Verdict
Pros
- Consistent performance
Cons
- Lacklustre overall
Key Specifications
- Review Price: £190
Canon’s EF 35mm f/2 adheres to a traditional film-camera focal length while at the same time attempting to meet the demands of digital photography. This makes perfect sense for Canon given that the EOS camera range includes bodies with both full-frame and sub-size sensors, but it also means that the effect of the lens, in terms of its field of view, will vary when used on different cameras.
Given that the lens tested here is capable of covering both formats it is likely to appeal to a large number of potential buyers, which must make good commercial sense for Canon. The lens looks good, with a semi-matt eggshell finish, and feels like a traditional film-camera standard lens, making it just the right size to offer good handling both when changing lenses and during shooting. As well as a depth-of-field window the lens also has an AF/MF switch and a narrow manual focusing ring that is located about half-way along the barrel.
In terms of performance, the EF 35mm produces very acceptable visual results but numerically it is rather lacklustre, returning close to 0.2 cycles/pixel across much of its aperture range. That doesn’t mean it’s a poor lens so much as that it simply doesn’t sparkle. Using the f/2 maximum aperture means accepting some loss of performance but stopping down only produces a very slight improvement through the crucial mid-range apertures. This sounds unimpressive but it does have the advantage of producing fairly consistent results over a wide range of aperture settings.
sample images
Verdict
Overall, the EF 35mm may not be an outstanding performer but it is very consistent and is certainly workable at its maximum aperture.
Trusted Score
Score in detail
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Value 10
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Design 10
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Image Quality 9
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Features 9
Editorial independence
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Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
