The world’s widest angle rectilinear zoom lens gets put through our lab testing procedure in our Canon EF 11-24mm f/4L review.
Canon has some superb full-frame ultra-wide-angle zoom lenses, but until recently the only option shorter than 16mm was the EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM (£915/$1,249).
Fisheyes are great fun, but because of the extreme distortion, they’re not first on many photographers’ shopping list. Rectilinear lenses, with distortion correction, tend to be more popular.
At 5mm, the difference between the 16mm end of a EF 16-35mm lens the 11mm end of the 11-24mm may not sound very much, but even very small changes in focal length have a huge impact with ultra-wide-angle optics.
The diagonal angle of view at 11mm, for example, is 126º 05’, but at 16mm it’s 108º 10’. That’s a difference of almost 18º and it has significant effect upon composition. For comparison, the change in angle of view from a 300mm lens to a 400mm optic is just 2º 05’.
SEE MORE: Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM review
Sometimes, 24mm on a full-frame DSLR isn’t wide enough when you can’t stand back to fit in the scene, but at 11mm you can fit big scenes in easily (see image top of page). Try a 16×9-ratio crop to remove empty foregrounds.
Canon EF 11-24mm f/4L review: build and handling
Although it may have a short focal length the EF 11-24mm f/4L USM is a pretty substantial lens, with a bulbous front element shielded by a built-in petal-style lens hood. A lens cap pushes over the hood to protect the precious glass in transport.
Most of the weight is towards the front of the lens, but it feels well balanced on a full-frame camera. While the overall length of the optic doesn’t change when zooming, the front element moves in and out a little as focal length changes.*
Both the zoom and the manual focus rings have a smooth action and a nice level of friction.
SEE MORE: Canon lenses – 40 tips for using, choosing and buying Canon-fit glass
Canon EF 11-24mm f/4L review: features
01 Although the lens is weatherproof, this bulbous element is like a magnet to raindrops, so it’s best kept for dry weather conditions
02 There’s a slot behind the rear element to accept gel filters
03 Ultra-low Dispersion (UD) and Super UD lens elements help maintain sharpness across the frame while lens coatings keep flare at bay
04 As usual, there’s a switch to swap between manual and automatic focus
05 Even at f/4, depth of field is extensive at shorter focal lengths
06 This lens hood is permanently affixed to help to protect the front element
07 This distance scale can be useful to guide manual focus
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Canon EF 11-24mm f/4L review: specifications
Full-frame compatible
Yes
Effective focal length
With APS-C sensor:17.6-38.4mm
With full-frame sensor: 11-24mm
Image Stabilizer
No
Minimum focus distance
0.28m (at 24mm)
Max magnification factor
0.16 (at 24mm)
Manual focus override
Yes
Focus limit switches
No
Internal zoom
No*
Internal focus
Yes
Filter size
N/A rear gel filter
Iris blades
9
Weather seals
Yes
Supplied accessories
Lens Cap (11-24), lens case (LP1424), rear cap (E)
Dimensions (dia x length)
108x132mm
Weight
1180g without tripod mount
Price
£2,799/$2,999
SEE MORE: 11 common lens errors (and how to avoid them)
Canon EF 11-24mm f/4L review: performance
Our lab tests show that the lens has good sharpness across its entire focal length range, but it’s sharpest at around the 14mm point. It’s also impressively sharp at the centre when used wide-open, but the best performance across the whole frame is achieved at f/8.
It’s significantly sharper than the far-more-affordable Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 II DG HSM (£599/$949) at most focal lengths.
We noticed a few examples of chromatic aberration in Raw files shot at the wider end of the lens, towards the edge of the frame, but these weren’t severe and easily dealt with by post-capture processing.
One area where the lens really impresses is with its distortion control. In fact, at 20mm and 24mm it’s better controlled than by Canon’s EF 20mm f/2.8 USM and EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM prime lenses.
There is some bowing, especially at 11mm, but it’s not as severe as you might expect, making the lens useful for shooting architecture and scenes with strong linear elements.
Canon EF 11-24mm f/4L review: verdict
The EF 11-24mm f/4L USM is a great lens that, in the hands of someone who knows how to capitalize upon its incredibly wide angle of view, is capable of producing superb, striking images.
Features: 5/5
Build & Handling: 4/5
Image quality: 5/5
Value: 4/5
Overall Score: 5/5
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