Roger and Aaron at LensRentals.com finally had the opportunity to tear apart the brand new Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II. Most of us want to know if Canon actually did make the new lens the gold standard for build quality like the marketing department would like us to believe.
It looks like there's truth in the marketing:
…This lens is massively over-engineered compared to any other prime we've ever disassembled. It's built like a tank where it counts; on the inside. Moving parts are huge and robust. Six big screws are used in locations where 3 smalls screws are common in other lenses. Heavy roller bearings move the focusing group, it doesn't slide on little nylon collars.
…If I had to summarize the mechanical design of this lens, I would say simply that no expense was spared, no corner was cut.
Sometimes things are expensive because they're worth it. Sometimes they're heavy because they're so solidly constructed. This is one of those times. Read the full article