CANON EF 24-105mm f/4l IS II USM
The Mark II edition of one of Canon’s most popular DSLR lenses comes with some notable improvements
Launched back in 2005, the original version of this lens was available as part of a kit with the first three editions of the EOS 5D, as well as the 6D. However, it wasn’t sharp enough to make it onto the approved list of lenses for use with the highresolution 5DS and 5DS R, and this revamped Mark II edition of the lens was launched in 2016.
Top of the agenda for the Mark II was a redesigned optical path, which also gains high-tech ‘Air Sphere Coating’ for keeping ghosting and flare to a minimum. Keep-clean fluorine coatings are added to the front and rear elements, and the build-quality has been enhanced for greater resistance to vibration and shock. The image stabilizer is also improved, rising from 2.5-stop to 4-stop effectiveness. It comes with weather-seals and a hood.
Compared with ‘trinity’ 24-70mm f/2.8 standard zooms, this lens is naturally an f/stop slower but at least it’s still a constant-aperture design, f/4 being available at any zoom setting. As with the competing RF lens, the longer 24-105mm gives a bonus in telephoto versatility.
Performance
Sharpness is better than in the original edition at short to medium zoom settings but drops off noticeably towards the long end. It lags behind the newer RF 24-105mm lens in this respect. Bokeh remains smoother when stopping down a little, helped by the new 10-blade diaphragm. Another improvement is in barrel distortion at the short end of the zoom range –notoriously bad in the original edition of the lens.