Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsL-glass sharpness, fast aperture, and IS at an affordable price
Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2015
Amazing lens! I have an EF 17-40mm f/4L which I used a lot for landscape shots. But if I want to shoot something closer, I pull out the 35mm f/2 IS (even though my 17-40 covers that focal length). It captures details and texture in a way that beats my pro, L-glass zooms at times. Also, my L-zooms are f/4 constant aperture, so this lens is faster and has a ridiculously shallow depth of field. Very nice background blur, which contrasts great with the tack sharp in-focus details.
One qualification: I would only call this "wide-angle" on a full-frame dSLR. On a camera like the EOS T5i, 70D, or 7D, which have APS-C sized sensors and a crop factor, it's more of a normal focal length (56mm equivalent). Soon after I got this lens, I sold my 7D and got a 6D. The difference is significant, and I had to change the way I think about which lenses to use to get certain angles.
The IS works well, and I can get handheld shots at stupidly slow shutter speeds. Just keep in mind, IS only works for camera shake or an unsteady hand. If you subject is moving and you're shutter speed is too slow, it will be blurred. But being that this is a very sharp lens, if I want more in focus, it's nice to be able to stop down to f/8 or more and shoot at the resulting 1/15th of a second shutter speed. That would be too slow with a non-IS lens. I have not tried, because I'm mainly into still photography, but shooting video with IS on is supposed to help a lot.
The construction seems solid, more so than my EF50mm f/1.8 II (which I've used for 15 years with zero issues and some amazing shots). Exterior of the barrel is thin metal. There are some plastic parts, but that keeps the weight down, and the lens operates smoothly and feels high quality.
I originally got this lens as a fast prime for indoor shots that were too tight with my 50mm on the 7D, but I've since moved to the 6D and discovered it's value in medium range and close-up photos outdoors. It can work as a portrait lens if your subject doesn't mind you getting fairly close, and for this use it works better on a crop-sensor body.
Can't really think of a negative. I paid $599 for mine a year ago. Both my f/4 L-zooms were only $100 to $150 more, but they are slower and don't have IS, though they were much more complicated to manufacture. So I could feel this is a bit steep for a prime lens, but I don't feel ripped off when I see the photos I've taken with it.
