16-35 2.8L II - Is it really THAT bad ?

I'll chime in, too. I was going to point to the Reuters top 100, but I see Eldar beat me to it. I resisted buying one for several years, but after taking one too many jobs where primes weren't flexible enough, I bought one. What it lacks in image quality, it more than makes up for in versatility, as you probably know from your 17-35, already. For everything except landscapes and architecture, i.e. where corner sharpness is must be as good as possible, it's excellent. For architecture, it's very good because it has pretty low distortion for a zoom, and for landscapes, it's rugged and lets you use filters. It doesn't match the new 24-70 or any of the primes in this range, but that doesn't mean it's terrible. For any work that won't be blown up beyond 40x60", it's plenty sharp. The corners are good when stopped down, it's just the extreme corners on full frame that are lacking. If you plan around that, you'll be pleased with the results. The color and contrast are great and the zoom range can't be beat for a walk-around lens. The AF is excellent and makes it well suited for photojournalism, events, sports, lifestyle, and environmental portraits or any time you need the flexibility of a zoom.
 
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Generally speaking, it's good...not stellar but it works.

Only problem is...FF corners NEVER get sharp - at any aperture.* Center and mid-frame resolution is decent however.


*Seems to depend on the shot, actually. When most of what you're shooting is in the same plane or close enough, it's fine. However, landscapes with both far and near objects...struggles mightily, more so than any other lens I have.
 
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