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Customer Reviews for EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM
EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM
2 high-precision aspherical elements and 2 UD-glass elements
Diagonal angle of view is 114°
Built-in lens hood, is dust- and moisture-proofed
Rear focusing system, high-speed CPU, and a ring-type USM for faster, more responsive AF
Average Customer Rating:
(8 Reviews) 8
Rating Snapshot (8 reviews)
5 stars
5
4 stars
0
3 stars
1
2 stars
1
1 star
1
5 out of 8(62%)reviewers would recommend this product to a friend.
Customer Reviews for EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM
Review 1 for EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM
Nickname: Stiffy
Location: Steamboat Springs, Colo
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Professional or Expert
Mostly used for: Business
Canon Enthusiast: 11 to 20 years
Product replacement: Yes
excellent lens
Overall Rating
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
4
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:December 31, 2012
Pros: Fast auto-focus, Superior build quality, Super-sharp images, crazy wide
this is the best super wide for architectural photography! crazy wide, minimal distortion, minimal chromatic abberation, sharp margins, fast lens.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Review 2 for EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM
Nickname: Indy Photog
Location: Greenwood, IN
Used this product for: 1 to 3 months
Expertise Level: Professional or Expert
Mostly used for: Portraits
Canon Enthusiast: 6 to 10 years
Product replacement: No
14/2.8II Not Fully Sharp Until f/11
Overall Rating
Features
1
out of
5
Performance
1
out of
5
Price/Value
1
out of
5
Quality
2
out of
5
Satisfaction
1
out of
5
Date:November 13, 2012
Pros: Fast auto-focus, Superior build quality, slightly better af than 16-35/2.8ii in low light, less vignetting than 16-35/2.8ii wide open, almost no barrel distortion
Cons: Semi-sharp images, edge to edge sharpness terrible until f/5.6ish, not as sharp as 16-35/2.8ii, 6 bladed aperture produces 6 point sunburst flare, purple fringe until f/11, must focus/recompose using center af, using off center af points not accurate, expensive considering not fully sharp until f/11
I mostly photograph weddings and I purchased the 14/2.8II because I already have the 24/1.4II and 35/1.4 and I was going to use these three lenses to cover the range that I normally cover with the 16-35/2.8II and the 15/2.8 fisheye lenses. I like the quality of primes because they minimally distort, are razor sharp, and are fast. At least, that's been my experience, and I was hoping to repeat it with this lens. What I found is that the 14/2.8II at f/2.8 is acceptably sharp at the center, but moving away from the center toward the edges it is very unsharp. The edges didn't sharpen much until f/5.6, with full sharpening by f/11. This is worse than the 16-35/2.8II, which is generally sharp throughout the entire image starting at f/2.8. Also, the 14/2.8II still retains the 6 bladed aperture to produce a 6 point sunburst flare, which does not look realistic, while the 16-35/2.8II has a 7 bladed aperture that produces a 14 point sunburst. So, shooting into the sun or at night with streetlamps, all of these point sources of light have sparse-looking 6 pointed stars. After shooting several images side-by-side with the 16-35/2.8II, I realized that I can step back with the 16-35/2.8II to get the same focal length as the 14mm, then correct barrel distortion in LR4 to get an image that looks virtually identical to the 14/2.8II, yet of better sharpness. Also, unlike the 16-35/2.8II, this lens has a purple fringe up to f/11, and it is noticeable on backlit subjects. The AF on this lens (using center AF point) focuses slightly better than the 16-35/2.8II in low light by about 1/2 stop. But, using using AF points farthest from the center (on the 1DX) produced out-of-focus images, no matter the light. Focus and recompose was the only way to get off-center compositions to be sharp. I'm not sure if the glass being convex is the cause of the AF not being accurate away from the center, but this is not a problem with the 15/2.8 fisheye, which is also convex. The 16-35/2.8II and my other lenses don't have this problem either. Basically, I expect a prime to be better than a zoom in nearly every respect, particularly at its widest aperture. This lens is only better in its elimination of barrel distortion and nearly everything else is worse than the 16-35/2.8II. Well, OK - it does have less vignetting than the 16-35/2.8II wide open. But, this is basically a f/5.6 lens with edge-to-edge sharpness becoming equivalent to the 16-35/2.8II at f/11. I do not consider this to be a lens for anything but landscapes and architecture, where most images are photographed at f/11 and higher.
19 of 25 people found this review helpful.
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Review 3 for EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM
Nickname: Jay
Location: Chicago
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Mostly used for: Landscape/Nature
Canon Enthusiast: more than 20 years
Product replacement: No
Sharpest Image Ever
Overall Rating
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
4
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:September 9, 2012
Pros: Fast auto-focus, Superior build quality, Super-sharp images
I purchased this lens in 2008 based on Canon's reputation and my personal experience with a wide range of canon fixed focal lenses that I had purchased over the years.
The pictures I took with this lens were so sharp, it changed my understanding of lenses altogether.
Case in point, I took a picture of the night sky in Canada on oct 21, 2011. the settings were f/2.8, 15 seconds, ISO 2000. I noticed a cluster of stars at the edge of the image. When I zoomed in it turned out to be the Pleiades constellation. I could actually see all seven sisters.
