Canon EF 11-24mm f/4L USM

param said:
First few shots from this evening. All with 5D3 and at 11mm; way too much fun at 11mm to try anything else just yet. Will provide some writeup and first impressions tomorrow. Let me know if there are any questions I can answer.

http://www.paramsandhu.com/Galleries/Blog/Canon-EF-1124mm-f4L-USM-Review/n-pDLvbK/

see some serious CAs, but that can be fixed in post, right?
 
Upvote 0
saveyourmoment said:
param said:
First few shots from this evening. All with 5D3 and at 11mm; way too much fun at 11mm to try anything else just yet. Will provide some writeup and first impressions tomorrow. Let me know if there are any questions I can answer.

http://www.paramsandhu.com/Galleries/Blog/Canon-EF-1124mm-f4L-USM-Review/n-pDLvbK/

see some serious CAs, but that can be fixed in post, right?
Which shot? I don't see much CA at all in his photos.
 
Upvote 0
cropping

I noticed that with the view at 11mm very similar to 3 stitched TS-E17 shots, a square crop of a view at 11mm could be very useful for some architecture, where movement might cause problems for stitching. On the 5Ds this square crop would still be 33MP...
 

Attachments

  • towers_leicester.jpg
    towers_leicester.jpg
    614.3 KB · Views: 438
Upvote 0
Aug 22, 2013
932
60
mackguyver said:
I received mine yesterday, but didn't get a chance to play with it a whole lot. As expected, the lens is big, and moreso, quite heavy. The front element is much more protected that I had expected and makes the TS-E 17 look like a foolish design. The lens cap is somewhat odd, and as Keith said, much lighter than expected. Mine doesn't want to snap on evenly on both sides, but that might just be me needing to get used to it. 11mm is insanely wide as expected, and I appreciate Keith's distortion tests. That seems to match what we're seeing in param's shots and is great news for architectural shots. Unfortunately, this is also making me consider a geared head.

I thought it might be a less practical, but still viable replacement for the 16-35 f/4 IS, considering I have the 24-70 f/2.8 II, but after handling the 11-24, I'm not so sure. The 16-35 is the perfect travel and walk around lens and 16-35mm range is really practical. The 11-24 range reminds me of the Sigma 12-24 I used to own. It's great for landscape and architecture, but the focal range is very limiting for other types of shooting. 24mm is still quite wide, whereas 35mm is a moderate focal length for general purpose work.

On the curved tree issue, when I was shooting at 12mm, I would either crop out the far sides, or get in close to the trees and use the curves to add to the perspective and drama of the shot. I hope to get out and shoot over the next few days and I'll try to take a few shots to show what I mean about that.

I don't think its really a replacement for the 16-35 f/4L per se, as that one lens covers the focal length 99% of landscape shots end up in. For me I much more frequently would need 25-35mm for landscape than 11-15mm for landscape. While the latter does have some unique effects that can be impressive for landscapes, practically I generally need to get closer than 24mm (due to environmental hazards) far, far more frequently than 16mm is not wide enough - and unless you are willing to carry two lenses on hikes/etc then you are stuck cropping with the 11-24mm in these cases. And ND filtering becomes more complex with the 11-24 as well.

The 11-24mm is a beast and a technical stunner, I just do not think it is practical in any way for most given its costs and all the things you need to give up from the 16-35 f/4 to get 11-15mm. But as usual in photography, if you need wider than 16mm frequently, then you need it :) This is a niche pro lens for a pro that does 11-15mm photography frequently - if that does not define you I would say money spent wisely elsewhere.

And for the record, I ended up selling my 16-35mm f/2.8L II because I am using my newer 24L II when I need wide in events now - f/1.4 beats f/2.8 everytime for events. I used the money to buy a 16-35mm f/4L IS for hikes, as it is smaller and more landscape-oriented with less PP needed than the f/2.8L II where I will be using it. I did wait to see the 11-24L first, though, and decided I did not want it due to cost, lack of front filtering, size/weight and loss of 25-35mm.

