Canon 35 mm F1.4 L II USM – Canon lens occurring lenses are often used by gods photografer world, check out the following review. New variations of essential focal lengths are being turned out throughout the range, with completely revised optics and mechanical building. Many are class top, often establishing new standards in one area or one more, and the Canon EF 35mm F1.4 L USM Mark II is no exception it is sharp, extremely, very sharp.
The Mark II model released in 2014 changes the senior Mark I of 1998. That lens was initially designed for movie SLRs, however it won lots of digital hearts, including some on the DP Review group and also numerous write-ups have actually already been published, looking back at the old lens and also ahead to the MkII with sample galleries, user records and contrasts.
Something missing from those articles though, is the close analysis of DxO Mark’s laboratory examinations, with complete analysis of MTF (Inflection Transfer Function) intensity efficiency, and also other essential aspects of picture top quality that can only be effectively assessed under regulated conditions. So now we’re putting that right, and the resolution of this lens on a 51 megapixel Canon 5DS R is something to behold. The brand-new Canon 35mm F1.4 Mark II shares headline requirements with the MkI, and the majority of vital features are the same or comparable. It’s all change under the skin however, with even more of whatever in the quest for quality, including a significant boost in dimension, weight as well as cost.
Key Specifications
- New optical style with 14 aspects in 11 teams (MkI version has 11 in 9).
- One UD glass component included, and 2 aspherical surface areas (MkI has one aspherical).
- New BR Optics layer reduces CA.
- Nine rounded aperture blades (MkI has 8).
- Weight goes up 31% and length 23% (compared with MkI).
- Secured, weather resistant building (MkI is not weather immune).
- Producer’s Suggested Market price $1799USD (MkI $1479).
- Canon has actually paid very close attention to the optical redesign and the mechanical building, and also both increase the bar. No stone has actually been left unchecked, and also just about the only thing that remains the like the MkI is the 72mm filter size, as well as the minimal concentrating distance is additionally really comparable at 28cm (11in).
There is no picture stablizing, with that said choice already extremely effectively covered by the Canon 35mm F2 IS USM. Purists will welcome the choice to focus on sheer optical top quality, and it assists to maintain intricacy and the burgeoning weight in check.
Canon 35mm F1.4L II USM Design
LensRentals is additionally in an one-of-a-kind placement to compare multiple duplicates from their significant supply, and also Cicala kept in mind great uniformity and quality control when MTF examining 10 copies of the Canon 35mm F1.4 Mark II for intensity a little above average.
Externally, the barrel is made from engineering grade plastic to help minimize weight, yet under the hood, construct high quality is on an additional degree. It’s over the currently high professional requirement anticipated of Canon’s L-brand, and it’s clear this is where a great deal of the additional cost has been spent. We’re grateful to our buddies at Lens Rentals for their exhaustive teardown detailed in Roger Cicala’s post, providing a close understanding into just what you’re actually spending for.
It’s built to last, with focus on detail and over-engineering of crucial parts. As Cicala states, “The weather resistance shows up much better than the majority of The mechanical building and construction is past remarkable It’s constructed like a storage tank where it counts Moving components are substantial as well as robust. Six large screws are made use of in places where 3 small screws are common … Hefty roller bearings move the focusing group, it doesn’t move on little nylon collars Points that will undoubtedly obtain harmed, like the front element and filter ring, are made to be changed easily.”
Size as well as weight both rise visibly, as a result of the added glass and even more robust construction, consisting of the welcome addition of weather resistant seals. The Canon MkII is now the heftiest 35mm F1.4 offered, as well as at 762g and also 106mm, it’s 31% larger as well as 23% longer compared to the MkI version that is more common of the class average. Actually, the Canon 35mm F1.4 MkII is hopping on for the exact same type of general measurements as the Canon 24-70mm F2.8 MkII (807g, 113mm).
Handling as well as operation
Along with Canon’s usual multi-coating, there’s SWC Sub-Wavelength Coating, much like Nikon’s Nano Crystal Coat. It’s applied to the back surface of the front aspherical element to particularly battle ghosting. Both outside lens surfaces also have resistant and easy-clean fluorine coatings.
The additional size and also weight are much less obvious on the cam. The Canon 35mm F1.4 Mark II is a well balanced as well as easy-handling suit for the full-frame video cameras that will certainly understand its complete possibility such as the Canon 5D-series.
The aperture diaphragm now has 9 rounded blades rather than eight, to slightly enhance bokeh while ensuring that specular highlights type appealing 18-pointed celebrities, instead of eight from the Mark I version.
This lens also debuts Canon’s brand-new BR Optics innovation (complete name Blue Spectrum Refractive Optics) for boosted control of chromatic aberration (CA). This is a layer of ‘organic product’ that refracts blue light more strongly, sandwiched in between 2 glass elements. It is not counted as a different lens component as well as Canon explains it as having ‘strange diffusion attributes equivalent or more than fluorite’ which is a promising case. Canon clearly has prepare for BR Optics and also it’s currently been glimpsed in a prototype Canon 600mm F4 DO BR.
AF drive is Canon’s USM ring-type ultrasonic, same as the MkI, however upgraded. In the near-to-far speed test it averaged a class-leading 0.3 secs (2m to infinity, in excellent light on a Canon 5DS R) which is two-tenths faster than the MkI, itself no slouch. As a matter of fact, the actual system is quicker compared to that yet when it comes down to tiny fractions of a second, it’s physically challenging to reframe the electronic camera and also operate the AF back-button any more quickly. This lens will certainly focus as fast as you can think. The only audio is a gentle little tap when it locks on to the sharp emphasis setting, though it’s hardly distinct.
