Canon EF 17-40 mm f/4.0 L USM Lens
- EF17-40 MM 1:4.0 L USM
The EF17-40mm f/4L USM is an ultra wide angle Canon EF zoom lens meant for professional and high amateur SLR EOS camera users
While it is an excellent lens when used with an analog SLR camera, the EF17-40mm f/4L USM is especially well suited for digital SLR cameras with an imaging sensor size smaller than the 35mm format
Indeed on such digital SLR cameras these focal lengths can give an angle of view approximately equivalent to that of a 28-70mm lens used on a 35mm camera, which makes it the ideal standard zoom lens
The EF17-40mm f/4L USM has 12 lens elements arranged in 9 groups
Super Spectra Coating on the elements ensures excellent color balance and minimizes ghosting and flare
To provide superb image quality over a 17-40mm zoom range the lens uses three aspheric elements of two different types, while Super UD (Ultra-low Dispersion) glass is used to prevent the chromatic aberrations that often can degrade the subject edge clarity
Minimum focusing dista… more >>
Rating: 
(out of 15 reviews)
>>Other details about Canon EF 17-40 mm f/4.0 L USM Lens
Review by Andrew Mott for Canon EF 17-40 mm f/4.0 L USM Lens
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If you need a wide angle lens with superb build quality, weather resistance, great optics, superb colour and little distortion then buy this one.
I shoot a lot of landscapes, sometimes in harsh conditions like the English Lake district or French Alps, and need kit which will stand up to the abuse I give it. If I’m shooting landscapes then 99% of the time I reach for this lens, and if I’m climbing this is the only one I take. What more do I need to say?
I have also used this for group shots at weddings with great results (just ask the Bride!)
It’s not light (but not really heavy as it’s pretty simple with no IS), and not cheap by general standards (but cheap for an L series), but it does the job and does it very, very well.
I have noticed a little distortion at the very edges when close to the subject, but this is only to be expected at 17mm and for anyone with a crop sensor it probably won’t be seen (I use a full-frame 5D). Other than that I have nothing but praise for this lens, and will get another (or it’s direct replacement) if I ever kill or lose this one.
Review by Jim Orr for Canon EF 17-40 mm f/4.0 L USM Lens
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I use this lens with an EOS 40D. It feels well made and its as sharp as a tack. I’d been thinking of buying it for some time and after using it I’m glad I did.
Review by Mr. Chris J. Mcqueen for Canon EF 17-40 mm f/4.0 L USM Lens
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I bought this lens for amateur use with the 400d. I love it, its very quiet and has a lightning fast autofocus
Review by Darren Simons for Canon EF 17-40 mm f/4.0 L USM Lens
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I cannot recommend this lens enough… for wide angle landscape and travel photography this lens is superb. I have used this lens for several years on a Canon 5D and previously a Canon 300D and Canon 300 film and have always found the results to be superb. For cropped sensor cameras this is going to be circa 28-70mm so pretty good as a general purpose lens and perhaps good for portrait photography.
It sits within Canon’s f4 series of L series lens (and is thus half the price of its big brother 16-35 L lens)… for me given that it is most likely you will be using this lens for landscapes and thus want lots of depth of field I’m not sure the f2.8 premium is justified (even for portraits unless you are a serious professional f4 should be fine). The colour saturation seems that much deeper with this lens than the equivalent consumer lens (eg. 28-135), the build is solid (as would be expected of an L series lens) yet being wide angle and containing less glass this is not that much more expensive than Canon’s prosumer range of lenses (eg. the 28-135).
For wildlife photography I find this to be a particularly complimentary lens to the big zoom lens (eg. a Sigma 50-500) so you only need to travel with two lenses. The weight is not too bad (it’s the lightest L series lens) and the focussing is fast. There is no image stabiliser but at this focal length that’s not an issue. Only thing to be wary of is putting filter systems on the front of the lens… it’s 77mm at the front so be careful with eg. Cokin P filter systems as you may get vignetting on a full size sensor camera (not an issue for the cropped sensors as far as I know).
Review by J. Lozier for Canon EF 17-40 mm f/4.0 L USM Lens
Rating:
Excellent lens if you want the following:
L Quality (top of the line build, optical and autofocus performance)
Weather Sealing (you need a UV Filter such as Hoya 77mm Pro1D Protector to complete the sealing)
Full frame compatability (incase you want to upgrade/allready have you)
Not so good if you want:
Something Cheap (although is one of the cheapest L lenses)
Something Light (well, light as the kit 18-55mm)
Something that won’t draw attention
Soemthing for indoor low light situations (unless you are comfortable using flash) – get the 50mm f/1.8 or someting equal to or as fast as f/2.8
In conclusion, if you’re thinking of spending top dosh on a wide/zoom lens , then you probably want to consider this one, but if you have cash to burn and can handle a little extra weight, go for the 16-35mm f/2.8 which is a stop faster (although sacrifices 4mm in zoom range)
The color, contrast, build quality, and autofocus speed with blow you away if you’re stuck on the kit lens or if you’ve never used an L lens.