A Great Lens For Many Situations
Pros:
Compact, lightweight, great zoom range with 24mm wide, ultrafast and silent autofocus, lens hood, cost.
Cons:
Feels "insubstantial", maximum aperture could be better, zooming design, no IS feature.
The Bottom Line:
If you shoot with a lot with people, this is a great lens to have. Its 24mm end is better than 28mm, and the 85mm range is useful enough indoors.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
This lens is very light and compact, so it is very easy to carry around. However it does not feel as solid as some other lenses, like those in Canon's L-lens stable. On the plus side, it does not weight as much as L lenses and that is easier on the neck when carrying around mounted with the camera.
The zoom design extends the lens barrel when zooming out, so it is easy to suck air, dust and moisture into the lens. In this case, I prefer the zoom design employed for some of the more expensive L lens. It also lacks Canon's Image Stabilization feature which would be great especially when shooting at lower speeds in dim light. But still, for the great price it is selling right now, I can't complain, because this is one of the more often used lens in my equipment line-up that really gave me the "bang for the buck".
I really love the autofocus, as it is driven by Canon's USM motor and not a DC motor. The AF motor is shaped like a ring around the lens barrel and provides ultra-fast and silent AF. It is extremely effective when one needs to catch that fleeting moment. Conventional DC motors are slow and I don't like them after using USM.
For such a small consumer grade lens, the shots are amazingly sharp and contrasty. It was good enough to give me the confidence to shoot with it in many important functions, like church weddings, receptions, and many indoor and outdoor functions. For example, I helped a friend take all his wedding photos when his official photographer couldn't turn up, and the first reaction from him and his wife were "WOW"...they couldn't believe the quality of the shots even when the prints were larger than normal.
The important advantage of this lens is the 24mm wide end. It can take in more details at that angle than a standard zoom lens with 28mm wide. The down side of 24mm is the linear distortion, which is very pronounced when you are shooting straight lines. As an example, if you take a standard room shot, the wall and ceiling appears to curve more than what I can tolerate. Therefore I used this lens chiefly for people shots, as distortion is not as bad and not noticeable when compared to taking architectural or building shots. It is a great people lens especially when used with excellent flash units like the 550EX and 420EX! It is also great for casual outdoor shots and scenery.
My wish list, is for Canon to start making an L-version of this great lens, with Image Stabilization feature! I would choose it any day over the EF28-70/2.8L.
