The aim of this lens is to provide professional photographers with a small, portable standard zoom lens to use on everyday shoots. At is widest this lens provides the photographer with a great wide angle while also having the ability to zoom to just over the 100mm mark.
It must be remembered that if you are using this lens on a cropped frame camera then the equivalent focal length of this lens is about 38-168mm meaning you miss out slightly at the wide end but gain some zoom at the telephoto end.
Build Quality
As with all of Canon’s L series lenses the build quality is superb. Unlike non L lenses this lens is weather sealed meaning it will be fine in a light shower and in addition comes with a lens hood included in the price.
The USM motor makes the focusing both speedy and quiet while the Image Stabilization does a great job of reducing the effects of camera shake, meaning you’ll get sharper images, especially at lower shutter speeds.
If you are new to L series lenses the first thing you will notice is that performance and build quality often comes at the expense of weight. This lens is naturally larger and heavier than other similar lenses in Canon’s range such as the EF-S 17-85mm or EFS-18-55 or kit lens that comes with most of the cropped body cameras.
As mentioned above the weight instantly makes this lens feel solid and like it will last an age, after all this lens is designed to be used on a daily basis by professional photographers so it needs to be tough.
Performance
The internal optics offer a constant aperture of f4.0 throughout the focal range of the lens. Both the zoom and focus ring are reassuringly smooth and solid at the same time allowing you to make very small precise changes easily. You can also adjust or override the automatic focusing at any time by simply turning the focus ring which is a nice option.
As expected all focusing is internal meaning that the lens doesn’t increase in size as you focus (unlike most cheaper lenses in the same class). When on auto focus mode the USM motor is fast and quiet – no complaints in this area.
Canon claim that the Image Stabilization system on this lens offers the equivalent of 3 stops of compensation meaning hand holding is a possibility at much slower shutter speeds. This is the equivalent of being able to hand hold not at 1/60 of a second but at 1/6, a truly remarkable performance enhancer! During our tests the IS system certainly made a dramatic difference to the shots we took.
Image Quality
The old adage of you get what you pay for certainly holds true with this lens. The lens performs well throughout its focal range and certainly way above the non L series lenses. Unlike some of its competitors there is minimal vignetting or chromatic aberrations.
If you are looking to upgrade your kit lens to something that will last you well into the future then this lens has to be one of the best options out there. Not only does it offer you are large focal range from traditional wide angle to short telephoto but the image quality is impressive throughout. This really is a multi purpose lens that will last you a life time. The Canon EF 24-105mm f4 L IS USM is certainly one of the best lenses we have tested here at Digital SLR Guru.
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