Category Archives: Equipment

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 IS L Lens

May 7, 2006 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

(Updated December 28, 2011.)

I have owned the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 IS L lens since 2006. I originally picked this lens for several reasons:

On my full-frame cameras, this lens covers a very useful range from fairly wide to slightly long, making it a very flexible and versatile lens.
The lens is quite sharp and has good contrast throughout its focal length range.
For its focal length range the lens is relatively compact. This is important to me since I frequently hike or backpack with photo gear.
The f/4 maximum aperture is generally sufficient for the kinds of photography I do.
The image stabilization (IS) feature is helpful for handheld photography and somewhat compensates for the f/4 maximum aperture.

Like most lenses, this one has a “personality” that gives it particular strengths and weaknesses relative to the individual photographer’s work and working methods. My extensive experience with the lens convinces me of the following:

Resolution is very good when the lens is used with care. Sharpness is excellent throughout the focal length range, being best in the middle portion as expected. Sharpness can diminish a bit at the long end compared to, say, 50mm – but this is usually not a reason to switch to another lens except in those cases where I have plenty of time to do so.
Vignetting (corner light falloff) is certainly noticeable at f/4 and especially so at the shortest focal lengths. For most of my photography this is not an issue since I most often shoot at smaller apertures. However, I do shoot the lens at f/4 and wide angle focal lengths. In these cases a) the vignetting is actually a nice effect with some subjects, b) it can be corrected easily and pretty much automatically in post when necessary.
Barrel/pincushion distortion is mostly not an issue, though the lens does produce noticeable barrel distortion at 24mm. Here the situation is somewhat similar to that with vignetting. In most cases, I don’t even notice the barrel distortion in actual photographs. I do notice it in photographs that have lines parallel to and close to the edges of the frame. When necessary, I let my raw conversion software (ACR) apply an automatic correction and the image lines up nicely and still has very good resolution.
There is a false notion that this lens is not sharp at 24mm. This is incorrect. I think that this rumor -which is what it is – got started on internet discussion boards where people morphed the descriptions of the vignetting and barrel distortion into “poor performance at 24mm” and then further to “must not be sharp.” This is simply wrong. Sharpness is fine at 24mm.
Handling is great. Compared to the lens sometimes cited as an alternative, the 24-70mm f/2.8 L, this lens is more compact and a bit lighter. The lens is solidly built and the controls are accessible and easy to use.
Over time any lens can go out of adjustment and require service. If you use your lenses a lot, you will eventually discover this truth. In my experience, two particular issues might eventually come up with this lens. First, I notice and others have described the development of “zoom creep” after a time. The tension on the zoom mechanism seems to loosen and if you point the lens straight down it may “zoom out.” Second, although I have only my own experience to go on here, I have a slight suspicion that the lens may be a bit more susceptible to going out of adjustment with rough treatment compared to some other Canon zooms. After a few years of being banged around on the trail, mine had to go in for adjustment of a focus issue on one side of the image. After adjustment it came back working great.
While a f/4 zoom is generally not going to be a super bokeh lens (though there are exceptions), this lens does OK. It can produce slightly “busy” bokeh at some middle apertures. Surprisingly, it produces very nice bokeh when used with an extension tube for macro work. (In fact, for hand held photography of things like wildflowers, extension tubes attached to this lens with its IS feature can work very well.)

The dimensions of the lens are similar to, but slightly larger than, my 17-40mm lens. However, the 24-105 is noticably heavier, though not enough so to compromise its use as a walk-around lens. Speaking of which, it is regarded by many as a nearly perfect lens for this role on full-frame bodies. In fact, I’ve had great success using it for street photography!

On a 1.6 crop factor body it is less useful as a single lens solution than it is on a full frame body, since 24mm is not all that wide on this camera. (It is roughly equivalent to a 38mm lens of a full frame body which is only moderately wide.) I did use it on a cropped sensor body for about a year when I first purchased it. In practice, I found that I tended to switch back and forth between the 24-105 a wider zoom a lot. Unless you are not fond of wide angle shooting or you like to switch lenses a lot, there can be better solutions for use on cropped sensor bodies. The following are a couple of other lenses to consider if you shoot a cropped sensor body: Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens or
Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Zoom Lens. (The links go to site sponsor B&H Photo.)

