Any problems with the newer 24-70mm USM L ??

[00Q]

I have bought and sold the 24-70mm USM lens on ebay TWICE.

The first time there's some small front or back focusing issues with the lens on the macro scale. ( ie if I want to focus on the centre of the flower, the image I take means the centre is slightly out of focus).The first lens was manufactured in 2004. I sold that one.

The second time I bought it the lens was a 2008 copy. I didnt notice any problems with that. I sold it anticipating the release of the MkII version of this lens for a good price.

I have heard many stories about the quality control issues and front/back focusing issues with the 24-70mm. That many people have had to exchange several copies. Im beginning to realise that I wont get the MkII version before I need it even if it is to be announced in January. ( I assume then the lens will be available in march?) So I prob buy back the original version hopefully for a cheaper price. I will wait as long as I can as long as I dont need it.

My question is are the more recent versions of the 24-70mm more reliable(ie the manufacturing means less front/back focusing issues)? Buying off ebay means that I wont have time to return it and buy another one just before I leave.

 

[willrobb]

My 24-70 is a 2008 copy and it's always worked perfectly, never had a front or back focusing issue.

Not sure if there are any common problems with this lens, statistically there would have to be some dud ones out there and your first one sounds like one of these.

 

[wopbv4]

Yes, there were problems with the first batch of 24-70 lenses.
I bought a new one about six months ago and it works just fine, no problems at all.
I tested it with my micro adjustment rig and there was no need: the focus was just fine, both on the short and the long end. Any "misfocus" was small and random, and the hit rate of smack in focus was very high.
There is a lot of fuss about the fact that this lens does not have IS, but I do not miss it at all with THIS lens. I do have other lenses with IS , which benefit a lot from IS, such as the 100 mm macro and the 70-200 F2.8 on the long end.
I will not upgrade to the new 24-70 (whenever???) for IS. If the new is significantly faster then the 2.8, I will consider.
In short, I love my 2010 model, it a fantastic lens!!

 

[bobthebrick]

Have a look at the wonderful article on this site titled something like, 'My lens is not sharp'. Lots of people would (and do!) exchange copies of lenses until they find the one that works perfectly with THEIR camera. If your camera has Microfocus adjustment, you can probably fix it like that, or you can take it to Canon (or a camera store like teds???) and they'll adjust the focus for your lenses and camera. Don't know how much it costs though.

Anyway, that's just my opinion. The first batch of lenses was definitely dodgy though.