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Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 USM L II - Full Format Review / Test Report - Sample Images & Verdict |
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Lens Reviews -
Canon EOS (Full Format)
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Page 3 of 3
Sample Images
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| Make |
Canon |
|
| Model |
Canon EOS 5D Mark II |
| ISO Speed |
200 |
| Focal Length |
53.0mm |
| Aperture: |
f/2.8 |
| Exposure |
1/6400s |
|
| Make |
Canon |
|
| Model |
Canon EOS 5D Mark II |
| ISO Speed |
200 |
| Focal Length |
70.0mm |
| Aperture: |
f/2.8 |
| Exposure |
1/3200s |
|
| Make |
Canon |
|
| Model |
Canon EOS 5D Mark II |
| ISO Speed |
200 |
| Focal Length |
24.0mm |
| Aperture: |
f/9.0 |
| Exposure |
1/1000s |
|
| Make |
Canon |
|
| Model |
Canon EOS 5D Mark II |
| ISO Speed |
200 |
| Focal Length |
24.0mm |
| Aperture: |
f/9.0 |
| Exposure |
1/640s |
|
| Make |
Canon |
|
| Model |
Canon EOS 5D Mark II |
| ISO Speed |
200 |
| Focal Length |
70.0mm |
| Aperture: |
f/2.8 |
| Exposure |
1/800s |
|
| Make |
Canon |
|
| Model |
Canon EOS 5D Mark II |
| ISO Speed |
200 |
| Focal Length |
70.0mm |
| Aperture: |
f/2.8 |
| Exposure |
1/5000s |
|
| Make |
Canon |
|
| Model |
Canon EOS 5D Mark II |
| ISO Speed |
200 |
| Focal Length |
70.0mm |
| Aperture: |
f/2.8 |
| Exposure |
1/640s |
|
| Make |
Canon |
|
| Model |
Canon EOS 5D Mark II |
| ISO Speed |
200 |
| Focal Length |
70.0mm |
| Aperture: |
f/9.0 |
| Exposure |
1/500s |
|
| Make |
Canon |
|
| Model |
Canon EOS 5D Mark II |
| ISO Speed |
200 |
| Focal Length |
53.0mm |
| Aperture: |
f/9.0 |
| Exposure |
1/320s |
|
| Make |
Canon |
|
| Model |
Canon EOS 5D Mark II |
| ISO Speed |
200 |
| Focal Length |
41.0mm |
| Aperture: |
f/9.0 |
| Exposure |
1/400s |
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VerdictFast standard zoom lenses are obviously very difficult to design. To date we never really thought "oh, this is it!". Unfortunately this also applies to the mighty Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 USM L II. Now this may sound worse than it really is. Considering the sum of its characteristics we'd still state that the lens has been improved over its predecessor but it is not perfect and regarding its sky high price tag we simply expected a little more.
That said the Canon lens is capable of delivering an outstanding center sharpness even at f/2.8 and across the zoom range. There's certainly more "punch" (contrast) at max. aperture now. The border region reaches a very high quality level at 24mm - and that's without the high field curvature that plagued the mk I here. The high quality remains intact at 40mm. However, there's an almost surprising drop in border quality at 70mm with resolution figures that are inferior compared to the old version of the lens. The vignetting and distortion characteristic is above average for a lens in this class. Lateral CAs are well controlled and not relevant from a real world perspective. The quality of the bokeh is pretty decent but not without flaws in certain situations. A very positive aspect is the virtual absence of bokeh fringing.
Typical for modern Canon L lenses, the mechanical quality is a shining aspect, of course, but then you also expect no less from such a pricey beast. Canon's USM drive offers an extremely fast AF and lack of noise is highly impressive.
The question of the day is, of course, whether this is "enough" compared to the impressive Tamron AF SP 24-70mm f/2.8 Di USD VC ? Well, we have some doubts here. We'd say that among the primary criteria the Canon lens has an edge in terms of contrast (at max. aperture), build quality and it has a slightly better bokeh. However, the Tamron lens is as sharp in the lower zoom range and provides a much better border quality at 70mm. Additionally it has a unique selling point - an image stabilizer. So unless you're heading into a war zone or are into tough press business (thus requiring max. equipment quality) a premium of one grand (EUR) over the Tamron lens seems a little excessive.
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