# Anyone upgraded from their 24-70L to 24-70L MKII?



## killswitch (Apr 29, 2013)

I was looking at my photo library and wanted to get an idea what focal length I mostly shoot at. Having various lenses at different point in time, the library indicates over 50% of my photos are taken using the original 24-70L alone. I have used it at weddings, family events, and for walk around. It has been a workhorse of a lens for me, and while one had to be lucky to get a good copy of it, I feel mine was not bad and am mostly happy with the images it gave me. 

I am not looking to buy the MKII just yet, but if the contrast and sharpness (I dont care about corner sharpness but center to mid/outer frame should be sharp) is significantly improved over the original 24-70L at f2.8 then I might consider upgrading to the MKII (somewhere down the line).

I was wondering if others out there made the jump from the original 24-70L to the MKII, and noticed the improvements in real world situations, especially in terms of sharpness wide open at both ends.


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## Dylan777 (Apr 30, 2013)

I tried 3 copies of mrk I (2 new + 1 used), none of them could gave me the results I'm looking for. 

YES...mrk II has better contrast and much sharper at f2.8. This is my most use lens. Follow by 70-200 f2.8 IS II and of course 50L when there almost no light.

Many posters ended up buying this lens after they posted similar questions


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Apr 30, 2013)

I had 5 copies of the original 24-70. None matched my 24-105mmL and all were returned or sold. I now have the MK II, it is finally a keeper.


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## russ (Apr 30, 2013)

We had two copies of the 24-70 mk1. One was quite a bit sharper than the other but no match for the mk2. I like that 24-105L, just a bit slow and not in same category as the mk2 24-70 when it comes to sharpness. I'd have to look at my lens tests to know if the 24-105 was sharper than my sharp 24-70- either way it was close and the 24-105 has IS which is nice (but f4 isn't ideal for what I use it for).

The new mkII version is noticeably sharper than the sharpest mk1 lens we had especially wide open. The mk1 was noticeably sharper at f4 than at 2.8 (even in center). The new one is almost as sharp at 2.8 as at f4, pretty amazing. The lens also produces warmer, more natural looking images. When I say sharper I was a bit blown away when I compared the images. Just looking at the leaves on distant trees the older lens was a bit blurry and the new one was tack sharp- looks like a good prime lens. Really can't go wrong with this lens except the price 

Sorry, can't answer your question about contrast- don't have a great way to test it.

Coming back to the multiple copies we had of the Mk1... We replaced both with mk2 and both mk2 lenses were about the same sharpness so another argument for that lens is that you're more likely to get a good sample.

On the negative side I really don't like the stiffness of the zoom compared to the mk1. The mk1 felt better to me. Wonder if anyone else has an opinion on that.

That new 70-200 2.8L II is pretty sweet as well. Glad I waited 10+ years to refresh our lenses  I'll be kicking myself when Canon comes out with an IS version of the lens no doubt though. Until then I'm super happy


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## MCL (Apr 30, 2013)

I too was wondering about how vII compared to vI in regards to the stiffness with the zoom.


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## killswitch (Apr 30, 2013)

Thanks for the insight folks.



Dylan777 said:


> I tried 3 copies of mrk I (2 new + 1 used), none of them could gave me the results I'm looking for.
> 
> YES...mrk II has better contrast and much sharper at f2.8. This is my most use lens. Follow by 70-200 f2.8 IS II and of course 50L when there almost no light.
> 
> Many posters ended up buying this lens after they posted similar questions



Dylan, after getting the 24-70 MKII do you feel you have been using the 16-35 less and less for landscapes and wide shots? Or, the 16-35 still gets used quite often? I am asking because I have the 16-35 II, and wondering if I will end up using the 24-70 MKII more for landscapes than the 16-35 II and may end up giving up the wider focal length for better resolution.


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## Random Orbits (Apr 30, 2013)

killswitch said:


> Dylan, after getting the 24-70 MKII do you feel you have been using the 16-35 less and less for landscapes and wide shots? Or, the 16-35 still gets used quite often? I am asking because I have the 16-35 II, and wondering if I will end up using the 24-70 MKII more for landscapes than the 16-35 II and may end up giving up the wider focal length for better resolution.



I'm not Dylan, but for me, I've never been thrilled with the 16-35 II, and the 24-70 II does give me less incentive to use it. The zoom is nice in some situations, but if I know I have time to set up the shot properly, I'd rather carry a wide prime (i.e. TS-E 17) instead of 16-35 II. I'd still be carrying two lenses, but something like a TS-E would give me additional flexibility for losing the the ability to zoom.


