Canon EF 24-105mm F/4 L IS II USM

Specifications01

MountCANON EF

Focal length24-105mm

Max aperturef/4

TypeCinema · Zoom

Weight795 g

Filter size77 mm

Physical length119.4 mm

Min focus distance0.457 m

Max magnification0.2439

Aperture blades10

Optical elements17

Groups12

Lens hoodpetal-shaped (bayonet mount, supplied)

Sensor coverage43.3 mm

Additional Info02

ModelL IS II USM

FormatFF

SeriesEF

SpecialL IS II USM

Category["Canon EF"]

Review AuthorKlaus

Other Featuresweather-sealed image stabilizer

Review VerdictLet's be honest - the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 USM L IS (mk I) was not the greatest lens Canon ever produced. Unfortunately neither is the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 USM L IS II. While there are differences on a detail level, the performance is roughly similar which is a little depressing given all the years that passed by since the mk I was designed. 50 megapixels are a torture ground for all lenses but it's too much for the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 USM L IS II really. The center quality is sufficient but the corner quality just isn't there at the extreme ends. The amount of CAs is acceptable. The lens performs, of course, much better on 21 megapixel cameras with very decent results from f/5.6 at least. However, you have to live with the outlook that the glory ends once you decide to upgrade your camera. The amount of vignetting is average for this kind of lens thus there's quite some light-falloff at 24mm f/4. However, stopping down to f/5.6 resolves most of the issue already. Barrel distortions are also obvious at 24mm albeit not extreme. The lens is also no distortion wonder at 105mm. The quality of the bokeh is comparatively decent for a standard zoom lens at least. The build quality of the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 USM L IS II is much more convincing. The high-quality materials, tight tolerances and weather sealing are certainly good enough for professional use. The USM AF is extremely fast and silent. However, if you decide to invest in this lens make sure that the AF is properly calibrated. We tested two samples and both suffered from substantial back-focusing (to a degree that we haven't seen before). The image stabilizer with its potential gain of up to 4 f-stops, is a major improvement over the old lens. So what's the final conclusion ? Honestly, we would recommend to skip this lens. We just didn't find any substantial improvement over the already not-so-great predecessor. Instead we would suggest to check out the Canon EF 24-70mm f/4 USM L IS or the Sigma 24-105mm f/4 HSM ART.

Review Published2016-12-01T02:15:00+00:00

Optical Construction17 elements in 12 groups inc. 4x aspherical elements

Field Notes02

Canon EF 24-105mm F/4 L IS II USM is a standard zoom lens for Canon EF mounts, with a constant f/4 aperture and image stabilization. Designed for general-purpose photography and travel.

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Catalog note · source: cinelenswiki