Canon EF 24-105mm 1:4 L IS USM

Regarding its equivalent zoom range (39-168mm) on an APS-C DSLR the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 USM L IS may not be the most sexy lens here but its performance figures are very impressive nonetheless. In fact the resolution results beat those from the EF 24-70mm f/2.8 USM L and match the EF 28-70mm f/2.8 USM L with its much more conservative zoom range (but higher speed). There's a slight decrease in performance at 105mm but even here the quality remains on a very high level. As to be expected from a modern Canon L lens the construction quality is up to pro standards matching its fasters cousins. The lower price tag plus the extra IS should compensate the slightly more moderate max. aperture for most users. Is it a perfect lens then ? Well, there're also downsides like pronounced barrel distortions and higher than expected CAs at the wide-end of the zoom range. However, the package remains extremely attractive if you can live with the rather unattractive zoom range on an APS-C DSLR - similar to other 28-xx or 24-xx zooms this lens is really more meant for 1.3x or FF (D)SLRs.

The Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 USM L IS produced pretty good quality figures in our tests. The resolution is generally very high throughout the tested range with the exception of 70mm and 105mm @ f/4 where the border quality tanked somewhat - this may originate in a slight centering issue of our test sample which showed up at longer focal lengths. Typical for most full format lenses vignetting isn't really an issue when using the lens on an APS-C DSLR. Distortions are a bit more pronounced at 24mm but very low at other settings. Lateral CAs are on an average level. The bokeh (the quality of the out-of-focus blur) @ 105mm is good for a zoom lens. As to be expected from a modern Canon L lens the (outer) construction quality is up to pro standards. The AF is exceptionally fast, accurate and near silent. The image stabilizer works well within its specifications although some may miss a panning mode which is implemented in Canon's IS L tele lenses. The EF 24-105mm is a pricey lens within this scope - the EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 USM IS is probably a better deal here.