| Review

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Lovely, Thursday, 11 February 2010


Overall rating (weighted)		3.8
Sharpness		4.0
Build Quality		3.0
AF Speed		4.0
Value for Money		4.0

I began my photo adventures with a Canon 50mm 1.4 on a 30D, followed by a Canon 10-22 and a Canon 70-200 f4, all of them great, but I felt I was missing the "normal" focal length (50mm on 35mm film or digital full frame); the options were a zoom that covered the range (such as Tamron AF 17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di-II LD SP ZL Aspherical (IF) Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras), the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens for Canon DSLR Cameras, which was way out of my budget, a prime such as this Canon 35mm f2 or wilder options such as the Zeiss Ikon 35mm f/2 Distagon T* ZE Manual Focus Standard Lens for Canon EOS SLR Cameras or the Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L USM Wide Angle Lens for Canon SLR Cameras both for a considerable price. After much thought I got this lens and love it: It's physically small, the autofocus is not USM so it buzzes a little (but nothing to worry about, it's not a huge noise or anything like that) but works very well and you can get good shots wide open at f2; By the time I had finally made up my mind its price went from about $260 to $320... But it's still worth it. Some alternatives from Sigma looked interesting but they have a bad reputation for quality control and I just couldn't take the risk... It's unfortunate they haven't thought of offering an international warranty (I checked locally).

I also got the Canon EW65II Lens Hood for Canon EF 28mm f/2.8 & EF 35mm f/2 SLR Lenses, which snaps into place and can be mounted in a reversible manner, and will also get a transparent/UV filter for protection (it's always better to shoot without filters unless they are for special effects such as a polarizer, but it gives me greater peace of mind and I try to take it off if possible). If you're still on the fence I would highly recommend it.

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Good Image Quality - Frustrating Auto Focus, Wednesday, 10 February 2010


Overall rating (weighted)		4.8
Sharpness		5.0
Build Quality		5.0
AF Speed		5.0
Value for Money		4.0

I bought this lens because I wanted a good, fast prime lens for indoor use on my 50D. I also own the EF 50mm f/1.4 which I love, but indoors I find it less useful due to the crop frame sensor of the 50D.

I knew I wanted something in the wide angle range (due to the 1.6x crop frame of the camera) so I looked at the EF 28mm f/1.8 USM and the EF 35mm f/2.0. Based on reviews here at Amazon as well as outside websites I decided to go with the 35mm f/2.0 because the 28mm seems to have consistently negative reviews. I was also able to pick up this 35mm for about $130 less than the 28mm so it seemed to be a better investment.

I have now had the 35mm for about 1 month and taken over 300 photos with it on my camera. All in all I am happy with the lens and it has been on my camera nearly the whole time I have owned it. The images are sharp and the color is good. This is a fast lens and you can get some great bokeh when you open it up wide which is nice when you want to get creative with your photos.

However, I am more than frustrated with the auto focusing with this lens. It does not seem to want to focus on the subject of the frame, many images end up out of focus if I let the camera do all of the work. When left to its own devices, many times this lens will not produce images that are in focus, or at east not what you wanted in focus.

The only way I can get the great photos that this lens is capable of is when I take control of the focusing points and select exactly what I want in focus for each shot. This is not overly difficult and I am used to it because I am generally selecting the desired auto focus point for each shot, but this lens seems to be abnormally challenged at focusing on the desired subject on its own.

This has been a major disappointment because unfortunately I know that when someone else (who is not familiar with how to use the camera) picks it up it is 50/50 whether the photo turns out, especially in low light situations.

I feel that this is a problem if you are looking at this lens to be a good all around indoor prime for candids and family shots and especially if you want to be in some of the photos.

This is a good lens if you are familiar with how to use the auto focus selectivity features of your camera. The image quality is good, similar to the 50mm f/1.4, and definately better than any kit lens you may have, but don't expect to put this lens on your camera and never have to learn how to really use it on your camera.

