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24-105L Practical for Weddings?
Hi all. First posting. Wanting to upgrade my Tamron 28-75 etc. etc. I just bought a 24-70L. Three days ago. I have a 50 1.4/85 1.8/16-35L old version/70-200L. Then started to read of all the back focusing issues and problems with this lens, most notably on DWF. So, I'm thinking maybe with the IS I could/should go with the 24-105L....lighter, sharp, IS the extra 35mm, but there's that darn f/4. Rumor has it Canon is going to come out with a 2.8 version? Anyway, will the 2-3 stops more hand holding compensate for the f/4? I would want to use this for weddings/receptions and a little of everything else. Anyone use it for weddings? Thanks!
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If it's indoors, I can almost assuredly state that no, it will NOT be enough. THe IS helps, but you're shooting people, and IS can't freeze people. f/2.8, in fact, is barely enough for indoor ceremonies/receptions. 2.8 zooms and primes faster than f/2 are a must, I say.
24-70 2.8L
135 f/2L
85 1.8
70-200 2.8L IS
All great wedding lenses.
However, this isn't in the correct section. This is for buying and selling.
You have to remember, that the only people really posting about this lens are the ones that have problems. To speak conservatively, 100,000 or so for example of this lens are in use all over the world. I've seen hundreds of people complain of problems over the last several years- I won't deny that. However, that's about 1/10 of 1%. Surely, that's an acceptable margin. They can't all be perfect.
I will say that, over the past few years, I have owned and used extensively, thirteen copies of this lens, and every one of them perfect. You may say "why's that", well, I'm not a terribly wealthy man, and have a fair collection of lenses. However, I can't afford to keep buying more and more lenses, and so in the process of building my arsenal, I opted to sell this lens each time I wanted to try another. Since used values are quite high, and I loved the lens so much, I decided that I was fine with giving it up, as I was so sure that I'd get another good one. Well, 13 later (14 winging its way to me now), I've never had a bad copy. Never a backfocus, never a single problem at all.
The 24-70L is the finest standard zoom lens in production today, and is owned and loved by countless professionals and amateurs alike all over the world. It's a workhorse lens that delivers without compromise, time and time again.
Our JapanPhotos: www.LouwPhotography.com/Asia/Japan
I have not heard this rumor. Interesting.
What I do know, is that a 24-105mm lens at f2.8, will have an objective that is twice the area of the f4 version. That will be a substantially larger and heavier lens. Larger even than the 24-70 f2.8 L
I owned a Tamron 28-105 f2.8 years ago - that was a fairly popular zoom range for 35mm film cameras. I think it it required an 82mm filter - it was a very large hunk of glass.
Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
I'm afraid I don't understand why you would "need" to try so many copies of this lens?
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
Eric
It's better to be hated for who you are than to be loved for who you're not.
http://photosbyeric.smugmug.com
I have found that the 17-55 f/2.8 IS and the 70-200 f/2.8 IS serve me about 95% of the time. For those instances where the f/2.8 doesn't fill the bill, I have the 50 f/1.4 and the 85 f/1.8.
IS will handle a lot of camera movement, but it will not freeze people in motion. You need faster glass indoors.
My Photos
Thoughts on photographing a wedding, How to post a picture, AF Microadjustments?, Light Scoop
Equipment List - Check my profile
With proper use ....you can acheive a natural look....bounce with a reflector card....or even better the Lightsphere......
I shoot natural light whenever possible.....but to go natural light in a catering hall...no way....most clubs these days turn the lighting down.... way down....so low that the autofocus has a tough time.
With a crop body indoors with flash an 24-135 shot at 5.6 is super!
For the internet back-focus postings, well you mainly hear from unhappy users who either have a legitimate problem, or those who THINK they have a problem (what is becoming known as "soft owners" at FM); the happy owners generally don't post a lot, instead they are just happily using the lens. There are two things to realize with the forum postings: because of the above, the magnitude of a problem gets hugely inflated--or a few anomalies suddenly become percieved as a major trend, and you really have to take things with a grain (or in some cases a BAG) of salt. While the postings can be informative, you must learn who to trust and also do your own research. There are some disgruntled users out there that run around posting repeatedly about how the sky is falling based on their one experience--and thus make many, many reports of bad lenses based on a single experience and some bad assumptions.
Finally, since you already have a 24-70, is it causing problems? Have you tried it and reviewed the images? If your lens is working fine, then all those postings now mean exactly nothing to you.
As to functionality of the 24-70 vs 24-105, I can only echo what's already been posted in this thread. In low light, the 24-70 is the way to go.
http://www.chrislaudermilkphoto.com/
When you work an event, you can't bring your whole studio. You bring the fewest tools with you that will get the job done (including backups of everything that could fail). Since there are instances where the f/4.0 is a tool that will not get the job done, you have to have a tool that will.
My Photos
Thoughts on photographing a wedding, How to post a picture, AF Microadjustments?, Light Scoop
Equipment List - Check my profile
5D2/1D MkII N/40D and a couple bits of glass.