For many years Canon photographers had a reason to be jealous of those on the Nikon side of the fence. There was no match to Nikon's excellent AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G ED ($1,996.95 at Amazon) zoom for full-frame SLRs. Unveiled early last year, the EF 11-24mm f/4L USM from Canon ($2,999) doesn't match the Nikon's sexy f/2.8 aperture, but it captures a significantly wider field of view—the widest of any rectilinear zoom lens on the market today. It's not perfect—there's some barrel distortion, and corners are dim at its widest angle and aperture—but given the design, which goes beyond the typical definition of ultra-wide, it's an exceptional performer, and worthy of being called Editors' Choice. DesignThe 11-24mm ($2,699.00 at Adorama)  is a big chunk of glass. It measures 5.2 by 4.3 inches (HD) and weighs in at a hefty 2.6 pounds. The bulbous front element precludes the use of screw-in filters, but you can use a filter holder system from Lee if you want to use a graduated neutr...

The Canon EF 11-24mm f/4L USM is a unique lens that combines an incredibly wide field of view with a zooming design and constant aperture.

Ultra-wide field of view; Maintains f/4 when zoomed; Very sharp

Shows some barrel distortion; Corner and edge dimness; Omits filter support; Big and heavy; Expensive

The canon 11-24 is world's widest ultra wide lens, the only rectilinear lens with a 90 degree in portrait format. - ideal for landscape, architecture or interiors. Assuming you own a 24-70 then all other wide angle zoom have a significant overlap in zoom range - however you need to cary almost the...

superwide; sharp; no distortion

2999 USD; 1.1 kg

Firstly I should say I'm not a professional reviewer loaded with fancy test gear but I have been using SLR's for over 30 years and photography is my number 1 passion. Buying this lens was a tough one and quite a stretch financially.

Easy to use; Build quality

Bulky

Excellent quality. Great effects with this lens also.

After reading the review, I am a bit surprised by some of the findings so I wanted to comment on my real-world use. First of all, the lens is expensive, but not in relation to the unique shots you can take and in comparison to Canon's long lenses.

Very sharp in center, very good sharpness until the furthest corners; Low CA, manageable vignetting, great build quality, very good flare resistance; The shots at 11mm are very difficult to do well, but are amazing when they come together

Large; heavy; no simple way to use filters; expensive

"This lens is amazing. A true rectilinear wide angle zoom covering 11mm to 24mm on a full frame sensor. Not a lot of point on a crop sensor, there are less expensive options that provide the same coverage, but for full frame this lens is a killer. Know that it is big and heavy.

Canon's latest additions to the ultra-wide arena have been impressive. The Canon TS-E 17mm f/4 L is awesome and the EF 16-35mm f/4 USM L IS is best in class. So is Canon's mojo sufficient to deliver greatness with the Canon EF 11-24mm f/4 USM L once more ... even on the EOS 5Ds R ?

Expensive, but well worth it, great optical quality and heavy as hell especially with a 1 series body

Durable; Great Features; Great Picture Quality

Heavy

This new ultra-wide angle zoom lens is currently the widest rectilinear lens available for full frame SLR cameras. It sports a reasonable f/4 aperture throughout the zoom range, silent Ultrasonic focusing, with full time manual override and a weather resistant build.

The Canon EF 11-24mm f/4 L USM lens is large, heavy and it doesn't take regular filters, but what it gives you is a uniquely (and extremely) wide point of view that would otherwise require stitching of several shots to achieve.