Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L USM Wide Angle ...- User Rating: 
Summary for Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L USM Wide Angle ...- Best. Lens. Ever.
Notes on Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L USM Wide Angle ...- I do landscape photography with my Canon 40D. This lens is absolutely perfect. The color and DOF is insane. I am convinced this lens was given to us by aliens. Just buy one, you will not be disappointed. You cannot beat the L glass. Best. Lens. Ever.
Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L USM Wide Angle ...- User Rating: Summary for Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L USM Wide Angle ...- The Canon "Bokeh King"
Notes on Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L USM Wide Angle ...- Some of you may know about the 35mm Leica lens that was dubbed the "Bokeh King" for the wonderfully pleasant quality of bokeh that it created. This lens very much reminds me of it. Achieving bokeh is done with many lenses. Achieving that special "wow" bokeh is only achieved with an elite few. I believe this lens is a member of that elite few. It is professional looking and artistic looking at once. Easily controllable; automatically just the right amount and character in every shot. Just purely brilliant bokeh. I also own the 135mm f/2L which also receives high praise for its bokeh but in my opinion it is not as good as this lens. More bokeh doesn't necessarily mean best bokeh. It is the quality of the bokeh. This lens truly possesses that special quality. Alright, enough about the bokeh.
Sharpness? Of course it is razor sharp. It better be for this price. I just expected that. If your's isn't then you need to return it for another one.
Low-light performance? The best I have experienced from any Canon lens, and I have owned several professional and/or low-light Canon lenses.
I sold my awesome 24-70mm lens to get this lens and I took a leap of faith in doing so. It looks as if I made a good decision. I do so because the 24-70 is too heavy and unwieldy and the f/2.8 of the lens is not good for indoors without a flash. Plus, 35mm was the focal length I was using most. Again I am very happy I did so. This lens was everything I hoped it would be and more. I don't see it coming off the 5D for a long while.
This is one of the best kept secrets in Canon "L" lenses. I can't understand why this lens gets so little attention. I guess it is because everyone favors the convenience of Zoom lenses. This is bar none the best Canon lens I have ever owned. I can't wait for it's first wedding which is in a few weeks.
Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L USM Wide Angle ...- User Rating: Summary for Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L USM Wide Angle ...- 35L color is excellent !!
Notes on Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L USM Wide Angle ...- This lens is great to shoot some indoor picture without flash.
and the color and contrast on this lens is excellent!!
Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L USM Wide Angle ...- User Rating: Summary for Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L USM Wide Angle ...- excellent prime lens for any light conditions
Notes on Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L USM Wide Angle ...- This is the perfect prime for low light conditions, at f/1.4 its very sharp and produces great shots, just one step up and the photos are even sharper! great build quality which should be expected for an L lense at this price level.
if you can do with less width, a 35mm f/2 would be a decent alternative, or if you can give in on the length as well, a 28mm f/1.8 provides nice shots at higher apertures. both of these are a lot cheaper and significantly lighter in weight, but if youre looking for the perfect lense, the 35mm f/1.4 is one the best choices.
Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L USM Wide Angle ...- User Rating: Summary for Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L USM Wide Angle ...- L primes rule!
Notes on Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L USM Wide Angle ...- It is as expensive as a 24-70L, and costs 4 times more than a 35/2. It is fixed length and "only" 2 stops faster. It is not noticably sharper at f4 and higher.
But I find I fall in love with it. I used a 85/1.8 and 135/2L for portrait. I also have a 24-70L, 50/1.8II and a 18-55 kit lens. But I found that I need a wide and FAST lens to shoot my kid/baby. I prefer to shoot with natural indoor light. I read reviews and browsed pictures and decided that 35/1.4L is the one I need. Based on reviews and my experience with 50/1.8II, 35/2 is NOT usable untill you stop it to f4. That is too slow.
I made the right decision. At f/1.4 it is soft, but at f2.0, picture is pretty sharp. And most importantly, it maintains very good and natural color saturation which you won't get from Photoshop, as well good contrast ratio. It is not very shart at f2.0, but color and contrast make pictures beautiful. Set ISO200 and 1/40th shutter speed, I can shoot without flash at f2.0. Wider angle also means you can shoot in about 4~5 feet away so you can have eye contact with your kids or babies. You won't worry they are not looking at you/lens. This is priceless to me.
Originally I thought this would be a indoor lens as I have a 24-70L. But now I also find it is a very good outdoor portrait/landscape lens. It captures very good details and color for shadow area and takes very nice portrait pictures even with back light. After a trip with this lens, I decide to use 24-70L for indoor studio light shoot only (with flexible zoom/frame).
It is not a great anti-flare performer, but still better than most other lenses. Bokeh is very good with no sign of distraction at all. It may not be as beautiful as a 135/2L but much better than I expected.
It is expensive, but it is a prime L. I cannot say it worth more than a grand, but if you need a fast lens, with good color and saturation at wide open, wide angle and still with beautiful bokeh. It is the one for you. It also provides good shadow details with no sign of wash out. No need to say DOV control. If you have the money, I highly recommend this lens.
Body used: Canon Rebel.
Lenses used: 18-55mm, 24-70L, 50/1.8II, 85/1.8, 135/2L.
Cons:
Expensive. Cost as much as a 16-35L, a 24-70L or a 70-200/2.8L.
Back focus for 0.5 inch at f/1.4 with Rebel/300D boday but I can live with it.
Anti-flare is not the best.
Pros:
FAST with very usable f2.
Very shallow DOV.
Very beautiful bokeh.
Very good color saturation and good contrast even at wide open.
Good shadow detail with good color/contrast (good for back light).
Beautiful L color.
Fast focus speed as expected from a L lens with Ring USM.
L build quality.
