The EF 24-105mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens is the first Canon EF standard zoom lens for full-frame sensor cameras to include a lead screw-type stepping motor (STM) for smooth and quiet AF and tracking while shooting movies or still images.

Shooting with a full-frame DSLR is a costly business, and this goes beyond the price of the body alone. If you shoot with an APS-C camera but are tempted by the relatively low cost of, for example, Canon's EOS 6D or the Nikon D610, don't fall into the trap of thinking that your expenditure stops...

The real world experience is I could not tell the difference in a photo taken by this lens and the 24-105L, even wide open. This is not the sharpest 24-105 lens, but it is the fact that the "L" version is not a very good performer that makes this lens kinda outstanding (I owned and shot 2 copies of...

Price; light weight; good built; really close to the "L" in sharpness; silent STM focus

CA; Power need to be on to even "manual" focus; stop down to get to the "L" sharpness

I bought this lens a few months ago and have since used it for pretty much everything. Nightclub photography. Astrophotography. Landscapes. You name it. this lens have excelled at it all.

The comparatively big EF 24-105mm f/3.5-5.6 STM IS has a pretty good build quality - not quite L class but not quite on the usual kit lens level either. The lens body is made of high quality plastics based on a metal mount.

It's a good lens for the money, and for the general consumer who's interested in taking photos and movies outdoors it will serve admirably -- fast autofocus, versatile zoom range and image stabilization.

The Canon EF 24-105mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM ($599.99) may be a budget lens when compared with the company's line of L lenses that are often paired with full-frame Canon cameras, but it's a quality zoom nonetheless. It doesn't offer fixed wide aperture of the go-to lens of many a pro, the EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II ($1,899.00 at Amazon) , but it includes image stabilization, betters its zoom range, and is quite compact given its range of coverage. It's a solid alternative for photographers looking for a lighter, less expensive lens for a full-frame body, but it does show some distortion throughout its zoom range. The 24-105mm ($599.00 at Adorama)  measures 4.1 by 3.3 inches (HD), weighs about 1.2 pounds, and uses 77mm from filters. It's noticeably lighter than the EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM ($1,149) zoom (4.2 by 3.2 inches, 1.5 pounds), but it omits the weatherproofing that you get when you buy an L series lens. There are just a few control toggles on the lens—a lock to keep the lens set at 24mm...

The Canon EF 24-105mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM is an inexpensive zoom lens for full-frame Canon cameras. It's quite sharp, but requires some distortion correction to get the best results.

Quite sharp; Light and compact; STM focus motor; Optical stabilization system; Full-frame coverage; Attractive price point

Distortion throughout zoom range; Narrow maximum aperture; Lens hood not included