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## Dylan777 (Apr 30, 2013)

killswitch said:


> Thanks for the insight folks.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I still using 16-35 for lanscapes. I like the effects of 16mm. Most of my landscape shots I took are @ 16mm. I'm thinking 14mm prime though, since 16-35 is not quite sharp @ f2.8.

I mainly use 24-70 for indoor family & candid photos. This lens is pretty straight forward: sharp & fast AF.


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## Crapking (Apr 30, 2013)

Upgraded as soon as it was available and NEVER looked back. Sharpness significantly better, contrast and overall color rendering also 'cleaner' and more natural (less flat). 
Zoom lock is a plus (usually), and I prefer a slightly tighter focus ring (especially when doing videos).


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## tomscott (Apr 30, 2013)

Dylan777 said:


> killswitch said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks for the insight folks.
> ...



How many Landscapes do you shoot at F2.8....


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## al-toidz photography (Apr 30, 2013)

A lot of people who bought the 24-70 mark ii are trying to convince themselves as well as others that they made a good(perhaps "worth it") purchase. Wake up people don't lie. The fact is, this argument whether the mark ii is worth the upgrade from mark 1 is the same thing as the argument of having more pixels. When you only view the image 100% crop then you will notice those things. Other than that, you will barely notice(if you will notice) the better sharpness. For the record, i owned both but end up selling the mark ii after 2 months of extensive use.


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## Dylan777 (May 1, 2013)

tomscott said:


> Dylan777 said:
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> > killswitch said:
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Not very much, but it does become handy when needed for night shots without tripod.


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## Dylan777 (May 1, 2013)

al-toidz photography said:


> A lot of people who bought the 24-70 mark ii are trying to convince themselves as well as others that they made a good(perhaps "worth it") purchase. Wake up people don't lie. The fact is, this argument whether the mark ii is worth the upgrade from mark 1 is the same thing as the argument of having more pixels. When you only view the image 100% crop then you will notice those things. Other than that, you will barely notice(if you will notice) the better sharpness. For the record, i owned both but end up selling the mark ii after 2 months of extensive use.



We can always use Canon MTF charts to compare btw mrk I Vs II. Or results from FoCal users. Which data do you want to see?


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## al-toidz photography (May 1, 2013)

I want a data from a real world pictures taken by both lenses. Side by side comparison, not cropped, not post processed. That's what i want. ;D  i don't want numbers!


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## Dylan777 (May 1, 2013)

al-toidz photography said:


> I want a data from a real world pictures taken by both lenses. Side by side comparison, not cropped, not post processed. That's what i want. ;D  i don't want numbers!



You reminded me my 4yrs kid. This discussion is closed :-X


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## East Wind Photography (May 1, 2013)

You ask a lot! Not many people can afford both lenses to take side by side comparison shots. While not ideal, here is at least some attempt to do so:

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/ISO-12233-Sample-Crops.aspx?Lens=101&Camera=453&Sample=0&FLI=4&API=0&LensComp=787&CameraComp=453&SampleComp=0&FLIComp=4&APIComp=0

A chart is simply a real world photograph. ;D



al-toidz photography said:


> I want a data from a real world pictures taken by both lenses. Side by side comparison, not cropped, not post processed. That's what i want. ;D  i don't want numbers!


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## al-toidz photography (May 1, 2013)

Dylan777 said:


> al-toidz photography said:
> 
> 
> > I want a data from a real world pictures taken by both lenses. Side by side comparison, not cropped, not post processed. That's what i want. ;D  i don't want numbers!
> ...



Calm down calm down daddy...you have post too much in this forum already. Why won't you go out in the real world and take some real photos instead of reading and writing some comments. Practice make perfect!!


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## al-toidz photography (May 1, 2013)

East Wind Photography said:


> You ask a lot! Not many people can afford both lenses to take side by side comparison shots. While not ideal, here is at least some attempt to do so:
> 
> http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/ISO-12233-Sample-Crops.aspx?Lens=101&Camera=453&Sample=0&FLI=4&API=0&LensComp=787&CameraComp=453&SampleComp=0&FLIComp=4&APIComp=0
> 
> ...



Smart, smart, i like that....oooops i think i mentioned "no cropped" just regular size. But i like it, point taken.

Thats true, not a lot of people can buy both lenses because they are indeed very expensive.


