Thinking about the Canon 24-105mm f/4 L

**convergent** · #1 08-24-2006, 06:26 PM

I need to do a lens swap in preparation for the coming sports season. I switched a 20D for a 1DM2N over the summer and the 17-40 isn't going to cut it on that lens for team and individual shooting (it worked fine on the 20D). I have 24-70 f/2.8 L lenses on my other 1DM2/1DM2Ns, but I don't need f/2.8 for this type of shooting. I'm thinking about the 24-105L because I could also use it as a good walk around lens when shooting for pleasure. Has anyone on here used one? Can anyone confirm if it is in fact sealed... internal focus style? I've seen some conflicting info on that... stating it's "internal focus", but not "internal zoom"... which is kind of wierd. I don't like the way the 24-70 f/2.8 extends when it zooms, as it seems to pick up dirt sometimes. I've also had two 24-70 failures... although one was from damage.

**zacker** · #2 08-24-2006, 08:46 PM

you got the 85... cant you use that for the portraits?

the 105 range is just dandy for walk around though..lol

**convergent** · #3 08-24-2006, 09:06 PM

We shoot team and individuals... need to shift from portrait to wide on the fly with the same camera. The 24-70 works well for this. It was a little long on the 1.6 crop so I used 17-40s on those.

**zacker** · #4 08-24-2006, 09:41 PM

Ahhhhh The whole team at once...got it. Man that 5D would have rocked.. Maybe you could Hire Ross for those shoots..lol Hey, when you do this with the 17-40, are you at 17MM? and doesnt the shot get distorted? or do you stand back more and crop? I really like my 17-40 and am really happy i got it!

**convergent** · #5 08-24-2006, 09:51 PM

Well, not a whole team... a whole league at once. If we are doing 1500 kids, we need more than one camera...

I am looking now for a used 5D. However, for a large group with multiple cameras, it is very important to use the same equipment across the board... as much as possible. If we were using one camera for teams, I might consider it... but when doing team and individual on every camera, its good to be consistent. What will happen if you aren't is a parent with multiple kids might get different results for two different kids. It can still happen, just from time of day and such... but I try not to have the equipment cause it.

I haven't noticed a distortion problem with the 17-40 on a 20D... but I don't use it that often. Most shoots we don't need that many bodies and I can get it done with the 1D bodies.

**zacker** · #6 08-25-2006, 07:12 AM

1500??? how do you do that?? all at once? thats one huge picture..

do you do all the indivigual shots outside or inside?

**convergent** · #7 08-25-2006, 08:27 AM

No, we don't do a shot of all 1500 at one time... its team by team... so 8-13 in each team picture, depending on who shows up. We do inside and outside, depending on the sport, season, and weather. With the weather last fall, we did that 1500 kids outdoors during rain, with tents and some retouching.

**zacker** · #8 08-25-2006, 08:31 AM

lol... oh, thats better... i thought you ment all 1500 at once..lol youd definetly need to do a pano...

**convergent** · #9 08-25-2006, 08:37 AM

I do have a customer that wants me to do a shot of close to 400 people at one time... ranging in age from 5 to 65. I will need to rent a bucket if I end up doing that... to get up high... and I'd use Medium Format for it. Otherwise you'd not have any detail in faces with that size of a group.

**convergent** · #10 08-25-2006, 03:47 PM

OK, well I bought one. Hopefully it will all work out. Picked one up from a guy on FM with 3900+ posts in new condition. He actually told me to send a check and he'd send the lens at the same time... which I've done... I figure the risk is minimal with someone of this reputation.