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Customer Reviews for EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM
EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM
Spectacular sharpness and impressive performance at all settings
2 high-precision aspherical elements, and 2-UD elements
New SWC (Sub Wavelength Coating) minimizes ghosting and flare
Dust- and moisture-resistant, with durable barrel construction
Average Customer Rating:
(24 Reviews) 24
Rating Snapshot (24 reviews)
5 stars
15
4 stars
0
3 stars
2
2 stars
3
1 star
4
15 out of 24(62%)reviewers would recommend this product to a friend.
Customer Reviews for EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM
Review 1 for EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM
Nickname: ZFototechnika
Location: Omaha, Ne
Used this product for: Less than 1 month
Expertise Level: Professional or Expert
Product replacement: No
This Lens Is Worth Every Penny!
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:July 29, 2010
Pros: fast auto focus, vibrant colors, durable and well made, excellent for all types of photography
Cons: none
I have been researching this lens for quit some time. I have seen many sample photos on the photography forums. The reason I decided to buy this lens was because of the versatility and sharpness of each shot. The auto focus is very fast and consistant. The colors straight out of the camera are very vibrant and need only minor adjustment in post processing. I am very happy with this lens and would recommend it to any professional or even enthusiast photographer. You definetly get your money's worth with the 24L II lens!!!
22 of 22 people found this review helpful.
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Review 2 for EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM
Nickname: Scott
Location: Redmond, WA
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Mostly used for: Business
Canon Enthusiast: 1 to 5 years
Product replacement: No
Maybe Not for Professionals
Overall Rating
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
3
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
2
out of
5
Date:January 11, 2013
Pros: Fast auto-focus, Superior build quality, Super-sharp images
Cons: full frame distortion
I purchased this lens for shooting small black box theatre productions without a flash, and these venues are typically not well lighted. This worked wonderfully with my Rebel. When I upgraded to a 5D and a 5D MkII I found this lens to be lacking. It still functions wonderfully, however the very pronounced distortion with the full frame boxes creates a poor fish-eye effect. Considering the investment required, it is an unforgivable drawback.
4 of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Review 3 for EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM
Nickname: sy
Location: colorado
Used this product for: Less than 1 month
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Canon Enthusiast: 6 to 10 years
Product replacement: No
24LII, 35L, 24-70L
Overall Rating
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
2
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:January 4, 2013
Pros: Fast auto-focus, Superior build quality, Super-sharp images
Cons: expensive
Performance:
24mm f1.4 L II is very similar look, size, and weight to 35L though it has a weather sealed metal body so it does not have plastic feel of 35L. Focus speed, accuracy, sharpness are also similar to 35L. It’s faster and a bit sharper than 24-70L Mk I at f2.8. There is chromatic aberration (color fringes) between f1.4 and 2.8 but it is much better controlled and not as ugly as 35L. But on the other hand it tends to get more flare than 35L. Images sometimes look soft at f1.4 because of color fringes, but other than that my copy produces quite sharp images from f1.4 and gets sharper when stopped down. And it also does pretty good job on corners. Bokeh is a little bit nervous and sometimes you may call it ugly. I don’t know if it is something to do with its focal length. 35L shows that tendency sometimes but 24L II does it more significantly. But you still can get creamy and soft bokeh. It depends on backgrounds. Even at f2.8 it seems softer than 24-70L. Another thing that I like about this lens is that it has a very short minimum focus distance.
-
Value:
Since Canon released a new 24-70mm L II which I’ve read about how great and almost as sharp as primes are, I can see many people grab this zoom than those high priced prime lenses. And for the most of cases this new zoom will do the job. I’ve got my 24L II as a used with a very good price, so it’s well worth it for what I paid. But I might have picked a new 24-70L II if I didn’t have my old 24-70L.
-
Bottom Line:
First of all I say that this is still a great lens but there are some other choices for this focal length. If you love to shoot at f1.4-f2.5 then this is the lens for you. And it is simply awesome.
