Canon 24mm f/1.4 L II USM lens

Canon has announced its latest addition to the EF lens family, the 24mm f/1.4 L II USM fast aperture wide angle prime. The new lens has undergone a complete redesign and now features 13 elements in 10 groups, including two high-precision glass-molded aspheric elements and two UD glass elements, plus a floating focus mechanism to maintain performance across the entire distance range. It also features Canon’s brand-new ‘Sub Wavelength structure Coating’ technology to minimize flare and ghosting, and is sealed against dust and inclement weather.

Press Release:

Canon enhances EF series with new
EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM fast aperture wide-angle prime lens

Amstelveen, The Netherlands, 17 September, 2008: Canon today strengthens its line-up of EF-series lenses with the introduction of a new fast aperture prime lens: the EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM. Replacing the EF 24mm f/1.4L USM, the EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM has been completely redesigned to provide an exacting partner lens to Canon’s new EOS digital SLRs, the EOS 50D and EOS 5D Mark II.

The EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM offers:

• Fast f/1.4 aperture
• Aspherical and UD lens elements for correction of Chromatic aberration
• Sub Wavelength structure Coating (SWC) to dramatically reduce ghosting and flare
• Circular aperture for pleasing bokeh
• USM for full-time manual focus
• Lead-free glass (RoHS compliance)
• Lens hood and pouch supplied

Superior image performance
Featuring a 13-element, 10-group lens, the EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM is designed to achieve the highest standards of image quality. Two high-precision GMo aspheric lenses are employed to correct various forms of Aberration such as Curvature of field and distortion, with a floating mechanism ensuring crisp corner-to-corner detail throughout the focal range. In addition, two UD lenses reduce the chromatic aberration common in wide-angle lenses.

A fast, ultra-large maximum aperture of f/1.4 delivers excellent low-light performance, with the circular aperture offering the potential for creative out-of-focus highlights. A Focal length of 24mm and a USM focus motor providing full-time manual focus also make the EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM ideal for situations where a wide-angle, high-performance lens is required.

Advanced lens coating
Reflections off a digital camera’s image sensor can compromise images with ghosting and flare. To help reduce this, the inside of EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM’s front element is treated with Canon’s new Sub Wavelength structure Coating. Developed specifically to work with Canon optics, this anti-reflective coating helps reduce flare and ghosting - for consistently crisp, undistorted images.

Robust build quality
The EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM is designed to withstand the rigours of even the most testing shooting environment – with Canon’s advanced weather and dust sealing making it the perfect choice for photojournalists and landscape photographers.

EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM lens specifications