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Versatile - Even Indoor Portraits, Thursday, 21 January 2010


Overall rating (weighted)		4.3
Sharpness		5.0
Build Quality		4.0
AF Speed		4.0
Value for Money		4.0

I love this lens. It's excellent for small spaces, like indoor shots. It also has a low enough f stop to let in lots of light which is also, important for in-door with no flash. Great for snapshots but also portraits. Professionals as well as amateurs will love this lens.

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My first dip into the "Prime" pool., Wednesday, 13 January 2010


Overall rating (weighted)		3.8
Sharpness		4.0
Build Quality		3.0
AF Speed		4.0
Value for Money		4.0

This product has a good number of excellent reviews that give you a general idea of what is good about this lens... so I'll be brief.

Reasons I love it:
* Very quick to focus
* Sharp
* Useful in full body portraits to head-shots (on a 1.6x DSLR like a Rebel/450D)
* Great low-light lens (I use it all the time in clubs)
* Very light weight
* Useful focus window (unlike the Rebel XSI/XS/T1i's kit 18-55mm IS lens)
* "EF" (Useful on full frame, and "crop" frame sensor camera's... so I'll be keeping it as I upgrade)
* Solid build quality (metal lens mount, light, but has a good "solid" heft to it)
* About equivalent to a 50mm lens on a full frame sensor or 35mm format camera.
* Good "carry around" lens (Light, unobtrusive, small, good focal length, very useful aperature)
* Shallow depth of field at f/2, great for soft backgrounds

Things that I noticed (which bring it down to "great" and not "amazing"):
* My lens tends to over-expose images from what the meter says (add a little -EV and you're golden. On the plus side of this, you get a brighter picture in the dark than you were expecting)
* Focus ring is very thin and "plastic-y" (works good though)
* No manual over-ride when in AF mode (not that big a deal)
* Colors are a little muted for my taste (bumping the saturation up, or post processing clears this right up)
* f/2 is shallow... very shallow (good focus is a must at this aperture)
* Background "Bokeh" reflects 5 sides of the aperture blades
* AF is noisy (in comparison to HSM lenses)

At it's price, I have no problem recommending it to anybody who's thinking about buying one. It's an EXCELLENT lens for the money, and much better build quality than the Canon 50mm f/1.8 "fantastic plastic" (as can be seen in the increase in cost, however). It produces better pictures, BY FAR, than the Canon EF-S 18-55mm IS f/3.5-5.6 at an equivalent 35mm length.

Yes, you should just buy it and be pleased!

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stellar performer, Tuesday, 05 January 2010


Overall rating (weighted)		5.0
Sharpness		5.0
Build Quality		5.0
AF Speed		5.0
Value for Money		5.0

My copy of this lens is extremely sharp. This is a very good alternative to the Canon 35mm f/1.4 L, f you are looking for this focal length. The focusing is a little slower and noisier than the current USM lenses, but it performs quite well and I have been very happy with it.

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An older lens that needs an update, Tuesday, 24 November 2009


Overall rating (weighted)		2.3
Sharpness		3.0
Build Quality		2.0
AF Speed		2.0
Value for Money		2.0

I purchased this lens mostly because I shoot a 1.6 crop sensor and the 50mm on that crop is a bit too telephoto for most indoor situations.
I didn't have the cash to shell out for the L-series version of this lens, but figured the f/2 would be fast enough for me. It is fast enough when the light is good, but this lens really struggles in low-light situations. It is also very soft until about f/4, effectively making it no more useful than the kit lens that comes with the newer Rebel series cameras at 35mm.

Were Canon to update this lens with a f/1.8 and USM, it'd buy it again, but until then, this is pretty much a lens to pass on.

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Small, sharp lens w/ poor low-light focusing, Monday, 02 November 2009


Overall rating (weighted)		3.8
Sharpness		3.0
Build Quality		4.0
AF Speed		4.0
Value for Money		4.0

This lens is small and fast, producing crisp, pleasing images at most apertures, but focusing poorly in low-light, and being unusually noisy.