24mm f1.4 L II is very similar look, size, and weight to 35L though it has a weather sealed metal body so it does not have plastic feel of 35L. Focus speed, accuracy, sharpness are also similar to 35L. It’s faster and a bit sharper than 24-70L Mk I at f2.8. There is chromatic aberration (color fringes) between f1.4 and 2.8 but it is much better controlled and not as ugly as 35L. But on the other hand it tends to get more flare than 35L. Images sometimes look soft at f1.4 because of color fringes, but other than that my copy produces quite sharp images from f1.4 and gets sharper when stopped down. And it also does pretty good job on corners. Bokeh is a little bit nervous and sometimes you may call it ugly. I don’t know if it is something to do with its focal length. 35L shows that tendency sometimes but 24L II does it more significantly. But you still can get creamy and soft bokeh. It depends on backgrounds. Even at f2.8 it seems softer than 24-70L. Another thing that I like about this lens is that it has a very short minimum focus distance.
-
Value:
Since Canon released a new 24-70mm L II which I’ve read about how great and almost as sharp as primes are, I can see many people grab this zoom than those high priced prime lenses. And for the most of cases this new zoom will do the job. I’ve got my 24L II as a used with a very good price, so it’s well worth it for what I paid. But I might have picked a new 24-70L II if I didn’t have my old 24-70L.
-
Bottom Line:
First of all I say that this is still a great lens but there are some other choices for this focal length. If you love to shoot at f1.4-f2.5 then this is the lens for you. And it is simply awesome.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Review 4 for EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM
Nickname: Chitown
Location: Chicago IL
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Mostly used for: Travel
Canon Enthusiast: 1 to 5 years
All around excellence
Overall Rating
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
3
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:January 2, 2013
Pros: Fast auto-focus, Superior build quality, Super-sharp images
Cons: cant think of one
I rented one of these to travel to South America. I spent 5 days in Colombia and 5 days hiking through the Andes in Peru. This is a tough lens. Well built, professional grade.
The image quality is absolutely fantastic. I can't speak highly enough about this lens in terms of image quality. The shots I took at f/8 were so sharp I didn't even touch them in post. Contrast and clarity are the absolute best (every bit as good as the 35L and 135L). I was using this on a 1D mk iii. I have seen some reviews of the auto focus being off, but my experience is nothing short of positive. I only shoot at f/1.4 when I have a single autofocus point selected anyway so then it's my fault it the right thing is not in focus. I don't trust any camera that much. Speed is excellent.
Manual focus is great, I always use the hyper focal length and manual focus when shooting landscapes. The focus ring is really smooth. Distortion is next to nothing.
Spend the money, learn to use it. The image and build quality is everything you would expect out of an L prime.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Review 5 for EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM
Nickname: Photomonkey
Location: NYC
Used this product for: Less than 1 month
Expertise Level: Professional or Expert
Mostly used for: Landscape/Nature
Canon Enthusiast: 6 to 10 years
Product replacement: Yes
Egg-cellent!
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:May 26, 2012
Pros: Fast auto-focus, Superior build quality, Super-sharp images
I scrutinized the specs and reviews for this lens for months.. then finally jumped and bought one. It's not quite like being 21 again, but awfully close! It is a gorgeous wide, fast lens which makes you think of places where you might not have bothered in the past as viable subjects.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Review 6 for EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM
Nickname: Moni
Used this product for: 1 to 3 months
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Canon Enthusiast: 11 to 20 years
Product replacement: Yes
Amazing 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:January 12, 2012
Pros: super sharp, well constructed, nicely balanced with 7d
I bought this lens 1 month ago. I was shooting plenty of portrait and landscape. It works they way i want.
Strongly recommended.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Review 7 for EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM
Nickname: Amy
Used this product for: Less than 1 month
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Canon Enthusiast: 6 to 10 years
Product replacement: No
Auto focus fails
Overall Rating
Features
2
out of
5
Performance
2
out of
5
Price/Value
2
out of
5
Quality
3
out of
5
Satisfaction
1
out of
5
Date:November 28, 2011
I have wanted this lens for a long time and finally ordered it. I just received this lens today. I have taken about 100 photos using my 7D using various focus points. Only about one third of these did the auto focus work. It's getting returned.
