Canon® Canon 11-24mm F/4L

The Canon 11-24mm f/4L is a high-quality ultra-wide angle zoom that’s optimized for full-frame Canon DSLRs. Key features include:

• Premium image quality

• Ultra-wide 11mm zoom with 126° of coverage

• 35mm full-frame coverage

• Near-silent ultrasonic motor

Ultra-Wide Zoom. With 126° of coverage at 11mm, the 11-24mm f/4L is Canon’s widest rectilinear zoom lens. This ultra-wide’s extremely high image quality with minimal distortion makes it a perfect choice for landscape and architectural photography. It covers the ultra-wide to moderately wide focal lengths and has constant f/4 aperture throughout the zoom range.

Full-Frame Coverage. The ultra-wide angle zoom offers 35mm full-frame coverage, making it compatible with Canon’s full line of EF-mount DSLRs. When mounted to a crop-frame APS-C camera, it offers a 17.6-38.4mm equivalent focal length.

Ultrasonic Motor. This internal focusing lens utilizes a ring-type Ultrasonic Motor (USM) for fast, near-silent performance for both still and video use. It’s full-time manual for quick tweaks on the go, and the dedicated AF/MF switch allows you to disengage autofocus entirely when desired.

L-Series Quality. As part of the L-series, image and build quality are premium. The 11-24mm f/4L does not disappoint. It features four aspheric, one ultra low-dispersion, and one “super” ultra low-dispersion lens elements that effectively correct barrel distortion while reducing chromatic aberrations from corner to corner throughout the zoom range. It has fluorine coatings on external elements and subwavelength coatings on the internal elements to minimize image quality-robbing flare and ghosting. The weather-sealed lens barrel provides protection from the elements, with the fluorine coatings doing double-time by repelling dust and fingerprints.

Built-In Hood. Do note that the lens hood is built into the lens barrel, so there’s no taking it off. This also means there’s no threaded filter ring. However, the lens does accept rear gel filters.

This is a truly unique offering. A full-frame, rectilinear (non-fisheye), L-quality lens that goes as wide as 11mm. Not many people will need 11mm, not many will be able to use it effectively, but …

This is a truly unique offering. A full-frame, rectilinear (non-fisheye), L-quality lens that goes as wide as 11mm. Not many people will need 11mm, not many will be able to use it effectively, but it definitely will provide some unique opportunities.

But everyone, and I mean everyone, is going to appreciate the image quality. It’s at least remarkable, and probably should be described as amazing. It’s every bit as good as the 16-35 f/4 IS L, and does it while being much wider. In case you don’t know, wider lenses are supposed to have poorer image quality. This one does not, it’s amazingly good all the way to 11mm and all the way to the corners.

Be forewarned, though, this is a big, heavy lens, weighing in at over 2.5 pounds. The front element is as curved as anything I’ve seen and you are NOT going to mount front filters. To be honest, though, filters, other than ND filters, usually aren’t a great idea on a lens this wide anyway.

(February, 2015)