My article on backpacking photography discusses how I combine the 24-105 with other lenses to produce a very viable and reasonably light backpacking kit. In a few cases I have gotten along quite nicely on pack trips with just the 24-105 , though in most cases I combine it with the Canon 17-40mm f/4 L and/or the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L for more flexibility.

Bottom line: I’m quite happy with the EF 24-105 f/4 IS L lens. Color and contrast are great and it is very sharp for a zoom. The zoom range is excellent on a full frame body and might be useful for some shooters even on a 1.6 crop factor camera.

Tests and Reports page.

This lens is available from site sponsor B&H Photo, and your purchase though links at this site help support the blog. If this information was useful to you in making your decision, please consider purchase through the following link: Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS at B&H

Other gear mentioned in this article, with links to B&H:

Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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Equipment

Lens for Sale

March 14, 2006 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

If anyone in the Bay Area is interested, I may be selling my Canon EF-S 17-85mm IS f4-f5.6 lens. I haven’t decided for sure just yet, but I have other lenses now that cover more or less the same range and it seems a bit redundant.

This is a fine all-around lens for Canon 1.6 crop factor cameras including the 350D, 20D, and 30D. This lens is in great shape, having just returned from the Canon Service Center where the it was cleaned and adjuste. Use the email link at the bottom of the sidebar if you are interested. I much prefer a direct sale to a local buyer who can see and try the lens before purchasing.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him.

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Equipment

Lowepro Rover Plus AW

March 12, 2006 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

(Note: This article was updated July 28, 2008 to reflect my two year experience with this pack – and the fact that the exact “Plus” model that I own seems to now be unavailable. However the Lowepro Rover AW II Backpack seems to be the equivalent current model.)

Since I do a lot of my photography while wandering around on foot, carrying my photo gear and necessary non-photo gear is always an issue. I’ve written elsewhere about my other various camera packs and how each fills a niche in my photographic needs – see the gear page for links.

While I like to carry a smaller pack when possible, in poor weather or on longer hikes these packs won’t hold enough non-photo gear: water bottles, rain gear, food, etc. In addition, hanging three or four things (camera, Slingshot, fanny pack, tripod) from various parts of my anatomy can become a bother. I looked for a single solution that would function as a decent camera pack and as a day pack and my Lowepro Rover Plus AW does the trick.

The Rover Plus AW is more or less a rather large day pack equipped with an excellent and comfortable suspension system. (Though the overly long waist straps and strange adjustment system still puzzle me – eventually I suppose I’ll cut off the excess length.) While it is heavier than a non-photo day pack of the same capacity, this is to be expected due to the addition of photography-specific features.

The lower section opens by way of a zipper than goes across the back (side away from my body) and sides of the pack, revealing a padded area that can hold my DSLR and several lenses. This space has much the same appearance as the inside of a traditional padded camera bag. When I carry my camera (Canon 5D with Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS attached) in this part of the pack I can squeeze in at least a couple additional good size zooms – for me this might include the Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 L and the EF 70-200mm f/4L along with a few other accessories. Sometimes I’ll put the camera/lens in the upper section or carry the camera in a chest strap mounted Lowepro Topload Zoom bag, in which case I can carry the above gear plus my EF 100-400mm f/4 L IS, a 50mm f/1.4 prime, and additional small equipment such as filters, batteries, etc. in this lower section.

The padded section and divider are removable if you want to use the pack as a “plain old day pack” or carry your camera gear in a different pack. I’d say that the former is not too likely, but the latter seems like an interesting option. I would not likely use the Lowepro as a regular pack due to its extra weight, but I have used the padded section to carry my gear in a pack not designed for photography – a Arc’Teryx climbing pack for example.

The upper section of the pack opens by way of a contoured zipper across the top of the pack which extends down about halfway on each side. This zipper, like the one on the bottom compartment, is covered by a generous weather flap. Inside there is a small, flat zippered pocket that is a good place for carrying wallet, keys, and other things that must stay dry, along with a second mesh pocket that can hold other small items near the top of the load. The main upper section is about as large as a small to medium sized day pack. In other words, it offers enough space to carry some extra clothes, food, etc., but it might not provide quite enough capacity for a full camera kit and all required gear on, say, an all day cross-country ski trip in really nasty conditions. For anything short of that is should be fine.

