Canon EF 24 105mm F 4L IS USM Review | 54 Data compared

The Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM is lauded as a highly versatile, professional-grade lens featuring excellent build quality, weather sealing, and a constant f/4 aperture. Key advantages include fast Ring USM autofocus and a 3-stop Image Stabilization system ideal for handheld, non-action photography. However, the lens exhibits significant optical drawbacks, including strong barrel distortion at 24mm, pincushion distortion at longer focal lengths, and noticeable vignetting when shooting wide open. Additionally, users may experience peripheral softness and lateral chromatic aberration at the wide and telephoto extremes. For the full, detailed review, visit The-Digital-Picture.com.

The Canon EF 24-105mm F4 IS L USM lens is a highly flexible, professional-grade zoom lens designed for everyday photography and video capture. Built exceptionally solid with comprehensive weather-sealing, it features an Ultra-Sonic Motor (USM) that enables seamless switching between autofocus and manual focus control. A major advantage for videographers is its built-in Image Stabilizer (IS), which effectively smooths out handheld camera work and delivers highly usable footage. Furthermore, it offers a versatile zoom range from 24mm wide-angle up to a 105mm telephoto reach, maintaining a vital constant max aperture of f/4 throughout the entire focal spectrum so exposure does not change when zooming. However, the lens does present notable performance tradeoffs that users must navigate. The primary drawback is its f/4 maximum aperture, making it slow and less than ideal for low-light environments or for achieving intensely shallow depth-of-field shots compared to faster prime lenses. Additionally, the image stabilization hardware operates with audible mechanical noise, which can easily ruin audio tracks if you rely on on-camera microphones in quiet indoor settings. Users also report a visible brightness drop or...

The Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM, reviewed on an EOS 5D MkII, is highlighted as a versatile "L" series lens featuring excellent, weather-sealed build quality and lightweight construction. Key advantages include fast ring-type ultrasonic motor (USM) autofocus, full-time manual focus, and effective image stabilization (IS) that complements the constant f/4 aperture for low-light shooting. ePHOTOzine Conversely, the review notes that the lens extends by 33mm at the 105mm setting, causing the included lens hood to move forward, which reduces its shading efficiency. Additionally, the manual focus and zoom rings are considered relatively narrow by modern standards, though the lens offers high-quality imaging performance overall.

The Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM is a highly versatile standard zoom lens designed for full-frame bodies, often sold as a high-quality kit lens bundle with cameras like the EOS 5D. It provides sharp performance across its focal range, showcasing impressive corner sharpness at wide angles and excellent resolving power that matches dedicated prime lenses. Key advantages include its flexible wide-to-telephoto range, quick and quiet Ultrasonic Motor (USM) autofocusing, and a highly effective Image Stabilisation (IS) system that allows for easier handheld shooting at slow shutter speeds. While early models faced a rocky release due to internal flare issues, modern production copies have completely resolved the flaw. However, the lens presents several drawbacks, including a high retail list price that positions it as a significant financial investment. When compared to the faster EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM, it is a full stop slower, features a heavier reliance on plastic rather than robust metal body parts, and suffers from slightly softer corners at the telephoto end. Additionally, full-frame users will experience noticeable light fall-off (vignetting), and those on a budget might...

The What Digital Camera Review highly praises the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM as a pro-spec, robust full-frame zoom lens that balances value and features. The reviewer emphasizes its exceptionally solid build, comfortable ergonomics, and fast, quiet autofocus performance. Optically, it excels with impressive image sharpness that holds up on high-resolution digital sensors, showing a near-total absence of chromatic aberration across most focal lengths. Its built-in three-stop Image Stabilisation effectively compensates for the slower constant f/4 aperture compared to pricier alternatives like the 24-70mm f/2.8L. Despite its versatility, the review highlights specific limitations, noting minor vignetting in the corners at its widest 24mm focal length and a slight drop in image sharpness when shot wide-open at longer focal lengths. It also flags a deceptive "macro" label on the barrel, as its 0.23x maximum reproduction ratio falls short of a true 1:1 macro. Additionally, the reviewer warns buyers that early units manufactured before November 2005 (identifiers starting with UT under 1,000) could suffer from lens ghosting in contre-jour lighting, though Canon later offered a free repair for this specific hardware...

The Photo Review assessment highlights the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM lens as a robust, versatile general-purpose zoom featuring excellent build quality, effective image stabilization, and fast, quiet ring-type USM autofocus. It is praised for its compact design, making it suitable for both APS-C and full-frame bodies, as well as its practical, recessed switches. Conversely, the lens shows performance limitations including noticeable softness at the 105mm telephoto end and significant barrel distortion/vignetting at 24mm. Furthermore, the f/4 maximum aperture provides less light-gathering capability and lower-performing background blur compared to f/2.8 alternatives, with some inconsistency in sharpness across its wide zoom range.

The Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM is a highly versatile, weather-sealed "L" series zoom lens that serves as an excellent general-purpose option, particularly on full-frame cameras where its focal range spans from true wide-angle (24mm) to ideal portrait lengths (105mm). A major standout feature is its impressive optical sharpness across all apertures from center to corner, meaning photographers do not need to stop down to get crisp images. Furthermore, it features a robust build, smooth handling, well-controlled flare, and a 3-stop Image Stabilization (IS) system that allows for sharp handheld shots at slow shutter speeds like 1/3 second at 24mm. It is also lighter and more affordable than its f/2.8 counterparts and comes bundled with a valuable lens hood and soft case. On the downside, the lens suffers from notable barrel distortion and heavy corner vignetting when shot wide open at the 24mm focal length, though both issues can be corrected digitally during RAW conversion. Its physical layout may initially confuse users because the zoom ring is placed at the back and the focus ring at the front, which...

The Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 USM L IS lens delivers solid overall performance on APS-C cameras, combining pro-grade construction with speedy functionality. Its optical strengths include very high center sharpness throughout the zoom range and highly manageable vignetting, which rarely exceeds 0.6EV wide open. Mechanically, the lens lives up to Canon's professional "L" series standards, featuring exceptionally fast, accurate, and nearly silent autofocus, alongside an effective image stabilization system. Additionally, it produces a pleasingly smooth out-of-focus blur (bokeh) at 105mm for a zoom lens of this class. Despite these advantages, the lens suffers from notable optical compromises and financial drawbacks. A main con is the pronounced 1.8% barrel distortion at the 24mm wide end, though other focal lengths remain well-controlled. Sharpness is also flawed, as border and extreme corner resolution significantly drop at 70mm and 105mm when shooting at f/4, a flaw likely worsened by a slight lens alignment/centering issue in the tested sample. Lateral chromatic aberrations average around 1.5 pixels at the focal ends, and the moderate f/4 aperture limits its use for shallow depth-of-field needs. Lastly, the review...

The Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM is a highly versatile standard zoom lens designed for advanced amateurs and professionals, offering a broad focal range from 24mm wide-angle to 105mm telephoto. On APS-C (sub-frame) cameras, the lens delivers exceptional performance, boasting superlative corner-to-corner sharpness from f/4 to f/8 at the 24mm end, and remaining excellent through 105mm despite some slight softening when shooting wide open. Its robust, dust- and moisture-resistant construction ensures high durability, while a ring-type USM provides silent, rapid autofocus coupled with full-time manual override. Furthermore, its built-in Image Stabilizer effectively counteracts camera shake by up to three stops, making it a reliable tool for varied shooting conditions. However, performance shifts notably when the lens is mounted on a full-frame sensor body. While stopping down to f/5.6 dramatically improves overall sharpness, the lens struggles significantly along the edges and corners. The most prominent drawbacks on full-frame cameras are severe vignetting (light falloff) exceeding 1EV at 24mm at f/4, along with high chromatic aberration confined mostly to the corners. Geometric distortion also becomes heavily pronounced on full-frame bodies, jumping...

Ken Rockwell calls the Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS an exceptional, versatile lens featuring superb sharpness across the frame on full-frame cameras at all focal lengths and apertures. Key performance benefits include near-instantaneous autofocus and highly effective image stabilization, allowing for sharp handheld shots at 1/4 second. However, the lens has ergonomic drawbacks, notably a stiff zoom ring and a cramped, uncomfortable wide-angle range that can make long-term use physically taxing. Additionally, as an f/4 lens, it offers less manual focus pop on ground-glass screens compared to faster f/2.8 alternatives.

The Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 USM L IS is a professional-grade standard zoom lens that offers exceptional mechanical build quality, incredibly fast and silent autofocus, and an effective image stabilizer. Optics-wise, it delivers decent resolution overall, achieving very good to excellent sharpness in the center at 24mm, as well as a smooth, usable bokeh at 105mm. Additionally, lateral chromatic aberrations are well-controlled across the entire zoom range and can be easily fixed during post-processing. However, the lens suffers from notable optical flaws, particularly at the wide 24mm end, where it exhibits massive barrel distortion of 4.3% and severe vignetting of about 2.5EV at f/4. Sharpness also takes a hit at 70mm, resulting in pronounced softness at the borders when shooting wide open at f/4. Furthermore, its moderate f/4 maximum aperture limits its usefulness for shallow depth-of-field applications, and its premium price tag makes it a substantial investment. If you'd like to explore how this lens compares to newer alternatives, let me know: Do you want to see how it matches up against the newer EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II? Are...

The Canon EF 24-105 mm f/4L IS USM lens, launched in August 2005 alongside the EOS 5D, serves as a high-quality, universal standard zoom option for full-frame cameras. Designed for professional and semi-professional use, it covers standard focal lengths useful for landscapes, journalism, and portrait photography. Key strengths include its versatile luxury-class build, image stabilization, a fast USM autofocus motor, and wide-angle capabilities covering 84 to 23.3 degrees. However, the primary drawbacks highlighted involve its steep pricing and value retention. At the time of testing, the lens itself costed 3,800 PLN, and when bundled with the camera body, it commanded a significant price tag of 12,000 PLN. Because high-end optics do not lose value as quickly as electronics, the initial market price remained stubbornly high for consumers, making cost a significant factor when assessing whether the lens is worth the investment.

The PCMag review for the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM highlights a versatile, robustly built L-series lens featuring a constant f/4 aperture, effective image stabilization, and good sharpness at wide angles. However, the review notes significant performance issues, including heavy barrel distortion and vignetting at the wide end, combined with soft edge quality when zoomed in. Ultimately deemed overpriced for its inconsistent performance, this lens fails to justify its premium cost compared to modern alternatives, according to the review.