Canon EF 24-70mm f/4L IS USM mounted on Canon EOS 5D Mark III : Tests and Reviews

Our technicians have tested no fewer than 130 lenses on Canon’s 50.6Mp EOS 5DS R Digital SLR. With the results for both prime and zoom lenses covering a diverse range of focal lengths, we’ve got all the data you need for picking out the right lens. In Part 1 of our three-part review, we bring you the analyzed and verified scores for standard zoom lenses as well as 35mm, 50mm and 85mm primes on the Canon EOS 5DS R.

As the first zoom offered for the new full frame A7r and A7 the mid-range moderate speed Zeiss Vario-Tessar T* 24-70mm f4 is a key lens for Sony. Read on to find out how well it performs on the 36-Mpix Sony A7R.

As a more modestly priced alternative to the EF 24-70mm f2.8L II USM and with a longer reach than the newer stabilized EF 24-70mm f4L IS USM, the similarly stabilized EF 24-105mm f4L IS USM remains a popular model for Canon users.

As a new addition to the Art-series, the Sigma 24-105mm f4 DG OS HAS looks promising, but can the firm replicate the image quality of their recent 35mm f1.4 and 18-35mm f1.8 models?  Read on to find out. 

The second in our series of selecting the best-quality lenses for your camera concentrates on one of the most highly-anticipated cameras of our time, the successor to the hugely popular EOS 5D Mark II. But by the time it was announced, in early March, it’s probably fair to say Nikon had taken fair amount of interest away by announcing the 36M-Pix D800 and D800E models the month before. Be that as it may, there’s no denying the 22.3 M-Pix EOS 5D Mark III is a remarkably capable camera, and a formidable rival to the Nikon.

Announced in February 2012, the Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 lens Di VC USD is the latest full-frame, fast aperture standard zoom from the Saitama, Japan-based optical firm and is the first of its type to add VC (Vibration Control) image stabilization. Costing $1299 and available in Canon, Nikon and Sony fittings (the latter albeit without VC) and featuring USD (Ultrasonic Silent Drive) technology, it’s an obvious alternative to the pricier offerings from the top-names. Could this lens be a contender in the IQ stakes? Read on to find out.

Introduced in November 2012 as the proposed ‘kit’ lens for the EOS 6D, the EF 24-70mm f/4L IS USM lens represents an interesting move for Canon – despite two well respected lenses in this category, the EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM and the EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM, the EF 24-70mm f/4L IS USM hopes to offer a compact, lightweight lens suitable for the newly created lightweight, full-frame camera segment. The red L-series band offers the promise of professional performance, but does it live up to the expectations?

The latest in the L series, the Canon EF 24-70mm f/4L IS USM is an ideal transtandard lens for reporting and can also make a good choice for portraiture. Versatile, it can also function as a macro with a reproduction ratio of 0.7x, Canon having worked hard to optimally match up the optical elements.