Two stretchy mesh pockets on the lower sides provide accessible storage for water bottles and similar items. A couple of very small zipper pockets on the upper section are large enough for small items such as a cell phone, glasses, and the like.

A larger pocket in the upper section can function in several different ways. It can be used simply as a larger, deeper external pocket. Alternatively, it can hold a medium sized tripod. I used to use it this way with my smaller backpacking tripod, sliding two of the legs into the pocket, security the third leg with the bungy cables on the outside of the pack, and attaching the upper adjustable tripod strap to the head. When I carry my full size tripod (which is most of the time) I can lift a large flap out of the area of this pocket to expose the familiar Lowepro tripod attachment system; it includes the flap to hold the tripod legs along with upper and lower tripod straps. (A hint: Since a large tripod can place some stress on the top of the pack, it is a good idea to move the zipper sliders a bit down the sides rather than leaving them at the top of the pack. On one occasion I found that the tripod weight had started to open the zipper; I haven’t had the problem since I adopted this strategy.)

Finally, the pack includes the Lowepro AW rain cover. It is stored inside the bottom of the pack in its own pocket, from which it can be removed – though it remains attached to the pack – and pulled up over the pack and secured with a stretchy built-in cord. Note that the cover is sized for the basic pack only and does not cover very well if you are carrying a large tripod. (While I could wish for a cover that also covered my rather large tripod, it is hard to imagine what it would be like or how it would work when I didn’t have the tripod on the pack. This just might be one of those problems for which a perfect solution does not yet exist.)

Here is what I like about this pack:

While not huge, the lower section is large enough to carry the photo gear I generally want to carry on the trail.
The upper section can be used to carry some additional equipment that doesn’t need the padding of the lower section – mostly non-photo trail gear, but the camera can ride there also.
The padded section provides good protection for the lenses and other gear.
The upper section and the good suspension system make this a solid and comfortable “cross pack” for carrying photo and non-photo gear on the trail.
The AW cover provides an extra margin of rain protection.
The padded lower section is removable, making it possible to use it in another pack.

I have a few quibbles about some features – but, frankly, they are all very minor issues:

Not surprisingly, the pack is a bit on the heavy side compared to non-photography packs of the same capacity. This comes with the territory, I’m afraid.
The pack could use more and larger external pockets. I’d give up the sleek appearance in order to have them.
Access to the lower section can be difficult when the pack is fully loaded – though not as difficult as you might think. My technique is to take the pack off and lay perhaps lay it flat. (You can use the AW cover underneath if you are worried about putting the pack down on wet or dusty ground.)
The smallish lower section means this isn’t a pack for carrying all of your photo gear if you own a dozen lenses and two bodies – but that wasn’t the intent. For me, it is just right for the maximum amount of gear I’m likely to actually want to carry on the trail.
The raincover could be larger to accommodate a tripod carried on the outside of the pack along with waterbottles in the side carriers.

Bottom line:

Despite some slight room for improvement, this is a fine pack for those who need to carry both photo gear and trail gear while hiking. While there are better pure backpacks and more capacious pure photo packs, the Lowepro Rover Plus AW strikes a very good balance between the two. It is perhaps my most used photography pack on the trail, and after two years of heavy use I recommend it highly.

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Equipment, Tests

Canon 17-40mm f4 L Sharpness: Two Examples

January 28, 2006 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Someone in an online forum I read asked for example images from sharp Canon 17-40mm f4 L lenses. I posted the following images from mine. Both are 100% crops from 8MP originals shot on a 1.6x crop sensor body and, as such, they comprise a very tiny excerpt from the full original image.

(For those who are unfamiliar with the “100% crop” terminology… you are looking at a display in which each pixel of the original image occupies one pixel on your computer monitor. Another way to think of this is that if the 100% crop came from a 12MP original, the crop is roughly equivalent to looking at a tiny section of a print that is about 5 feet wide.)

1740CropDemo: 17-40 lens. 100% crop.

The upper half is an unprocessed image. I converted it in Adobe Camera raw, then took it into Photoshop to crop and save as a .jpg. The second one was slightly sharpened in Photoshop using the Smart Sharpen tool. Pretty sharp, I’d say!

UPDATE: Here is another example of the potential for image sharpness with the Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 L lens. This is a 100% crop of a photo of some old mining equipment at Bodie, California.

BoltSharp17-40: Sharp image of bolts shot with 17-40 lens

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Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.