8 of 42 people found this review helpful.
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Review 8 for EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM
Nickname: Sdiver2489
Location: Peoria, IL
Used this product for: 6 to 12 months
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Mostly used for: Landscape/Nature
Canon Enthusiast: 1 to 5 years
Product replacement: No
Great Image Quality but Poor Autofocus
Overall Rating
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
1
out of
5
Price/Value
2
out of
5
Quality
1
out of
5
Satisfaction
1
out of
5
Date:October 13, 2011
Pros: Superior build quality, Super-sharp images
Cons: unreliable autofocus
I bought this lens as a 35mm equivalent lens on a crop camera. I loved the field of view offered by the lens and obviously the F1.4 aperture.
The problem came entirely from the autofocus. I found it to be completely random in its ability to focus on objects. Sometimes it would come through, other times it would repeatedly miss. Very disappointing overall.
14 of 22 people found this review helpful.
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Review 9 for EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM
Nickname: Zunghn
Location: Texas, TX
Used this product for: Less than 1 month
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Mostly used for: Landscape/Nature
Canon Enthusiast: 1 to 5 years
Product replacement: Yes
Awesome lens
Overall Rating
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
3
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:October 11, 2011
Pros: Fast auto-focus, Superior build quality
The copy I receive performed beautifully. Fast focus, Rugged build quality, Sharp images, produces great color and contrast. The price...... very expensive, so either have money to blow or do your research before buying this lens (if its right for you). There is a small amount of vignetting on my 7D but gone by stopping down to f/2.8. The copy I recieve is a little soft in the middle and sharp in the corners, but sharp once stopped down to f/2.8 and slightly sharper at f4/0. There is a slight problem when taking images at f/1.4 at night picture seems to be expose properly, but once exported to Apple Aperture 3 the picture is under exsposed, but this most likely software and not the lens.
1 of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Review 10 for EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM
Nickname: scott
Location: Houston
Used this product for: Less than 1 month
Expertise Level: Professional or Expert
Mostly used for: Portraits
Canon Enthusiast: 6 to 10 years
Product replacement: Yes
design flaw
Overall Rating
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
2
out of
5
Price/Value
2
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
1
out of
5
Date:September 24, 2011
Pros: Fast auto-focus
Build quality is high as expected for this lens. However the focus is inconsistent and the lens has severe front focus around 1.8. I owned the mark I predecessor and loved it, so when it was stolen I immediately replaced it with this one. Today I am returning the fourth copy in an attempt to get a good one. I thought it was a bad batch or simply bad quality control, but now I believe it is a design flaw.
10 of 11 people found this review helpful.
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Review 11 for EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM
Nickname: The Sky
Location: Texas
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Casual User
Mostly used for: Sports
Canon Enthusiast: 6 to 10 years
Product replacement: Yes
bad af
Overall Rating
Features
1
out of
5
Performance
1
out of
5
Price/Value
1
out of
5
Quality
1
out of
5
Satisfaction
1
out of
5
Date:August 19, 2011
AF often missed. Compared it to 85L, it's night and day. *%L of course is magical. AF Often breaks down.
More things to say but everytime I submit this review, it doesn't get published. funny how my 85L review got published once I wrote them. This is my third time writing.
More things to say but everytime I submit this review, it doesn't get published. funny how my 85L review got published once I wrote them. This is my third time writing.
19 of 23 people found this review helpful.
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Review 12 for EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM
Nickname: Nick
Location: Boston, MA
Used this product for: Less than 1 month
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Product replacement: No
Fantastic lens, if you have the money for 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:November 17, 2010
Pros: fast auto focus, good build quality, very sharp below f/2.5, great image quality
Cons: very expensive
I am an advanced amateur photographer and professional retoucher who has been developing an appreciation for prime lenses over the past year. I was on the market for either the 35L or the 24L, and ended up going with the latter via the second hand market where I picked it up for a great price.
After shooting several thousand frames with this lens over the past month I honestly can't say enough good things about it.
At 22oz, the 24L feels like a feather in comparison to my 24-70. It's obviously heavier than, say, the 50 1.4, but I certainly didn't feel tied down by it like I often do with many of the f/2.8 zooms.