Important to note: on cropped-sensor cameras like the Canon Rebels and 40/D50D (check Wikipedia for "APS-C" and for "Crop Factor" for details), the 1.6x crop-factor means this lens is effectively a 56mm. That amount of telephoto is slight enough to get decent candid photos, but still had me backing away to get a whole person into the shot.

In brighter lighting, this lens focuses quickly (but noisily), but its lack of USM is most apparent when it focus-hunts horribly and slowly in even modestly low-light, attached to my Canon EOS Rebel T1i 15.1 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3-Inch LCD and EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens.

I have trouble judging exactly where the expected blur of large aperture ends and lens softness start, but images seemed consistent through the whole frame, somewhat soft at the fully open f/2, reasonably crisp by f/2.5. The bokeh is pleasing and consistent.

I found this lens slightly noisier, but not quite as sharp as the cheaper Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens, however its 35mm focal length is much more useful (than 50mm) with a cropped sensor.

The image quality seemed just as sharp as the more expensive Canon EF 28mm f/1.8 USM Wide Angle Lens for Canon SLR Cameras, producing slightly cooler colors than that lens. The USM motor of that 28mm lens is much quieter and faster than this 35mm.

It may just be this copy, but this lens is the first of 5 I've tried on my T1i that seems to fit "poorly"-- it feels too "tight" and is difficult to turn/lock into place. No other EF or EF-S lenses I've tried have done that, so it seems to be the lens. All product lines have the occasional manufacturing error, though, so I don't dock a star for that (but I do for the focus-hunting).

I really like this lens, it's solid, small, lightweight, and a reasonably effective focal-length. Sadly, I was looking for a large aperture prime to use in clubs/restaurants, which makes the slow focus-hunting in low-light a deal breaker.

For the price, this is a very nice lens. Recommended for daylight/outdoor use.

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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Good lens, Friday, 09 October 2009


Overall rating (weighted)		4.5
Sharpness		4.0
Build Quality		4.0
AF Speed		5.0
Value for Money		5.0

This is a good lens. And take nice pictures. After testing it, this lens takes better pictures than the canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0 L. However as far as I am concerned it is still not wide enough (after 1.6x crop factor) for landscapes. It is also kinda noisy.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Good for the price, great compared to the kit lens, Thursday, 08 October 2009


Overall rating (weighted)		4.3
Sharpness		4.0
Build Quality		4.0
AF Speed		5.0
Value for Money		4.0

Good lens, sharp on a Canon 50D. When new, the manual focus ring was tight, after two months, it has noticably loosened. Compared to the kit lens, 28-105 IS, the improvement in image quality is extremely clear. Kit lens is now gathering dust. For landscape, the 35mm is quite good, sharp, and I have no problems with contrast or colors. For product photography, this lens shines. F8 to F16 produces fabulous results. Soft wide open, but what lens isn't. At F18 and above, defraction occurs, I don't shoot at F20 or above for the most part. I took this lens to a horse show and was amazed at the clarity, from approx. 40 feet away, you can see the individual hairs on the horse. I was impressed. If the manual focus ring wasn't loosening up a bit, I would give this lens a five star across the board. Will is stand up over time? I'll budget to replace it when it breaks is all I can say. Recommended for advanced shooters, semi pro and a pro can use it without hesitation if he or she doesn't want to pop the funds for L glass. Everyday photographers who don't need the sharpness nor clarity of colors probably won't need this lens. For the advanced shooter, handheld at ISO 100 with shutter speed at above 100 is fine, I like to keep it at 160 and above for money shots. Autofocus is usually dead on, I haven't seen a problem with focus issues. Good glass, hope it lasts.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Great lens, but busted after 9 months., Monday, 06 July 2009


Overall rating (weighted)		3.8
Sharpness		3.0
Build Quality		4.0
AF Speed		4.0
Value for Money		4.0

I was very happy with the performance of this lens on my Rebel XSI. It was great for night shots in Venice! With a small sensor camera like the Rebel, I only wish this lens came in a 24mm variety so that I could take better pictures of our plates across the table at dinner. The 24mm f1.4 is amazing, but out of my price range.

