Good extreme wideangle zoom lenses for full-frame cameras are not easy to find. Damien Demolder tests Canon’s latest to see if it is up to the job
Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM review
Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM review – Our verdict
This is a very good lens. It has a useful IS system that allows handholding for long exposures, and less vignetting and quality fall-off at the edges than expected. If the ability to handhold your camera is more important than achieving a shallow depth of field, this model might be a better option than Canon’s f/2.8 version – which retails for almost the same price. This really isn’t a cheap lens, but a 16-35mm range like this is hard to come by, and for the architectural or landscape photographer, it provides a very useful focal range, and is less expensive, less bulky and lighter than owning the six separate fixed lenses that it encompasses.
Wideangle zooms can be disappointing, but I’d be happy to use this model knowing that the aberrations it displays are moderate, non-destructive and easy to work with.
Image: I was quite amazed at the length of exposure I could manage handheld (shot at 1/4sec shutter speed)
Score: 4 out of 5