Product reviewsCanon EF 17-40mm F/4.0 L USM Lens - Black

Cheapest L series lens

Not only is this lens a bargain to be grabbed around the secondhand markets, it’s also an ‘L’ lens worthy of its title.
At 17mm I found the image crisp and sharp, even towards the edges, with only the slightest chromatic aberration, that is only noticeable when zoomed in tight.
The internal zoom is always a good thing, helping it to be the lightest L lens in their range.
Making the ring size at 77mm helps when it comes to fitting filter system as it’s the same size as they use on the 24-70 and 24-105.
Along with my 24-70 and 70-200, I have found this lens to truly complete what photographers know as “The Magic Three”!
Overall, for the size, weight & price, this is a lens that should be in everyone’s camera bag, a great lens for those wider shots, and worth every hard earned penny.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: jaab29

Outstanding lens

A professional wide a b gle lens. It wuite light too. It produces sharp images ev r n areas nit necessary focused on. It does distort verticals at the widest angle. These sre wasiky coorectsblevin Lightroom but once corrected the imsges needs croping to grt away from the blsnk efges this process produces. So if taking buildings that will distort take them from slightly further away so you have enough of the side image left after cropping. My top tip!
The lens is excellent. Biught my secobd hand. There s r e plrnty around so oivk the newest. They are much better value than the 16-35L lens which is twice the price. I haven't noticed and issues by not having image stabilisation, its not a problem
in normal use.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: 3666bat

My jugement, a bloody good value 'L' lens your money can buy

Best grip lens with any 5D camera, soft around the edges wide open best at f5.6/f8, slow at F4 but the price makes up for that. Video - this lens does is not one of those tromboning things, zooming in internal so the lens weight and distrubation remains even. My jugement, a bloody good value 'L' lens your money can buyRead full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: spennybd23

Canon EF 17-40mm Lens vs Canon 24-105mm Lens:

I have had my Canon EF 24-105mm Lens for some time and the results have always been fantastic; however I have always felt I was lacking just that little bit of extra, especially for taking Landscapes and obtaining closer details and width of buildings.
I had previously read the reviews about the Canon EF 17-40mm Lens and was confident it would give me what I wanted; it is only now, even after this very short period of use, that I can really appreciate what a class piece of equipment this Ultra Wide Angle Zoom is and the results beginning to produce for me; the images are extremely sharp and I believe it will give me that extra dimensionI am looking for in my photography; An truly excellent piece of equipment.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: adams-discount-...

17-40mm vs 10-22mm ef-s

I purchased the 10-22mm and wrecked it long before they were in the uk. The repair centre had lots of fun with my 2 halves. I am careful with my gear but the 2 broken ribs i received was nearly as painful as the repair bill. The 10-22mm has been my most used lense and i wouldnt part with it. Im wanted to do more wide angle stuff on full frame and the 17-40mm ticked all the boxes. Although it is an entry level L lense it still oozes all the qualities of a four figure Lense. Small light 77mm filter and it will hold its value. My only fault with this is the auto focus is slow. If i didnt own the 10-22mm and i wasnt taking fast action shots I probably wouldnt complain. My bet is when they release a series 2 this problem will be addressed. I would give it 5 stars if it wasnt for the focus speed. So at approx £150 dearer than the 10-22mm what should you buy. I stick with the saying dont take a rocket launcher to a conker fight. You will get richer colour from the L series lens but lets hope your focus is in. If you dont intend going up to full frame stick to the 10-22mm having the ef-s fitting is a shame but after 1 hour of shooting you will love it. If you really wanna push yourself. And have lots of wide angle fun use the £150 you saved and invest in a peleng 8mm or a lens baby. Purist photographers will turn their nose up at you but the fun to cost ratio will far exceed your expectations.
Cheers for reading... Ginger ColinRead full review...

wide angle zoom extraordinary

absolutely delighted with the performance of this lens.
Not too heavy or bulky although the lens hood looks a bit like a soup plate.
It certainly makes my old 16-35mm look second rate.
the speed of focussing on my canon 7D is excellent and feels a well balanced combinationRead full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: currys

Excellent lens for landscape and street!

The Canon 17-40 lens is what you expect for an L lens - weather proof, very sharp, excellent contrast and colour rendition, and also surprisingly light. I am used to the Canon 70-200 2.8 L lens, so when using the 17-40 it feels so light but also comfortable for long shooting periods. Recommended for landscapes definitely but also street photography, you can get some very interesting shots and is a lot of fun - plus due to the size it's also discrete. I have noticed vignetting and softness in the corners but considering the price and the overall quality the lens makes up for it - for optimum perfectionists the Canon 16-35 L lens would be worth a look, but is a lot more expensive. The17-40 lens is worth every penny and is a great choice for many photographers.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: ant8383

Good wide-angle lens for Canon cameras, but not as sharp as some others

Update: since Canon has released an excellent 16-35mm f/4 L IS lens it is impossible to recommend this to anyone.

Designed a decade ago, it is probably the best value for money ultra wideangle for Canon full frame dSLRs, and an excellent all round lens for APS-C format cameras. The colours are captured rich and vibrant and the images are contrasty. This is also a great lens to capture lovely 14-bladed sunstars, which helps a lot with landscape photography. Interior shots are also an easy task with one of those. Finally, the weather sealing helps with shooting in adverse weather conditions.

It is advisable to shoot at f/11 or higher and focus to the infinity in order to achieve the best corner sharpness in landscapes * on full frame cameras * , while APS-C users can pretty much shoot wide open. The lens is certainly no match for the vastly superior * 16-35mm f/4 which is sharp from corner to corner wide open. *

On APS-C cameras it is nice and sharp general purpose lens, however one may wish to also consider 17-50/55mm f/2.8 alternatives.Read full review...

Great lens!

Very good lens.
Came in original box and was well packaged.
Lens does show some barrel distortion on landscape work but understandable given the range.
Bought it to match my other Canon lenses and it's great as it also uses the same 77mm filter thread.
Very happy with my purchase.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: johnt9999

A great value alternative to Native Sony Glass

These lenses make a great cost effective alternative to native Sony glass on Sony A7 cameras when used with an appropriate adaptor.
As a secondhand lens with a new Commlite adaptor, you can be up and shooting for less than £350 compared to say £650 - £750 for the similar Sony Vario-Tessar T* FE 16-35mm f/4 ZA OSS. This is a huge cost saving and there are next no downsides, especially if you are doing straight photography plus its a little tighter at the tele end which I find useful.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: 8961gabriel