Editorial Review:Product Description:24mm wide angle lens for Canon cameras
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
-
Excellent Lens, But Be Careful When Purchasing Filters
I love, love, love this lens. It makes a great companion to my Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM Standard & Medium Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras and has come in handy in many situations.
If you're looking for a wider Angle of View, then this lens will provide it. Whether taking landscape shots or tight interior shots, it will perform and deliver outstanding photographs.
That said, you have to be careful when purchasing filters for this lens. I purchased a Tiffen 58mm Haze-1 Filter to protect this lens and when I put it on the lens, there was a small dot about 3-5mm in diameter in the center where the filter and lens were touching each other. I ended up having to buy a more expensive, thinner glass, filter to get an acceptable fit.
Beyond that, the only other negatives for this lens are that it's more loud than my USM lens, but that's to be expected. It's also not so loud that it's distracting; it's just noticeable if you're used to USM. And the focus ring on the lens stops at either end. I prefer the way my 50mm lens handles that in you can just keep turning it and not feel like you're damaging anything internally. With this lens, I fear turning the focus ring too far.
All in all, the negatives with this lens pale in comparison to the benefits. I don't think twice about swapping the 50mm for the 24mm when the situation calls for it.
Rating: 
-
not much choice
This is a nice lens, relatively small, with decent resolving power (better at close distances)and a great,IMO, focal length for an 1.6 crop.
What I didn't like was that it is relatively slow for a fixed focal lenth at 2.8, it does not have full time manual focus, my 50 1.4 seemed to resolve (this is a subjective conglomerate of resolution and contrast) better at infinity focus. As far as small primes go, this is one of the few to chose from in this range (I like pentax's selection better), it is a good performer.
Note: I find the 28mm 1.8usm edge sharpness similar.
Rating: -
Soft under performing prime not even as good as a zoom
I can't change from 4 stars but if I could I would rate it at 2 stars.
I have since traded in this soft under performing prime it's not even as good as my two zooms my Canon EF 24-70 F/2.8 L and Canon EF-S 17-55 F/2.8 IS both blow it away in sharpness and contrast.
My advice, if you ever plan on buying a good F/2.8 zoom in this range then don't buy it. If you are on a severe budget it does out perform the 18-55 kit lens that came with my Rebel XTi but that's not saying much.
Pros:
Great price
Really small and light, tucks away in the corner of any camera bag
Fast auto focus that rarely hunts (slightly faster then Canon 50mm F1.8 but slower then Canon 17-40 F4 L)
Cons:
Wish it were F1.8 or faster
Soft under performing prime not even as good as a zoom
When the auto focus does miss the focus point it really misses
Auto focus sound doesn't last long and isn't really loud (louder then Canon 50mm F1.8) but reminds me of the sound of a drill
Purchase Reasoning:
I purchased this lens after a lot of searching on the Internet and testing at camera stores because I need a fast wider angle lens on my Rebel XTi with better optics then the kit lens and a wider field of view then my 50mm F1.8 lens have. I plan on upgrading to the Canon 6D or whatever Canon calls their newest affordable full frame EOS camera. It really sadness me that Canon has so many great telephoto and super telephoto lens and no really outstanding fast wide angle lens that everyone agrees is the best. I was not satisfied with the test results of the sharpness and contrast of the other lens I was considering the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L lens which I thought should have had much better optical performance for the price. The 24-70 zoom does not even approach the optical quality of my 17-40 F4 zoom. And the Canon 24mm F1.4 seems to be about the same in sharpness at F2.8 as the 24mm F2.8 and gets really soft when opened up any wider and is far more expensive. I have tried some so off brand competitors lens and went through several bad lens with bad optics and or shoddy build which left a bad taste in my mouth. So for under $300 I bought the Canon 24mm F2.8 lens.
