Canon EF 24-70 F/2.8L II USM Zoom Ring Smoothness

[ratnev]

Does anyone experience this?
I mean, how smooth is your zoom ring on mk2 24-70?
Mine is stiffer than on my 24-70 mk1 (I've already sold it, so can't compare anymore).
When I hold the lens attached to a body horizontally, the rotation of the zoom ring not quite as smooth-zooming as the 24-70 L I.
When I hold the lens downwards and zoom in (to 70 mm) it's smooth-zooming as mkI. But zooming out (to 24 mm) in the same (down) position makes zooming stiffer.
And when I hold the lens upwards, zooming in (to 70mm) is stiff and zooming out (to 24mm) is smooth again.

[Sitting Elf]

I concur.  The 24-70 II does have a stiffer zoom than any of my other zooms. Not a big deal, just a bit of a surprise when I first got the lens.

At least I won't get the zoom creep I have on my 24-105 whenever the camera is pointed down!

[davinci52]

I have noticed clear differences between my new 24-70mm f/2.8L II and my 70-200mm f/2.8L II with regard to both the zoom ring and the manual focus ring.  Specifically, in comparison to the 70-200mm, the 24-70mm the rings have both a very slightly "gritty" feel, and also a very slight bit of play (meaning that I can move the rings slightly either direction before zooming or focus changes begin to occur).  Based on my single samples, I would personally rate the build quality of the 24-70mm about 8.5-9.0 if the 70-200mm is a 10.  I am debating whether to ask Canon Service to check my 24-70mm; but having had some really bad camera repair experiences in the past (even with factory service centers), I'm fearful about it coming back in some way worse than it is now...

[junkstarr]

Can you zoom smoothly for video work with the new 24-70?

The only thing I have issue with on my original 24-70 is it is a bit "sticky" from 24-40 or so, then smooth so if you try to zoom in the wide range while using it for video, you can't really get a smooth zoom until you get about half way zoomed in.

[Trevor]

No :-(

Zooming the 70-200ii is very smooth for video.
By comparison, the 24-70ii is far too jumpy ... Maybe the zoom lock?

I think I've also successfully zoomed the 16-35ii for video

I was shooting a video at an exhibition the other day and I immediately abandoned the 24-70 for those 'pulling into focus' type shots ...

[Zlatko]

Does anyone experience this?
I mean, how smooth is your zoom ring on mk2 24-70?
Mine is stiffer than on my 24-70 mk1 (I've already sold it, so can't compare anymore).
When I hold the lens attached to a body horizontally, the rotation of the zoom ring not quite as smooth-zooming as the 24-70 L I.
When I hold the lens downwards and zoom in (to 70 mm) it's smooth-zooming as mkI. But zooming out (to 24 mm) in the same (down) position makes zooming stiffer.
And when I hold the lens upwards, zooming in (to 70mm) is stiff and zooming out (to 24mm) is smooth again.

That is the effect of gravity, no?  Lifting something (against gravity) is harder than lowering something (with the help of gravity).

The new 24-70 II has a stiffness in the zoom ring — I think it is ideal because I can set it at the focal length I want and expect it to stay there until I want to change it.  So my 24-70 can be a 28, 35, 50, etc.  I think this encourages the use of the zoom as you would a set of primes.  This is unlike the 70-200, for example, which is more likely to be used to frame fast moving sports action; for such a lens you want smooth-fast zoom action.

This stiffness in the 24-70 II will probably not be welcomed by photographers who want to use it for video and want to zoom during video.  There is no way to make it zoom smoothly.  So my impression is that this lens is made primarily for stills photographers.  However, it may be excellent for video photographers who don't want to zoom during video.

[ratnev]

Does anyone experience this?
I mean, how smooth is your zoom ring on mk2 24-70?
Mine is stiffer than on my 24-70 mk1 (I've already sold it, so can't compare anymore).
When I hold the lens attached to a body horizontally, the rotation of the zoom ring not quite as smooth-zooming as the 24-70 L I.
When I hold the lens downwards and zoom in (to 70 mm) it's smooth-zooming as mkI. But zooming out (to 24 mm) in the same (down) position makes zooming stiffer.
And when I hold the lens upwards, zooming in (to 70mm) is stiff and zooming out (to 24mm) is smooth again.

That is the effect of gravity, no?  Lifting something (against gravity) is harder than lowering something (with the help of gravity).

The new 24-70 II has a stiffness in the zoom ring — I think it is ideal because I can set it at the focal length I want and expect it to stay there until I want to change it.  So my 24-70 can be a 28, 35, 50, etc.  I think this encourages the use of the zoom as you would a set of primes.  This is unlike the 70-200, for example, which is more likely to be used to frame fast moving sports action; for such a lens you want smooth-fast zoom action.

This stiffness in the 24-70 II will probably not be welcomed by photographers who want to use it for video and want to zoom during video.  There is no way to make it zoom smoothly.  So my impression is that this lens is made primarily for stills photographers.  However, it may be excellent for video photographers who don't want to zoom during video.

Ooops! It's my bad.    I was so busy with zooming that I forgot about the gravity. You're probably right. 

[ratnev]

Right now this lens is not for videographers who prefer to zoom in and out during shooting.

[ratnev]

it might get smoother with time...

[Dylan777]

Kinda stiff on my lens too...I think this is normal

[Act444]

There is a bit of stiffness, but....I like it that way.

[ratnev]

Kinda stiff on my lens too...I think this is normal

There is a bit of stiffness, but....I like it that way.

It's nice to hear that mine copy is "fine" too now... 

[trowski]

The biggest change I noticed was how little friction there is when mounting the hood. If it wasn't for the clip, it would almost spin freely. I assume everyone else has noticed the same thing?

Honestly I'd welcome this change. Probably will save on wear and tear on the end of the lens and the hood.

[lastcoyote]

The new 24-70 II has a stiffness in the zoom ring — I think it is ideal because I can set it at the focal length I want and expect it to stay there until I want to change it.  So my 24-70 can be a 28, 35, 50, etc.  I think this encourages the use of the zoom as you would a set of primes.  This is unlike the 70-200, for example, which is more likely to be used to frame fast moving sports action; for such a lens you want smooth-fast zoom action.

i've just got the 24-70 II and have also noticed the stiffness of the zoom ring. glad to see that this is fairly normal from the comments above.

i tend to agree with Zlakto's comment quoted above and thought the exact same thing as to the reason why it may have been intentionally designed this way, so as to be able to securely set it to useful focal lengths such as 24, 28, 35, 50, 70. makes sense to me.

seeing as how i've kind of resurrected this thread i wonder if anyone here has noticed the zoom ring loosening over time? my copy already after a few days of use seems to be ever so slightly smoother.

[Mt Spokane Photography]

I just received mine  last week, the zoom ring is firm and a bit tight.  It is smooth to operate.
 
I prefer it this way, I don't like the zoom creep that can happen with a loose zoom mechanism.  I really never thought about it until I read the question and double checked mine.  It is normal.