Compare Canon 5D Mark 2 24-70L vs Canon 60D 17-55 APSC At Aperture F7.1

[hkfreelancephotographer]

Previously we tested the Canon 5D Mark 2 with the Canon L 24-70 F2.8 lens vs the Canon 60D with 17-55 F2.8 APSC lens. At Aperture F2.8 the 60D setup is slightly sharper. Article found here.

Some dpreview commenters suggest that I should test the 5D Mark 2 setup at higher aperture. So we have both camera setups are on the table shot at aperture priority. ISO 100. Aperture at F7.1. Shutter speed is around 1sec. I tried mirror lockup but that does not make any difference. Both lens zoom in at their longest i.e. 55mm & 70mm respectively.

Here are the results

http://hkfreelancephotographer.com/5d2-vs-60d-test-at-f7-1/

 

[Mika]

Hello Robert, I took a look at your testing out of curiosity. For me it seems that the test result of 24-70 at 2.8 does not correspond to my experience of the lens (camera settings not withstanding) and to be frank, the result looks like a focusing error. If possible, try focusing on Live view to see whether that changes anything. Granted, I only have 5D mark I, but adding more pixels shouldn't make it that bad.

In my copy of the lens, there is a small sharpness difference between 2.8 and 4, it is barely noticeable, and even then you have to go and look for it. So I haven't been afraid to use 2.8 at all with that lens. Actually, in my case the biggest issue with this lens has been photographer himself, typically selecting too large an aperture for the required depth of field...

If Live view focusing does show improvement, consider sending the camera and the lens for service, which according to my understanding, should be free for the first time if you bought your lens new.

 

[cpsico]

Previously we tested the Canon 5D Mark 2 with the Canon L 24-70 F2.8 lens vs the Canon 60D with 17-55 F2.8 APSC lens. At Aperture F2.8 the 60D setup is slightly sharper. Article found here.

Some dpreview commenters suggest that I should test the 5D Mark 2 setup at higher aperture. So we have both camera setups are on the table shot at aperture priority. ISO 100. Aperture at F7.1. Shutter speed is around 1sec. I tried mirror lockup but that does not make any difference. Both lens zoom in at their longest i.e. 55mm & 70mm respectively.

Here are the results

http://hkfreelancephotographer.com/5d2-vs-60d-test-at-f7-1/

I would say use live view on both cameras to nail focus then upload the results. That should take all focus issues out of the picture

 

[LetTheRightLensIn]

Previously we tested the Canon 5D Mark 2 with the Canon L 24-70 F2.8 lens vs the Canon 60D with 17-55 F2.8 APSC lens. At Aperture F2.8 the 60D setup is slightly sharper. Article found here.

Some dpreview commenters suggest that I should test the 5D Mark 2 setup at higher aperture. So we have both camera setups are on the table shot at aperture priority. ISO 100. Aperture at F7.1. Shutter speed is around 1sec. I tried mirror lockup but that does not make any difference. Both lens zoom in at their longest i.e. 55mm & 70mm respectively.

Here are the results

http://hkfreelancephotographer.com/5d2-vs-60d-test-at-f7-1/

something is seriously wrong there, looks like either focusing errors, most likely, or a really bad copy of the 24-70L 2 and maybe of both lenses

now maybe you didn't sharpen as much etc. but even so, no amount of sharpening could turn your f/2.8 70mm example into anything like this (24-70 II 70mm f/2.8, 100% crop):

 

[Axilrod]

or a really bad copy of the 24-70L 2 and maybe of both lenses

I think he's comparing it with the 24-70 v1....

 

[raptor3x]

I did a quick test of the 24-70II vs the 17-55 on a 7D a few weeks ago using the Reikan Focal test chart and live view manual focus. I found the new 24-70II to be very slightly better than the 17-55 wide open at all apertures, moreso at the telephoto end, but the difference was very slight.

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showpost.php?p=15076377&postcount=24

 

[Radiating]

Your results are not consistent with what others have posted. In fact the OLD version of the lens is 15% sharper than the 17-55mm f/2.8 on full frame. @ 70mm vs 55mm. So this lens should blow the 17-55mm out of the water, which it does, even when both are on crop @ 55mm as posted on the other link.

Either you are doing the test wrong or something is seriously wrong with one of your lenses.

It's also worth mentioning that a "like for like" comparison between crop and full frame is:

45mm f/2.8 crop = 70mm f/4.5 full frame

 

[Mika]

Sorry, for some reason I didn't realize one important factor here at play.

As others mentioned, there are several things more that should be considered in the comparison. By photographing the same target with 55 mm (17-55), you are giving a considerable edge on the magnification for the APS-C lens. My suggestion would be to match the Field of views first, (70 mm FF ~ 44 mm APS-C) and check the results again.

However, even this isn't fully comparable since the maximum reproduction ratio of the lenses differ quite a bit (24-70 goes to 1:3.45, 17-55 to 1:5.9). Take the closest focusing distance of 17-55 - or a little bit further - and test both lenses at suggested focal lengths there, now both lenses should be able to focus there with the same field of view.

Then, there are some hints on the 24-70 @2.8 photo that it is slightly out of focus (on your earlier article). The pincer seems to show some greenish hue around the edges as well as the paper, which suggests that the lens might indeed have front- or back focused. Additionally, there is some haze all around the image which might be because of insufficient spherical aberration correction (which would mean some lens element has moved), or again that the lens has not been focused to the right place.

Due to lack of other objects in the 24-70 photo, I can't see where the lens might have focused. And because of the long shutter speed, it might also be that something simply moved during the take, blurring some of the details. Try using a shorter shutter speed too (1/500 perhaps) and add something like a plank to the scene so that it is easier to determine that if the lens focused wrong, where did it actually focus then.

I suppose you used the Central AF point on both lenses. Be advised that the area covered by the AF point is different between full frame and crop body, and that the AF point might not look exactly at the same direction the view finder suggests (this has been rather annoying with macro work occasionally).

Hopefully you get something useful out of this post.

EDIT: Additional question: does the 24-70 have a UV filter in front of it? If so, is it a quality filter?