Review on Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM: Ultra Wide Angle Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras (Discontinued Model) by Jay Arnold

**UPDATE** Canon has released version II of this lens which is also available from Revain. That's about $300 more than this lens and it's touted as solving some very small problems that pros really care about. The new version has an 82mm front aperture versus 77mm on this lens. This means that if you have a 70-200mm "L" like me, you can switch filters between lenses, but not between the new 16-35II. which has a larger front opening. As for me, I didn't notice any of the small details they were trying to solve with Version II as I'm not a pro and a) will keep this lens and b) have found the value of this lens to remain. even after the release of a more expensive lens upgrade. In my opinion, both lenses are professional, it all depends on the level of your sophistication. Hope this helps.** FIRST REVIEW** I bought this lens because I didn't have anything near that range other than a kit lens (good but not great and not f/2.8). I have a 15mm Canon fisheye but it distorts a bit even at 20D and I don't like correcting in Photoshop every time and I wanted a wide angle lens. I wanted something wider that could capture a lot of light (I shoot high ambient light and low light) and I wanted something versatile (on the 20D it's really 24mm to 56mm - great working range). Pros: 1) At 1.6x the crop factor of my 20D, this really is a 24mm to 56mm lens. That makes it a slightly less wide-angle and more mid-range lens. Hence it stays on my camera all the time and covers most of my daily needs. I bought this lens with full expectation that it would be a 24-56 as I wanted it to be versatile and at 24mm still quite wide. 2.8 I can get some great environmental shots that I couldn't get otherwise. 3) At f/2.8 I can also blur the background and foreground. Out of focus areas are excellently oily, and the block is very nice given the 7 shutter blades. 4) Color saturation is like nothing I've seen before except on my 70-200mm Canon "L". I was literally blown away by some of the baby photos I took where the colors were "stunning" in a nutshell. I knew the color would be great, but "WOW!" Photoshop CS2 lets me "fake" the saturation, but it's not quite the same as the color this lens pulls out of the box . No need for Photoshop. 5) It's spicy! This lens takes amazingly sharp pictures that I would call amazing. I've had a lot of positive feedback about the sharpness of this lens. I've tried looking around the edges to see if there is CA or less sharpness and couldn't find anything. You might be able to tell more with a full-size sensor, but I couldn't with the 20D. I notice that the plane of focus is narrow at f/2.8 (which is good) and I need to make sure everything I want is in focus. The block is very oily at f/2.8. I love it. 6) It's built like a tank. Black metal body. EF metal bracket. Smooth manual focus. Robust built-in switches. The red bar draws the attention of photographers who can easily start conversations and learn. 7) It turned out to be surprisingly smaller and lighter than I thought it would be. About half the size of my 70-200mm Canon "L". I expected it to be bigger and am much happier that it isn't. It's on my camera all the time and carrying it around is no problem at all. Unless you are a very petite person. 8) Internal focus. Thus, the size of the lens does not change in size and does not rotate when focusing. This is very useful when putting on filters or focusing at close range. 9) USM engine. It's a low whisper and it focuses very quickly. Faster than my 70-200mm. Something I expected but wow it's fast and quiet. 10) It focuses pretty close at 12 inches or so. You can get closer to your subject. It's not a macro lens, but you can capture impressive close-focus wide-angle shots. 11) Its TTL2 works very well with my 580EX flash. 12) The EF mount grows with you. If you are upgrading your camera body to a full frame EF mount camera, this lens will fit your new camera and you can continue to enjoy your lens investment. Cons: 1) At 1.6x the image size, it doesn't fall into the "amazing" wide-angle category, but that's not the lens' fault. I'm marking this as a scam, but there are several ways you can do this. If you want an ultra-wide camera with a small frame, then you can't do that with this lens (although 24mm is pretty damn wide), and Canon's only option is the 15mm fisheye, which I own and consider .lens to be a great specialty lens. Canon's 10-22mm EFS and 14mm L. I've heard the 10-22 is very good, but its EFS (and it's not for full-frame cameras - less upgradable I think) and it's not an L lens, however for a non-L the 10-22 I hear is exceptional. A 14mm EF-L lens works similarly to this 16-35mm zoom lens. The 15mm EF fisheye is great, but it's designed for distortion, and distortion is visible on 20D and even more so on full-frame cameras, and you'll need Photoshop to fix it. If you want L f/2.8 on this 16-35mm and something like 24-56 suits you, you won't find anything better for small sensor cameras. I'm really glad I got it and if you already have a full frame camera or ever upgrade you can enjoy the 16mm "WOW" width. I can only imagine the coverage I would get with a full frame camera. 2) The hood is massive. wide but not very deep. So the lens hood is flat (it should be wide angle I think). I never take it off - it doesn't let in ambient light and is an extra protection for the lens. I had no problems with glare. 3) The front element of the lens sinks into the tube and then falls out (open, but the lens body does not change in size). There is no protection filter to protect this front element. I bought a UV/Haze filter ($26 from Revain) and I strongly encourage you to do the same to protect your investment. With a UV/Haze filter, the lens is very self-sufficient. 4) Oh, cost. Expensive as hell. Costs as much as my camera body --- worth every penny. If it's any consolation, these lenses are very difficult to manufacture and hold their value. Your camera body may fall in price as new technology becomes available, but this lens will retain its value if you take care of it. Differences, notes, things I've heard: 1) I have no experience with non-Canon lenses so I can't compare them, but this 16-35 is amazing. 2) Compared to other "L" lenses, it holds up and the quality is amazing when it comes to color, performance and lens construction. 3) I heard there is some chromatic aberration around the edges. of those wide-angle lenses (much larger than 70-200mm), but that's to be expected when you're collecting and focusing light from such wide-angles. It must be difficult. Wide angles show more CA than long telephotos. It wasn't visible on my 16-35mm. I believe a professional can identify the concerns. Anyone with less stringent requirements than a professional or an extremely intelligent person might not even notice or care. Also, the CA of this lens is orders of magnitude lower than almost any other lens 4) I bought direct from Revain. Ordered on Monday, received the lens the next day on Tuesday. Amazing service. Excellent store.