Yesterday saw some excitement among our Nikon readers with the launch of the new Nikon D800 DSLR – but also announced yesterday were 3 new lenses from Canon. The main one of interest is the EF 24-70 F/2.8L II USM.

The build quality of this lens is exceptional thanks to a tightly assembled combination of metal and - mostly - high quality plastic parts. Both zoom and focus ring operate smoothly. The lens is designed to survive in harsh conditions due to sealings against dust and moisture.

The Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM Lens is clearly the best performing Canon full-frame-compatible general purpose zoom lens available. It is the best from both an image quality perspective and from an AF speed/accuracy perspective.

This lens is way better than my 24-105 f4 I sold. It meets and exceeds my expectations. I always wanted the 24-70 mk I but hated the weight and reverse zoom. now I have a lens that looks like a normal zoom but is extremely light and sharp.

2.8 that is light and extremely sharp wide open

price no IS

Handling and features Performance Verdict Specification A professional standard zoom lens covering the popular 24-70mm focal range, which sports a constant fast maximum aperture of f/2.8 and silent focusing with full-time manual focus override.

Very good build quality; Excellent sharpness; Relatively lightweight; Low CA; Low distortion

Reassuringly expensive; Falloff at 24mm is quite pronounced at fast apertures and doesn't even fade out until f/8

The Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM is an improved version of a respected wide-aperture lens, but how does it perform?

Excellent sharpness; Build Quality

Slight colour fringing at short focal lengths

Regardless of brand, two f/2.8 zooms have for many years dominated professional photographers' camera bags, covering the 24-70mm and 70-200mm ranges. In Canon's case, these are both no-holds-barred lenses that are designed without compromise to meet the needs of the most demanding users.

Excellent sharpness; Build Quality

Slight colour fringing at short focal lengths

There's not much to add that the test results don't already show: Canon has made dramatic improvements to this lens series, which is sure to become the darling of Canon wedding shooters around the globe.

This lens is incredible well designed and built. If you are looking for a canon standard zoom lens, it is the right choice. The only disadvantage for this lens is its price. It has very solid body and quite good IQ (compared with the former version, and it is far more greater than 24-105L).

I had now several standard zooms on Canon. All of them left much to deserve wide open. When comparing with the Zuiko 14-35 and the Sony Zeiss ZA 24-70, no Canon standard lens was close to them. Today I can positively remark, this Canon 24-70 made my day.

Tack sharp; design; AF speed; IQ wide open

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