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Nikon Lens Reviews: EF Telephoto Zoom 17-40mm

Posted by Captain on Jan 20, 2010 |

Nikon Lens Reviews: EF Telephoto Zoom 17-40mm

If you frequently find yourself zooming out to get everything in a frame, you will want a wide angle lens such as this. If you frequently find yourself zooming in, this is not the Canon EF Telephoto Lens for you. On a full frame body such as Canon EOS 5D, this Canon EF Telephoto Lens becomes ULTRA wide angle. On an APS-C crop body such as Digital Rebel XTi (which I used for this Nikon Lens review), it becomes MEDIUM wide angle. But thanks to 1.6x crop factor, this Canon EF Telephoto Lens expands to more usable 35mm equivalent focal length of 27 to 64mm.

By definition, a walkaround lens should be relatively portable. At 1.1 lbs., Canon EF Telephoto Lens 17-40mm f/4L USM is neither super light nor neck breakingly heavy.

In fact, it weighs almost the same as Digital Rebel XTi — really nice balance. The Canon EF Telephoto Lens feels very solid with supreme build quality that only L-series lenses offer.

Although this Canon EF Telephoto Lens is weather proof and therefore sealed against liquid and dust, I strongly recommend getting a 77mm filter to protect the front lens element. With it, this Canon EF Telephoto Lens is made to last.

In terms of looks and feel, it doesn’t get much better. Its rubberized full-time inner focus manual ring USM focuses smoothly, quietly, and quickly.

Since it’s inner focus, the Canon EF Telephoto Lens will not extend beyond its metal casing whether you zoom in or out. The focus window shows focusing distance from 0.28 meter (0.92 feet) to infinity.

The focal length marker indicates 17, 20, 24, 28, 35, and 40mm. The Canon EF Telephoto Lens exudes quality from tip to tip.

You may tolerate heavier lens or may not mind lesser build quality of cheaper lenses. A walkaround lens will be used very often, so make sure you will be comfortable with it.

This Canon EF Telephoto Lens is famous for saturated color and deep contrast. Its images are simply stunning. At 17mm wide angle, barrel distortion is noticeable but relatively mild. From 24mm to 40mm, its images are distortion free and perfectly suited at capturing people.

Vignetting (corner darkness) is minimal with mild chroma abberrations (color shadows). At f/4 aperture, details become noticeably softer toward the edges. The center region is very sharp and at f/5.6, edges remain fairy sharp. Thanks to 7 diaphragm blades, this Canon EF Telephoto Lens can produce very nice bokeh at 40mm (blur effects).

One of the most cited weaknesses is the f/4 aperture. In my experience, a bump in the ISO speed and steady hands are all you need to take well focused images indoor.

On the other hand, if you are shooting with very little amount of light, you might wish for f/2.8 or image stabilizer. Although the difference between f/4 and f/2.8 is just 1 stop, my other lens, Canon EF Telephoto Lens 24-70mm f/2.8L USM (too heavy to be my walkaround lens) easily outperforms in such challenging situations. But by and large, I was not handicapped by the f/4 aperture.

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