Canon 24-105mm f/4 IS : Seller's remorse?

[sunnyVan]

You already own all the best primes. You definitely are not missing anything. You're very lucky to be able to sell it at 800. If someone offered me 700 I'd sell mine today.

 

[jdramirez]

You already own all the best primes. You definitely are not missing anything. You're very lucky to be able to sell it at 800. If someone offered me 700 I'd sell mine today.

Agreed, 800 is above market value at the moment. jump on the offer.

 

[tron]

There is no comparison between the 24-70ii and the 24-105 is...24-70 is just incredibly sharp! All serious photographers need the 24-70ii and the 70-200ii in their kit!

Hmmm, suddenly I feel ... half-serious since I have only one of the two lenses... ;D

 

[Dylan777]

Two words for you: SELL IT

 

[Northstar]

You already own all the best primes. You definitely are not missing anything. You're very lucky to be able to sell it at 800. If someone offered me 700 I'd sell mine today.

Agreed, 800 is above market value at the moment. jump on the offer.

I agree with these guys....$800 is a great price and you can always buy it back if you want.

I sold mine and I do have some regret because I miss the 70-105....but at the end of the day the 24-70ii is sharper and produces better IQ.

 

[crasher8]

I've sold two! I sold the first for 150 more than I bought it for and the 2nd I 'gave it away' for 100 less than I bought it for to a dear friend on a budget. She's happy so so am I.
Tamron 24-70 VR was what I replaced it with. SOOOOOOOOO much better in every way.

 

[bholliman]

I have the same dilemma. I purchased a 24-105L last summer and just added a 24-70 2.8 II a month ago.

The 24-70 is an awesome lens! Extremely sharp with little distortion and smooth bokeh. I use it frequently. However, I still find plenty of uses for the 24-105. I must have a good copy as it's pretty sharp above 24mm. The 24-105 is an ideal lens for attending festivals or day outings when I don't want to carry multiple lenses. It's nice to have the 70-105mm range when carrying a single lens and the IS saves shots that I would probably blur otherwise.

So, I'm hanging onto my 24-105 for now. If it starts to gather dust at some point down the road, I'll sell it.

CANONisOK: $800 is a really good price, I would take it since you haven't been using the lens anyway.

 

[awinphoto]

Serious photographers use primes ;D

You've done it now. I'm off to take cover!

Serious photographers don't waste time on forums.

^100+++ guess my 10 year old studio and career isn't "serious" haha since all but 1 of my lenses are F4 lenses... It's that what gear you have, it's how you use it. I would love the 24-70 m2 but i am NOT going to plunk down the cash for that lens when I cant guarantee it wont give me any more $$ in sales... not worth it.. I am, though interested in picking up a second 24-105 for my backup lens...

 

[Eli]

If its gathering dust then sell it, what makes you think time will change your opinion? The 24-70ii is a beast compared to the 24-105.
The 24-105 was great because its a 'good' all rounder lens at a cheap kit price.
I've sold mine after getting the 24-70ii also, don't miss it at all unless you're planning to shoot video.

 

[CANONisOK]

GONE! ;D

Thanks for all the feedback. It seemed like a really good price for a not-spectacular copy (but in all fairness, it was also in pristine condition). The buyer was also at a point in her hobby where I could see the 24-105mm as a big step-up in quality. Her enthusiasm made me feel good about selling it.

Maybe someday there will be an amazing mark ii version which can be the ultimate walkaround lens, but I'm plenty happy with my other current options. Now, if I can find some takers for my 17-55mm, 50 1.4, an old 18-200mm(!), etc...

 

[dhachey77]

If its gathering dust then sell it, what makes you think time will change your opinion? The 24-70ii is a beast compared to the 24-105.
The 24-105 was great because its a 'good' all rounder lens at a cheap kit price.
I've sold mine after getting the 24-70ii also, don't miss it at all unless you're planning to shoot video.

I just did a complete refresh of my gear, but I kept three items (7d, 24-105 and 70-200 F4L IS) because they were too good to sell. Also too useful as backup equipment. The 24-70ii and 70-200ii are my main lenses now. The 24-70ii took a bit of getting use to, but don't miss the IS as much as I initially thought. It is sharp, sharp, sharp! Kept the 24-105 for a walk about lens because of IS and wider focal range, for those times I only want to carry a single lens.

 

[sagittariansrock]

I did the AFMA on focal, but I've never been able to get true sharpness from this lens in darn near any situation. My prior workhorse was a Canon 17-55mm 2.8 on a T3i, and I didn't observe signiciant difference in the "upgrade" to the 24-105 (although, I felt color was noticeably better).

17-55 to 24-105 is actually a bit of downgrade in my opinion IQ-wise (although the converse is true for build quality and ergonomics). The 'upgrade' from APS-C to FF however more than makes up for this deficit.
I tried my 24-105 (when I owned it) both on a FF (5DII) and on my APS-C (7D), and the results were clearly better on the FF. So if you noticed more flaws after you switched to the 5DIII, you probably had a bad copy.
$ 800! Nice deal!

 

[Wildfire]

I love my 24-105. It's an absolutely fantastic lens with sharpness, color, and focal range that leave me stunned every time I use it (it's currently my main lens, so I use it a lot!). Perhaps I have a better copy than most, as I've tested it against a 24-70 2.8 Mk I and I thought it was sharper than the faster zoom, both wide open on the go and stopped down in the studio.

