Which Canon Lens

Rod Boughton

Rod Boughton

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Hi everyone, I am looking to buy a canon 24-105, but can't decide whether to get the 24-105 3.5/5.6 stm or the L version, could anyone make a recommendation please.
 
What camera body have you got? I have used the L one and rate it - having said that, the STM is excellent for video (have the 18-135 STM) however if budget no object, I would go for the L
 
I have the 6d, I have read reviews that say the only difference with the L is the build quality, more robust and weather sealed.
 
no probs, btw the L lens is great i had the mk1 on my 5d111, it makes a great all round lens
 
I also have a Canon 6D and after some deliberation when choosing a ‘walk-about’ lens I finally bit the bullet and went for the 24-105 IS L. Some reviews I read at the time (summer 2014) rated some of the other Canon L glass wide-to-medium zooms better in respect of distortion, but these lenses didn’t give the full 24-105mm range. Besides, these days any minor pincushion or barrelling can be sorted out pretty much at the click of a mouse in digital post processing, but to be honest I’ve not yet found the need to do this on any of my shots... but then again I’ve not pushed this camera/lens combination to its limits or used it to take any ‘competition grade’ photos. However, do bear in mind I’ve not tried the STM equivalent you mentioned or read any reviews about it, so I can’t make any direct comparison.

In short, I find my Canon 6D and 24-105 IS L combination simply takes lovely looking photos, and I’d go for the same again if it got lost or stolen. Here is a short selection of casual-ish shots taken with this camera & lens combination at steam rallies in a variety of different lighting conditions (including sunny and bright, late dusk/night [hand-held], to cloudy and flat) for you to look at. They’ve had the odd tweak in Photoshop Elements, but nothing too drastic or advanced, so I think it’s what most 'enthusiasts' should be able to achieve (and probably better composition than these too!).












I hope someone will come up with a comparison of the STM lens you’re considering for a fully balanced comparison, but at least you’ve seen some ‘real world’ results from a 24-105 IS L equipped Canon 6D. I hope this is useful and best of luck deciding, and remember it’s not a race, so take your time to choose what's right for you! (y) :)
 
I have the 24-105 L on a 6D. There are several on the used market making it a good lens for the money IMO. It probably doesn't work out to be much more than the STM version.

It's a good walkabout zoom and pretty solid. I don't think you could go far wrong with it. I got a 17-40 too which made a nice compliment for when I wanted to go that little bit wider :)
 
If you can afford it, go for the L lens, good all rounder, I have the lens, and very happy with it
 
Thanks Mr Badger, it's good to see some real world photos, I've been reading reviews and I have seen a lot of reports of the L version not being sharp and reviews of the STM saying it's auto focus is better and the images are just as sharp if not sharper than the L lens.
 
Rod Boughton said:
I have the 6d, I have read reviews that say the only difference with the L is the build quality, more robust and weather sealed.
Click to expand...

Apart from the consistent f4 on the L lens? IS on this is very good. I can hand hold easily down to 1/8 shutter speed. It's my most used lens.
 
Rod Boughton said:
Thanks Mr Badger, it's good to see some real world photos, I've been reading reviews and I have seen a lot of reports of the L version not being sharp and reviews of the STM saying it's auto focus is better and the images are just as sharp if not sharper than the L lens.
Click to expand...

There's a reason they ship the 24-105 L with the 5D mk3 as the kit lens, and the mk2 version with the 5D mk4 ;)
 
The images I posted are a lot smaller than the original - the first one appears to be around 220kb as opposed to the +5mb of the original file. For some reason the hosting site (Photobucket) doesn't seem to enable the download of the original size files... or (perhaps more accurately?) I can't find out how to access that feature these days! :( So you aren't seeing the photos at full size to assess sharpness, so bear this in mind if 'pixel peeping'. This might also be an issue when comparing internet reviews of each lens, with different file size photos not giving a true comparison? Perhaps the best way for you to decide would be to find someone with a 6D and STM lens and compare three or four 'real world' photos with those from the L lens at full file size? Years ago we could go into a camera shop and do this, but these days I doubt there will be as many camera shops around who will have both lenses in stock for us to see and try. The price we pay for internet shopping and price hunting?
 
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