Pros & Cons
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- Quite sharp.
- Light and compact.
- STM focus motor.
- Optical stabilization system.
- Full-frame coverage.
- Attractive price point.
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- Distortion throughout zoom range.
- Narrow maximum aperture.
- Lens hood not included.
Canon EF 24-105mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM Specs
| 35mm Equivalent (Telephoto) | 105 mm |
| 35mm Equivalent (Wide) | 24 |
| Dimensions | 4.1 by 3.3 inches |
| Lens Mount | Canon EF |
| Optical Zoom | 4.4 x |
| Stabilization | Optical |
| Type | Lens |
| Weight | 1.2 |
The Canon EF 24-105mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM ($599.99) may be a budget lens when compared with the company's line of L lenses that are often paired with full-frame Canon cameras, but it's a quality zoom nonetheless. It doesn't offer fixed wide aperture of the go-to lens of many a pro, the EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II ($1,599.00 at Amazon) , but it includes image stabilization, betters its zoom range, and is quite compact given its range of coverage. It's a solid alternative for photographers looking for a lighter, less expensive lens for a full-frame body, but it does show some distortion throughout its zoom range.
The 24-105mm ($235.00 at Amazon) measures 4.1 by 3.3 inches (HD), weighs about 1.2 pounds, and uses 77mm from filters. It's noticeably lighter than the EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM ($1,149) zoom (4.2 by 3.2 inches, 1.5 pounds), but it omits the weatherproofing that you get when you buy an L series lens. There are just a few control toggles on the lens—a lock to keep the lens set at 24mm when it's stowed, and switches to change the focus mode and turn the image stabilization system on or off. A lens hood is not included, but can be purchased separately for $40.
The lens focuses to 1.3 feet throughout its zoom range, which allows you to get pretty close to subjects, especially when zoomed all the way in. The zoom ring occupies a good portion of the barrel and has markings for 24mm, 35mm, 50mm, 70mm, 85mm, and 105mm. The focus ring sits ahead of it; like other lenses with STM motors it uses a focus by wire system—turning the focus ring when the lens is set to MF mode activates the motor rather than mechanically moving lens elements. That's a turnoff if you prefer a bit of physical feedback when focusing manually; the L series zooms in this range utilize mechanical manual focus system.
What the STM motor provides that lenses with USM motors are lacking is near silent focus, especially during Live View. That's a plus if you often shoot video, especially if you pair the lens with a body like the EOS 70D ($419.99 at Amazon) that utilizes Canon's Dual Pixel AF system. Canon doesn't currently have a full-frame body with that technology, but even when you pair the 24-105mm with the EOS 6D you get Live View focus that's quick, smooth, and silent—it's just not as fast as a Dual Pixel AF camera like the 70D or 7D Mark II ($1,199.00 at Amazon) .
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I used Imatest to check and see how the lens performed when paired with the 20-megapixel, full-frame EOS 6D ($1,999.99 at Amazon) . It never had any problem with sharpness, scoring better than the 1,800 lines per picture height that we look for in a photo at every tested focal length and aperture. At 24mm f/3.5 it manages 2,358 lines, with strong performance throughout most of the frame. Edges do lag behind the central portions of the frame, but still show 1,793 lines, and there is a drop in illumination around the periphery as well. Stopping down to f/4 brings only marginal improvement, but overall score (2,576 lines) and edges (2,009 lines) improve noticeably at f/5.6. The vignette that you see around the periphery of f/3.5 and f/4 images is barely noticeable at f/5.6. At 24mm f/8 the lens is at its best, showing 2,641 lines across the frame with edges that approach 2,400 lines.
By the time you get to 50mm the maximum aperture has already dropped to f/5. The lens scores well here, showing 2,460 lines on average with edges that top 2,100 lines. There's very slight improvement at f/5.6, and at f/8 the lens peaks with a center-weighted score of 2,606 lines At 105mm the maximum aperture is just f/5.6, but sharpness doesn't suffer. It manages 2,497 lines on a center-weighted test, with edges that are just as sharp as they were at 50mm. Stopping down to f/8 improves that score just slightly; the lens shows 2,540 lines there. Peripheral illumination is not much of a problem at either 50mm or 105mm.
Distortion is present throughout the zoom range. At 24mm the lens shows 1.5 percent barrel distortion, which makes straight lines appear to have a noticeable outward bulge. This gives way to the inward curve of pincushion distortion at 50mm; the lens shows 1 percent there and 1.8 percent at 105mm, both of which are noticeable in field conditions. Some Canon bodies offer in-camera correction for distortion when shooting JPGs, but the 6D does not. If you shoot in Raw format you can apply a one-click profile adjustment to images captured with this lens when processing images in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom; it compensates for the distortion as well as peripheral illumination falloff.
Full-frame zoom lenses often come with a premium price tag, but the Canon EF 24-105mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM bucks that trend, and does so without sacrificing sharpness. There is noticeable distortion throughout the zoom range, but with a little editing that's quickly remedied; you can straighten curved lines with software easily, but good luck trying to add detail that a fuzzy lens doesn't resolve. At its price point it's a solid option for full-frame Canon shooters, and pairs especially well with the entry-level 6D body. More serious photographers may prefer an L lens, but those come at a premium price.
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