Eventually I would like to get the 8-15mm fisheye as well...
 
Upvote 0
Ruined, that's a good way to put it and the hardest part about using 11-15mm in landscape work, is that you have to get very close to the foreground or have a stunning foreground without distractions in the outer frame. In the Western U.S. and similar areas, this might not be a challenge, but for many of us, the 24-70 or 16-35 make a lot more sense. When I had the 12-24, I found landscape opportunities far and few between, even when seeking them out.

For architecture/real estate, it promises to be a real winner, though, and for some landscapes, and certain other types of work (editorial, fashion, etc.), it opens up a world of creativity. Take a look at what Von Wong did with SmugMug using the Nikon 14-24 (at 14mm) or what Lindsay Adler does with the Sigma 12-24 (final photo) for some examples. These types of shots take some or even a lot of planning, but they can give some remarkable results.
 
Upvote 0
Dec 17, 2013
1,297
14
I am an amateur still growing my lens collection, and to me this is a lens to rent. If I have a shot equivalent to 8mm on an APS-C and I want better rectilinear performance than my existing 8-16mm Sigma and 60D can give me, I am sure that Roger Cicala will have one to rent. I find that I just don't use the 8-16 Sigma much when compared with the 15-85 at 15mm. For full frame sky shots I have the bargain-basement Samyang 14. Leaning trees, telephone poles, etc can be a compositional issue. I may get the EF 16-35 f/4L for hiking, I am impressed when I hear people say they sold their Zeiss 21, which is a favorite lens of mine. My typical landscape kit is the Zeiss 21mm f/2.8, the Sigma Art 35mm f/1.4, and an old AIS Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 with adapter (focusing by live view), which is excellent at landscapes between f/4 and f/8.
 
Upvote 0
Aug 22, 2013
932
60
mackguyver said:
Ruined, that's a good way to put it and the hardest part about using 11-15mm in landscape work, is that you have to get very close to the foreground or have a stunning foreground without distractions in the outer frame. In the Western U.S. and similar areas, this might not be a challenge, but for many of us, the 24-70 or 16-35 make a lot more sense. When I had the 12-24, I found landscape opportunities far and few between, even when seeking them out.

For architecture/real estate, it promises to be a real winner, though, and for some landscapes, and certain other types of work (editorial, fashion, etc.), it opens up a world of creativity. Take a look at what Von Wong did with SmugMug using the Nikon 14-24 (at 14mm) or what Lindsay Adler does with the Sigma 12-24 (final photo) for some examples. These types of shots take some or even a lot of planning, but they can give some remarkable results.

It is definitely true 11-15mm offer unique perspectives that 16mm+ do not.

The question is whether those perspectives are used frequently enough to justify $1800 additional cost over the 16-35 and some of the disadvantages of the 11-24, assuming one isn't going to buy both the 11-24 and 16-35. If the latter is the case, then it just boils down to cost vs use.
 
Upvote 0
Okay, I'm going to do everyone who owns this lens a favor. Here's a crappy 11mm shot. It's overexposed, has flare, is somewhat overprocessed, and well, the subject matter says it all. Now the air is cleared and no matter how bad your 11mm shot is, it will be better than this one ;D
 

Attachments

  • Red_Hills_Horse_Trials_2015_19873_web.jpg
    Red_Hills_Horse_Trials_2015_19873_web.jpg
    290.9 KB · Views: 397
Upvote 0
Okay, onto some others. Nothing great, but horse eventing isn't exactly a place where you can get close to anything:

11mm f/8:
Red_Hills_Horse_Trials_2015_17392_ID-XL.jpg


Alas, it zooms, so I did this at 20mm f/8:
Red_Hills_Horse_Trials_2015_17409_ID-XL.jpg


And another, well composite of many others at 20mm, a little more creative:
Goliath_Gap_ID-X2.jpg


Hopefully I'll have a chance to shoot more conventional stuff soon.
 