Anyway, the lens was great and then suddenly after about 9 months the focus locked up. It wouldn't auto or manual focus. The focus ring was just locked in place. It was under warranty, so I had it repaired for about $25 in shipping/handling all together. Hopefully it will work well for a while longer.

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Amazing "always-on" lens, Saturday, 04 July 2009


Overall rating (weighted)		5.0
Sharpness		5.0
Build Quality		5.0
AF Speed		5.0
Value for Money		5.0

I just got this lens today so my review is based on just a couple of hours usage. The lens performs great in low light conditions - both indoors and outdoors. Some people have complained that the bokeh is not smooth - I don't agree - the bokeh is smooth enough for me and looks very pleasing. I'm stunned by the performance of this tiny beast.

Only dislike is the build - the focus ring is not that smooth and has a very cheap feel. My Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM and Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM have a much better build.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Outstanding performer, Monday, 29 June 2009


Overall rating (weighted)		5.0
Sharpness		5.0
Build Quality		5.0
AF Speed		5.0
Value for Money		5.0

I seldom post reviews but this lens deserves one so here goes. Over the years I have owned several good Canon lenses, including two L Series; and this lens is best of the lot. Based on my experience with this lens, some of the reviewers who are less than enthusiastic about it must have received a dud because this is a great little lens - as sharp as you could ever want and the colors it produces are vivid in the true meaning of the word. The added bonus from this little charmer is its weight. On my 30D it feels like there is a feather out there in front. If you're looking for a sharp walkaround lens, you could hardly do better at twice the price!

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Great lens for the price, Monday, 29 June 2009


Overall rating (weighted)		4.3
Sharpness		5.0
Build Quality		3.0
AF Speed		4.0
Value for Money		5.0

Not long ago, I bought the Canon EF 28mm f/1.8 lens to have a fast, roughly standard-length lens for my Rebel XSi (standard taking into account the camera's 1.6x crop factor, that is). That lens turned out to be a little wider than I wanted, which would have been okay if it didn't also have terrible problems with chromatic aberration and edge softness. So I decided after a while to give the EF 35mm f/2 a try.

Build quality is toward the low end of Canon's scale; not as nice as the EF 28mm f/1.8, but not as cheap as the EF 50mm f/1.8 II. It does, at least, have a metal mount and a distance window. Since it doesn't have USM, it is rather noisy when autofocusing compared to the 28, and full-time manual focus is not available. But at least the focus ring spins freely in auto-focus mode (unlike the 50 f/1.8 II), so you don't have to worry about damaging the motor by turning it accidentally. Picture quality is quite good; wide open, the center is decently sharp, and the edges not too bad at all; stopped down to f/4, it's even better.

If you're looking for a roughly standard-length lens for an APS-C Canon camera without paying the premium price of an L-series lens, and you need something faster than f/2.8, I think this is the one to get.

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I love it, Thursday, 12 February 2009


Overall rating (weighted)		4.8
Sharpness		4.0
Build Quality		5.0
AF Speed		5.0
Value for Money		5.0

This lens is great. I use it all the time on photo shoots. It produces crisp, clear images! If you'd like to see some pictures I've taken with it to get an idea:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jodanyo/2956975632/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jodanyo/2980381938/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jodanyo/2938809510/

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

Great for the price, Tuesday, 03 February 2009


Overall rating (weighted)		3.5
Sharpness		3.0
Build Quality		4.0
AF Speed		3.0
Value for Money		4.0

Pro:
Small, light, fast f2 (good enough for most low light), great IQ stop down, beats zooms hands down. (Just did some test under perfect light shooting grass and trees)

Neutral:
Build, MF, no hood included (as expected of course, thanks to Canon), AF fast

Con:
AF whiny, worse than my Tamron zoom and Sigma non-HSMs.

Use this with 40D, don't know how good (or bad) it is on FF, but being around for this long, there must be a reason for Canon. Overall, I'd say it's not that different from Canon 100 f2, and maybe slightly better than my 50 f1.4 in resolution. Only the AF is a bit lacking. Great for crop sensor cameras.

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