The new Canon 24-70 f2.8 ii - A review with images from a reportage photographer

[Mark Carey]

Hi, Im a documentary wedding photographer who also shoots street photography. I hadnt realised there was a review section in these forums so forgive me for showing this a little late in the day. I outline my views, with images, of what it is like to use this stunning lens, as my only lens, on a 10 hour shoot.

http://www.markcareyphotography.com/2012/jo-and-karim-canon-ef-24-70mm-f2-8-ii-usm-l-review/

 

[Albi86]

Hi, just a tiny observation: one important characteristic of a lens is its color rendition. It's kinda of hard to evaluate it when most of your shots are B&W

 

[Mark Carey]

Well, you've got me there - they are indeed a lot of black and white conversions - but there are a lot of images so quite a few colour ones too. The later posts on my blog will predominantly shot be with the new 24-70 with some 85mm as well. Not the latest post on Calcutta - they are all shot with a 35mm f2.

 

[RustyTheGeek]

First time I've seen a comprehensive review that makes me reconsider wanting this overpriced lens. Great write up! In addition, the composition of the shots and your documentary style appeals to me and fits my intended use. I may have missed it because I skimmed the write up but what flash setup did you use? What was the average ISO you had to use to get your shots indoors? (Is that perhaps why you convert to B&W and let the white highlights blow out, to recover/mask some high ISO issues? Or just the style you want?) I'm also impressed that you were able to get so many of the indoor shots to focus with the 5D3. Or, were these just the keepers? What was your average keeper rate due to AF of the 5D3 in lower light shots?

 

[EvilTed]

Mark,

Your street photography is wonderful
You've captured India very sincerely without the usual shock horror of poverty.

Could you comment on which camera + lenses you used for each set?
I particularly love the shoot from Vietnam!
I'm heading to Vietnam and Cambodia to shoot next year.

I've just about given up on Canon, having tried lots of lenses to get the look I'm after.
Not even the new Sigma 35mm worked for me.
I prefer my Fuji's (X-Pro1 and XE-1) for my work, which is 99% travel and street.

I have a 24-70 II arriving on Wednesday and if that can't scratch my itch, it'll be either Nikon D800E or Leica M for me.

Keep up the great work and if you are on 500px, please share...

Happy New Year

ET

 

[EvilTed]

Rusty,

B&H has them on sale for $2049 at the moment.
Just add to cart to get the final price

HTH

ET

 

[Mark Carey]

First time I've seen a comprehensive review that makes me reconsider wanting this overpriced lens. Great write up! In addition, the composition of the shots and your documentary style appeals to me and fits my intended use. I may have missed it because I skimmed the write up but what flash setup did you use? What was the average ISO you had to use to get your shots indoors? (Is that perhaps why you convert to B&W and let the white highlights blow out, to recover/mask some high ISO issues? Or just the style you want?) I'm also impressed that you were able to get so many of the indoor shots to focus with the 5D3. Or, were these just the keepers? What was your average keeper rate due to AF of the 5D3 in lower light shots?

Hi Rusty - thanks for that. It is indeed a hefty price for this lens. My preferred technique is not to use any flash at all until people hit the dance floor. By then its usually so miserably lit ambiently I use flash, but generally just on camera flash bounced behind me and still shoot pretty high iso's to keep the background bright. It was really dark in that marquee by the time they were dancing and the sloping sides of the it were giving me irregular exposures. The rest of the day is no flash at all until they started dancing. If faces seem bright and highlights blown its because I always expose for skin tones and if the highlights go, they go. Thats just my personal preference.
AF? I dont have any issues in low light or otherwise with the 5d3 for af. Its brilliant - and I come from using a d3s. The client gets about 350 shots. I shoot many more. The af keeper rate is probably 95-98 %. No issue with af at all.

 

[Mark Carey]

Mark,

Your street photography is wonderful
You've captured India very sincerely without the usual shock horror of poverty.

Could you comment on which camera + lenses you used for each set?
I particularly love the shoot from Vietnam!
I'm heading to Vietnam and Cambodia to shoot next year.

I've just about given up on Canon, having tried lots of lenses to get the look I'm after.
Not even the new Sigma 35mm worked for me.
I prefer my Fuji's (X-Pro1 and XE-1) for my work, which is 99% travel and street.

I have a 24-70 II arriving on Wednesday and if that can't scratch my itch, it'll be either Nikon D800E or Leica M for me.

Keep up the great work and if you are on 500px, please share...

Happy New Year

ET

Thanks ET

My street photography is almost entirely shot with a small 35mm f2. A cheap lens on either Canon or Nikon. My latest blog post is all shot with a 35mm f2 and very occasionally a 50mm 1.4. the ratio is probably about 80/20%
For me, for street photography you need a camera that responds quickly and doesnt lock up like the Fuji's ( which I had) They are very pretty and take nice images but ultimately lacking responsiveness to be fluid. All my street stuff was with a d3s until my last trip which was the 5d3. Barring a poor dynamic range its perfect, not least because of the silent mode which the Nikons lack. The d600 is pretty quiet but was not in the same league as a 5d3 in my opinion for ergonomics. My best all round set up is a 5d3 and a 35mm f2, 50 1.4 and like you Ive been all over the place looking for the best combination I can find. Bigger lenses are awkward on the street I think and you are not shooting all that much wide open anyway, you can zoom with your feet. The little 35mm f2's are small and discreet.

all these are shot with that Canon set up I have just described.
http://www.markcareyphotography.com/2012/street-photography-workshop-in-aid-of-the-hope-foundation-kolkata-february-18th-2013/

cheers

Mark

 

[Mark Carey]

Apologies for my site going down intermittently - this post is driving so much traffic to the site it keeps going down when it gets too many hits at the same time. Please just try later if you want to see the post. it usually just recovers. Thanks.
Mark

 

[facedodge]

Apologies for my site going down intermittently - this post is driving so much traffic to the site it keeps going down when it gets too many hits at the same time. Please just try later if you want to see the post. it usually just recovers. Thanks.
Mark

Wow... Didnt know CR could crash websites. ill try back later. Congrats

 

[Canon Rumors Guy]

Hey

Sorry about your server, it tends to happen from time to time.

