Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM Ultra Wide Angle Zoom Lens
by Canon
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Category: Digital Camera
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: CanonFormat: CD
Release Date: 2007-03-31
Model: 1910B002
Product features:
- 16-35mm ultra-wide-angle zoom lens with f/2.8 maximum aperture
- 3 high-precision aspherical lens elements produce superior image quality
- Circular aperture produces natural background blur at wider apertures
- Ring-type USM for fast and quiet autofocusing; internal focusing
- Measures 3.5 inches in diameter and 4.4 inches long; 1-year warranty
- Measures 3.5 inches in diameter and 4.4 inches long , 1-year warranty
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM Ultra Wide Angle Zoom Lens
Customer Review: Does exactly what its supposed to...a great UWA Zoom.
Summary: 5 Stars
I've read some pretty critical reviews of this lens; from my perspective some of these could be due to an occasional bad copy, but others are likely due to the owner expecting way too much from a UWA zoom lens. Most complaints center on lack of corner sharpness and/or light fall off/vignetting at the wide end and wide apertures. I've owned and extensively tested 4 high end UWA Zooms to date now; the Canon 16-35 f2.8 L II, the 17-40 f4 L, the EF-s 10-22, and the Nikon 14-24 2.8 ED (the accepted gold standard for UWA Zooms), and can tell you that the Nikon is the only one that can reasonably (but not perfectly) hold the corners at the extreme wide ends of FL and aperture. Not surprisingly however the Nikon is yet another $400-$500 more expensive than the 16-35II (even more when you factor in the adapter to shoot on a Canon). In real world shooting at f/8 to f/16 however, I can confidently state that you are not going to see any meaningful difference between the 4 lenses without resorting to some serious pixel peeping gymnastics, and even then I'll gladly take bets that most couldn't tell the unlabeled photos apart. So confident in fact that I finally traded in my revered Nikon for an excellent copy of the 16-35II.
Yes, this lens exhibits some corner softness and light fall off at the wide end and/or at f2.8, however this starts to clear up nicely even as low as f/4 and is gone by f/8. By comparison, if you really want an eye opener, look at the vignetting on the 17-40 wide open (f/4) - two thirds of the image is dark with only a small central spot unaffected (incidentally, those that post that the 17-40 suffers no corner vignetting are probably shooting JPEG and not examining the RAW image). Contrast this to the 16-35 wide open at f/2.8 where only the extreme edges and corners are dark. Same with corner softness, it does exist at f/2.8 but clears up nicely by f/8. In all cases, if you shoot this lens at the same settings as the 17-40, it outperforms its smaller cousin in all aspects (and the 17-40 an excellent lens in its own right). The 16-35 is more than just a 17-40 that goes to f/2.8, it is a significant improvement at all apertures and focal lengths.
I did some extensive testing with filters and found, contrary to claims in other reviews, no detectible difference in vignetting between a slim or regular UV filter at the 16mm wide end. Maybe there is a slight difference that some purists can see, but for the life of me I can't tell the difference, so I use a regular thickness filter for the convenience of being able to use the normal dust cap. The 82mm filter size is also often cited as a point of criticism. Yes, 82mm filters are larger and more expensive, but that's the price you pay for a lens with these specifications. At least this lens will accept filters, try that with the Nikon. Finally, I've also heard criticism that this lens starts to go soft above 24mm, but I personally haven't seen any evidence of this either. Maybe those are bad copy issues again? But mine is perfectly sharp (stunningly sharp in the center) throughout the entire range.
In short, if you absolutely must have a UWA Zoom that has razor sharp corners at f/2.8, you're going to need to go to other extreme measures such as the Nikon 14-24 or maybe a Zeiss, but then you've got all of the manual focus/exposure issues to deal with. In most real world applications at f/8 to f/16, this lens easily holds it's own against the Nikon 14-24 and definitely edges out the 17-40. In my experience, if I am shooting at f/2.8, I'm likely trying to blur the background anyway, so why would I care if the corners are soft? And if shooting in low light I can't notice the vignetting in the corners either. In any case, it's easily corrected in DPP anyway.
Description of Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM Ultra Wide Angle Zoom Lens
Broaden your perspective with the Canon EF 16-35mm ultra wide angle zoom lens. Specifically designed for improved edge to edge image quality that meets the strict requirements of professional and high-end amateur photographers alike, the lens lets you bring more area into focus while providing greater depth of field. The lens features three high precision aspherical lens elements ground, replica, and GMo that produce even better image quality than the original Canon EF 16-35mm USM lens. The circular aperture, meanwhile, produces a beautiful and natural background blur when shooting at wider apertures. Other details include internal focusing, a ring type ultra-sonic monitor (USM), and new AF algorithms for fast and quiet autofocusing. The lens carries a one year warranty.Broaden your perspective with the Canon EF 16-35mm ultra-wide-angle zoom lens. Specifically designed for improved edge-to-edge image quality that meets the strict requirements of professional and high-end amateur photographers alike, the lens lets you bring more area into focus while providing greater depth of field. The lens features three high-precision aspherical lens elements--ground, replica, and GMo--that produce even better image quality than the original Canon EF 16-35mm USM lens. The circular aperture, meanwhile, produces a beautiful and natural background blur when shooting at wider apertures. Other details include internal focusing, a ring-type ultra-sonic monitor (USM), and new AF algorithms for fast and quiet autofocusing. The lens carries a one-year warranty.
- Focal length: 16-35mm
- Maximum aperture: f/2.8
- Lens construction: 16 elements in 12 groups
- Diagonal angle of view: 108 degrees (at 10 feet) to 63 degrees
- Focus adjustment: AF with full-time manual
- Closest focusing distance: 0.92 feet
- Filter size: 82mm, P=0.75mm/1 filter
- Dimensions: 3.5 inches in diameter, 4.4 inches long
- Weight: 1.41 pounds
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