Marco Nero wrote:
EOS M6 + EF-M 32mm f/1.4 STM lens with 43mm Hoya FUSION Circular Polarizer
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I'm still not ready to review this lens properly and can't do so without exploring a couple of other subjects. I especially need to test it a little more in lowlight conditions... which is what most people would likely consider buying this lens for (if not for the bokeh). It might be a few more days since I need to get out to the mountains and to conduct a few long-exposure shots at night. But I'm convinced this is a fantastic lens. Well worth the addition to any lens collection or as a stand-alone lens. I'll find it really hard to reduce my favorite photographs down to under a dozen for the lens review (I'm referring to the DPreview lens-owner's review section) but I'll post a broader range here since the members of the M forum are going to be far more interested in early examples. The lens still hasn't officially been released here yet in Australia although other parts of the world seem to be having more luck obtaining them. I see quite a few members here have it.
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I had shot this with my iPhone so there's some aspherical distortion... the EW-60F lens hood looks smaller in real life and complements the camera body and lens nicely.
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Lens Hood...
The other day, members from this forum advised that the smaller and less expensive EW-60F lens hood (which was made for the EF-M 18-150mm lens) does indeed fit onto the Canon EF-M 32mm f/1.4 STM lens with just a little bit of extra pressure when applying it. It's much smaller than the Canon ES-60 lens hood and it very practical in protecting the lens. I was struck by three people in crowds right on the lens - and even knocked it against a sandstone wall... The lens was protected each time by the use of the lens hood. It doesn't appear to be necessary beyond the protection factor though. Some reports from others here are suggesting third-party versions of the EW-60F may not fit properly over the lens-hood mounting flanges on the 32mm lens... so try to obtain a Canon version if you can.
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Sharp...
The sharpness of the lens is intensely sharp and detail from corner-to-corner is impressive. I'm shooting JPEG so my camera's going to be applying some subtle in-camera sharpening but the results are nonetheless very interesting. Most of my outdoor city shots below were taken in P-Mode which is almost "automatic". I figured the camera would know to adjust the exposure and ISO accordingly. The resulting images were crisply detailed. I've reduced my images to 2000 pixels for uploading here but I'm tempted to post some full-sized shots later to show the clarity. It's quite a surprise. For subjects closer to the lens, it offers shallow DOF and even attractive bokeh when closer subjects are shot with the lens wide open at f/1.4. It's nicely controlled and I made a point of obtaining a decent CPL filter because I know bright light can be challenging with bright lenses without faster (than 1/4000) shutter speeds. You'll need to click on some of the image to appreciate what sort of detail is present. Another surprise is that I haven't needed to apply any chromatic correction with CA with these images. Presumably this may be controlled with the in-camera lens correction which was automatically activated when the lens was fitted to the camera. Presumably the corrections are shared with the camera's processor when the lens if connected. Most modern lenses from Canon contain their own microprocessor (inside the lens) and that is where the data for lens-correction ought to be retained. This is possibly one of the sharpest two lenses i have used (the other was the EF 35mm f/1.4 USM II lens).
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The images below:
I usually post in a block of 10 images for etiquette although if I'm presenting early samples from a camera or lens, I'll post a few more. These were taken Saturday/Sunday (yesterday) with the EF-M 32mm f/1.4 STM lens + M6 ... I'm still editing images and selecting which ones to keep... but here's a few more shots people might find useful for determining what the lens is capable of ...
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* All were taken in JPEG (not RAW)
* I've added [*CLICK] to images worth a closer look.
* No sharpening was applied during PP.
* CPL used for outdoor shots in sunlight (43mm Hoya FUSION CPL filter).
* This is the sharpest EF-M lens on the market.
* All are handheld.
* Reminder that CPL filters often warm up and/or enhance colors.
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Powerhouse Museum - life-sized exhibit made from blue steel - (from China)
Sydney Opera House - blending it with the other tourists - CPL used
Powerhouse Museum - vintage microscopes behind acrylic wall
The Rocks (Sydney) - not my lunch - the staff let me take this shot.
Darling Harbor (Sydney) - The seagull who tried to steal my hotdog.
Vintage building at The Rocks (Sydney) - CPL used.
Circular Quay (Sydney) - cruise ship - CPL used.
Powerhouse Museum - Bill Parker plasma sculpture
Sydney Chinese Friendship Garden - CPL used
Sydney Powerhouse Museum - 1800s statue
Sydney Chinese Friendship Garden - local resident - CPL used. [*CLICK]
Sydney Powerhouse Museum - Vintage Microscope behind acrylic wall.
Sydney Darling Harbor - fountain after sunset.
Sydney QVB - Stopped in traffic - CPL used.
Sydney Chinese Friendship Garden feature - CPL used.
Sydney Powerhouse museum - Chinese antiques on display
Sydney, The Rocks @ "Ribs & Burgers" - my Cheeseburger (was delicious) - [*CLICK]
The Rocks, Sydney - Perfect Stranger posing for my bokeh test - CPL used. - [*CLICK]
Outer Sydney - Sunset from my car while stopped in traffic.
Sydney - Darling Harbor - Water at sunset.
Sydney Cruise Liner at the departure location - CPL used.
Sydney City light-rail installation.
My cat Zima - in very lowlight on my lap.
Sydney Chinese Friendship Garden - CPL used.
Tree at Circular Quay (Sydney)
No CLP used here. (Ultimo, Sydney)
Sydney - The Rocks - CPL used. [*CLICK]
Sydney Circular Quay - Jet Boat Riders - CPL used.
