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Is your 35L sharp at 1.4???

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Per Zangenberg

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When I got my 35L I was dissapointed with the sharpness below f2. I was allways reading about how sharp it is wide open, but mine is not. I thought I had a poor copy, but when browsing full-size images at flickr I see that these have the same soft "dreamy" look at 1.4. So I ask those of you who praise the 35L to look at these and tell me if yours is the same or better, and if so please show me 100% samples.

Random f1.4 from flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=289107742&size=o

My own f1.4 sample. full image



100% crop at focus point



full



100%



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http://www.zangenberg.net
 




If you zoom-in on the crop you can actually see the fibers above the F55.
5D - iso50 - F1.4 - 1/100

 
are you using any filters on this lens?

the 35L isn't ultra sharp wide open but it should be better than that.
Per Zangenberg said:
When I got my 35L I was dissapointed with the sharpness below f2. I
was allways reading about how sharp it is wide open, but mine is not.
I thought I had a poor copy, but when browsing full-size images at
flickr I see that these have the same soft "dreamy" look at 1.4. So I
ask those of you who praise the 35L to look at these and tell me if
yours is the same or better, and if so please show me 100% samples.
Click to expand...
--
5D sample gallery: http://mrs-h.smugmug.com/gallery/2539780#137075551
 
Did ask him to be very still - LOL!

 
Looking at the very narrow plane of focus, it looks pretty sharp to me. The tied up dollar bill has maybe a centimeter of in-focus depth. The room shot looked focused at about the front of the door jamb on the door on the wall, which would put your 100% crop past the focal plane.

--
Check out my pbase gallery:
http://www.pbase.com/awelsh
 
The MTF numbers support your findings. The results are OK at 1.4, but they are not spectacular.
Per Zangenberg said:
When I got my 35L I was dissapointed with the sharpness below f2. I
was allways reading about how sharp it is wide open, but mine is not.
I thought I had a poor copy, but when browsing full-size images at
flickr I see that these have the same soft "dreamy" look at 1.4. So I
ask those of you who praise the 35L to look at these and tell me if
yours is the same or better, and if so please show me 100% samples.

----------------------------------------
Click to expand...
--
Galleries: http://www.pbase.com/jon_b
 
i'm not sure myself. i just got one today, but i've only taken 1 photo. more tomorrow.

f/1.4



100%

 
There might be an optical element that is out of position, making the sweet spot blurry. That kind of problem should be easy to check for at a service centre.

If your lens is still under warranty then that should be covered. It might be slightly soft wide open, but not blurry as you copy is.

( I had similar problem with a 50 1.4 lens. The blurring looks quite similar. But unfortunately, I discovered it too late for getting it fixed under warranty )
 
Per Zangenberg said:
When I got my 35L I was dissapointed with the sharpness below f2. I
was allways reading about how sharp it is wide open, but mine is not.
I thought I had a poor copy, but when browsing full-size images at
flickr I see that these have the same soft "dreamy" look at 1.4. So I
ask those of you who praise the 35L to look at these and tell me if
yours is the same or better, and if so please show me 100% samples.
Click to expand...
100% crops from my 35mm f/1.4 L on Canon 5D:
(This was in very bright sunny conditions - the f/1.4 shot is 1/8000s ISO100.)



Barnett
 
Thanks!

I think I will try to take a few more test shots and post them here to see what people think. I have also contacted a Canon service center and asked how much it will cost to get it checked out.

I have been thinking about trading my 35L in for a 16-35L, as it could also replace my 12-24, but I fear i will miss the extra 2-stops (almost).

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http://www.zangenberg.net
 
I too were surprised when I first got the 35L, since I expected a better result from it wide open. My 35mm 2.0 is marginally better at 2.0 in terms of center sharpness when compared to the 35L at 1.4 and I would say that they are about equal when comparing both lenses at 2.0. Corner sharpness is, however, much better on the 35L.

There is also no doubt that the 35L has better overall contrast and that the USM drive is sooo much better than the buzzz of the 35mm 2.0!

On the other hand I prefer the size of the 35mm 2.0 when doing "street shooting" on my 400D - exspecially when I remove the battery grip. Guess you can't have the best of both worlds? And that is why I would love if Canon could make a 35mm 1.8 USM lens similar to the 85mm 1.8 USM in price and quality. Now THAT would be an awsome lens!
 
To the OP: How are you performing Auto-Focus? What is your camera workflow? Do you rely solely on the center focus point? When shooting close and fast in aperture, do you recompose?

I'm wondering if your camera workflow is causing the too soft pictures.

--
Lanned For Bife
 
With much respect, I have to say that this thread seems weird to me. Why are you testing your new 35L on scenes that would best suited by smaller apertures. Do you intend to use it to capture an entire room in sharpness at f/1.4?

Try a subject that makes sense for f/1.4, like the one Psychic1 posted. I don't see how you will be served by evaluating full room scenes at f/1.4 - this doesn't account for the super thin focal plane, or the quality of the background blur, or the low light capability, or the superb auto focus, or in this case even the great colors.

Your test does not match the qualities of a 35L -- 16-35L is a better choice if these are the pics you are looking to take.

JCC
Per Zangenberg said:
When I got my 35L I was dissapointed with the sharpness below f2. I
was allways reading about how sharp it is wide open, but mine is not.
I thought I had a poor copy, but when browsing full-size images at
flickr I see that these have the same soft "dreamy" look at 1.4. So I
ask those of you who praise the 35L to look at these and tell me if
yours is the same or better, and if so please show me 100% samples.

Random f1.4 from flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=289107742&size=o

My own f1.4 sample. full image



100% crop at focus point



full



100%



--
----------------------------------------
http://www.zangenberg.net
----------------------------------------
Click to expand...
--
http://www.pbase.com/jccphoto
 
I don't find it a dissapointment,only had it two weeks and it's been getting me nice handheld shots WO imo

1/100 iso 1600



1/60 iso1600



1/50 iso3200



1/80 iso3200



1/30 iso3200



nice bokeh too

 
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