Canon EF 20mm f2.8 USM review

i have to be close to my subject to get a good shoot. but the quality of the video and picture are super. great wide angle but remember you will have to be close to you subject to get the fully of it or them.

Build construction is comparable to the Canon 50mm 1.4 USM and 85mm 1.8 USM lenses. The ergonomics of the lens are fantastic. Manual over-ride of the autofocus at any time, just move the focus ring. Vignetting occurs on full frames bodies at f/2.8, and will get better a f/4 and f/5.6. On crop sensor, Vignetting can slightly be seen at f/2.8 and is unnoticeable when stopped higher. Chromatic aberrations is rare to be seen. Distortion is low and is handled better compared to the Canon 17-40mm L f/4. What you receive from this prime lens is an upgrade from a kit lens; better build construction, ergonomics, and IQ. The draw back is price; which should be listed new as the same price as the 50mm 1.4 and 85mm 1.8 USM.

I picked this up for a trip and love it. It's a great focal length for the digital Rebels with the smaller sensors (works like a 32mm on my Canon t1i). It is a little prone to flaring, so I highly recommend getting the Canon brand bayonet-mount lens hood (or even an off-brand, if you live dangerously). I bought a generic hood that screws on to the filter threads and this does not work very well. I thought that I would end up reselling this when I upgrade to a 17-40 f/4L in the future, but I think I may keep it around for the extra stop anyway!

I got the lens because I wanted to get wider than my standard zoom would let me. I shoot full frame, and it was a choice between the $1600 16-35mm f/2.8 and this $470 20mm f/2.8. At less than a third price, I went with this lens.

I want to give this lens five stars -- it's well built, focuses quickly, isn't too heavy or large, and feels solid on the camera. However, it has significant amount of vignetting, chromatic aberration, and flaring, which affect how useful shots from this lens are. Now that I know how this lens behaves, I know to take all those issues into account when composing my shots, but at the end of the day, it's a hassle I'd rather not deal with. Canon doesn't offer too many other options at 20mm, but I'm tempted to save up for options in the L glass to make my wide shooting easier.

Now, with all that griping out of the way, why did I still give this lens 4 stars? Well, because it does shoot sharp, quickly focused, bright and colorful 20mm shots, all in a compact, lightweight body. The full-time focus works excellently, and when all is said and done, I do get some beautiful shots off this lens, and it has become one of my three "travel kit" lenses, even if it is the buck-toothed step-sister of the bunch.

I got the lens because I wanted to get wider than my standard zoom would let me. I shoot full frame, and it was a choice between the $1600 16-35mm f/2.8 and this $470 20mm f/2.8. At less than a third price, I went with this lens.

I want to give this lens five stars -- it's well built, focuses quickly, isn't too heavy or large, and feels solid on the camera. However, it has significant amount of vignetting, chromatic aberration, and flaring, which affect how useful shots from this lens are. Now that I know how this lens behaves, I know to take all those issues into account when composing my shots, but at the end of the day, it's a hassle I'd rather not deal with. Canon doesn't offer too many other options at 20mm, but I'm tempted to save up for options in the L glass to make my wide shooting easier.

Now, with all that griping out of the way, why did I still give this lens 4 stars? Well, because it does shoot sharp, quickly focused, bright and colorful 20mm shots, all in a compact, lightweight body. The full-time focus works excellently, and when all is said and done, I do get some beautiful shots off this lens, and it has become one of my three "travel kit" lenses, even if it is the buck-toothed step-sister of the bunch.