Scenery documentary. Yeah. Canon EF24mmF2.8 IS evaluation

IT 168 evaluation As a member of Canon's wide-angle fixed-focus family, EF24mm F2.8 IS USM has not been widely spread by many photographers because of its small and unobtrusive non-L-head shape and the limelight of confocal section 24LⅱII, and has always been in a niche position. Of course, the advantages and disadvantages of this 24mm lens are also obvious. The advantage is that the low-key and compact size is suitable for sweeping streets and documentaries, and it is not tiring to travel, not to mention USM and IS. The overall situation is more comprehensive. The disadvantage is that l is fixed and the price is high. However, existence is truth. For ordinary photographers who like scenery and wide-angle documentary, considering the portability and expensive price of 24L, EF24mm is also a very good choice.

The first impression of EF 24mm F2.8 is that it is very compact, weighing about 280g g, and it looks low-key and calm with 5D3, and it will not be too conspicuous when sweeping the street. If matched with APS-C camera, the equivalent focal length of 38.4mm is also a good human focal length.

▲EF24mm with 5D3 front

▲EF24mm with 5D3 hypotenuse

The lens is equipped with a lotus hood. In order to further improve the image quality, the lens contains aspherical lenses, which can effectively reduce the aberration and improve the sharpness at various shooting distances. By optimizing lens configuration and coating, ghosting and glare are suppressed. After xiaobian's actual measurement, it is found that the performance of restraining glare is not bad.

▲ The coating color is beautiful.

▲ Excellent anti-glare ability.

In terms of hardware configuration, IS anti-shake device and annular USM motor equivalent to 4-speed shutter compensation are adopted. Compared with the previous generation of 24mm F2.8, the shooting ability in low light environment has been greatly improved. Recently, the focal length has been increased to 20cm, which greatly increases the freedom of composition of wide-angle lens.

▲ Basic parameters

▲ Focus motor and anti-shake switch

The back of the lens adopts metal bayonet, which ensures the service life of the lens. In addition, this lens is made in Japan, so the quality is more guaranteed.

▲ metal bayonet display

Having said that, after all, the main concern of buying a lens is the imaging quality and expressive force. Let's take a look at the real shooting effect of Bian Xiao's 5D3 and EF24 travel opportunities.

Real shot sample display

In the process of shooting, Bian Xiao obviously felt that EF24 was light enough, which saved a lot of physical strength compared with the previous pike sprint, and the anti-shake function was very practical. The maximum aperture is F2.8, and the shooting rate at night is also very high. Focus does not pull the bellows, which is very fast. Daily street sweeping or landscape shooting is completely enough. Basically, you don't have to worry about missing any wonderful moments because of focusing problems.

What is the specific resolution of the lens? Bian Xiao also tested the same scene, and then cut the center and edge of the picture for comparison.

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As can be seen from the above figure, whether it is fully open or reduced to F 1 1, the center resolution keeps a good sharpness, and the edge sharpness is probably the best when it is F5.6, because it is a wide-angle lens, so there must be a clear gap between the edge image quality and the center image quality.

Resolution and distortion test

Canon's EF24mm F2.8 IS USM lens structure is 9 groups 1 1 lenses, of which only the last lens is aspheric and there is no ultra-low dispersion lens. Because of the low positioning, it also saves a lot of cost in lens materials.

▲ MTF curve given by Canon.

In order to speak with real data as much as possible, we used ISO 12233 standard resolution test card to test the resolution performance of this lens, and then we used Imatest software to analyze the test results. This test all uses Canon 5D3 camera with Canon EF 24 mm F2.8 ISUM lens.

▲ Center resolution effect test chart

▲ Center resolution effect test chart

As can be seen from the above figure, the overall level of central resolution over F8 is relatively average, and there is no obvious fluctuation sign. If the aperture is reduced to F8, the sharpness will drop obviously, so it seems that the central image quality of this lens is not bad at full aperture.

▲ Edge resolution renderings

▲ Edge resolution renderings

The best edge resolution is between F5.6-F8 and F8, because the imaging quality of the corner of the wide-angle lens with SLR structure cannot be compared with the resolution of the center. If the light is good during the day, when you go out to sweep the street, the aperture can be closed for 2-3 steps to obtain a greater depth of field and ensure the overall image quality.

In addition to sharpness, the distortion and dark angle of wide-angle lens have always been a concern. As a non-L-shaped wide-angle lens, distortion and dark angle control can only be considered as general level.

▲ Dark angle under each aperture.

The loss of light in the lower corner is very serious when the aperture is fully open, and the aperture is stable until it is reduced to F5.6. Although the appearance of dark corner is theoretically the lack of image quality, I believe many literary youths and Japanese street shooting style lovers are familiar with such dark corner.

▲ Distortion analysis diagram

Professional software analysis shows that the distortion value is-1.66%, which belongs to obvious barrel distortion and can be clearly seen by naked eyes. For children's shoes that care about distortion, they can only be corrected by software in the later stage.

▲ Jiao Wai test

When taking close-range photos with full aperture, obvious blur effect can be achieved. This lens uses seven circular aperture blades, but after a small series of tests, it is found that the shape of Jiao Wai dispersion circle is not very round, and the light spot at the edge of the lens has become oval.

The final summary of the evaluation

From the focal length, this lens is more suitable for landscape shooting, followed by street sweeping or documentary. The wide angle of 24mm is still difficult to control, especially to ensure the simplicity of composition under such a wide angle of view, which really tests the skill. The F2.8 small series with the largest aperture is enough, and there is an equivalent to the 4-speed shutter speed, which is very practical.

▲ lens real shot

But the price of this lens is too high, nearly 5K, which is unbearable for many photographers who are not prepared to spend a lot of money on 24L. The focal length also overlaps with 24- 105L and 24-70L. Therefore, many photographers either buy zoom lenses or use 24L directly. The inconspicuous parameters and high price make this lens in an awkward position at present.

Advantages:

1. With anti-shake and USM, it is fully functional.

2. The resolution of the lens center has been kept at a relatively average level.

3. Small and unobtrusive, suitable for traveling or sweeping the street.

Disadvantages:

1. The price is too high, nearly 5K.

2. Distortion and dark angle control are general.