In Use:
I haven't yet noticed any objectionable vigneting that others have talked about maybe because I am using this lens on a cropped sensor camera (Rebel XTi). Maybe I just haven't used it in the right way although I have taken most of my shots at F2.8. Another strange occurrence is the photos look a little less sharp and contrasty at F3.2 then they do at F2.8. Once closed down to F4 the photos look better then F2.8 but still it's odd about F3.2 being worse then F2.8. Anyway the depth of field on a 24mm is so nice and I usually use this lens in low light at F2.8 so F3.2 is not an issue. If I am outside in bright light or use a flash I use my fantastic Canon 17-40 F4 L zoom lens which takes photos that seem to be the about the same sharpness and it has the convenience of being a zoom.
Back to back against the 50mm F1.8
My Canon 50mm F1.8 takes photos that are slightly more pleasing with greater contrast and sharpness then the 24mm F2.8 and as a plus I can shoot opened up all the way to F2.2. F1.8 and F2.0 are simply too soft and muddy with the 50mm. What I can't do with the 50mm F1.8 that I can do with the 24mm F2.8 is get 4 times the angle of view in a tight situation. And that's where this lens comes to the rescue. With pretty close contrast and sharpness and only a 1/2 stop loss in speed (made up for by being 24mm) I can shoot in those tight situations where I try to get everyone in the shot and can't back up anymore with the 50mm mounted on my Rebel XTi.
Conclusions, final thoughts and suggestions:
If you are on a budget and want the best optics you can get at 24mm at F2.8 for under $1,000 to cover a full framed EOS camera and widen your view on a cropped sensor camera this is your lens. I'm keeping mine for those tight situations and I'm looking forward to using this lens on a Canon 6D.
Update 1-3-2008
Took this lens with me to Texas for my family Christmas get-together and it's just Ok.
I took a lot of shots inside and out with natural light and with flash assist and I'm just not that impressed. I don't think the photos are any better then the 24-70 2.8 zoom therefore I will probably sell this lens and get the zoom instead. The Canon 50mm F/1.8 at F2.5 and higher is a real looker with a wow factor resolution and colors that will take your breath away. I thought this lens could do that but I guess not.
3-28-2008 Update:
I sold this 24mm F/2.8 soft under performing prime and bought a Canon EF-S 17-55 F/2.8 which is so much sharper it's a crying shame and my Canon 24-70 F/2.8 L is sharper then this prime as well.
Lenses I currently own:
Canon EF-S 17-55 F/2.8 IS Ultra sharp, great colors, great low light, poor zoom action
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Rebel XTi Kit lens Muddy, slow, pile of junk Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 L Fantastic colors, sharp zoomed 17 to 24mm, ultra smooth zoom action, light weight
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L Fantastic colors and contrast, sharp zoomed 40 to 70mm, zoom a little stiff at first, heavy!
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Good budget portrait lens, light weight, disposable, sharp from F/2.5
Canon EF 85mm F/1.2 L II The best portrait lens for female and children clients, buttery smooth Bokeh, heavy and expensive it shares sharpness with 135mm
Canon EF 135mm F/2.0 L The best portrait lens for males and tied with Canon 85mm F 1/.2 for sharpest lens I own, buttery smooth Bokeh
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L fantastic colors, sharp for a zoom, very versatile ego boosting and attention getting and heavy! My favorite zoom lens!!!
Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L great IS, super colors, sharp for a zoom, extremely versatile, variable Bokeh, even more ego boosting and attention getting when extended and 400mm reach!!
My next lens purchase I'm saving for right now: _Canon EF 300mm F/2.8 IS L the finest lens ever
Rating: -
Prefer the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 USM over this lens if speed is not important.
This is a very good lens, but if you don't need the 2.8 speed, for half the money, you can buy the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 USM that offers the same performance and has USM.
Both lenses exhibit fringing problems, and the color and contrast are not on par with the "L" class.
I own both lenses (see my lens sharpness comparison test, http://www.creative-wedding-photography.com/LensTests/default.aspx
, between the following Canon lenses: EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 USM,
EF 24mm f/2.8, EF 50mm f/1.4 USM, EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM, EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM).
Rating: -
A very good wide angle lens
An excellent lens for the price. It is sharp, with very little distortion and good colour retention. Fast and easy to use, with good auto-focus. There may be sharper and better lenses on the market, but at a much higher price and they probably do not fit Canon Cameras
