There is a new king of the 35mm f/1.4 lens lineup. With its introduction, the Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM Lens raises the bar on image quality delivered at this focal length and aperture.

In recent years we've seen Canon steadily update its range of most popular EF lenses. In the last 12 months no less we've seen replacements for the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM and the EF 50mm f/1.8 , and it's in this review that we're turning our attention to a new recruit – the Canon EF 35mm...

Canon's L-series lenses are all about premium -- premium performance and premium build quality -- and the new 35mm ƒ/1.4L II is no exception. A long-awaited update to a classic Canon full-frame prime, the new "Mark II" version of the venerable 35mm ƒ/1.4 lens offers noticeably improved sharpness and...

The Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM is a very capable, but big and pricey, moderately wide-angle prime lens that will appeal most to travel and reportage photographers looking for outstanding image quality.

The Canon EF 35mm f/1.4 USM L II performed fairly well in our full format test but it really shines when used on an APS-C format DSLR. This is not surprising because all the slight imperfections in the outer image field reside outside of the APS-C image frame.

It's been nearly 20 years since Canon released the first 35mm f1.4 L USM lens for the Canon EF mount. For a few years, that lens was my bread and butter optic. Then one year, Sigma released the 35mm f1.4 Art lens–and that quickly replaced the aged Canon offering.

Canon has an extensive range of high quality L lenses, and here we have the latest update to the very successful 35mm f/1.4 L USM. Coupled with the Canon EOS 5DS R this looks to be an interesting combination to run through its paces. Is the new lens able to give the 50MP 5DS R a run for its money?

Beautiful bokeh; Very good central sharpness; Weatherproofing; Fast and silent AF; Ultra Low central CA; Low distortion

Edge sharpness lags; Large for a 35mm lens; Fairly high price; Prone to flare

I spent some time researching this lens in comparison with the Sigma art 35mm f/1.4. In the end I decided that based on superior image sharpness and chromatic aberration. it is the sharpest wide to standard focal length lens that I have ever owned.

This is a truly great lens, I'm very happy with my purchase even though it is a significant investment.

Consistent Output; Durable; Quick Focus; Rugged; Sharp Focus

Canon EF 35mm F1.4L II USM is a Fixed aperture Auto Focus (AF) Wideangle Prime lens with 35mm FF max sensor coverage, and it is designed to be used with EF Mount cameras. Canon replaced the older Canon EF 35mm f1.4L USM with this model.

Weather-sealed, Autofocus, Distance Scale, Hood supplied, Full-time Manual Focusing, Very Fast Aperture, Covers Full-Frame Sensor, 9 Diaphragm Blades for Smooth Bokeh, Minimum focus distance of, 0.28m / 11.0 inch, Pricey

Weather-sealed, Autofocus, Distance Scale, Hood supplied, Full-time Manual Focusing, Very Fast Aperture, Covers Full-Frame Sensor, 9 Diaphragm Blades for Smooth Bokeh, Minimum focus distance of, 0.28m / 11.0 inch, Pricey