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EOS20
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Registered: Mar 6, 2005
Location: Australia
Posts: 11981
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Review Date: Sep 8, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Good zoom range, Good build quality, Versatile.
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Cons:
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Big and heavy, No IS, Big Lens Hood, No focus limiter, Bit slow.
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Picked up a good condition used copy of this lens.
This is my second Canon push/pull zoom lens, so I don't mind the push/pull design. The lens has a good build quality, typical of a Canon L lens, with good colours and decent bokeh and it makes a nice semi macro lens. It's a great all round lens for those times when you don't want to carry around a bag full of lenses, or you don't know what your going to encounter while out and about. It does have decent sharpness and colours, but don't expect prime sharpness, but that is to be expected since it's a 10x zoom lens.
I've written a more comprehensive review here:
http://www.redbubble.com/people/eos20/journal/3710985-the-latest-addition-to-my-kit-canon-35-350-l
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 Sep 8, 2009
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margilli
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Registered: May 13, 2008
Location: United States
Posts: 14
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Review Date: Jul 29, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $850.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Image quality is definitely worthy of the L designation. Great focal range. Suberb build quality. I'm totally satisfied with this lens.
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Cons:
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Haven't found any.
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Jul 29, 2009
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babylonboots
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Buy and Sell: On
Registered: Jul 23, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 72
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Review Date: Apr 13, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $950.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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focal range, versatility, image quality
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Cons:
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None
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Great walk-around lens. I'm was always challenged when selecting a lens to carry around. This one has it all - near wide to telephoto. Found that I'm using it more than ever. Weight isn't too bad - I'm used to other telephotos. Image quality has been great so far. Very pleased with this 7 year old lens. Picked up a mint copy from a local guy who wasn't using it at all.
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Apr 13, 2009
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trenchmonkey
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Registered: Oct 22, 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 18300
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Review Date: Mar 15, 2008
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,200.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Range, colors, contrast, build, ultimate (pre 28-300) walkaround
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Cons:
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None
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Always wanted to try an uber zoom. Pretty sharp wide open,
stop down 1 or so and it becomes very sharp. AF very fast,
using this primarily with a 1D as my "throw in the truck" kit.
Excellent color, contrast...what you'd expect in a L zoom. I
knew it didn't have IS when I bought it, so I've got nothing but
great things to say about it. Long lens technique comes into play
if you're expecting sharp keepers due to it's heft but I've taken
amazing landscapes and turned around and nailed BIF without
changing lenses and THAT is worth every penny spent. I don't
think sample variation is the cause for mixed reviews, you need
to keep the shutter speeds up and have some skills to make this
sing but so far I love what I'm hearing.:)
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Mar 15, 2008
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tonno1970
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Registered: Jan 13, 2005
Location: Italy
Posts: 230
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Review Date: Sep 2, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $850.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Very versatile an dgood IQ
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Cons:
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pump zoom, a little on the heavy side
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I bought this used for 850 Euros not USD.
I waited a lot to buy it as I was not sure about its quality rendition. I must admit I was surprised for the good quality it delivers. Expecially on the 1D 1,3x sensor.
I tested vs 70-200/4L and this last wins at every focal length but the 35-350 is much more useful for my purposes and the IQ is still very good. Not for pixels peeper but in the "real" world it does the job!
My only complain is the push pull zoom that in my copy is very annoying and it is not so easy to use.
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Sep 2, 2007
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Brad Hartwig
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Registered: Dec 26, 2005
Location: Canada
Posts: 13
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Review Date: Aug 19, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,000.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Range, coverage
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Cons:
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Weight
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I bought this lens used from a second hand store in Japan. It is in good shape, and takes brilliant shots. I am pleased with the lens overall.
I really like the locking ring for the trombone zoom. My 70-210 f4 doesn't have this, and it makes things sloppy.
I have wanted this lens for some time and am very pleased with it. I also considered the 28-300, but with the price being 3X it wasn't justifiable.
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Aug 19, 2007
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johnshinn3
Offline
[ X ]
Registered: Jun 29, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 143
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Review Date: Nov 22, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,000.00
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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versatile with a 10X zoom making it ideal as a walk-around lens for me.
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Cons:
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big lens hood
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After realizing I needed a longer focal lens for my shooting needs, I sold my 70-200 f4L to buy this lens. While I miss the tack sharp shots of the 70-200, I'm nevertheless satisfied with this lens which (attached to my EOS-1D) has become my walk-around lens. The combined weight of the 1D and the 35-350 lens --- about a little over 6 lbs. --- does not bother me at all. Overall, I've shot some really (sharp) great sports pictures, as well as spot news photos, with this lens. My only complaint really is the big lens hood. Other than that I'm extremely happy with this lens and will keep it as my favorite walk-around Canon "L" lens.
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Nov 22, 2006
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logihouse
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Registered: Mar 30, 2005
Location: Denmark
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Apr 24, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $900.00
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Huge range 10
pretty sharp
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Cons:
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Expensive compared to a point and shoot zoom camera
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Used it on a trip to Tenerife as a supplement to my 400 mm f 5.6
The contrast and sharpness is overwhelmely better with the
400 mm f 5.6. Even my withbrought old Olympus UZ 2100 *) camera could follow the 35-350 mm in sharpness. I have sold the 35-350 and bought a Lumix FZ 30 for family and holiday, and stick to my primes:
400 mm f 5.6 L +
500 mm F 4 +
50 mm 1.4 on my SLR.
*) What a pitty that cameraline was discontinued. It was and is a superb camera.
