Canon EF 35mm f1.4L USM review

The legendary 35 L lives up to it's superb reputation. If you need a fast 35 look no further. This is the best. It's all up to you and your talent once you get the 35L. No more excuses with this gem.

I am from Germany and during my visit to US I bought this piece of ... I knew that I have a risk, because the Canon's Warranty doesn't work in Germany, but I thought it is an L-lens. Canon quality, for over 1000 Euro. Little did I knew. First problem was that photos at f/1.4-f/2.0 were VERY blurred even at the center. No matter how I focused: AF, manually or in the live view. I've sent it to the official canon service center in Germany. They told me that Focus Plane was wrong. They took the lens with my camera and after 1.5 month and 180 Euro I got it back. Yes, the center image wide open became better (although not that good as all the tests say), but the was a new problem: on the sunny day @f/1.4-1.8 the lens gives extreme purple halo on all light objects. Like CAs but in the center and much much bigger than in the corners. So guys. I recommend you to avoid this piece of ... and take 35mm f/2.0 or Sigma 30mm (or buy Nikon and their cheap and excellent 35 f/1.8). Even if you get bad copy, you can take another one and it will cost you same money as I paid to the service center.

If you are considering this lens for purchase, you probably believe in "Quality does matter". This lens is considered as one of the best lens Canon makes and its optics and build quality justify the claim. There are two principal reasons you should consider this lens for - 1)Amazing sharpness: The images are super sharp. It is so sharp at its best(lets say f/5.6) that even Photoshop cannot improve the sharpness. 2)Photography without flash: Lets say you have a poorly lit or an almost dark subject which you want to shoot without flash. Do not worry! Put the aperture to f/1.4 and voila! You got yourself a photograph where the subject appears perfectly illuminated . If you cannot trust your eyes for focussing (oh wait! You cannot even see the subject clearly in the dark!) use "Auto focus". Auto focus on this lens is very smooth and the USM is terrific. In my view, there are two additional but less pressing reasons to have this lens - 1)Focal length- I use a crop sensor and the 35mm becomes equivalent to 56mm which is a very fitting focal length for general purpose photography. Ranging from close-up, portraits to landscape everything can be covered by it. 2) The bokeh it produces is very smooth and buttery. I have not mentioned the contrast and the color saturation because the suffix "L" gives away that secret. Is there a reason for which you should think twice before purchasing it ? YES! This lens produces chromatic aberrations at higher apertures. In case of backlit subjects it sometimes produces chromatic aberrations even at f/5.6. Initially I thought I got a bad copy but I later confirmed that chroma aberration is a problem with this lens. I have also noticed some flaring issues. I think a $1500 prime should not have these problems, at least not so pronounced. There has been speculations that Canon would take care of this aberration problem in the version II but nothing official has come out yet. Having said all these, I think I will buy this lens again if I have to because nothing else can beat all of its pluses whereas the close competitors share or even exceed its minuses. Let me know if you need any more information and I will be happy to share my experience of this lens. Happy shooting!

If you are considering this lens for purchase, you probably believe in "Quality does matter". This lens is considered as one of the best lenses Canon makes and its optics and build quality justify the claim. There are two principal reasons you should consider this lens for - 1)Amazing sharpness: The images are super sharp. It is so sharp at its best(lets say f/5.6) that even Photoshop cannot improve the sharpness. 2)Photography without flash: Lets say you have a poorly lit or an almost dark subject which you want to shoot without flash. Do not worry! Put the aperture to f/1.4 and voila! You got yourself a photograph where the subject appears perfectly illuminated . If you cannot trust your eyes for focussing (oh wait! You cannot even see the subject clearly in the dark!) use "Auto focus". Auto focus on this lens is very smooth and the USM is terrific. In my view, there are two additional but less pressing reasons to have this lens - 1)Focal length- I use a crop sensor and the 35mm becomes equivalent to 56mm which is a very fitting focal length for general purpose photography. Ranging from close-up, portraits to landscape everything can be covered by it. 2) The bokeh it produces is very smooth and buttery. I have not mentioned the contrast and the color saturation because the suffix "L" gives away that secret. Is there a reason for which you should think twice before purchasing it ? YES! This lens produces chromatic aberrations at higher apertures. In case of backlit subjects it sometimes produces chromatic aberrations even at f/5.6. Initially I thought I got a bad copy but I later confirmed that chroma aberration is a problem with this lens. I have also noticed some flaring issues. I think a $1500 prime should not have these problems, at least not so pronounced. There has been speculations that Canon would take care of this aberration problem in the version II but nothing official has come out yet. Having said all these, I think I will buy this lens again if I have to because nothing else can beat all of its pluses whereas the close competitors share or even exceed its minuses. Let me know if you need any more information and I will be happy to share my experience of this lens. Happy shooting!

Sharp. Amazing color. Beautiful background blur. I sing praises every time I upload images that I took with this lens. Seriously, just get it. You won't be disappointed.