Favourite lens

I've used this lens for about two and a half years now. In combination with a full frame sensor it is simply stunning. I acquired mine second hand shortly after my 1Ds Mark III and it has been my favoured lens for travel, which make sup much of my life. It is lightweight, admits lots of light, is sturdy in construction, and fast to focus.

Vignetting in terms of reduced definition (not so much darkness) is quite noticeable beneath about f/4.5 on faster shutter speeds and it can take a bit of time to properly bracket your working style to minimize disappointment when moving between a wide variety of light conditions. Of course, you probably won't see this if you are on an APS-C or other non-full frame sensor.

Distortion is minimal at the 35mm end of the range, but certainly evident at the edge of the frame circa 16mm: keep human subjects out of the danger zone, and you should be fine. Again, reduced issue for APS-C users.

I've taken close ups of people, many general scenes, and some very landscapes with this camera. Use of an ND filter for landscape photography has proven reasonable.

Unfortunately, after 2.5 years the lens electronics broke down. I have no idea why. I've taken it in to Canon to get it repaired and hope for good news and a cheap quote on its repair.

If you are serious about landscape photography and less interested in an all-round wide angle and more in ultra-wide perfection, I would recommend instead buying the 17mm TS (tilt-shift) lens instead. The optical comparison available over here shows clearly the chromatic aberration of the 16-35mm (and 17-40mm) are far, far, far higher than the 17mm TS. Basically, if you can afford it and normally or frequently shoot your wide angles with a tripod and don't mind carting things around, buy the 17mm TS instead. If you are more in to general purpose shooting or want an ultra-wide for events and street photography or travel without too much gear, then 16-35mm might be closer to your needs. In any event, the field of view is simply beautiful on a full frame sensor.