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## pwp (May 1, 2013)

Mt Spokane Photography said:


> I had 5 copies of the original 24-70. None matched my 24-105mmL and all were returned or sold. I now have the MK II, it is finally a keeper.



Hah! My story is 100% identical in every single detail. I'll add that the new 24-70 f/2.8II is so good it rendered my primes in the 24-70 range redundant. The Sigma 50 f/1.4 has gone, as has the 24 f/1.4II. The new lens is quite simply..._stellar_.

-PW


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## pwp (May 1, 2013)

al-toidz photography said:


> A lot of people who bought the 24-70 mark ii are trying to convince themselves as well as others that they made a good(perhaps "worth it") purchase. Wake up people don't lie. The fact is, this argument whether the mark ii is worth the upgrade from mark 1 is the same thing as the argument of having more pixels. When you only view the image 100% crop then you will notice those things. Other than that, you will barely notice(if you will notice) the better sharpness. For the record, i owned both but end up selling the mark ii after 2 months of extensive use.



That's too bad you had this experience with the new lens. I think that's the first negative comment I've read. Maybe you had one of the somewhat rare good copies of the MkI, and then one of the almost unheard of bad copies of the MkII. 

Well damn! You can't help bad luck! Or maybe it was a case of having out-of-reality expectations. It's happened to plenty of us at some stage with a significant purchase or life decision. 

-PW


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## StepBack (May 1, 2013)

I don't know which is "better" aesthetically or under a microscope. But if you perennially return any brand lens maybe there's another problem.


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## stringfellow1946 (May 1, 2013)

I have & its a NO BRAINER, the Mk2 is light years better.


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## GMCPhotographics (May 1, 2013)

I currently have a stellar copy of the mkI 24-70L and I'm very happy with it. But the mkII sure does look tempting...but it's not on my priority list at the moment. It's a big cost for a little improvement.


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## Zlatko (May 1, 2013)

al-toidz photography said:


> A lot of people who bought the 24-70 mark ii are trying to convince themselves as well as others that they made a good(perhaps "worth it") purchase. Wake up people don't lie. The fact is, this argument whether the mark ii is worth the upgrade from mark 1 is the same thing as the argument of having more pixels. When you only view the image 100% crop then you will notice those things. Other than that, you will barely notice(if you will notice) the better sharpness. For the record, i owned both but end up selling the mark ii after 2 months of extensive use.



Version I was good when properly adjusted. But when put to heavy use, version I had a tendency to go out of whack and need service. When it went out of whack, you did not need to view the image at 100% to see the problem. You could see the problem very easily. Version II seems to be more durable. It is more reliable and also handles better.


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## shutterwideshut (May 1, 2013)

GMCPhotographics said:


> I currently have a stellar copy of the mkI 24-70L and I'm very happy with it. But the mkII sure does look tempting...but it's not on my priority list at the moment. It's a big cost for a little improvement.



So was I. I had both copies of the 24-70L. I had a stellar copy of the Mk. I but decided to let go of it as the Mk II is lighter & the lens hood is more discreet compared to Mark I. Most of all, I am impressed with the sharpness and contrast of the Mark II and it is indeed worth the investment.


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## GMCPhotographics (May 2, 2013)

shutterwideshut said:


> GMCPhotographics said:
> 
> 
> > I currently have a stellar copy of the mkI 24-70L and I'm very happy with it. But the mkII sure does look tempting...but it's not on my priority list at the moment. It's a big cost for a little improvement.
> ...



Ah cool, good for you bud! It sure looks like a nice lens. I'm more of a prime lens user, so my 24-70L isn't as heavily used as some. So I'm not too fussed about changing it up. But if a new ef 35mm f1.4 II L comes out....I'll be all over one of those!


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## Dylan777 (May 3, 2013)

GMCPhotographics said:


> shutterwideshut said:
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> > GMCPhotographics said:
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One thing for sure that 24-70 II can't beat prime is shallow DOF. 50L is the only L prime I use. I love the bokeh of this lens.


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## dswatson83 (May 3, 2013)

Switched to the Tamron 24-70 f/2.8 VC. Cheaper than the 240-70L V1 and I really wanted IS for the video. I was looking at the Canon 24-70 f/4 IS to get stabilization but I did not want to give up f/2.8 and the Tamron still looks better: 
Canon 24-70 f/4L IS vs Tamron 24-70 f/2.8 VC - FIGHT!


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