24mm F/1.4 v 17-40mm F4

[Lostgear]

As the subject title.

I have the 17-40L but dont really use it at the wide end and would probably benefit more from the large aperture of the 24L.

So will I lose corner sharpness with the 24L against the 17-40L at similar apertures?

Thanks in anticipation.

 

[Canon Bob]

The question seems a little obscure and hence I think I'm missing the point.
Are you asking whether the 24/1.4L will be noticeably worse than the 17-40/4L in the corners when shooting at f/4, f/5.6, f/8 etc ?...(on a 40D or FF body).

If that is the question then I believe the 24/1.4 will be ahead of the game until things possible become indistinguishable at f/8 and beyond.

Bob

 

[Lostgear]

On FF Bob, I've not updated my profile. I had read a few reviews that implied the 24L was a bit soft at the edges due to having to cope with the big apertures. The 17-40L I have is super sharp out to the edges, but clearly from f4 up.

 

[Canon Bob]

Assuming both lenses are fit and healthy then it's very unlikely that a prime, 3 stops down from its maximum aperture, is going to exhibit softer edges than a wide open zoom. It's also very likely that the differences aren't evident in real world usage. Can you point to any of these reviews that you cite?

Bob

 

[Cistron]

The question seems a little obscure and hence I think I'm missing the point.
Are you asking whether the 24/1.4L will be noticeably worse than the 17-40/4L in the corners when shooting at f/4, f/5.6, f/8 etc ?...(on a 40D or FF body).

If that is the question then I believe the 24/1.4 will be ahead of the game until things possible become indistinguishable at f/8 and beyond.

Bob

You could compare them here. This is a test chart of course.

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/...meraComp=453&SampleComp=0&FLIComp=2&APIComp=0

If you wander around with a tripod and shallow depth of field isn't necessary, then the decision should be pretty much in favour of the zoom.

 

[LongLensPhotography]

The 17-40L I have is super sharp out to the edges, but clearly from f4 up.

If this is true I really want your copy of 17-40! Mine needs at least f/8 to be 'super sharp', while at f/4 it may as well be cropped to 8x10, and reviews tend to agree.

 

[Canon Bob]

You could compare them here. This is a test chart of course.

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/...meraComp=453&SampleComp=0&FLIComp=2&APIComp=0

If you wander around with a tripod and shallow depth of field isn't necessary, then the decision should be pretty much in favour of the zoom.

That comparison shows the 17-40/4 to be pretty desperate in the corners on a full frame body and hardly brilliant at mid-frame either.
I'm not certain whether Adam was asking about the 24/1.4 MkI or MkII....the MkII has moved the goal posts a considerable distance and only the TS-E24 MkII, by virtue of its relatively large image circle, can see it off.

Bob

 

[arad85]

Mine needs at least f/8 to be 'super sharp', while at f/4 it may as well be cropped to 8x10, and reviews tend to agree.

The 17-40L I have is super sharp out to the edges, but clearly from f4 up.

That comparison shows the 17-40/4 to be pretty desperate in the corners on a full frame body and hardly brilliant at mid-frame either.

I must say I haven't heard the 17-40L described as super sharp to the edges, but then I've never used it on a crop body

As a user of a 100mm L IS which is close to the sharpest Canon lens I think exists, the 17-40 performs very well on my 5D2. IMHO, the 17-40 is very usable at f4, and better at f5.6. I'm very happy with the two photos posted in this post: http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showpost.php?p=4195947&postcount=10 always remembering that the one of the tree is focused closer than the one of the statue. No... it's not 100% sharp to the corners, but it is better than the Siggy 12-24 I have for the really wide stuff...

 

[Masked Bandit]

Hi Adam,

Have you thought about the Zeiss 21mm 2.8? I think it compares very well price wise with the 24mm (try Dale Photographic website)
Although manual focus, it does have a very useable DOF scale. It is built like a tank (very little plastic) and the image quality is outstanding.

Take care,

Philip