PressPhotosUK Star Rating Very Good

Right! I know that you do not expect a scientific review of the Canon 28-70mm F2.8 L USM here, because I am not that sort person. When I was wondering what to replace my old and very tired Canon 28-80 F2.8/4L with I did not pore over technical reviews, I did not trawl the Internet for reports detailing the LPM resolution of the latest piece of Canon Glass. I make no bones about my brand loyalty, however I am not blind to the short comings of some of Canon equipment, however as I have Canon bodies and a significant investment in Canon glass, it will be sometime before I consider changing (or else Canon will have to seriously piss me off).

I have also used independent manufacturers glass from time to time including Sigma and Tokina, and despite the price premium I always end up returning to Canon glass, for two principle reasons, none of the independent kit is as well constructed as the Canon L glass, and when ever new Cameras are launched there are always compatibility issues (because Sigma and Tokina reverse engineer Canon lens mounts rather than pay for a licence, and as a result they don't have access to all of the technical papers relating to the EF mount). Of all the Canon lenses that I own and use this is probably the weakest, in performance and design. It has actually taken a step backwards (in my opinion) from the lens that it replaced, the 28-80F2.8/4L USM in that as you move from one end of the focal length range to the other the physical length of the lens also changes, the material from which it is constructed also doesn't seem as robust as the previous version (however it may be that it is less susceptible to damage than the polycarbonate used by its predecessor).

It is also probably the least used lens in the bag, primarily because I tend to use the 16-35mm and 70-200mm permanently bolted to the camera. The 28-70 seems to also suffer some barrel distortion at the wide end, which 99% of the time is not a problem (in the real world I don't tend to shoot loads of straight lines) but when it does raise it is head it is a problem and a £1000 lens, shouldn't suffer these problems.

The image above displays clearly the barrel distortion that the lens produces at the wide end, and as you go through the zoom range, there is less distortion (I suppose I should be grateful that it is not as bad as the Nikon 43mm-86mm which had barrel distortion at one end and pincushion the other, and never balanced out in the middle).

Auto focus is very quick and the two touch zoom works well except for the physical change in size and it s supplied with EW83B II lens hood, which is nice and deep, and reverses over the lens when not in use. A single switch switches AF /MF modes, and an easy to read distance scale is on top of the lens (what would be useful is if the focus scale lit up, when you use the display illumination on the camera body, enabling manual pre-focus in the dark, without the need for a torch.)

Test shots using the 28-70 F2.8L at the 28mm end, at F2.8. The image above is the full frame, with 100% centre crop top right and edge right.

Again the distortion is quite apparent.

Test shots using the 28-70 F2.8L at the 70mm end, at F2.8. The image above is the full frame, with 100% centre crop top right and edge right. Just in case anyone was in doubt that the old 28mm80mm F2.8/4L needed replacing, here is an image of it showing the crack by the filter thread. Most of the lens coating had been polished away by the sleeve of my fleece and the rubber grip was coming away from the zoom ring. I can't really complain seeing as I it was purchased in 1991 and spent most of it's life bolted to one camera or another and was replaced in 2003, it actually out lasted the 20-35 F2.8L that I had by about a year. If the current Canon glass lasts as long I will be a) Surprised and b) Pleased.

Please feel free to contact us on 075 88 66 95 80

All Images are © pressphotos-uk.com. If you use them without permission you are in breach of copyright laws.

©2010 pressphotos-uk.com