Canon EF 35mm F/1.4 USM L II

Specifications01

MountCANON EF

Focal length35mm

Max aperturef/1.4

TypeCinema · Wide · Prime

Weight760 g

Filter size72 mm

Physical length106 mm

Min focus distance0.28 m

Max magnification0.2105

Aperture blades9

Optical elements14

Groups11

Lens hoodpetal-shaped (bayonet mount, supplied)

Sensor coverage43.3 mm

Additional Info02

SpecialL II USM

Category["Canon EF"]

Review AuthorKlaus

Review Rating6

Other Featuresweather sealing

Review VerdictThe Canon EF 35mm f/1.4 USM L II is certainly an improvement over its predecessor but it's not a new world wonder either. Resolution-wise it is tack sharp in the image center. At f/2-f/2.8 it is pushing the 50mp sensor of the Canon EOS 5Ds R to its limits. However, the borders aren't quite so hot especially at large apertures. To be fair though - at large apertures you don't tend to require sharp corners anyway and unless you super-size your posters, it's not that significant. Most users are also using full format cameras with a much lesser resolution. Still, we are seeing the limits of what's possible today. Lateral as well as axial CAs are very low and this certainly helps to push the subjective quality perception. Image distortions are pretty much absent. While it is typical in this lens class, we have to mention that there's some heavy vignetting at f/1.4. The quality of the bokeh is quite good. The image background could be a bit smoother. Out-of-focus highlights are generally nicely rendered except in the outer image regions. A real differentiator is the reduced amount of bokeh fringing which is pretty much better than anything in this class in this respect. The build quality of the Canon EF 35mm f/1.4 USM L II is pretty much perfect. Top-notch materials, weather sealing, smooth control rings - it doesn't really get any better than this. The USM AF is silent and fast but the competition is pretty much on the same level nowadays. Speaking of the competition we are primarily talking about the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art. Now we haven't tested this lens on the EOS 5Ds R yet but at least in terms of resolution we are having some strong doubts that it is inferior to this new Canon lens. The Canon is somewhat better in terms of bokeh though. Whether the latter is really worth the double price tag... well, for some it surely is.

Review Criteria{"Build Quality":10,"Optical Quality":6,"Price / Performance":6}

Review Published2015-11-30T02:49:00+00:00

Optical Construction14 elements in 11 groups (1xBR, 2x aspherical, 1xED) SWC coating fluorine coating

Field Notes02

Canon EF 35mm prime lens with a maximum aperture of f/1.4 for low-light and shallow depth-of-field use. Designed for Canon EF-mount DSLRs and similar cameras.

AI-assisted summary — verify against linked sources

Catalog note · source: opticallimits