Hey,

I have a 24-70 2.8 L and a brand new 70-200 2.8 L IS and I am not all that impressed with either.

I think the 24-70 is softer than it should be. I rarely acheive great sharp shots even when shooting at 8.0 or higher with fast shutter etc.

But.. my big issue is the 70-200 which i just got in maybe two weeks ago. I shot a concert last night that was fairly dark. I could NOT get this lens to focus at all. I had to switch to manual for the whole show. Before the show I shot the singer (Aaron Lewis of StainD) with our local radio DJ for their site in a room backstage with fairly bright lighting and it would not focus! My shots are totally off from that and i'm PEEVED. Yes, I have shot concerts before and never had this bad of a problem.

Any tips? I know the extreme low light of the concert would be an issue but the room should have been bright enough.

What do you think?

Bethany

we have been complaining about the 24-70 L since we got it.

i HATE the focus, and i've contacted and made an official 'complaint' with canon. they said no one else had made an official compliant. (not one other complaint!)

i wish when there is a problem that y'all call canon and get them to officially log the problem. then they will look at it and do something about it.

please call canon.

Ok.. sounds like a plan to me! Its still under warranty. You don't think I could get another copy do you?

Kinda sounds like you have bad copies of the lens... my 24-70 is snappy, and sharp... its to bad you're having trouble because when it works right, it's one heck of a great piece of glass!

Thanks Jacob,

I'm starting to think its me though. TWO L lenses with problems. uggggg. I will call Canon today and file an OFFICIAL complaint.

Anybody had trouble with the 70-200?

i haven't had the best luck with my 70-200. for all the hype, i wasn't very happy.

My 24-70 L is soft also. I don't even use it at weddings. I use it at home with my kids so they can spray it with cooking spray every once in awhile.

I think it's odd that they said that no one has made a complaint! It's been well documented amoung several forums that it has a problem. And none of those people have said anything?? I don't believe that because a bunch of people on WPJA said that they had to send theirs in to be calibrated.

My 70-200 IS L lens is my favorite. I love it. It takes such pretty pictures and it's always sharp. Don't know what to say about that one. But the 24-70 has a problem for sure. Well, at least most of them do.

Well i'm glad its not just me! I will definately see about getting the 24-70 replaced or calibrated.

Thanks!

Oh man that is a bummer. I'm with Jacob, my 24-70 is extremely sharp. Now my 85mm 1.8 is another story, gonna have to do a test on that, noticing I'm not getting sharp focus.

that's what i thought! we have 2 of them. both have been sent in with both bodies - still problems. i love this range.
grrr.

There have been numerous complaints about the 24-70 on the other photography forum I am a member of. Some owners have sent the lens into Canon for adjusting while others have traded it for a new lens where they bought the lens. I'm assuming they haven't had the lens very long and bought it from a local retailer.

Whether they had made a formal complaint to Canon, I do not know.

You might try cleaning the contacts on the camera and lens with a pencil eraser before you go further. My 70-200 is sharp. My 85 1.8 is scary sharp.

I've got two 24-70's and a 70-200, and I've not had any problem with them being sharp - they are so sharp it's crazy! The 70-200 especially.

What I have noticed, however, is that when I've got low light they both have a hard time focusing (the 70-200 has a really hard time) and it can be downright frustrating. I was at a wedding last night, and I was about to go see the bartender I was so frustrated!

Of course, when they've got plenty of light, they focus so fast and accurate it's crazy. Don't you just wish there was always perfect light?

In low light situations the center focus point is your best bet for AF. Strong back lighting is also an issue for AF.