 

[candidd]

Hi, I cannot go in this website.(below)..Pls. help me how to ??
I have 24-70mm f2.8 II usm last month.. I want to see the reviews and test..
Thanks you...
http://www.markcareyphotography.com/2012/jo-and-karim-canon-ef-24-70mm-f2-8-ii-usm-l-review/

candidd

 

[Gcon]

GC version (sans images): http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:0r-Ov7hfVA0J:www.markcareyphotography.com/2012/jo-and-karim-canon-ef-24-70mm-f2-8-ii-usm-l-review/+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=au

Hope the site and/or mirror gets back up soon.

 

[BL]

hyperlink leads to...

Forbidden

You don't have permission to access /2012/jo-and-karim-canon-ef-24-70mm-f2-8-ii-usm-l-review/ on this server.

Apache/2 Server at www.markcareyphotography.com Port 80

EDIT: oops, just read the above

 

[Mark Carey]

Really sorry guys - this is embarrassing.

The demand on my site from this post has caused a massive load on a shared server. Its a big post with a lot of images. As soon as it comes back online I can trim it down a bit - at the moment I cant get in to do that.

Im investigating getting a dedicated server. I have a couple of other sites as well so might not be a bad idea.
If anyone knows a good value company for this Id be very interested. Im in the UK.
My website admin guy is talking about £80 per month, gulp!

Mark

 

[meli]

Really sorry guys - this is embarrassing.

The demand on my site from this post has caused a massive load on a shared server. Its a big post with a lot of images. As soon as it comes back online I can trim it down a bit - at the moment I cant get in to do that.

Im investigating getting a dedicated server. I have a couple of other sites as well so might not be a bad idea.
If anyone knows a good value company for this Id be very interested. Im in the UK.
My website admin guy is talking about £80 per month, gulp!

Mark

Hey it happens, just break down the photos into 4-5 pages and you'll be allright. I wouldn't consider a dedicated server unless you expect that traffic everyday! Alternatively consider setting up a secondary blog in something like tumblr, its free & it can handle the punishment.

Cheers for the review & the wonderful photos!

 

[RustyTheGeek]

First time I've seen a comprehensive review that makes me reconsider wanting this overpriced lens. Great write up! In addition, the composition of the shots and your documentary style appeals to me and fits my intended use. I may have missed it because I skimmed the write up but what flash setup did you use? What was the average ISO you had to use to get your shots indoors? (Is that perhaps why you convert to B&W and let the white highlights blow out, to recover/mask some high ISO issues? Or just the style you want?) I'm also impressed that you were able to get so many of the indoor shots to focus with the 5D3. Or, were these just the keepers? What was your average keeper rate due to AF of the 5D3 in lower light shots?

Hi Rusty - thanks for that. It is indeed a hefty price for this lens. My preferred technique is not to use any flash at all until people hit the dance floor. By then its usually so miserably lit ambiently I use flash, but generally just on camera flash bounced behind me and still shoot pretty high iso's to keep the background bright. It was really dark in that marquee by the time they were dancing and the sloping sides of the it were giving me irregular exposures. The rest of the day is no flash at all until they started dancing. If faces seem bright and highlights blown its because I always expose for skin tones and if the highlights go, they go. Thats just my personal preference.
AF? I dont have any issues in low light or otherwise with the 5d3 for af. Its brilliant - and I come from using a d3s. The client gets about 350 shots. I shoot many more. The af keeper rate is probably 95-98 %. No issue with af at all.

Thanks for the great reply Mark. I assumed about what you say based on the highlights. That's what I tend to do as well, expose for the the face, let the rest do whatever. Then tweak in post if necc. Thanks again!

 

[Mark Carey]

Really sorry guys - this is embarrassing.

The demand on my site from this post has caused a massive load on a shared server. Its a big post with a lot of images. As soon as it comes back online I can trim it down a bit - at the moment I cant get in to do that.

Im investigating getting a dedicated server. I have a couple of other sites as well so might not be a bad idea.
If anyone knows a good value company for this Id be very interested. Im in the UK.
My website admin guy is talking about £80 per month, gulp!

Mark

Hey it happens, just break down the photos into 4-5 pages and you'll be allright. I wouldn't consider a dedicated server unless you expect that traffic everyday! Alternatively consider setting up a secondary blog in something like tumblr, its free & it can handle the punishment.

Cheers for the review & the wonderful photos!

Thanks Mate,
its seems to have recovered now. Im astounded at the amount of visits CR sent to my website!
Good call about breaking the blog posts up. They are really content heavy and Ive been slack about considering that. I dont know how to break them over several pages but Ill figure it out. Ill check out Tumblr as well.

cheers

Mark