Upvote 0
Nov 17, 2011
5,514
15
mackguyver said:
Okay, I'm going to do everyone who owns this lens a favor. Here's a crappy 11mm shot. It's overexposed, has flare, is somewhat overprocessed, and well, the subject matter says it all. Now the air is cleared and no matter how bad your 11mm shot is, it will be better than this one ;D

mackguyver, that is truly a master piece for 11-24... ;D
 
Upvote 0
Nov 17, 2011
5,514
15
mackguyver said:
Okay, onto some others. Nothing great, but horse eventing isn't exactly a place where you can get close to anything:

And another, well composite of many others at 20mm, a little more creative:
Goliath_Gap_ID-X2.jpg


Hopefully I'll have a chance to shoot more conventional stuff soon.

I really like this one mackguyver. 11-24 seems to be a MUST have lens now.
 
Upvote 0
Dec 25, 2012
750
376
mackguyver said:
For architecture/real estate, it promises to be a real winner, though, and for some landscapes, and certain other types of work (editorial, fashion, etc.), it opens up a world of creativity.

Exactly what I am planning. I currently use the 17TS-E for the hero shots and 16-35 f4L when I need to move fast around a property. It looks like the 11-24 and the 24-70 LII would be a two lens , two camera setup that makes quick work of my shoot. Only occasionally do I need to stitch the 17 and even then I don't go to extremes.

The 11-24 seems affordable if I sell my 17TS-E, the 16-35 and one of my children. ;)
 
Upvote 0
I received my copy late last week and I am loving this lens. I also have a 16-35/4 and a TS-E 17 and have no plans to sell them - they are really all different lenses intended for very different purposes. Here are a few of my first shots with the 11-24.

6O6C2172_HDR.jpg by CalevPhoto, on Flickr

Looking Up by CalevPhoto, on Flickr

Shaded by CalevPhoto, on Flickr

Sun Halo by CalevPhoto, on Flickr
 
Upvote 0

Jack Douglas

CR for the Humour
Apr 10, 2013
6,980
2,602
Alberta, Canada
mackguyver, that is very interesting and worth knowing how. I assume if you're on tripod and can get enough FPS with the full wide angle then there is some trick to assembling them into animation - care to comment?

Here's what my lens was up to a couple of hours ago. Does this look like it's performing. I see pretty significant vignetting but what else might I look for?

Jack
 

Attachments

  • Homeward_25209.JPG
    Homeward_25209.JPG
    4.7 MB · Views: 383
Upvote 0

DominoDude

Certified photon catcher
Feb 7, 2013
910
2
::1
mackguyver said:
Animated GIF version of the sequence shot of the "Goliath Gap" obstacle - wait for it to load...

...

I wish I'd used a remote release, but I had no intention of animating it. These are so easy and fun with the 1D X - I think I'm going to have make more of them!

Throwing in something I remember seeing on Flickr, to inspire Mackguyver and JackDouglas:
If my memory serves me well, Lotus Carroll (on Twitter as @LotusCarroll, and here is a "About" page -> http://sarcasticmom.com/about-2/ ) had uploaded a quick series of shots of her child and had it made into a short animation. She might have a few other ideas on how to do something similar.
 
Upvote 0
Jack, the dappled light and perspective of the road work well and with regards to the vignetting, it seems to all but disappear around f/8.

Here are some resources on creating animated GIFs from burst shot sequences - and while I know you have a 1D4, for others that are interested, you don't need 10-12 FPS to do one. Even a burst of JPEGs out of a Rebel at 3 or 4 FPS would work if you can get 10+ frames.

The first step - not really described below - is to load in all the files. You go to File>Scripts>Load Files into Stacks. For some reason, they load backwards, so later on you'll need to reverse them using that option in the Timeline menu on the upper right side of the timeline. You'll want to Loop the animation and you'll also want to select all of the frames and add a delay (0.1s recommended for most stuff) or it will play once and way too fast.

Official Guide:
https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/creating-frame-animations.html

Others guides:
http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/how-to-create-animated-gif-quick-tip-ht
http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/how-to-make-an-animated-gif/
 
Upvote 0