32mm f/1.4 --- City/People/Art/DOF - (PICS)

mpressed wrote:

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??

mp

It's extremely similar to the EF 35mm f/1.4L USM II. The clarity and render is almost indistinguishable in daylight scenes. If you ignore the benefits of Full Frame, the similarities are certainly there. The bokeh-balls are a little more refined on the EF lens due in part to the extra aperture blade... but you can't complain with the EF-M results when you compare prices.
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Performance on the EOS M cameras:
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* EF 35mm f/1.4L USM II -
- Superior optics (class leading)
- VERY sharp. Potentially Canon's sharpest lens.
- Performs better on Full Frame (for bokeh).
- Smooth bokeh.
- VERY Expensive.
- 9 blade aperture (nice bokeh and sunstars)
- 760g (very heavy)
- CA is visible open wide.
- 106mm long without lens hood (a bit Front-heavy)
- Vignetting (corner shading) notable (lens correction necessary).
- Corner softness on FF (not noticeable on EOSM/APS-C)
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* EF 35mm f/2 IS USM -
- Very sharp (generally) but not as sharp wide open (f/2)
- Performs well on both APS-C and FF cameras.
- Softer corners on Full Frame (no problem on EOSM)
- Excellent results with architecture and street photography.
- Better than f/2.8
- A very effective Image Stabilizer (4-stops)
- Good closeup performance
- 8 blade aperture.
- 335g
- 63mm long.
- Noisier AF motor.
- CA is visible open wide.
- IS is audible but VERY effective with video
- Soft areas in corners until f/5.6 (f/4 for APS-C)
- Middle area of lens sharp at f/2.8
- VERY strong Coma and smearing of highlights at the edges in lowlight.
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* EF-M 32mm f/1.4L STM -
- VERY sharp - even when wide open.
- As sharp as the EF 35mm f/1.4L II lens.
- No visible corner softness.
- No notable Coma, even when wide open.
- Slight CA is possible but it's extremely well controlled.
- Lightweight
- Good closeup performance.
- inexpensive (compared to EF 35mmL II)
- 7 blade aperture.
- 235g
- 57mm long.
- Quieter STM motor.
- No IS but the in-camera Video Stabilizer can be used.
- No vignetting - even with double-stacked filters.
- I'm shooting with JPEG + Lens Correction but no issues with shading.
- no testing for corner sharpness yet but have seen no signs of softness in all the samples I took. Will need to conduct a scientific test to determine this... just waiting for the weather to clear (raining all week here).
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The EF 35mm f/2 IS USM is also very sharp but it's not as bright on an APS-C camera. I do enjoy using the EF 135mm f/2 lens on the EOSM so I can appreciate how another wider f/2 lens would perform. I haven't used the 35mm f/2 lens on an EOS M camera but it comes highly recommended due to sharpness and a 4-stop Image Stabilizer.
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The EF 35mm f/2 IS USM lens: (compared to the 32mm f/1.4)
* Harder to find and expensive 67mm filter thread. (Vs 43mm)
* Requires the Lens Adapter to use on EOS-M cameras.
* Larger/Wider (78mm Vs 61mm)
* Longer (63mm Vs 57mm)
* Heavier (335g Vs 235g)
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One of the reasons I like the new EF-M 32mm f/1.4 STM lens is that it's light and easier to carry. It draws less attention in my hand and it gives me decent results in lowlight with the APS-C sensor. I just carried my M6 in my hand with the 32mm lens on it - for a distance of 6km without causing my arm any stress. The 22mm lens was like this as well - easy the carry and not likely to draw attention like larger lenses do.
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But f/1.4 is why I like this lens. Having it produce super-sharp images is just an extra benefit for me. It's good to see a native lens with f/1.4 on the EF-M mount. I hope it brings another layer of usefulness to this format for new and seasoned users.
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The best lens I've ever used on the EOSM cameras is the enormous EF 24mm f/1.4L USM II lens. It's large, heavy and expensive. But it was never really as sharp as this lens, despite it's excellent optical properties. Though it came close. I'd gladly sacrifice some wider view for the more iconic "50mm" equivalence this lens offers. i think the trade-off in size and cost is just another aspect of what makes it attractive for users.