The perfect lens for the canon Eos 5D

I few months ago I purchased a Canon Eos 5D. This extraordinary camera has a full frame 24x36mm sensor. I had been using film exclusively until then.

With film, I was very much a wide-angle type, generally I had a 28mm lens on my film camera all the time, rarely used zooms. Used everything from Canon F-1, T-90, Elan 7, and Olympus XA for 90% of my still photography, with Linhoff, Bronica, for the rest.

I began using the 5D with lenses from my canon eos film cameras, primarily the 28-105 f3.5-4.5 usm zoom. I was getting great, but not superb results.

Finally after examining many photos at 100% magnification, I realized that the 5D was simply being handicapped by my lenses that had worked so well with film. I had never expected a digital camera to have greater resolution and sensitivity than film, but the 5D does, and without film grain to cover the faults of inferior lenses, the faults of those lenses were glaring.

The two primary faults with my old zoom lens were camera motion blur, even at high shutter speeds, and lack of crispness.

Then I remembered an old rule, a camera is no better than its best lens. And another old rule, the lens should be at least half the value of a camera. So why was I expecting a $3000 camera to deliver its best with only a $300 lens?

I had purchased the camera from Camera Wholesalers in Stamford, CT (I also highly recommend, their prices are only 1-2% higher than NY, and save a trip to NYC). They allowed me to test my camera with a 24-105L IS USM, which I purchased.

What a revelation! Even in the viewfinder, the extra spark was evident. And Image Stabilization was key to hand-held success. I had worked with IS lenses in motion picture and electronic journalism, but in those applications, the purpose and function of IS was different. This was the first time I had used IS for still photography. So I purchased the 24-105L IS USM.

I quickly discovered I could shoot tack sharp hand-held photos at 1/15-1/30th of a second at f4.0 that could only be matched at 1/100 and f8 with the old zoom. Coupled with the high ISO sensitivity of the Canon 5D, the 24-105 lens allows amazing photos far beyond the capability of any film.

My first real test of the 5D/24-105L combination was my son's wedding in October. I shot existing light candids of everything, from the ceremony through the reception and the dancing in a dark ballroom. The Pro photographer was using a Nikon Digital with a huge Quantum flash and brackets and battery packs. Yes, In comparing our work, some of his photos were better than mine, his huge flash was good at filling in the faces with the outdoor wedding party poses, but he burned out the foregrounds and had cavernous dark backgrounds in all the interior photos.

I shot approx 300 images, maybe 5 weren't worth printing, but I feel the other 295 images captured far better all the excitement and fun and the atmosphere, especially the dancing. Virtually all the dance photos were taken at ISO 3200 generally 1/30 at F4.0. It was that dark, yet lens flare from the spotlights and disco lights was minimal, autofocus worked beautifully in the low light, and the IS functioned just fine.

With the IS, and the excellent autofocus of this lens, I now find myself beginning to crop tighter and take more photos at longer focal lengths. I understand now that I had become a wide-angle type because I could never get sharp medium-telephoto images hand-held in the past due to focussing errors or camera shake.

Not being weighted down with heavy equipment, I felt like I could move around and get in with the action just like using my leica of years back.

If I were doing weddings, this would be the camera/lens combo that would do it all.

Yes, I do have several EOS primes and two other zoom lenses, but I rarely use them except for special situations. If I used a 35mm or 50mm prime for candids, I would lose the versatility of being able to quickly frame using a zoom. Even if the lens had a two stop wider aperture, the Image Stabilization of the 24-105L is worth at least 3-4 stops in eliminating camera shake at 24-70mm range. At 105mm, the IS is priceless. Only a tripod can provide better image stabilization.

Yes, the Canon 5D and 24-105mm are bulky and heavy, it's no leica to carry around. But then again, I could never get comparable photos with a leica film camera. And how many times would I have to stop and re-load film. On the other hand, my Bronica's and Linhoffs are far heavier, and even they are no equal to the Canon 5D for all around image quality.

Some other reviews have questioned the lens for vignetting and distortion. I have not had a problem with vignetting as I only use a single UV filter. If I needed to stack filters, I would go with a larger filter size and step-up ring, or use a different filter holder system. With Photoshop, there is little need for filtering on camera.

As far as distortion, the chromatic aberration is about the same as the old zoom, again rarely a problem unless doing uncropped landscapes, and again easily corrected in photoshop or other high-end imaging software. The same for barrel or pincushion, not a problem unless vertical or horizontal lines are prominent in the photos. I quite often correct in photoshop slightly for vertical and horizontal perspective when I am shooting wide angle anyway.

I haven't done any architectural with the new lens yet, but I don't see a problem with it that would preclude architectural work.

I look forward to using the lens for interesting interiors like old churches and antique homes where I have to hand-hold long exposures, the IS feature will be a real benefit.

One note, shooting with an IS lens does require a very slight modification of technique. Like autofocus, the IS system requires a fraction of a second to stabilize the image before it is effective. With this lens, I find the IS is just as fast as autofocus. My technique is the use only the center focus point, half-depress to focus and set exposure, then quickly re-frame before shooting. The IS generally has completed its set-up long before I finish framing. The 5D/24-105L combination can autofocus and set exposure far faster than I could ever do with manual focus lenses with the F-1 or T-90. For me there's no going back to film or manual focus.