EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III vs EF 35mm f/1.4 II Sharpness

jcee724 wrote:

Thats not directly answering my question and I don't make prints. I just want to know which lens is sharper.

I think the point that BAK is making is that it doesn't matter which one is sharper.  Is there a specific reason that sharpness is the only thing you are comparing?  Do you make photo books?  Do you just share on instagram?  Do you make billboards?

So much attention on sharpness when it really doesn't matter for most things.

jcee724 wrote:

No disrepect but I asked a very simple question and I just want a simple from someone who has or has owned both lenses. Sharpness matters to me. Thats all i want to know.

Yes I get that but you can look that up super easy on the-digital-picture.com

I have a whole bag of L lenses and I seldom see any meaningful difference in sharpness.  Other factors such as flare resistance or handling are actually far more useful differences.

jcee724 wrote:

I did check this other site to see and the 16-35 v3 did look sharper at 35mm than the 35 v2 but I wanted to make sure by asking somone who had hands on experince.

Well I've never owned either lens, but according to Photozone's tests:

At f2.8 the prime will win the sharpness contest.

At medium apertures (f4-f8) they'll be so close you can call it a tie. Any noticeable differences will probably come down to copy variation. Both will be very, very good here.

But if all you care about is sharpness, then should probably look at the Sigma Art 35.

I sold the 16-35iii for the 35Lii on my old 5dsr.

the 35Lii IQ is stunning. The 16-35iii is sharp but not stunning.

expro wrote:

I sold the 16-35iii for the 35Lii on my old 5dsr.

the 35Lii IQ is stunning. The 16-35iii is sharp but not stunning.

But then you just lost all the focal lengths from 16mm to 34mm

I have the 16-35 f/2.8L III and it is THE superlative ultra-wide angle zoom lens for EF mount. It’s sharp, but also has nice bokeh wide open @35mm.

16-35 not stunning? I beg to differ. I find my copy produces stunning results and images

But not for me. The 35ii has it beaten on transition etc.

You are comparing a very good zoom with one of the very best primes.

I had primes for the other focal lengths. Plus with 5dsr I could stitch or crop if I was caught out.

but really you have to be a 35 length lover.

I do not own any of these lenses but TDP shows the prime is sharper at f/2.8 than the zoom at f/2.8. Not a huge difference but notable. Still an impressive result from the zoom BTW...

Prime wide opened is about the same sharp as zoom wide opened. They seem the same at f/5.6.

expro wrote:

But not for me. The 35ii has it beaten on transition etc.

You are comparing a very good zoom with one of the very best primes.

I had primes for the other focal lengths. Plus with 5dsr I could stitch or crop if I was caught out.

but really you have to be a 35 length lover.

35mm is one of those love it or hate it focal lengths I think. I used to love it, and it is great for reportage or documentary type of work, but, lately it has fallen out of favour to the good old fashioned standby 50mm focal length. 35mm is a little bit boring and neither here or there as they say.

Pocket Lint wrote:

expro wrote:

But not for me. The 35ii has it beaten on transition etc.

You are comparing a very good zoom with one of the very best primes.

I had primes for the other focal lengths. Plus with 5dsr I could stitch or crop if I was caught out.

but really you have to be a 35 length lover.

35mm is one of those love it or hate it focal lengths I think. I used to love it, and it is great for reportage or documentary type of work, but, lately it has fallen out of favour to the good old fashioned standby 50mm focal length. 35mm is a little bit boring and neither here or there as they say.

I tend to prefer a 50 as well   I actually dropped my 35L on the floor Christmas morning this year so it’s out of commission    It put a bit of a damper on Christmas morning for me LOL

jcee724 wrote:

Hello guys quick question... Is the ef-16-35 iii at 35mm sharper than the prime EF 35mm f/1.4 ii?

At F/1.4 the image rendering of the prime is no match for the zoom…
Stating the obvious .. but the strength of this prime is to get nice outputs with nice bokeh for a relatively wide focal … sharp straight from F/1.4

QUESTION would be:

1) Have you checked pics at 35mm and F/1.4

2) Do you need or want such rendering?

That would help you decide on which lens to get

Gaul