However, I'd sell the 24-105 in a heartbeat if I had the 24-70 II as I do a lot of low-light event shooting and the extra stop helps immensely. But for all my work where I need an f/4 or smaller aperture, I know I have a single lens I can take that will cover all the focal lengths I'll need... the 24-105.

 

[dinsy]

I use my 24-105 at weddings, and find that for indoor portraits, eg at the bride's house, I use it at 80-105mm and get better results bouncing flash from ceilings. Being further away gets a more flattering light across people's faces. And even at f4, it's quite sharp enough in the centre and blurs backgrounds nicely. Works for me.

 

[Dylan777]

GONE! ;D

Thanks for all the feedback. It seemed like a really good price for a not-spectacular copy (but in all fairness, it was also in pristine condition). The buyer was also at a point in her hobby where I could see the 24-105mm as a big step-up in quality. Her enthusiasm made me feel good about selling it.

Maybe someday there will be an amazing mark ii version which can be the ultimate walkaround lens, but I'm plenty happy with my other current options. Now, if I can find some takers for my 17-55mm, 50 1.4, an old 18-200mm(!), etc...

I doubt you would have hard time selling 17-55 and 50 f1.4. Those are great lenses.

The question is, what are you going to do with the money? :

1. 1D X
2. 300 f2.8 IS II
4. 400 f2.8 IS II
5. 200-400

 

[duydaniel]

GONE! ;D

Thanks for all the feedback. It seemed like a really good price for a not-spectacular copy (but in all fairness, it was also in pristine condition). The buyer was also at a point in her hobby where I could see the 24-105mm as a big step-up in quality. Her enthusiasm made me feel good about selling it.

Maybe someday there will be an amazing mark ii version which can be the ultimate walkaround lens, but I'm plenty happy with my other current options. Now, if I can find some takers for my 17-55mm, 50 1.4, an old 18-200mm(!), etc...

I doubt you would have hard time selling 17-55 and 50 f1.4. Those are great lenses.

The question is, what are you going to do with the money? :

1. 1D X
2. 300 f2.8 IS II
4. 400 f2.8 IS II
5. 200-400

Get some Nikon lenses with EOS adapter maybe

 

[jhpeterson]

There is no comparison between the 24-70ii and the 24-105 is...24-70 is just incredibly sharp! All serious photographers need the 24-70ii and the 70-200ii in their kit!

Hmmm, suddenly I feel ... half-serious since I have only one of the two lenses... ;D

I must be another of the half-serious ones, as I, too, only have the 70-200ii! But, I also have the 16-35ii, which I consider more useful than a 24-70 when I'm in a 2-lens situation. What falls between 35 and 70 seldom seems important to me. Then again, I've never considered myself "normal", at least photographically!

I do, though, have a 24-105, and, from what I read on here, mine must be one of the better copies. It's not as sharp as my 70-200 and certainly not as good as my 300/2.8, but I've never received complaints from clients. In fact, my tough critic (myself) is happy with its results almost all the time! And, for what I paid for it, I'm more than pleased. It's turned out to be much better than the earlier 24-70 I'd had.

 

[pwp]

Serious photographers don't waste time on forums.

I'm sure there is a great deal of truth in that. Still, forums are the new meeting place for photographers since the days of going to the lab several times a week become a distant memory. That was a great place to have quick conversations with other photographers. It can be quite an isolated profession.

But that's getting off-topic. I've kept my 24-105 f/4is after getting the amazing 24-70 f/2.8II. There are occasions where the IS is valuable, for events work the extra reach is valuable and it makes a great travel lens. I prefer to travel light and generally go with one body, a de-gripped 5D3 and the 24-105. After working all year with a dozen high class lenses within reach, vacationing with just the 24-105 is creatively stimulating as you are constantly pushed to make new decisions about how you're going to approach a subject. It's fun. Some hard working, busy photographers will travel with just a body and a 35 or a 50 prime, maybe with a Leica....or a Sony RX1!

$800 for a pre-owned 24-105 is a very high price. You may want to take it. But I'm certainly keeping mine.

-PW

 

[duydaniel]

I have 24-105 as kit on my 5D3 since day 1.
Cannot afford the 24-70 II
Due to copy variations, the Canon 24-70 mk1 and Tamron are not necessarily optically superior.
Most of us use lightroom so I doubt you would be able to tell sharpness differences in post.

 

[Zv]

GONE! ;D

Thanks for all the feedback. It seemed like a really good price for a not-spectacular copy (but in all fairness, it was also in pristine condition). The buyer was also at a point in her hobby where I could see the 24-105mm as a big step-up in quality. Her enthusiasm made me feel good about selling it.

Maybe someday there will be an amazing mark ii version which can be the ultimate walkaround lens, but I'm plenty happy with my other current options. Now, if I can find some takers for my 17-55mm, 50 1.4, an old 18-200mm(!), etc...

I doubt you would have hard time selling 17-55 and 50 f1.4. Those are great lenses.

The question is, what are you going to do with the money? :

1. 1D X
2. 300 f2.8 IS II
4. 400 f2.8 IS II
5. 200-400

Get some Nikon lenses with EOS adapter maybe

I'm having a hard time selling the 17-55. Damn thing is in mint condition, cleaned by Canon inside and out and shoved straight back in the box. $799 but nada. I wonder if the Sigma 18-35 is swaying peoples decision?