Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM - Wide Angle Lens Review

The Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM provides a sharp output and excellent image quality. It's large size and adequate weight provides stability when shooting handheld. However, lens flare can be a problem at times, and the lens hood supplied is not very efficient in reducing stray light. There is no significant visible distortion even at wide angle. Below is a sample image shot using the lens, and a 100% crop to demonstrate the image quality.

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Being a light weight, wide angle lens, the 17-40mm is not equipped with IS (image stabilization). At f/4, it is also not a fast lens and is hard to use without a tripod in low light. With the USM Motor, autofocus is silent and instantaneous. A very close minimum focusing distance of 0.28m permits shooting objects from very close.

Canon's suggested retail price for the lens is $819.99. For this price, the EF 17-40mm f/4L USM is good value for your money. It costs only a half of its nearest counterpart (16-35mm f/2.8L) and yet delivers high quality images. The sharpness of the images taken using the lens are on par with more expensive lenses.