauty of buying new is you get a warranty and if there is an issue canon will make it right. If you buy used get it from a reputable site although I bet that nearly all "soft" focusing lenses just need a bit of MA.

I find it hard to believe there are so many "bad copies" of this lens, I have used 3 different 24-70's ( mine and 2 friends ) and all 3 are very much the same. All 3 with 0 MA.

Muggsly wrote in post #11841301
The beauty of buying new is you get a warranty and if there is an issue canon will make it right. If you buy used get it from a reputable site although I bet that nearly all "soft" focusing lenses just need a bit of MA.

I have tried long and hard to MA mine. The problem is that if it's front focusing on long end and back focusing on short, there is no way to correct it via MA. This is pretty much problem with any zoom lens.

Andrew_WOT wrote in post #11841386
I have tried long and hard to MA mine. The problem is that if it's front focusing on long end and back focusing on short, there is no way to correct it via MA. This is pretty much problem with any zoom lens.

I had the same issue I sent it into canon and it does not do that anymore. They sent it back saying there was an issue with the focusing motor. Mine still needs an MA of +11 but it is sharp through the range now.

I would consider sending it into Canon for alignment.

I've got one that lives on my 7D but, occasionally spends time on my 5D Mark II. I've got no complaints other than weight and the lack of IS (came from the EF-s 17-55mm 2.8 IS USM on a 40D and later the 7D). Like you, I read lots of complaints and reports of needing MA of +/-10 to get sharp images. My limited experience is that any lack of sharpness is purely my own failure.

It was the first lens I bought for my 5DmkII and the first test shots were significantly sharper than any results I got with the 7D/17-55mm or 40D/17-55mm combo. Results are better on the 5DmkII than the 7D with this lens as well. Your mileage may vary but for a walk around lens, I keep wondering if I wouldn't have been better off with the lighter weight and longer reach of the 24-105L as I don't frequently use f/2.8 on the 24-70L and more than once, I've wished I had IS.

Maybe its because I took the advice of the nice guy at the camera store in New York and bought the more expensive Japanese built version instead of the less expensive Malaysian built model, but I have had great luck out of mine!

Seriously, I have had 3 of these and am a full time professional photographer. Is it as sharp as a prime? No, it is not. Does it take the place of 3 primes at once, work great in most situations, and focus fast? Yes, it does. At f8 and studio strobes it is amazingly sharp.

I have used this lens on a 10D, 20D, 30D, 50D, 1D Mark II, 5D and 1D Mark III

I have always loved mine and have never found it to be soft! Its def my go to lens!

Mine is excellent without any microadjust... Might be even better with a little.

OP should try doing a microadjust. If it's still off at one end of the zoom or a ton of MA is needed, send it to Canon for calibration. A bit heavy and big, massive lens hood... But I have no need for or desire for I.S. on it. That would just add cost and complexity to an already complex lens... i.e. more stuff to go wrong and get out of adjustment.

my first L 3 years ago. i think it was a bad apple. soft and heavy. i let it go and grab me a 17-40 which till this day serves me well

If I had JUST bought one, and it was 'soft' I'd require a return/replacement immediately.

You could micro-adjust, but I have had four bodies and never have had to do that but for one long prime on one specific body, so over all the Ls I have, I would not accept a 'soft' 24-70 for one second.

studiodalabama wrote in post #11841512
Maybe its because I took the advice of the nice guy at the camera store in New York and bought the more expensive Japanese built version instead of the less expensive Malaysian built model, but I have had great luck out of mine!

Seriously, I have had 3 of these and am a full time professional photographer. Is it as sharp as a prime? No, it is not. Does it take the place of 3 primes at once, work great in most situations, and focus fast? Yes, it does. At f8 and studio strobes it is amazingly sharp.

I have used this lens on a 10D, 20D, 30D, 50D, 1D Mark II, 5D and 1D Mark III

They all manufactured in Japan, what do you mean by Malaysian built model?
The first letter in the serial number is the factory
U = Utsunomiya, Japan
F = Fukushima, Japan
O = Oita, Japan

Andrew_WOT wrote in post #11842217
They all manufactured in Japan, what do you mean by Malaysian built model?
The first letter in the serial number is the factory
U = Utsunomiya, Japan
F = Fukushima, Japan
O = Oita, Japan

So either way they come from a UFO huh?! Cool!