New Canon 24-70mm f2.8L II Coming Soon!

The New Canon 24-70mm f2.8L II

In the world of technology news this is actually quite old, but I wanted to get it out there for my readers. On February 7th 2012 Canon announced that they would finally be updating the long awaited successor to the hugely popular Canon 24-70mm f2.8 L lens.  The 24-70mm f2.8 L II will sport a sleek new design, better optics, more compact body and lighter weight.  Anyone who has ever owned the original 24-70mm 2.8 L will undoubtably appreciate the smaller size and weight, it was a monster lens. I had to sell my second copy because it was just too heavy and big for what I do. I need speed and agility to capture weddings in an unobtrusive way and the old 24-70mm was anything but discreet and agile.

An update is certainly due as the original 24-70 was released in 2002.  Just as the digital revolution was beginning. Today’s optics just can’t handle the large file sizes that camera manufacturers are producing, 21, 24 and soon (with Nikon’s new D800) 36 megapixels, lenses now need to be way sharper than they did in 2002. It’s only natural that Canon took its time to produce this lens. I hope it lives up to the hype and delivers what the current 24-70 can’t. We’ll have to wait until next month to find out. But with a price tag rumored to be much more than the current edition it will have to be good to get the current owners to switch. One thing to note is that the new 24-70 does not have Image Stabilization, which was definitely on the top of everyone’s list when asking Santa for a new 24-70 from Canon. Not sure what the thought process was there, but perhaps it would of been too expensive for most.

As well as an updated 24-70 Canon has also said it’s going to update the even older 24mm f2.8 and 28mm f2.8.  Incorporating Image Stabilization into both, this is sort of a strange move for Canon. Wide angle lenses aren’t known for needing IS as camera shake isn’t prevalent. Rumors have begun to fly that Canon is producing these lenses to please the film makers out there looking for a bit more than is currently offered. Going on specs alone, I’m pretty excited about all of these lenses and can’t wait to try them