Old Vs. New: Canon EF 24-105mm F/4 IS USM Lenses

On this review photographer Christopher Frost looks at two popular Canon zoom lenses the old and new EF 24-105mm f/4 to see what changed.

The Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM has been around for a long time not just as a kit lens for some of Canon’s full frame cameras but also as a general purpose zoom lens. The newer Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM (Mark II) is very similar externally and as we will see the actual performence isn’t that different either.

The Canon EF 24–105mm f/4L IS II is a bit longer and heavier than the older version but build quality is good on both cameras. The image stabilisation on the newer version is better and much quieter.

Both lenses are not super sharp (but these have quite a long zoom which is not easy and forces some compromises). The new lenses is maybe a bit sharper on FF and just a tad less sharp on APS-C (depending on the focal length) but generally there is not a huge advantage to the new lens. The new lens is better in terms of flaring.

As for pricing the older version cost just under $630 while the newer version cost almost twice as much at $1100. From these tests it seems that there is not too much reason to get the newer version of this lens.

You can find many more previews and reviews on our Photography review section here on LensVid and you can find more of Frost’s videos here on LensVid.

Iddo Genuth

Iddo Genuth is the founder and chief editor of LensVid.com. He has been a technology reporter working for international publications since the late 1990's and covering photography since 2009. Iddo is also a co-founder of a production company specializing in commercial food and product visual content.