At the EOS system launch in March 1987 there was exactly one rectilinear wide angle prime lens, the EF 28mm f2.8. (The EF 15mm f2.8 was wider but it is a fisheye lens.) Those wanting something wider had to wait a year for Canon’s EF 24mm f2.8 in 1988 and two years for the EF 20-35mm f2.8L lens in 1989.
Lenses like the EF 20-35mm f2.8L offered prime lens quality with good speed and immediately became standard issue with pro photographers. Prime wide angle lenses quickly lost favour in the market unless they offered f1.4 or f1.2 apertures. Despite this the EF 24mm f2.8 remained in production for 24 years until 2012 when, somewhat surprisingly, Canon released the EF 24mm f2.8 USM IS.
Handling
The EF 24mm f2.8 from 1988 features 10 element 10 group optics and internal focussing. It uses an arc-form drive (AFD) motor for autofocus, which is fast and accurate though it can audible. Like all early AFD lenses the manual focus ring has a gritty mechanical feel. A switch allows changing from auto focus to manual focus, it does not offer full-time manual override.
Overall the lens has a solid feel, is light weight and compact. Construction is mainly plastic with a metal mount. It has a distance window with depth of field markings and an infrared focus correction point. The internal focussing means the front of the lens does not extend or rotate.
I used the lens with a Canon EOS 5D and focus was quick and accurate. The only time I heard the motor buzz was when all the AF points fell over featureless clear blue sky and the lens ran through its full focus travel. Otherwise the lens focused briskly and accurately.
For all wide angle lenses, successful composition requires getting close to the subject and a 24mm ultra wide needs getting even closer. Some of the street images would have been stronger if I’d take a couple of steps closer to the people. You need to do that with wide lenses otherwise the images lack a clear subject.
This image would have been much better if I’d have moved a couple of metres closer to the person, or waited for them to move closer to me. Canon EF 24mm f2.8 at f2.8.
Results
I took the lens out on a bright cloudless autumn day in Goulburn NSW Australia, mounted on a Canon EOS 5D original digital body. I went out around mid-day and the hard light isn’t particularly flattering. The lens coped with the bright and contrasty conditions without flare or ghosting.
The raw images from the 5D were processed in Canon Digital Photo Professional which has data for the EF 24mm f2.8, so corrections for chromatic aberration, distortion and peripheral illumination are available. I chose to only correct for CA and left distortion and peripheral illumination uncorrected to show how well the lens performs. Editing in DPP was limited to adjusting levels and curves, adding a bit of sharpness, and dodging the face and torso of the person under the NAB sign. For colour images the saturation was tweaked a bit.
The colours from the lens on the Canon 5D are very nice and the monochrome images have very good sharpness even wide open at f2.8.
Conclusion
This is yet another lens that I can honestly recommend as providing excellent results for modest cost on both Canon EOS analog film and digital full frame cameras. When Canon released the EOS system and EF lenses they completely burned their bridge with previous FD-system customers: Canon could not afford to release a bad lens otherwise the competition would crucify them. I’ve been testing many early EF lenses and without exception their results have been surprising, particularly the zoom lenses which are producing results that are on par with quality prime lenses.
Why would anybody buy a 24mm f2.8 prime lens today? The focal length is covered by modern 24-something lenses, many of which in the Canon range are L-series. The EF 24mm f1.4 is compelling for its fast aperture, but an ordinary f2.8? I don’t know the answer, but Canon released an updated 24mm f2.8 with USM focusing and image stabilisation, so there is still a market for prime wide angle lenses.
For me, using the early EF lenses and camera bodies is satisfying in itself, I like knowing they are still being loved and put to good use.