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Apr 24, 2006
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incdigital
Offline
Buy and Sell: On
Registered: Aug 2, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 197
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Review Date: Mar 9, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $900.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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HUGE RANGE! , Great used price, L color and contrast, Build, Sharp for 10x zoom
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Cons:
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No IS, Push/Pull Zoom not my fav...but it does the job
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Mar 9, 2006
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Rob Greenstein
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Registered: Dec 7, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 703
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Review Date: Jan 20, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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All in one 10X zoom, L Optics, beautiful color. Versatility!!
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Cons:
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At the long end slightly soft and a bit slow if not shooting in bright scenes.
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I've had mine for years and have loved using this lens. Sure it's not as sharp as a 300 2.8L but it's a 10X zoom!!
I originally bought it for shooting ski racing and only wanting a single lens to bring on the hill in a LowePro Orion AW fanny/daypack with my then A2e or 1n film body.
The lens has turned in fantastic results in such bright conditions. And, has also proven to be very useful for those longer reach portraits at the telephoto end with the slight softness actually facilitating the results.
With the film bodies, I've never had any problem with dust nor weather effects getting into the lens and the absence of IS hasn't been much of a problem either. It's all about technique I guess.
Haven't even seriously considered replacing it with the 28-300L IS lens, as this one works so well. Now that I'm shooting with a 1DMKIIn the film bodies don't get any use, and yeah there's a 1.3 crop but it's only a field of view crop not a magnification multiplier, so the composition of the shots with the 1DMKIIn's 100% viewfinder effectively eliminates any problems with the crop factor.
I almost never use the tripod collar, and haven't found handholding the lens to be too much of a problem at the shorter focal lengths. At longer lenghts, a stable position, railing, tree or some sort of support can be helpful if shutter speed isn't high.
This glass is not supposed to be compared to the L Series primes and any such comparision will achieve nothing.
Is the lens great? Yes. Am I delighted to own it? Yes. Would I buy one again? Yes. If I did not own one would I buy the 20-300 L IS instead? Not sure!
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Jan 20, 2006
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rpallagi
Offline
Buy and Sell: On
Registered: Feb 2, 2005
Location: Hungary
Posts: 115
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Review Date: Feb 2, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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When you don't know what you will shot, it will never let you down. Doubles as a macro lens at 135mm focal lenght. AF speed is faster than on my 85mm 1.8...and thats a prime...
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Cons:
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bit slow, and lacks contrast at a long end
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I just love this lens. I had a 100-400 and although it was sharper at the long end and it had IS. it stayed in the cabinet all the time. It was much heavier too, which zou only notice when you hand holding for hours.
I was on a safari in Zimbabwe and I learned real fast that 35-350 is much more useful then 100-400.IS USM. with 35-350 I could be shooting landscape in 1 second, the next an animal far away, next a portrait of a someone next to me, and next a macro of jumping spider on the ground! try that with any other lens...Even doing everyday shooting I prefer it over any of my lenses. I just wish it was a little smaller, but it handles GREAT with my 10D with grip.
Picture quality... I have mostly canon primes, and this lens is just not as sharp as any of the primes. but sharpness has never been as important for me as getting a shot or not... but it manages to put out awesome images up until 250mm, with great colors and contrast wide open. at longer focal lenghts needed to be stopped down... hard to handhold... thx god Canon's cmos sensor--- this lens ROCKS..
now if it was a 2.8 lens....
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Feb 2, 2005
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John Black
Offline
Buy and Sell: On
Registered: Jul 14, 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 3432
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Review Date: Jan 22, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $850.00
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Great range & built like a tank.
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Cons:
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Push/pull isn't as smooth as I would like. Weight. It's a slow lens.
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I bought this lens used and paid $850 - so my review is based on that price point - not the $1499 retail price. This lens has tremendous range, but it's a big heavy lens. It's weight is the same as the 70-200L F.8 IS, so make sure you're ready for the weight. I use it on a 1DmkII, so it's fine for me. But on a 300D with no grip - no way...
Image quality is quite good - it's a 35-350 10X zoom - so if you expect prime-like sharpness --- you're dreaming. You buy this lens for convenience or because you have no idea what lens you'll need for a day out. Once the lens is stopped down, contrast picks up and so does sharpness. Plan on F8.
Sharpness is definitely better than the 75-300 IS. And the lens certainly has the "L" color - a nice saturation and bokeh is pleasing. Contrast is good once you've stopped it down several steps. It's certainly usable wide-open, but F8 is so much better. If you don't need/want the bokeh, you'll be shooting F8 to F11 in most cases.
The push pull zoom - love it or hate it. I'm not a big fan, but it's not that bad. The tension adjustment is awkward - don't care for that part. You must dismount the lens to add or remove the tripod collar.
I find this lens to be pretty fun. AF is good, not the quickest - probably on par with something like a 28-135 IS. It's a good daylight lens, in lowlight you'll need a tripod. Macro isn't bad either. Like I said in the beginning - this is a 10X zoom, so keep your expectations in check and you'll be happy with the lens. It's a solid performer and good optics considering the extreme focal range.
If I had a 10D/20D, I'd skip this lens because 35mm just isn't wide enough by the time you add 1.6x multiplier. The big deal about this lens is going from 35mm to 350mm in one lens. A 1.6x multipier pretty much kills that benefit unless you want a really, really long lens. I'm going to sell the lens and buy the 28-300L IS. It costs sooo much more than 35-350L, but those extra 7mm at the wide end plus IS make it worth it.
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Jan 22, 2005
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