Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsWonderful compact macro lens
Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2017
The Canon EF-s 35mm f/2.8 Macro IS STM is optimized for macro photography and only fits Canon APS-C cameras like the EOS 80D and Rebel series. Here are my thoughts on this lens after a couple weeks of use:
The reason to buy this lens over the excellent EF 40 2.8 STM or EF 35 3.0 is for the macro mode. Being able to quickly take a tight closeup of a tiny flower, coin or insect is great. However, realize at 1:1 the front element is only about one inch from the subject. That’s okay for inanimate objects but not wee moving critters. Also, a one inch working distance blocks most ambient light, so the integral LED ring light is essential. The LED light, activated with a button on the barrel, is handy albeit only bright enough for a macro subject a few inches from the lens. You’ll still need stronger external illumination once beyond the high magnification macro range.
BUILD: Although lightweight—190g—construction seems reasonably robust: sturdy plastics in barrel and metal mount. For a 1.0x macro lens it’s compact but considerably larger than an EF 40 2.8 STM. Focus distance and depth of field marks are absent from this lens.
A quasi lens hood is provided, the ES-27, but is silly small. It’s sturdy aluminum but more of a fat 49mm filter adapter. I’d rather have a normal sized twist-on hood but at least a hood was provided.
IMAGE QUALITY: Wide open it's sharp and vivid but oh so slightly soft in the corners. Bokeh is pleasantly smooth in defocused areas. By F4.0 it’s pin sharp across the frame. It’s surprisingly flare resistant and landscapes with prominent horizons and/or vertical lines have no noticeable distortion. In short, image quality is very good open wide and excellent a stop down.
AUTO FOCUS is peppy for a macro lens but slower than typical USM zoom. Most significantly, AF is accurate and rarely misses on my 80D. Focus is buttery smooth and great for touchscreen pulls during video. The focus motor is inaudible to my ears.
Like other STM lenses, manual focus is "focus-by-wire"; i.e., the MF ring activates the focus motor but isn’t mechanically coupled to the lens. MF is only active when the shutter button is half-depressed. The MF ring is small but grippy and a lot better than the MF ring on my EF 40 2.8 STM.
IMAGE STABILIZER (IS) yields about three stops of additional hand holdable range for normal photography. IS is quiet and isn't audible on video when using built-in mics. However, unless you can brace you hand on something, most photographers will need to use a tripod when at full macro magnification.
FINAL BLURB: I want excellent image quality in an easy to carry package. And the EF-s 35mm f/2.8 Macro IS STM hits that mark, making it a great lens for macro on my 80D. While it works fine for general photography it isn’t especially fast nor can it zoom. So if you’re not into macro, this lens is not for you. I found it a dream for quick photos of small flat objects—coins, documents and art work—as there is virtually no distortion in both macro and normal ranges and the IS allows sharp images without busting out my tripod all the time. All in all a wonderful lens for macro loving photgraphers.
