Canon EF 35mm f2 review: Old but still very competitive

Canon EF 35mm f2 vs Carl Zeiss Distagon T 35mm f/2 ZE

Making a comparison between the Canon EF 35mm f2 and any other 35mm lens for Canon the first and most obvious thing that appears is the price. This lens is less than half the price of Zeiss’s Distagon f2. It does not perform as well at f2 as the Zeiss but it is a little better than the Canon f1.4 and if you look at wide open, rather than comparing f2 with f2 then the difference is significant. Once you stop down to f/4 the three 2 lenses look remarkably similar.

There are other measures where this budget lens has a definite advantage: weighing just 210g compared to the Carl Zeiss 35mm which tips the scale at 600g it is physically smaller too, less than half the size.

 Canon EF 35mm f2 vs Sigma 35mm f1.4 DG HSM A

Here are two lenses, one 22 years old and the other brand new, just launched. The Sigma is better in virtually all measures. It is twice the price of the Canon, but this is certainly justified given the excellent scores and the wider aperture. However when viewed side by side the Canon stands up well against this very good competition.