This is a superb lens. A bit expensive. but nothing else compares to it. This is a "straight forward" wide angle lens. This means that the horizontal and vertical lines in the photo remain straight and not curved like with a "curvilinear" (aka "fisheye") lens. This is Canon's widest straight wide-angle lens (one of the widest on the market). You can use it to create stunning architectural or landscape photographs. If you want to see example images taken with this lens, there is a dedicated Flickr group (as with most lenses). Search Flickr for a group called "Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM". Physically, the lens has excellent build quality. The tulip-shaped lens hood is made of metal and is an integral part of the lens barrel. It is non-detachable (and comes with a special lens cap designed for use with the Tulip diaphragm). There is no filter thread on the front (typical for such wide-angle lenses), but there is a gel filter holder on the back (products like Rosco Cinegel). Unfortunately, this means that there are specific types of filters. normally required for landscape photography, such as polarizing filters or gradient neutral density filters, which cannot actually be mounted on the back element as the point of the filter is to be able to control its placement and orientation. I haven't found any solution to this problem other than taking extra large filter plates (from companies like Singh-Ray or Lee filters) and holding them in front of the lens with my hand. As is usual with lenses from the "L" series. , this lens is dust and drop resistant. It also includes a Canon soft gray suede case. I consider this lens to be the only one of its kind - nobody else does what it does and can't even come close to rivaling it in terms of quality. I like my copy very much. My only real complaint is that it's overpriced (I bought mine when Canon had it on sale. Even with the discount, it's still a very expensive lens).