3-shot panorama taken on the steps of the Sydney Opera House. - CPL used. [*CLICK]
Powerhouse Museum - Plasma Display in a lowlight area
Sydney Comicon Fans leaving a convention (built-in flash used).
Sydney CBD - Window Display with Emerald rings.
Sydney Opera House - CPL used.
Sydney Powerhouse Museum - Exquisite detail in a tiny, 200 year old statue. [*CLICK]
I think I posted this earlier... last of the tiny Cherry Blossoms on my street.
Powerhouse Museum - Lunar moonrock returned by the Apollo missions.
Sydney - The Rocks - at the markets using the Servo AF
Sydney Circular Quay - Cruise ship docked - CPL used.
Tourists in Sydney - CPL used.
Sydney Powerhouse Museum - an interactive Prism sculpture
Male Water Dragon - A completely different lizard - CPL used. [*CLICK]
Sydney Darling Harbor - Neon Sign Study - CPL used.
Sydney - The Rocks - Subtle shallow DOF
Sydney - The Rocks
Sydney - the Rocks - folks listening to the band (in the images above).
Sydney Chinese Friendship Gardens - Yet another of those lizards - CPL used.
Sydney Chinese friendship Gardens - this guy was actually a tourist. (NO CPL used)
Sydney CBD - My wife (right) looking flushed from a long walk to get to Comicon.
Sydney Powerhouse Museum - vintage racecar - presumably early 1900s.
Sydney CBD - some sort of animated digital poster - up close.
Sydney QVB carpark - Costume Helmet.
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Heavy Equipment?
When I was in the city (shooting the pictures above), I bumped into no less than 8 different photographers who spoke with me briefly. One ignored my camera. Two were friends I haven't seen in a while who were complaining about how heavy their DSLRs were compared to the EOSM. And then I met with people who had handled the new EOS R mirrorless camera. Canon themselves were conducting a test shoot with multiple EOS R cameras in the city that day although I passed on the invitation they emailed us with. Meeting people who had handled all the new RF lenses and the EOS R camera was particularly interesting because I've decided to retire my FF DSLRs and move my EF lenses to the new R system. The first thing everyone said to me was how horridly heavy the new RF lenses were. One chap with some experience as a dealer was mortified at how much larger, wider and heavier the new RF 50mmL lens was because he owned a 5D IV with the original EF 50mmL lens. He showed me pictures of him holding the RF lenses in his hand and said the weight alone (not to mention the enormous size) was going to cause people to give pause with their plans to buy into the new system.
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M6 + EF-M 32mm f/1.4 STM + CPL - a tourist with his DSLR + L-lens yesterday.
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I was mingling with thousands of tourists while I was in the city. Most of them had cellphone cameras although I saw a LOT of large and heavy DSLRs ... almost all of which were APS-C. Quite a few Nikon DSLRs. Around 90% of people were using cellphones. Many of the DSLR users glanced at my M6 + 32mm lens and sighed as though they envied the smaller camera I was carrying. Some were even carrying two different DSLRs with different lenses on each of their cameras. So many cameras! And many of the photographers with DSLRs were struggling in the heat. I carried mine in my hand with my hand around the lens or across the back of the LCD. It was lightweight and i didn't even need a strap. When I needed both hands, I simply locked the camera onto my PeakDesign clip on my belt. I had several people ask me which lens I had on my camera, including a Canon employee who recognized the Canon logo but couldn't figure out which lens I was using. I spoke with another dealer who started to talk to me about the EOS R being the best thing since mirrorless... while referring to my own M6 camera as a camera that "probably takes nice pictures" whilst looking down his nose at the M6 as he pondered what he knew about the body. He confused with with the M100. I think it dawned on him that his comments were clearly critical of anything 'not Sony' - and we all know how defensive Sony fans are, even when it comes to the indefensible. But even he noted that I had size and weight on my side, as well as price. He began to complain about the kilos of weight that he had to lift when using the EOS R. His complaints about the weight and size of the new lenses and the cost of adoption mirrored the comments I heard earlier in the day. The same chap called over another person he worked with to confirm how heave the new RF lenses were and how the RF 50mmL lens is twice as long as the EF version and how they could barely hold it in their hands from the diameter.
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Just as the day was ending I ran into a girl I know who has recently taken up photography and she wanted to show me some of her photographs on her phone. She's using an 80D and was getting some beautiful shots with it. I briefly showed her my lens and explained what I was doing in the city. She said the weight and size of her camera was her only complaint. As I headed off to meet up with my wife (who was attending a Comicon convention) a pedestrian smashed her hand into my lens as she tried to cut around me and cross the road at a set of lights. ... fortunately the lens was protected by the lens-hood I'd mounted earlier. Her rings just glanced off it.
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I work with different cameras and lenses so often that I 'can't see the forest for the trees' anymore. But to my eyes the images from this lens seem pleasant and in some ways a little different to what I'm used to seeing on the EOS M cameras. Anyone else still 'on the fence' with this lens? I suppose no lens is essential. But I suspect that it's going to be a popular one.
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Regards,
Marco Nero.
Marco one of your best reviews ever.... thank you.. your shots really do cover the bulk of examples of what this lens can do...i keep trying to decide if i stay with ef 35 f2IS and its IS advantages, or trade it in and go with the 32 after seeing your examples not sure the IS is needed particularly with the brightness of the 32. your images IQ really does look so much like the 35 1.4 mkII .... you mentioned the 35 1.4 how do you think this lens compares with the 35 f2 IS??
