Pros & Cons
The Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM ($1,799) is an update to a prime lens that's the favorite of many a photographer, with a moderately wide field of view that's equally adept for capturing images at a wedding, on the street, or in a war zone. It carries a premium price tag, but matches it with exceptional performance, even when shot at f/1.4 and paired with Canon's highest-resolution camera, the EOS 5DS R. If you lust after a fast 35mm lens, and don't mind paying a premium for Canon glass, the EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM is an excellent way to go, and an Editors' Choice. If your budget is tight, however, don't count out the Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM Art, which is less expensive and an exceptional performer on 20MP cameras, or the Tamron SP 35mm f/1.8 Di VC USD, an excellent budget option if you don't mind using an f/1.8 lens.
Design
The EF 35mm f/1.4L II is on the large side for a prime lens, but that's the case with most 35mm f/1.4 designs. It measures 4.2 by 3.2 inches (HD), weighs 1.7 pounds, and supports 72mm front filters. The barrel is black polycarbonate, with the Canon logo in silver and the red accent ring that marks it is an L series lens, Canon's premium line. A reversible lens hood is included.
There's no optical stabilization system—you need to look at the Tamron SP 35mm or Canon EF 35mm f/2 IS USM if that's a feature you value. The lone control switch, on the side of the barrel, changes the focus mode between manual and autofocus. The manual focus ring is at the front, just behind the mount for the hood. It's covered in textured rubber, and is comfortable to grip and turn.
The lens focuses to 11 inches, capturing subjects at 1:4.8 life-size at the closest focus distance. It's not true macro territory, but certainly makes it a more versatile tool than lenses that can't focus as close. Its nearest competition, the Sigma 35mm, focuses to 11.8 inches for 1:5 magnification. If close focus is a major concern, you may be better served by the Tamron SP 35mm, which can lock on at 7.9 inches for 1:2.5 magnification.
But the Tamron doesn't capture as much light at its maximum aperture, and it doesn't control chromatic aberration as well as either the Canon or Sigma lenses. Purple color fringing is evident when shooting with the Tamron under certain situations—notably in high-contrast areas of the frame, and in the transitions between the in-focus and out-of-focus areas of a photo. The EF 35mm f/1.4L II includes what Canon calls Blue Spectrum Refractive Optics, which essentially eliminates this unwanted color effect. Photographers have turned to software, or to insanely expensive apochromatic lenses like the Zeiss Otus 1.4/28, in order to remove or sidestep the effect completely. Canon's BR design eliminates it, even in common problem areas such as power lines or leaves against a bright sky.
Image Quality
I used Imatest to measure the sharpness the 35mm f/1.4L II delivers when paired with the 50MP EOS 5DS R. At f/1.4 it scores 3,448 lines per picture height, well in excess of the 2,200 lines we want to see from a high-resolution camera. It's not an extremely flat, even field of clarity, but most of the frame tops 3,000 lines and the outer edges cross the 2,400 mark.
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You pay a premium for the Canon lens, but there's a reason. The Sigma 35mm F1.4 is an exceptional performer when paired with a 20MP camera like the Canon EOS 6D. But when you move up to a 50MP sensor, its scores, while still very good, aren't as groundbreaking—it notches 2,567 lines at f/1.4 and 3,100 lines at f/2, for comparison. It's not until you stop down to f/5.6 that the Sigma pulls almost even with the Canon.
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There's a big jump in clarity when shooting with the EF 35mm f/1.4L II at f/2—the average score jumps to 4,056 lines. The pattern of sharpness remains the same, with most of the frame topping 3,300 lines and edges approaching 2,600 lines. At f/2.8 the average score rises to 4,396, with most of the frame showing better than 3,500 lines. The average is 4,449 lines at f/4, and it peaks at f/5.6, in a 4,621-line average with all but the outer edges of our test image hitting the 4,000-line mark.
Diffraction cuts into image quality at narrower apertures. At f/8 the score drops to 4,143 lines. The hit in image quality is more noticeable at narrower settings—3,664 lines at f/11, 3,121 lines at f/16, and 2,254 lines at f/22.
Imatest also checks photos for distortion. The 35mm shows about 1.6 percent barrel distortion, which draws straight lines with a slight outward curve. It's a pretty typical amount for this type of lens, and easily compensated for using a lens profile in Lightroom.
I also used Imatest to check the uniformity of illumination. The EF 35mm doesn't fare that well, showing a strong vignette at f/1.4. Edges and corners are noticeably dimmer than the center of the frame, with corners darkened by 6 stops (-6EV) when shot wide open. The effect is reduced as you stop down—it drops to -3.6EV at f/2, -2EV at f/2.8, and -1.6EV at f/4. At narrower apertures it stays steady at about -1.2EV, which is noticeable if you look for it, but not distracting.
It's not the end of the world, or atypical for an f/1.4 lens, as the Sigma 35mm shows a similar effect. If you shoot JPGs the camera can compensate for the effect automatically, making it a nonissue. And, if you're a Raw photographer, the same Adobe lens profile that compensates for distortion also removes the vignette effect from photos. The Tamron SP 35mm lens does a better job with Uniformity, showing a -1.8EV deficit at f/1.8 and even illumination at narrower f-stops.
Conclusions
The Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM is a worthy update to its well-regarded predecessor. It carries a premium price when compared with third-party options like the Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM Art, which remains a solid option for photographers on a budget. It's a strong performer on 20MP cameras, and while it doesn't offer the same level of clarity when paired with a 50MP camera, it's still quite good, especially when you factor in the price. The Tamron SP 35mm f/1.8 Di VC USD is an option as well. It's not an f/1.4 lens, which will cross it off the list for some, amd exhibits chromatic aberration, but it adds stabilization (a plus for handheld video use) and focuses closer.
Going with the Canon lens ensures that you'll get the best quality photos when shooting at f/1.4 with the company's most demanding image sensor, the 50MP full-frame chip inside the EOS 5DS R. And its design eliminates color fringing, which can sometimes be difficult to remove. And based on image quality alone, there's no questioning that the EF 35mm is worthy of being called Editors' Choice.
Final Thoughts
