My take on new 35mm

[GMCPhotographics]

I should note that the new 35 is a bright lens, at least 1/3 stop brighter than the old one.

Where did you find this piece of information?

1/3 T stop but not F stop? Either way, I've not read that either.
If Canon was to design a f1.4 replacement lens which 1/3 stop was brighter, they would have marked the lens as f1.2 and made a big thing about it. These days, there a quite a few f1.4 35mm lenses available...when Canon first launched the 35L...it was the ONLY one. It's a pity Canon have n't pushed the lens design a little more and gone for an expansion of the f1.2 line...but we are where we are.

 

[gregorywood]

Different lenses for different needs. IS definitly is nice to have in many situations. But the shorter the lens gets, the less sense it makes. First, with a 35mm handheld, you can go down to 1/30. This is already a setting, where motion of the subject causes problems. So IS does not make sense in a 35mm if you shoot anything that moves. IS is said to improve shooting up to 4 stops. 4 stops in a 35mm would mean a shutterspeed of 1/2 seconds, which is rather long. This is also something I expirienced in Standard-zoom lenses at the wide end. There is a point where IS does not help much anymore, because the camera moves just too much in such a long time.
Again, it all depends on your shooting style, and your budget. The good thing is, we have options: Canon 35mm f1.4 II, Canon 35mm f2 IS, Sigma 35mm f1.4 Art, Canon 35mm f1.4 I. Those are all very nice lenses, you just Need to pick the one that suits you and your Budget the best.

I am able to routinely get crisp shots on my 6D + 35mm f/2 IS down to 1/4 shutter. I first thought it was luck, but I can do it. With IS off I can get down to 1/30 and that's about it. Even though the time span is long (in camera time), the IS fights off the movement.

The 35mm is the ONE lens I have owned the longest, and for good reason. It's perfect for what "I" need and I love the IQ it produces. At $500, it was a steal (in my opinion) compared to it's peers.

Greg

 

[AcutancePhotography]

I never considered IS on a 35 to be that necessary. I am normally a shaky guy, but I can't say that I have had much concern for blurry shots with the 35. Especially with the the great ISO capabilities of today's cameras, it is easier to keep the shutter speed at a good speed.

I would not turn down IS on a 35, but I would also not base a purchasing decision on it either.

But to each his or her own. Different things are important to different photographers.

 

[FTb-n]

I never considered IS on a 35 to be that necessary. I am normally a shaky guy, but I can't say that I have had much concern for blurry shots with the 35. Especially with the the great ISO capabilities of today's cameras, it is easier to keep the shutter speed at a good speed.

I would not turn down IS on a 35, but I would also not base a purchasing decision on it either.

But to each his or her own. Different things are important to different photographers.

I've always linked IS with long lenses to offset their tendency to magnify camera movement and also thought it wasn't a must-have for short lenses. Then I started playing with controlled motion blur down to about 1/15 second -- such as with streams, waterfalls, and fun people shots where your subject is still in front of a moving crowd. I upgraded to the 35 IS primarily for the sharper image and faster AF. The IS was a nice plus.

There is one "downside" to IS. On occasion, I have caught myself getting "sloppy" and a bit cavalier about holding the camera steady for grab shots and expecting IS to pick up the slack -- which it often does. If you're not careful, it could promote bad hand-held techniques.

 

[sanj]

How I wish I could carry a tripod with me always.

You can ! Manfrotto BeFree carbon. There's no excuse not to have it any place, any time.

Best new toy I've bought in a long time.

To me the 1.4 is purely for producing a particular shallow dof effect. I don't really understand the 'low light' thing; it presumes you are never concerned with dof.

I checked the tripod on internet. Very cool but still I do not think I can carry it with me to meetings etc. The camera is ok in the conference room sitting in my bag.