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When it comes to photography as a passion or hobby, the 24-70mm lenses are like the epitome of perfection.
They are what every photographer starts with. Once you experience the ease and picture quality of a 24-70mm lens, you will fall in love.
As the market is saturated with brands producing, what they claim to be the best 24-70mm lens, how will you choose the best fit? Here’s how.
At a Glance: Our Top Picks for 24-70 Lenses
- OUR TOP PICK: Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG OS
- Tamron SP 24-70mm F/2.8 Di VC USD G2
- BEST BUDGET OPTION: Tokina 24-70mm f/2.8 Pro
- Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G
- Canon EF 24-70mm f/4.0L IS
Comparison of the Best 24-70mm Lenses
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What Does 24-70 Lens Mean?
A 24-70mm lens is what many photographers call the “walk-around lens.” It’s the most popular choice among the photographers for an array of shoots. Whether it’s fun, passion, or your bread and butter, a 24-70mm lens can seriously benefit you. 24-70mm is the focal length of the lens; it’s the distance between the sensor of the camera and the optical center of the lens.
Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG OS
It is a wide-angle lens that is perfect for teaching and learning photography. This lens will take a wide view, and it’s perfect for landscape, architectural, wedding as well as product photographers. 24-70mm lenses come with very large depths of field, so you can sharp focus both near and far objects with ease.
What Should I Look For When Buying a 24-70mm Lens
To make sure that you get the best lens, it’s essential to take care of the following:
Learning Curve
How would it be if you can exactly capture what you see? This is the magic of the 24-70mm lens as it’s inspired by the human eye; you capture exactly what you see. Photography schools prefer teaching their students with the help of 24-70. You can shoot zoomed portraits as well as wide-angle shots with ease.
Close Focusing Abilities
It’s not always easy to capture a close-range object, but with a 24-70mm lens, the work is a breeze. For minimum focus distance, the lens averages at 38 centimeters (15 inches) from the glass. It may not be a macro lens, but it does decently if you want to shoot close-ups of your subject.
Versatile Range
Versatility is the most prominent feature of a 24-70mm lens. You can shoot anything and everything if you have this in your arsenal. Whether you are looking for a zoomed-in shot or a wide-angle one, a 24-70mm lens can switch from one to another seamlessly.
Comfortable and Sturdy Build
The lens is amiably termed as the “walk-around lens,” and that is mostly due to the comfortable build of the model. Many brands offer weather protection, and due to its sturdy build, it’s perfect for wildlife and adventurous photography destinations.
Quick Take - Best 24-70mm Lenses
Before we dive into our review, here are the best 24-70mm lenses:
Review of the Best 24-70mm Lenses
Now that you know how a 24-70mm lens works and what you should look for while searching for one, let’s check out the top brands selling 24-70 and get your best fit.
Best Overall:
Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM Art Lens for Canon
PROS
CONS
What Recent Buyers Report
With a high positive response, this Sigma model was compared to the 24-105 f4 L Canon, and Sigma won for its sharpness at length. Some reviews marked the lens negative for delivering soft and non-professional pictures. The lens might be heavy, but it’s the top choice for all photographers who love it for its sharp focus.
Why it Stands Out to Us
It’s the safest lens you can buy. With the sturdy build and compatibility, you can fit it on whatever model camera you have. Also, crisp picture quality, even at full zoom is a great plus. It delivers a decent bokeh, and it’s great for wide-angle shots. It’s the perfect all-rounder.
Who Would Use This Most
The versatility of the camera makes it perfect for all types of photographers, and whether you are into product photography or cover weddings and other such events, the zoom will give you extremely sharp and clear pictures up-close. Moreover, it’s great for landscape and architectural photography due to its wide-angle aperture.
Bottom Line
For a novice or a professional photographer who is looking to add a new 24-70mm, this Sigma model is perfect. There are complaints about the weight, but if you can ignore that, you will have a great lens at your hand. It delivers perfectly crisp shots at all angles.
PROS
CONS
What Recent Buyers Report
The Tamron G2 comes with high praise regarding its sharp and clear picture quality at both zoom and wide-angle shots. There are a couple of lightly negative remarks about tiresome calibrating, but all in all, it’s a great lens. Compared to the Sigma lens in quality and build, this is a clear winner.
Why it Stands Out to Us
There are many features that stand out when you talk about the Tamron G2. These include the exceptional build class and handling, as well as the sharpness of Bokeh and the excellent 5-stop stabilizer. G2 competes neck to neck in every aspect with other brands but takes the lead when it comes to affordable prices.
Who Would Use This Most
The lens is built to accommodate all kinds of photographers. Since it’s the ultimate beginner’s lens, it’s perfect for aspiring photographers who love photography as a hobby and want to pursue it as their profession and future career. Moreover, its picture quality makes it the top priority of professional photographers as well.
Bottom Line
The Tamron G2 is an exceptionally well-designed lens, with a sturdy build and weather shield coatings. Furthermore, it’s been highly praised for its ultrasonic silent drive auto focus that gives the most precise and quick clicks without a sound. VC image stabilization up to 5 stops is yet another great feature.
Best for the Money:
Tokina ATXAF247FXC 24-70mm f/2.8 Pro FX Lens for Canon EF
PROS
CONS
What Recent Buyers Report
The only complaints that users had with this model was that it is pretty heavy for regular use. Apart from that, all the reviews have been extremely positive regarding the performance as well as the picture quality. Many have praised the smooth and sharp Bokeh of the lens as well.
