Wide angle fun with a capital F
Advantages Solid build, great image quality, super-wide view
Disadvantages f4 aperture doesn't give very deep bokeh
Overview
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I bought the EF 17-40 f4 L about 3 years ago in order to take urban landcape pictures, as buildings often don't fit into a 28mm "frame". This optic is the widest in the f4 constant aperture series of zoom lenses in the trio that includes the 24-105 super-zoom and the 70-200 telephoto, all of which I now own.
Build Quality
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This lens is well up there on the build quality, having all the great hall marks of the L Series - great optics, solid construction, low distortion, constant aperture at any focal length and weather-proofing courtesy of o-ring seals on the body join and a non-extending barrel when focussing and zooming. Compared to the other lenses in the series, this is a very compact and light weight unit and the controls are very slick with a great feel to the zoom ring and full-time manual focus ring (so you can use it to adjust focus even when in AF mode).
One beef I had was that you don't get a lens shade with this lens as standard. The 24-105 and 70-200 by comparision do come with a shade. Even though the lens is one of the cheaper ones, it seems a bit mean to make you buy the shade as an option when spending £500+ on a lens. It's just a bit of clip on plastic, after all.
PerformanceShooting at normal distances for landcapes there are minimal barrel distortions and the images are sharp out to the corners. Light fall-off into the corners can be seen when using a full frame body, like the 5D at wide open but not on a APS sensor body (20D, 30D, 40D, etc.) or if you stop down to f5.6 or smaller.
Unlike the other lenses I own, this one does not have image stabilisation. Honestly, it doesn't really matter so much on this lens as being a super wide angle, you don't need such fast shutter speeds to hand hold in low light. If the general rule of thumb is a shutter speed 1.5x the focal length then you can hand hold 17mm shots at about 1/25th second and get acceptable results. With practice, I've been able to get some usable shots at 1/8th second when leaning against lamp posts or fences. It also saves power, as the IS on the other lenses eats into the battery significantly.AF performance is very fast and accurate with this USM lens. The most common reason for it hunting is when I've pressed the shutter button with the lens cap on! The circular aperture gives smooth blur to backgrounds but given the short focal length and maximum aperture of f4, it never gets really really out of focus.
The 17-40 can almost do duty as a "standard" prime lens (especially on a APS body where it does cover the 50mm range).Another good thing about this lens is that it's comparatively quite cheap (for a L Series) at around £550 and you can find it discounted heavily on-line or there are always a few going on eBay second hand, as users upgrade to the 16-35.
How About the 16-35 f2.8?The new 16-35 MkII is supposed to be better but is even more expensive and MUCH bigger and heavier than the MkI.
Conclusion
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christianfilmcritic 08/11/2007 08:00
RazzaLazza 08/11/2007 02:02
quan 07/11/2007 19:50
sunmeilan 07/11/2007 19:29
bmthkatie 07/11/2007 18:59
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Canon EF 17-40 mm f/4.0 L USM Lens Canon EF 1740mm 40 L USM Lens filter size 77mm 8806A007AA Cameras Camera Accessories |
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Canon EF 17-40 mm f/4.0 L USM Lens Canon EF 1740mm 40 L USM Lens filter size 77mm 8806A007AA Cameras Camera Accessories |
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Canon 8806A007AA 17-40mm f/4L USM Ultra-Wide Zoom Lens Type:Fixed Focal Length. Image Stabiliser:Y. Lens Mount:Bayonet. Minimum Focal Length Of Lens (mm):17. Maximum Focal Length Of Lens (mm):40. |
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Canon EF 17-40 mm f/4.0 L USM Lens The Canon EF 17-40mm 4.0L USM camera lens is compatible with most Canon EOS cameras, especially those with a focal length conversion factor higher... |
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Shipping: £3.00 Availability: In Stock |