Canon Officially Announces the EF-S 35mm f/2.8 Macro IS STM

[Talys]

Canon bringing out this lens, when they Need to update their 50mm 1.4, also a 20mm 2.8 or faster & update their 28mm 1.8 to one with IS. Guess none of the above matter to them.

Again, looking at Canon's strategy, these iterations will either be focus by wire, consumer grade or pro-targeted L lenses.

With the exception of 50mm, the consumer grade lenses are unlikely to be faster than 2.8 -- there haven't been any in God-knows-how-long. So if you see a 28mm 1.8 IS, it will probably be L and expensive and heavy. How many people will want that? I don't know, but I suspect fewer than people who want 35mm 2.8 IS macro and cheap -- or 28mm 2.8 IS and cheap.

I know we would all like to see faster than f/2.8 and ring USM on lenses that are under $500 (the old "gold ring" lenses) -- but I think that with a few exceptions , like 50mm, these will be few and far between from Canon.

I'm just fine with 2.8 for most lenses, if it means a really substantial price difference -- as long as the IQ at 2.8 is good, and I don't have to drop it to f/4 to get a sharp image, I can get what I need out of the lens.

 

[ahsanford]

I know we would all like to see faster than f/2.8 and ring USM on lenses that are under $500 (the old "gold ring" lenses) -- but I think that with a few exceptions , like 50mm, these will be few and far between from Canon.

Disagree. I'm not expecting mindblowingly quick midgrade lens refreshes to happen, but 35-85mm FF primes are relatively inexpensive to go f/2 or faster provided you don't have Sigma Art resolution expectations.

We already got the old EF 35mm f/2 refreshed with IS and USM in 2012, and I expect a similar refresh treatment to the EF 50 f/1.4 USM and EF 85 f/1.8 USM before too long. They may end up going nano USM / focus by wire, but Canon won't nerf their max aperture or anything.

...they'll just withhold them from happening for too long. :

- A

 

[scyrene]

it's extremly hard to get this close to beetles or spiders, not to mention butterflies, unless they are dead.

1. EF-S 250mm OR 300mm f/5.6 IS USM Macro (MFD must be between 0.75 and 1 meter) for beetles,

In my experience, beetles and spiders do not generally mind close approach. Butterflies, lizards, etc. obviously usually do, but I think you're being unduly harsh.

 

[scyrene]

How hard is it to remember to not shoot in the direction of the sun? Shots against the sun are never going to be pleasing shots anyway, unless you like extreme light flaring and veiling.

Well everybody's different, but this is just bizarre to me. Plenty of great shots have light somewhere behind them, especially around sunrise and sunset.

I am a fan of UV filters, if I know I'm shooting in a dirty city with smog, or sand, since a large part what causes light veiling and contrast loss is particles on the lens. That stray light hitting particles and bouncing around inside the elements, is what causing the majority of the veiling / flaring / anomalies..in direct light. At least an UV filter does something more useful, keeping your lens clean, just toss your UV filter under the sink if it's dirty...don't try that with your lens. The filter itself might cause a puny amount of contrast loss if it's a cheap filter, but it beats getting your lens dirty.

The whole filter or no filter debate is a longstanding can of worms but I will say this: in those lenses that include it, the lens hood is free, whereas you have to buy a filter (and good filters can be expensive); a hood doesn't harm image quality (whereas a filter *can* in some circumstances, especially cheaper ones), and hoods are much less fragile - plastic or carbon fibre being less liable to shatter than glass. While a filter is better at preventing dirt reaching the lens's front element, a hood can keep most sources of dirt at bay under most circumstances. I also often stand my camera on end, lens down, which is fine with the hood attached but definitely not recommended if you're just using a filter with no hood.

 

[ahsanford]

Canon bringing out this lens, when they Need to update their 50mm 1.4, also a 20mm 2.8 or faster & update their 28mm 1.8 to one with IS. Guess none of the above matter to them.

This is an old chart I made for EF primes, and though it's two years old, I'm pretty sure we haven't a new EF prime since I made this.

Key thing is this: those five lenses in the middle are 20-ish years old and sorely in need of a refresh, particularly the 50 and 85 as much more popular options with (especially the 50) some glaring and straightforward issues to fix.

But the 20 f/2.8, the 28 f/1.8 and 100 f/2 can take a number and get in line. As far as update priority goes, the EF 50 f/1.4 USM should be #1 with a bullet.

- A