Looking for EF 24-105 f4L aftermarket replacement...

[dstppy]

I had a EF 24-105mm f/4L on my 5D Mark II, but wasn't happy with the image quality. I had to stop it down to about f/8 in order to get decent sharpness. Wide open, it was pretty soft. I bought it second hand, and may have gotten a bad copy, but it's a story worth telling(?). Sold it (without any complaints) and bought a new Tamron SP 28-75mm f/2.8. Stopped down to f/4, it's as sharp as my copy of the EF 24-105mm at f/8, but at one third of the price. However, it does have a bit slower AF. I would try it out in a store.

I can't help but wonder if it could have benefited from MFA. I've been meaning to run FoCal over my existing lenses, but so far I've lucked out and had no real issues with my lenses. Still, I wonder if the 5DmkII would be even more amazing with adjustment.

 

[brianleighty]

I had a EF 24-105mm f/4L on my 5D Mark II, but wasn't happy with the image quality. I had to stop it down to about f/8 in order to get decent sharpness. Wide open, it was pretty soft. I bought it second hand, and may have gotten a bad copy, but it's a story worth telling(?). Sold it (without any complaints) and bought a new Tamron SP 28-75mm f/2.8. Stopped down to f/4, it's as sharp as my copy of the EF 24-105mm at f/8, but at one third of the price. However, it does have a bit slower AF. I would try it out in a store.

I was going to say the same thing regarding the 28 - 70. That's about the only one I know that's full frame in the range he's looking at. I've never tried it before. I know Roger over at Lensrentals always says it's a great bang for the buck but looking at the charts on The Digital Picture isn't very encouraging. I actually got my 24-105 when I got my 5D Mark II kit. Over all I really like it. Sure I wish I had a wider aperture but I can see why people like it so much. I still have my Canon 28 135 as well. Still not sure what to do with it. It's obviously not as good but at such a low price that I could sell it at I'm still trying to decide whether to sell it or just hold onto it.

 

[SpareImp]

Yeah, my impression is that the 24-105mm is a great lens, based on what I’ve read. But again: the copy I had didn’t convince me. It possibly could’ve benefited from MFA, but after I was aware of the problem I did some tests with manual focus, aided by LiveView, and it was still pretty soft wide open. I really want to try a new copy now, to see if I was just a bit unlucky. After all, the build quality was excellent and I do miss the weather sealing.

Regarding the Tamron 28-75mm, you are depending on getting a good copy. I did, and was also able to buy a wider prime for landscape-photography for more or less the money I saved/made from the purchase and selling of the 24-105mm. I would definitely try the Tamron out before I buy it. They do make some great lenses, but are often overlooked because of a lower re-sale value, inconsistent quality control and not-as-great build quality. I’ve read online about photographers doing blind-tests with the Tamron 28-75mm and the Canon EF 24-70mm, without being able to find a clear winner. These specific photographers skill levels are unknown, however.

 

[awinphoto]

Yeah, my impression is that the 24-105mm is a great lens, based on what I’ve read. But again: the copy I had didn’t convince me. It possibly could’ve benefited from MFA, but after I was aware of the problem I did some tests with manual focus, aided by LiveView, and it was still pretty soft wide open. I really want to try a new copy now, to see if I was just a bit unlucky. After all, the build quality was excellent and I do miss the weather sealing.

Regarding the Tamron 28-75mm, you are depending on getting a good copy. I did, and was also able to buy a wider prime for landscape-photography for more or less the money I saved/made from the purchase and selling of the 24-105mm. I would definitely try the Tamron out before I buy it. They do make some great lenses, but are often overlooked because of a lower re-sale value, inconsistent quality control and not-as-great build quality. I’ve read online about photographers doing blind-tests with the Tamron 28-75mm and the Canon EF 24-70mm, without being able to find a clear winner. These specific photographers skill levels are unknown, however.

I wonder off hand maybe there was some fungus or maybe the lens was dropped by the original owner and moved an element or two? That's one of my pet peeves... The last lens, way back when I bought used on ebay, the lens stunk of cigarette smoke (an old tokina)... It took literally a month for the smell to fully go away after cleaning it over and over... It operated just fine but for the first few shoots it was obnoxious. Couldn't be happier with my copy of the 24-105 for what I use it for...