Does the rather elderly Canon EF 35mm F/2 offer anything to the new range of Canon cameras?Canon’s EF 35mm Ff/2 has been around for a while now and hasn’t been designed specifically for use with Canon EF-S mount D-SLRs. As such, it can be used on one of Canon’s full-frame models, but attached to a Canon D-SLR with a 1.6x crop factor it offers a 35mm focal length equivalent of 56mm – just a tad longer than the classic ‘standard’.
With a maximum aperture of f/2, it’s a fast optic, offering a stop advantage over an f/2.8 lens. Most of the lens has a plastic finish, but the mount itself is metal and has a better feel compared to a kit lens. The design does look pretty dated, though, owing to the time it’s been part of the Canon range.
In action, the focus of the lens is actually pretty nippy, but because there’s no USM (Ultrasonic motor) built-in to the lens, there’s a high-pitched buzz that emanates from it as it focuses. The minimum focusing distance is good however at just 25cm, and this allows you to get nice and close. There’s a dedicated AF/MF switch on the side of the lens, and while the manual focus ring is relatively narrow, it does offer good control, though there’s just a bit too much friction.
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