VIDEO: UNBOXING 32mm f/1.4 - "RAZOR SHARP"

John TF wrote:

Folks often don’t pay attention to the sample photos Canon always provides with any new lens because they are (1) not objective and (2) not representative - the are the very best a professional photographer can get from the lens.

Think about it...

(1) ”Not objective” often seems to imply “they probably cheated, so I don’t trust it”. Can you imagine the uproar if that info leaked, as it inevitably would is some case? Disastrous. A company of Canon’s stature would be foolish to risk it. So I am sure they don’t.

I think there are margins here. Canon can use these margins and likely will. But they can't and wont for instance use a R 50 f/1.2 picture or a EF 35mm f/1.4 picturee as a sample for this new lens.

Canon let us know some information about sharpness. I think this sounds promising. But here are margins too between truth and lying. They could have measured a very carefully tuned version, while the lenses coming from the factory could show a copy to copy variation, with only 10% performing at the level of this tested lens, and the rest below this level. I am not saying Canon does this, but in the mean time it is possible for a company to do this without a lot of risk. If they do it it is a lot of work to show empirical evidence as you will need to test a lot of lenses, and if you did this, you still can not claim Canon said a 100% lie.

Furthermore, IQ is not about sharpness alone. For instance: a lens can be very sharp, but at the same time have low contrast.

(2) The best possible image the lens can produce is what I want to see, because then the skill and taste of the photographer is not a limiting factor, as it is so often with the informal tests posted here or even DPR’s sample images. It is one piece of valuable information in a purchase decision. (Don’t get me wrong - the more forum images the better IMHO).

Of course it is perfectly fine if the lest it tested without user error.

OTOH, Canon’s photographer has selected conditions (and models) that are ideal for the lens. I won’t. He/she uses a tripod, I don’t. They have studio lights. Not me. So there is that, too.

Agree. And that is why i don't care much about sample pictures.

So I welcome Canon’s best shot as an indicator of how good the lens could be under the right circumstances. If even then the sample images have flaws or don’t appeal, then for sure the lens will have flaws in my much less skilled hands. It is useful information, to be considered alongside DPR’s sample images and images posted in the forum.

The best indicator is difficult circumstances for a lens without any user error. As someone else mentioned here before, even pros have to deal with less than ideal circumstances for a lens, and a stellar lens will help anybody in these situations compared tot a mediocre lens.