Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM Review

Meet a ‘reassuringly expensive’ new wide prime, as we review the Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM…

Price: £1,800/$1,800
Canon has thrown its full technological might into the Mk II edition of its 35mm f/1.4 L-series lens. It’s bigger and heavier than the 17-year-old edition it replaces, has a new optical design and adds weather-seals.

The big news, though, is that it’s Canon’s first lens to boast its newly developed BR (Blue-spectrum Refractive) optics.

The new lens comes at a hefty price – especially in the UK, where it costs about the same as all three of Sigma’s excellent 24mm, 35mm and 50mm f/1.4 Art lenses.

The Canon lens also costs about twice as much as the original 35mm f/1.4L USM, although pricing is more reasonable in the US. So, what do you get for your money?

Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM Review: Build & handling

The lens is built to withstand the rigours of professional reportage photography, for which a moderately wide-angle and fast 35mm f/1.4 lens is ideal. Fluorine coatings are applied to repel dirt and moisture, making the front element easier to clean.

The optical design is based on 14 elements in 11 groups, with a nine-blade diaphragm enabling a well-rounded aperture, at least at the wider end of its f/1.4 to f/22 range. Ring-type ultrasonic autofocus is both fast and quiet.

Let’s take a closer look at those BR optics. Canon bills the technology as “a new pioneering development”, in which organic optical material is engineered at molecular level.

This is integrated into a compound element within the lens – the aims being to refract blue light, to significantly reduce chromatic aberrations, and to produce greater sharpness and contrast in images.

SEE MORE: Canon EF 11-24mm f/4L USM lens review

Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM Review: Performance

The lens lives up to these aims. Sharpness in particular is impressive across the whole frame, even at the widest f/1.4 aperture. Colour fringing is superbly well controlled, both in terms of lateral and longitudinal chromatic aberrations.

Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM Review: Lab results

Click on the infographic to see the larger version.

Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM Review: Specifications

Full-frame compatible      Yes
Focal length       35mm  (56mm on APS-C camera)
Image stabiliser      No
Min focus distance      0.28m
Max magnification factor      0.21x
Manual focus override      Full-time
Focus limit switches      No
Internal zoom/focus      N/A / Yes
Filter size      72mm
Iris blades      9
Weather seals      Yes
Accessories      Caps, hood (EW-77B), pouch
Dimensions (D x L)      80 x 106mm
Weight      760g

SEE MORE: Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM review

Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM Review: Verdict

Canon’s new 35mm is a spectacular performer, although gains over the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 Art lens are minimal at best.

Features: 5/5
Build & Handling: 5/5
Performance: 5/5
Value: 3/5

Overall: 5/5

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