Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM

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blue-yellow CA in the corners (used to be red-green in the old version). Price should be around $1600.

I have a perfect copy of the 35L, and there is NO QUESTION that the 14L blows it away! Especially in resolving distant landscape foliage details. This lens is constantly out-resolving the 1DMKII sensor. Very sharp wide open and impressive @ f/8. The CA issues are easily corrected if you shoot RAW.
Of all my other lenses, I get the most fun out of using this one, even more so than my beloved 300mm 2.8 L IS.
However, Canon should lower the price tag on it (and they will since Nikon's 14-24 sells for a lot less)

I've had the 14mm lens for about 1 1/2 months, and unlike the previous reviewer my experience with this lens has been great. I've used it with a Canon 5D in normal and low light situations, landscape and architecture, and the result has been consistently outstanding. I ordered 16x24 and 20x20 prints of two of my photos with this lens--excellent results!

Massive CA, not sharp, very expensive

To the poster above, "Comparable with the 1.4/35L!" is quite wrong, I don't know how you could even post that a 14L would be as sharp as the 35L, that's almost an insult to the intelligence of the people around here. These reviews above mine do not accurately portray this lens based on my experience, and after seeing so many people having the same experience as me online.

The corners of this lens are soft, especially at 2.8. You almost have to stop it down to F8 to get good performance across the frame unless you want your trees to look like mashed potatoes.

I took this lens out and was shooting lots of beach stuff tripod mounted, fired off with cable release, and the sand was barely resolved. So, I put my 24L on, and BAM, tack sharp--no CA.....whereas the 14L was soft and had CA all along the highlights.

When you pay over $2,000 for a lens, you would hope that it would not be bested at the same focal length by a Nikon zoom. The new Nikon 14-24G destroys this lens and only costs $1,700. Canon needs to get their act to together. I sent my lens back, it's not worth the money in my opinion.

Having owned the 17-40L, 16-35L and 15mm FE, I guess you can say I have a thing for UWA lenses. I've always been tempted by the original 14L, but was quite pleased with the results I was acheiving with the 16-35L at the time. Plus, I could hardly justify the cost. Fast forward to 2007 and Canon introduces the 14L II. This lens comes on the heels of the 16-35L II, which is reportedly a nice improvement over the mark I version as well. Those seeking a fast sharp UWA solution now have several great options to choose from. I was pretty much dead set on acquiring the 16-35L II, but recently sold all my zooms in favor of shooting primes exclusively. Then along comes the 14L II and many wondered if this lens will address the shortcomings of the original mark I version. While I can't compare this to the original version, I will say that I've been quite impressed with the performance so far. The images have been incredibly sharp even wide open. Yeah you'll get some distortion at the edges, but this is the nature of the beast when you're talking about UWA lenses. I concur that this lens is sharp from corner to corner and the colors and contrast is everything you'd expect from an L lens. The lens is incredibly wide on FF and there is just so much potential to be creative as you want to be. I love it. The build quality is incredible. A very solid lens. The built-in hood works well by design, and the improved lens cap works great. Makes you wonder why it was never implemented to begin with and if Canon will make one for the 15mm FE as well. Of course the front element protrudes, so you'll have to be careful about handling the lens. I haven't noticed any significant aberations, but I haven't really run it through its paces either. I plan to take it out this weekend and get some shots outdoors. I'm really anxious to see how it handles flare and CA, but based on reviews so far I expect it to perform exceptionally well. I will still rate this lens a 10 based on what I've seen in less than extreme conditions. I will conduct a more comprehensive follow up review after I've had it for a while longer. I plan on using this lens for urban landscapes, dramatic shots of interiors and people shots primarily. This is a very niche lens, so you have to weigh your options carefully before investing in this glass. There are many great alternatives to choose from and they won't set you back as much as this lens will. But if you need absolutely the best fast UWA prime that's not fishy, you would be wise to save your pennies and invest in this glass. Canon has done good.

some little, and easy removable CA at contrasty edges.

It´s one of the sharpest Wideangle lenses I have ever seen. Comparable with the 1.4/35L!
Classes better than the old one (which was not as bad as often told).
Expensive but worth any penny!!!

Worth every penny, and that is quite a few.

Color aberrations in edges and purple fringing around contrasty highlight areas still remain. But these can be easily reduced/removed during RAW processing, with some work in post processing.

Finally the 14mm lens I can use without worrying about tedious post processing work.