I am so happy with this lens, the next one will be the 17mm f/4L TS-E.
The pictures I took with this lens were so sharp, it changed my understanding of lenses altogether.
Case in point, I took a picture of the night sky in Canada on oct 21, 2011. the settings were f/2.8, 15 seconds, ISO 2000. I noticed a cluster of stars at the edge of the image. When I zoomed in it turned out to be the Pleiades constellation. I could actually see all seven sisters.
I am so happy with this lens, the next one will be the 17mm f/4L TS-E.
7 of 8 people found this review helpful.
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Review 4 for EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM
Nickname: leoo
Location: Miami
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Professional or Expert
Mostly used for: Business
Canon Enthusiast: 1 to 5 years
Product replacement: Yes
poor image quality
Overall Rating
Features
3
out of
5
Performance
1
out of
5
Price/Value
1
out of
5
Quality
3
out of
5
Satisfaction
1
out of
5
Date:June 9, 2012
Pros: Superior build quality
Cons: Semi-sharp images, high chromatic aberration, Poor image quality, blury images
I have been using Canon for a long time now. I thought the Couldn't do a bad product based on reputation and price. This is the most expensive wide lens they offer. I just bought it. What a mistake! I couldn't believe the results so I sent the lens to CPS (Canon Pro Services) to repair. It came back still couldn't believe the result of the pics. I sent the lens along with my 5D II to repair 3 more times (as they request to test the camera). I spoke to customer care rep., supervisors, 1 tech and finally the "ambassador". So finally I believe it. The lens is sharp only in the very center of the frame (circle where you focus) the rest of the image is bury and have chromatic aberration at the point it can be used. I had to star using my old 15-30 3.5 not canon lens. I asked if I could return it since I can use it. It was not possible. Just go to an store and test it and down load it to your computer. Very disappointed.
29 of 31 people found this review helpful.
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Review 5 for EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM
Nickname: HangGlider
Location: Denver, CO
Used this product for: 1 to 3 months
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Mostly used for: Landscape/Nature
Canon Enthusiast: more than 20 years
Product replacement: No
Disappointed
Overall Rating
Features
4
out of
5
Performance
2
out of
5
Price/Value
2
out of
5
Quality
2
out of
5
Satisfaction
2
out of
5
Date:September 12, 2011
Pros: Superior build quality
Cons: Semi-sharp images
I rented this lens a couple of times before deciding to make the purchase. When I received the lens, I spent the time to adjust the microfocus on my 5D Mk II - and then I took the lens to Canyonlands National Park in Utah for some serious landscape work. I shot with it mounted on a tripod, mirror lockup, remote shutter release. The resulting images are sharp in the center, and horribly soft on the edges. Thinking the issue was that I was shooting at f/8, I did some experimenting and shot at f/22, f/16, f/8, and f/4. The only shots that come close to "good" focus were taken at f/22. Perhaps I have a bad copy of this lens - but so far it's a major disappointment.
37 of 39 people found this review helpful.
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Review 6 for EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM
Nickname: Ted
Location: Honolulu, HI
Used this product for: 1 to 3 months
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Product replacement: Yes
Best colors for landscapes
Overall Rating
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:July 9, 2010
Pros: Fast auto-focus, Superior build quality, Super-sharp images, deep rich colors, impressive depth of field results
This lens is sharp and distortion free. My favorite characteristic is the great color rendition possible when using this lens. Stunning landscapes and dramatic building shots are the norm.
49 of 52 people found this review helpful.
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Review 7 for EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM
Nickname: EOS4me
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Professional or Expert
Product replacement: Yes
Big bucks but worth it
Overall Rating
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
4
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:August 7, 2009
Pros: Super-sharp images, Superior build quality, Fast auto-focus, much improved over old mki for digital shooters
Cons: cost
For architectural and interior shooters with full frame bodies this lens will be a staple right next to the EF 15 2.8. Much improved for digital bodies in the corners with less vignetting and chromatic abberation. Heavy and easy to damage though not usually a problem on a tripod. Really expensive upgrade for what you get IMO as the old EF 14 2.8L USM was O.K. on film but really not a particularly great lens on a digial body. For digital you almost have to have the mkII version unless you are willing to carefully correct the chromatic abberations in LR or CS4. Pricey but if you have to shoot wide there is nothing else to compete with it for a full frame Canon digital body.
89 of 97 people found this review helpful.
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Review 8 for EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM
Nickname: scjurgen
Location: New York, NY
Used this product for: 1 to 3 months
Expertise Level: Professional or Expert
Product replacement: Yes
the best for landscape and architecture
Overall Rating
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
4
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:April 30, 2009
Pros: Super-sharp images, Superior build quality, Fast auto-focus
I got more and more unsatisfied with a 12-24mm third party lens (strong distortions, blurred edge) on my 5D mark ii, so I finally decided to upgrade to this extraordinary lens.
Very crisp images, limited distortions, and a remarkable fast 2.8 makes it a perfect landscape lens on the Canon 5D mark ii. I used it also on a party, well, the results where really cool.
The only annoying thing is the high pricetag, but still, it is worse every cent.
117 of 130 people found this review helpful.
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