{"id":5389,"date":"2015-06-17T15:00:15","date_gmt":"2015-06-17T15:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/?p=5389"},"modified":"2024-07-08T10:11:36","modified_gmt":"2024-07-08T10:11:36","slug":"why-i-bought-the-canon-16-35-f4l","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/why-i-bought-the-canon-16-35-f4l","title":{"rendered":"Why I Bought the Canon 16-35 F4L"},"content":{"rendered":"[message type=”info”]….this thing isn\u2019t just a \u201csettle for lens<\/em>\u201d for those who can\u2019t afford the 2.8, but a real contender.[\/message]\n

Just invested in\u00a0the new canon 16-35 F4 – part\u00a0of the new range of canon F4 L lenses, as opposed to the F2.8 L range, with new generation Image Stabilisation.<\/p>\n

These are smaller, lighter and cheaper\u00a0than their f2.8 cousins – so why did I end up with this over the f2.8?<\/p>\n

Here’s the through process behind it…<\/p>\n

1 – I needed to service my current ultra wide lens anyway<\/h2>\n

My trusty 17-40 F4L, which has taken pretty much every architecture and landscape shot in my portfolio, got a chip on the front element (don’t ask….) and is full of dust after 10 years of hard work.<\/p>\n

A service and new lens element was going to be\u00a0a few hundred quid.<\/p>\n

Was it time to breathe life into the old trusty lens – or get a new, faster focussing, IS lens?<\/p>\n

The status quo was not an option – service or new lens? The next 5 points explain what happened.<\/p>\n

2 – Unconvinced by the F2.8 Version<\/h2>\n

There are 2 versions of the 16-35 F2.8, mark 1 and 2. I’ve heard “mixed” opinions on them from owners – people I know.<\/p>\n

They’re not cheap, about \u00a31200-\u00a31500 so you’d want to hear wonderful things, rather than doubts. Also, annoyingly, the filter ring is 82mm whereas every lens<\/a> I have was 77mm, which means a new polariser and filter adaptor ring for my grad filters.<\/p>\n

3 – Superb reviews<\/h2>\n

Pretty much everything I’ve read about this lens is positive – not that I read much, but a quick look over Amazon and a few magazine articles told me that this thing was\u00a0a special lens.<\/p>\n

4 – Price<\/h2>\n

So you can get them for roughly 1\/2 the price of the F2.8 – under \u00a3700 if you shop around. Bit of a bargain – if all of the plaudits are\u00a0true.<\/p>\n

5 – Recommendation from a\u00a0Pro Landscape Photographer<\/h2>\n

The\u00a0thing which triggered my interest was a chat with Richard Spurdens on a shoot in Wales. His friend\u00a0is a professional landscape photographer<\/a> and runs workshops all over the world. These guys are sticklers for quality – his prints are huge and lens quality issues will hugely stand out.<\/p>\n

Well he’d told Richard that this new Canon F4 lens was the best ultra-wide-zoom canon have ever done. There’s nothing like a personal recommendation off someone you respect – so that really got me thinking… this thing isn’t just a “settle for lens”<\/a> for those who can’t afford the 2.8, but a real contender.<\/p>\n

6 – How often do I use ultra wide lenses “wide open”?<\/h2>\n

In other words, do I really use the 17-40 at F4 very much, and would having that extra stop (f2.8) be an advantage?<\/p>\n

Well “not very often” and “probably not” are the answers respectively.<\/p>\n

For landscapes and architecture, I’d usually be at F8-16 shooting on a tripod. I do occasionally use it hand-held in the dark – where an extra stop would be handy – but this has an image stabiliser, which helps keep hand held images sharp at slow shutter speeds. So the f2.8 thing is down to depth of field.<\/p>\n

How often do I crave for blurry backgrounds on my 17mm shots ?<\/p>\n

Again, not very often at all – I’ve got a 20mm and 28mm F1.8 prime for that, so in the end, I decided that F2.8 wasn’t needed in this lens. (though I’d never be without a 70-200 F2.8, that’s a very different beast).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So there you go – I guess the point of this is to explain how I came to the decision, starting with a definite “need” for a wide lens solution.<\/p>\n

Example Canon 16 35 F4L Photos<\/h1>\n