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p.9 #15 · p.9 #15 · Official: 24-70mm f/4L IS and 35mm f/2 IS released! | |
I'm guessing the principal advantage of the 35mm f/2.0 IS is going to turn out to be extremely low light autofocus.
I just did a little test with my 5D III. Using only computer screen illumination on a target 10 feet away, with a Zeiss 35mm f/1.4, I was unable to get a focus indication in the viewfinder. At that level of illumination the Zeiss is out of the game. The venerable 35L, however, was nailing shot after shot, f/1.4, 1/40th, ISO 6400 (subjectively, about as dark as a late-night wedding reception). Perfect focus about 80% of the time. So between those two lenses, the 35L is the better low light choice, even if you discount the usual manual focus disadvantages.
However, Canon is now doing some newer autofocus tweaks, and because of that I'm guessing that 35mm f/2.0 IS is going to outperform the 35L for low light. Better low-light focus, plus IS could add up to a real see-in-the-dark monster of a lens. I think the price complainers may be missing the point.
And then there is the question of what happens if Canon updates the 35L, giving it the same autofocus that is now going into the newest lenses, which presumably they will. Even more market confusion, but only because of the range of choices.
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