Canon 35mm F1.4L II USM Images Quality
Sharpness (Full-Frame).
Sharpness is outstanding. It’s in a various league to the Canon MkI at reduced F/numbers, and this is the sharpest 35mm F1.4 currently readily available. It’s also the joint-sharpest lens we’ve ever examined below 200mm that is, other than some of the distinctly unique as well as really expensive tele-primes that still hold a tiny benefit. The Canon MkII runs head-to-head with the magnificent Zeiss Otus 55mm F1.4, as well as the highly related to Sigma 35mm F1.4 Art likewise executes effectively, however loses on side sharpness at F1.4.
At greater F/numbers, sharpness lowers progressively in accordance with the inevitable impact of diffraction. The Canon 35mm F1.4 MkII is still delivering an extremely high requirement of sharpness, however from mid-range as well as higher F/numbers, diffraction caps efficiency and holds it a lot more according to various other high performance lenses. Most of the Canon MkII’s sharpness advantage, and it is considerable, depends on the F1.4.4 aperture range.
Stopping down enhances fine detail usefully, as the blue in the MTF-50 graphic spreads out to mauve from around the center – the highest level on the graph. Sharpness in the center comes to a head at F2.8, with side meaning close behind and only a small dip towards the corners. The MTF-50 visuals shows border sharpness enhancing to F4 5.6.
The net outcome is minimized sharpness as compared to full-frame – which is simply the laws of physics at work – though the most effective high quality lenses stand up reasonably better on APS C and the Canon 35mm F1.4 MkII is still well into the blue in the centre at F1.4, with only minor softening towards the sides. Sharpness improves incrementally to F4, coming to a head at an extremely high degree. It’s still the sharpest 35mm F1.4 you can buy, on either full-frame or APS-C formats.
Intensity (APS-C)
Compared with full-frame, the higher resolution demands of the smaller sized APS-C style always press the levels down at MTF-50 (because it needs to be enlarged a lot more). On the other hand, APS-C sensing units only make use of the sweet-spot around the centre of the image circle, so there’s an upside.
What’s truly remarkable about the Canon 35mm F1.4 MkII is the picture high quality at maximum aperture, appropriate across the frame, specifically when placed on a Canon 5DS R with 51mp sensing unit (with AA terminating filter). In the MTF-50 visuals above, the blue sea of high resolution expands completely to the edges. There’s a lot less have to stop-down for outstanding sharpness as there is none of the slightly fanciful look at F1.4 frequently located with older styles. This is a revelation, and also is characteristic of a brand-new type of exceptional high quality fast tops that could now be utilized large open without much compromise.
Background Blur
The capacity to toss backgrounds indistinct at really low F/numbers, combined with high intensity at optimum aperture, is just one of the Canon 35mm F1.4 MkII’s best suits. History blur, commonly called ‘bokeh’ (a Japanese word that approximately converts as ‘fuzzy’) is a complex feature that’s difficult to specify and also consists of several factors, yet shallow deepness of area is possibly the major one. The high quality of bokeh can be subjective, though the trademarks are smooth transitions from highlights to shadows, with clear out of emphasis highlights without any type of onion-ring patterns and also as close to round as the aperture blades will certainly allow. Here the Canon 35mm F1.4 MkII has nine rounded aperture blades for somewhat smoother bokeh than the MkI’s eight, though one of the most beneficial benefit of that is the creation of 18-pointed stars from brilliant specula highlights, rather than eight. Bokeh circles appear to be cleaner and also much less without rings and patterns too, which imply more pleasing out-of-focus highlights.
Fokus shift
This is when the sharply focused plane relocations at various apertures. It is often found in quick lenses that are vulnerable to recurring round aberration, suggesting that after concentrating on a certain point at optimum aperture as normal, after stopping to the shooting aperture, the focus plane shifts in reverse as round aberration is decreased. The impact is typically really slight as well as often passes unnoticed, however could sometimes capture you out at close range when depth of area is extremely shallow. Provided the Canon 35mm F1.4 MkII’s high standard of general aberrations modification, we just weren’t anticipating any issues below – therefore it verified, even at close range.
Canon 35mm F1.4L II USM Specifications
| Principal specifications | |
|---|---|
| Lens type | Prime lens |
| Max Format size | 35mm FF |
| Focal length | 35 mm |
| Image stabilization | No |
| Lens mount | Canon EF |
| Aperture | |
| Maximum aperture | F1.4 |
| Minimum aperture | F22 |
| Aperture ring | No |
| Number of diaphragm blades | 9 |
| Optics | |
| Elements | 14 |
| Groups | 11 |
| Special elements / coatings | BR (blue spectrum refractive optics), 2 aspherical, 1 Super UD elements + fluorine coating |
| Focus | |
| Minimum focus | 0.28 m (11.02″) |
| Maximum magnification | 0.21× |
| Autofocus | Yes |
| Motor type | Ring-type ultrasonic |
| Full time manual | Yes |
| Focus method | Internal |
| Distance scale | Yes |
| DoF scale | Yes |
| Physical | |
| Weight | 760 g (1.68 lb) |
| Diameter | 80 mm (3.15″) |
| Length | 106 mm (4.17″) |
| Sealing | Yes |
| Colour | Black |
| Filter thread | 72.0 mm |
| Hood supplied | Yes |
| Tripod collar | No |