Aimed at satisfying the most demanding professionals and advanced amateur photographers, the enhanced optical design of the Canon EF 24-85mm uses multiple moving lens groups and features that adjust and compensate for a variety of conditions. Ultrasonic Motor (USM) technology and an internal focusing system enable silent, high speed auto-focusing. A wide rubberized focusing ring and manual focusing capabilities - even in Auto Focus mode - provide maximum flexibility and ease of use. Key optical features built into the system include a replica aspherical lens element that minimizes distortion and produces sharp, high resolution images, and a flare-cutting diaphragm that helps the lens maintain high contrast even in tough lighting conditions. So snap on the new Canon EF 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5 USM zoom lens to make sure your pictures are, . . .well, picture perfect.
The Canon EF 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5 USM lens has multiple moving lens groups that enhance image quality and make the whole system more compact and lightweight. This lens uses an ultrasonic focusing motor (USM) that gives you silent, high-speed autofocusing. Canon eliminated all the mechanical couplings in this lens and added a custom-designed autofocus motor as well as a microprocessor.
Built into the system is a replica aspherical lens element that minimizes optical distortions to give you sharp images. The flare-cutting diaphragm helps the lens produce a high-contrast image, even in tough lighting. Its high zoom ratio of 3.5x allows you to take tighter shots of your subjects. It's fully compatible with all EOS cameras.
1 I'm in (not) love!
UPDATE: 29.Mar.2005 (see original review below)
After shooting this lens for several months, I started realizing that I was getting some pretty ugly color shift. Gradually, I became more and more unhappy with it, to the point that I rarely use it anymore. Unfortunately, I can't afford to replace it, so it remains my only lens in the normal zoom range. It's not a bad lens, but it's not nearly the lens I thought it was when I first got it. If you shoot landscapes with it, you're going to be faced with finding a way to fix the color. For every day use, I suppose it's fine.
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After shooting Canon's 28-105mm on my Canon A2e for five years, I had to replace it with a similar length lens equivalent for my new Canon 10D. The 24-85mm comes out to be a little longer on the short end, as well as on the long end (38.4-136mm "35mm equivalent"). At twice the price of the 28-105, I can only say that you are getting twice the lens, and it's great. you will pay more for 67mm filters for this lens (as opposed to 58mm for most of Canon's consumer lenses), but it's all worth it!
This is a fantastic lens made from fantastic glass. It's a joy to shoot, and it's a great match to the smaller 22.66mm sensor of the lower-end pro digital bodies. It's worth every dime of the price.
2 middle-class lens
This lens is almost superb for its price! It's a middle-class lens, what appears in the following:
- it has bigger light-factor (3.5-4.0 vs 4.0-5.6 in the low-class lenses). This gives you more possibilities, for instance to use faster shutter speeds or to decrease the depth-of-fild for special effects)
- the first (outer) lens doesn't spin what gives you an opportunity to use square filters; using a poliriser becomes as easy as any other filter.
- the USM (Ultra Sonic Motor) gives you a really super speed of focusing and completely silent engine. You'll catch the fastest actions and nothing will distrub your object!
These are the most important and useful features of the lens. I should also admit, that the focal distance of this lens is almost ideal for everyday photography, because gives you an opportunity to shoot from landscapes (~24-50mm) to portraiture (~50-85mm) with an equal simplicity and quality.
3 A Fabulous Documentary Lens
I've had this lens for a few years now, and I absolutely love it. It is compact, sharp, and dependable. I'm a wide-angle shooter, so this one is just about perfect. Canon's USM is beautiful. Unlike Nikon, Canon seeks and achieves quiet, fast, and accurate auto focusing. Coupled with a light and quiet EOS camera body, and you've got an excellent documentary kit, great for shooting people in close and personal. At 24 mm, this lens gives excellent range for close work, with lots of depth and sharpness, making focusing and composing a cinch in evolving situations. My only gripe with this lens is its manual focus ring. I grew up with manual focus, and I love excercising that skill, but this lens has nothing more than an obligatory, plastic, and poorly placed focusing ring that discourages manual work. Fortunately, Canon's autofocusing system is phenomenal. Round-out your EOS kit with a Canon SpeedLite (compatible all the way down to 24 mm).
4 CANON EF 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5 USM ZOOM Lens
CANON EF 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5 USM ZOON Lens is ease of use, powerful, and lightweight(380g) lens. With silent and high speed autofocusing. The lens will let your pictures have great sharp, high resolution images.
It is a very great lens-excellent quality and reasonable price. You can replace it with the standard lens. The first choose for Canon user's owner-MUST have one.