Why it Stands Out to Us
The most promising feature of this Tokina lens is its versatility to shoot a variety of sessions, including portraiture, landscape, travel, and all kinds of event shooting. It comes with innovative technology that provides controlled aberrations as well as distortions. It also promises less flare and ghosting with enhanced color and contrast.
Who Would Use This Most
The beauty of the Tokina 24-70 model is that it’s perfect for all kinds of shooting, so it’s like the perfect companion for both novice and professional photographers. One can shoot a variety of subjects, whether they are looking for wide-angle shots or sharp close-ups. It’s perfect for event and product photography.
Bottom Line
Once you get past the heaviness of the lens, you will be able to appreciate the overall quality and sturdy build. It’s a solid performer in all aspects. Despite not being a high-end model, Tokina lenses give a tough time to celebrated brands like Nikon and Canon. It’s a purposeful lens that every photographer should have.
Best 24-70 Lens for Nikon:
Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED
PROS
CONS
What Recent Buyers Report
There have been brilliant reviews on this one, with high recommendations for Nikon. Despite the weight, many consumers have loved the feel and build of the lens along with its superior quality image resolution. Plus, it keeps ghosting and flares at bay, giving clear and sharp pictures with both close-ups as well as zoomed-in shots.
Why it Stands Out to Us
Among the many models available, this one by Nikon stands out as it doesn’t get in your way, keeps everything in line, and is a great versatile lens for all kinds of photography sessions. The build is really sturdy and designed with metal alloys to make it extra tough, thereby making it perfect for adventurous photo sessions.
Who Would Use This Most
Due to its versatility, the lens is an all-rounder. It’s perfect for event photography such as weddings and baby showers as it works great with low light settings. The sturdy and weather-resistant design makes it tough enough to accompany you on your camping, wildlife photography, and trekking trips.
Bottom Line
To cap it all, the Nikon 24-70 lens is what you call an exemplary lens. The only drawback is slight distortion at 24mm, but even that is easy to amend. For some photographers, the seamless switch between MF and AF can be annoying, but it’s a great lens that can be used in an array of photography sessions.
Best 24-70 Lens for Canon:
Canon EF 24-70mm f/4.0L IS USM Standard Zoom Lens - 6313B002
PROS
CONS
What Recent Buyers Report
Buyers claim that it’s not a low-light lens as the focus loses when the light drops. In addition to that, recent reviews are great with people praising the lens for its image quality as well as the sharp resolution and economical price. Overall, they love how promising it is.
Why it Stands Out to Us
Two points that prominently stand out are the economical pricing as well as the compact and light design. While all other models on the list are heavy, the Canon 24-70 is exceptionally light and easy to carry. The image stabilization technology is another plus point.
Who Would Use This Most
The uses of this model are endless, which is why the targeted audience is pretty wide. Those who love to do event photography, adventurous photography, as well as wildlife photography, will greatly benefit from this lightweight model. Word to the wise, this isn’t a low-light photography lens, so make sure you have an alternate while shooting at night.
Bottom Line
Best for people who are just starting out, this lightweight camera is the best one to learn photography. It’s affordable and gives you almost as good pictures as the high-end competition. You get clear, clean, and sharp pictures. Other than the poor Bokeh, everything about this lens is next to perfect.
Best 24-70 Lens for Sony:
Sony 24-70mm f/4 Vario-Tessar T FE OSS
PROS
CONS
What Recent Buyers Report
More than half the consumer reviews are great; however, a couple of the most recent reviews reported that it’s way too soft for professional photography. The positive reviews have commended the build quality as well as the pre-set AF settings. Most recent consumers praised the OSS that helps in shooting at slower shutter speeds.
Why it Stands Out to Us
Many features make us like this model. Such features include the reasonably premium build with justified weight, silent and precise auto focus, color rendition, remarkable contrast, eliminating flare as well as near perfect stabilization. The lens is way better than any kit lens and should be the perfect choice for beginners.
Who Would Use This Most
Every photographer pursuing photography as a hobby and who wants to learn the ropes of taking great pictures can use this model. This is a great lens for polishing your photography art. As long as you aren’t fussy about the sharpness of your image, this should suffice nicely.
Bottom Line
Despite the soft corners, this particular model is a popular choice for people who want to pursue event photography as well as photography as a hobby. Although professional landscape photographers don’t really prefer the lens due to the softness on edges, it can be great for event photography.
Advantages of Investing in a Quality 24-70mm Lens
Here are some major advantages that you can enjoy by investing in an all-rounder 24-70 lens; it’s not called the “walk-around lens” for no reason.
Beginner’s Lens
Whether you are taking up photography as your career or your hobby, you should start with a 24-70 and polish your skills. Investing in a 24-70 will pay off in the long run, as it’s the best lens to learn photography and focal techniques.
Variety
The variety of shots that 24-70 gives you is unmatchable. You can shoot anything and everything with a decent 24-70. It’s great for wide-angle shots as well as portraits. The resolution stays sharp at all focal lengths, and you can do great justice with all your clicks.
All Climate Lens
Whether you are thinking of shooting in a desert or at the North Pole, your 24-70 will be your best companion. Most 24-70 lenses come with weather shield and dual coating that makes them perfect for extreme climates. It also protects the camera from moisture as well as dust.
Size
On average, a 24-70 is around 3.28 x 3.28 x 4.86 inches and weighs around 2 pounds (900g). It’s not larger or heavy compared to other lenses out there, so it’s a sane choice to have as your go-to lens.
Conclusion
To sum it up, buying a 24-70mm lens is going to be the best thing you will ever do for your photography passion. These are all-rounder lenses that can do it all and more. Before purchasing, checking our detailed reviews once more will help you select the best 24-70mm according to your requirements.
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