A New Addition to Photography

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Ever since I have started to go deeper into photography, I have always wanted to get a new lens to replace the standard kit lens that I had been using since Dec 2006.

And just last week, I have decided to take a huge leap into the big unknown, and got myself a Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L lens.

Well, the lens’ full name is Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM. IS meaning Image Stabilizer, which reduces the blur that comes from normal shaking of the lens during hand-held shooting (Probably due to having shaky hands or just too much waxing). And USM (ring-type Ultrasonic Motor) which allows silent but quick autofocus. And “L” meaning it’s Canon’s top-of-the-line lenses and also stands for “Luxury”.

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^ Hot nurse to keep you accompany throughout this post (Note the needle ^^)

I got this at Cathay Photo for a price of S$1730 (~1,225USD), which is reasonably priced given it’s tough built, optical quality, etc. Added in a B+W 77mm MRC (010) UV Filter as lens protection for about S$100 +, and a tripod carrying bag for my tripod.

The lens also comes with a lens hood to block out sunlight and also allow pictures to have richer colors and deeper saturation, as well as a Lens case (carry bag) so that you don’t ruin your lens with scratches (Not me!)

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I have never used a EF 24-105mm lens before and have only rented the EF 17-40mm IS USM and EF-S 17-55mm IS USM in the past. What made me get the EF 24-105mm then?

Why?

The main reason is the lens mount. The EF-S mount is for cameras with using APS-C (40D, 400D etc), and is also compatible with EF lenses (But not vice versa) but has a crop factor of x1.6 – Meaning the field of view is equivalent to 38-168mm (Instead of 24-105mm).

As there is a very high chance of me switching to a full-frame body (5D, 1D etc) in the future (crop factor x1.0), I’ll be still able to use my EF 24-105mm on it. But if I got the EF-S 17-55mm instead, I’d not be able to use it on a full-frame body. Okay, enough of the geek talk ^^;

Comparison

So, how does the new shiny EF 24-105mm L lens compare to the standard kit lens that I have been (painfully) using? One thing’s for sure, they are worlds apart! There’s more I would like to say about the lens, but I had better stop now before you guys get bored ^^; Am still learning how to use the lens.

Below’s a picture I took using the new lens.

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You might also notice there’s another lens (EF 50mm f/1.8) in the top picture. That is a cheap lens I got for portrait shots (Canon’s cheapest and lightest lens) as I’ve read that it is very sharp and great for low-light conditions.

7 thoughts on “A New Addition to Photography”

  1. So is this a telescopic lens? From the capability of zooming it looks like it. Currently I’m thinking about getting a macro lens or a great angular for country side shots or city shots.

  2. the price is quite expensive :O I guess that’s the price for quality (and also price for the image stabilizer, hehe).

    if you want to get cheaper lens, you can get Sigma instead. The quality isn’t that far :)

  3. It’s a good purchase, though its beyond my financial means bah.. ^^;;

    5D 24-105L = Good combination for cosplay photography. Cheers :)

  5. Nice lens, I replace my kitlens recently as well with a Tamron 17-50 f/2.8, the Canon 17-55 IS is just too expensive for me. Will be getting either the 50mm f/1.4 or 85mm f/1.8 for my protraiture soon

  6. Can’t go wrong with 50mm f/1.8. Budget lens for great shots. Thinking of getting 18-200mm f/3.5-f/5.6 VR soon. No more fumbling for lenses. Except for low-light conditions, of course.

    Love your photography skills. Here’s to better pics.

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