The pictures this thing takes are probably among the sharpest I have ever seen. As expected, it is a little softer at the widest apertures, but sharpness steps up dramatically once you stop down to around 2.5. f/4.0-5.6 seems to be the sweet spot, sharpness-wise. I haven't tried printing anything large that I've shot with this lens as of yet, but am confident that pics taken with it will re-produce nicely at those sizes.
Color and contrast are also amazing, probably the best I have personally seen with any Canon lens (and I've used the 85L and 135L). When doing post-production work, I find I have had to do less levels and curves adjustments in Photoshop afterwards, the 24L II produces beautiful saturated colors.
If you are expecting silky smooth bokeh, I would recommend the 85L or 135L. At a wider angle, you aren't going to get nearly as much as the narrower lenses provide. However, there is still plenty of subject/background separation here. The addition of the extra blade, and circular diaphragm of this model, are definitely a plus over the past version.
Chromatic abberation? Non-existent. Even near the edges. A stark contrast from what I hear plagued the original 24L.
Focusing is fast, quiet, and reliable. It focuses literally inches away, although I wouldn't venture into saying it covers macro territory.
Weather sealing and overall build quality is nice. Similar to the 35L, I like the thicker band for manual focusing.
Cons? It's expensive. Very expensive. I got mine for a good deal, but the fact alone that it saves me time in my post-production work will ultimately probably pay for itself in the long run. Plus, this isn't a lens that is going to depreciate in value much in the near future.
Many say Canon's holy trinity of lenses are the 35L, 85L, and 135L. However, the new and improved 24L is well deserving of a spot in that fraternity too.
18 of 18 people found this review helpful.
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Review 13 for EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM
Nickname: m2bear
Location: Berkeley, CA
Used this product for: 3 to 6 months
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Product replacement: No
AF Issues
Overall Rating
Features
3
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:November 7, 2010
Pros: good build quality, superb optics, sharp
Cons: af issues
I am using this lens with my 5D Mark II. There are AF issues with the lens out of the box. Probably 80% of my images missed focus. I have the precision screen- so I can see the AF locks at regions that are not correct- even at high contrast regions (e.g. keyboard) This is a bit fustrating because when I use manual focus- the lens is amazing. I own the 35 1.4L, which did not have this problem. The issue is not backfocus or frontal focus problems- I cant never know! It just misses most of the time and hit some of the time. I sent it back for repairs- will update.
12 of 15 people found this review helpful.
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Review 14 for EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM
Nickname: Jay D
Location: Stafford, VA
Used this product for: 1 to 3 months
Expertise Level: Professional or Expert
Product replacement: Yes
Great Lens.... loving it...
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:November 7, 2010
Pros: all as advertised--that is rare, very low flaring..., very flat field on 5d2
Cons: walkabout... too close for candid shots, some distortion but correctable, fast memory needed for full 1080p video fps
I went to calibrate AF and it was dead-on... no adjustments necessary. I am getting all the almost unbelievable claims made in advertising. Not using a flash and taking hand held night shots that are clear edge to edge and little flaring. Day shots are clear and flat and using 5D2 with built in lens compensation for vignetting, etc. but not noting anything. I show the photos to friends and their jaw drops. What else can I say? Focus is smooth, accurate in AF though I did mess up some night photos that I couldn't get a good long distance AF lock and so set to infinity... later determined out of focus. My own technical fault. No issues to report I am very happy with this lens.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Review 15 for EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM
Nickname: Anonymous
Location: Virginia
Used this product for: Less than 1 month
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Product replacement: No
Bad AF Out-of-the-box
Overall Rating
Features
4
out of
5
Performance
4
out of
5
Price/Value
1
out of
5
Quality
1
out of
5
Satisfaction
1
out of
5
Date:November 2, 2010
I just got this lens and put it through its paces on my 5D Mark II. The first few test shots seemed very blurry, so I went to manual focus. I was then impressed with the lens. Only just a touch of softness at 1.4, and only a bit of chromatic aberration in the corners that I could see. Then I went to figure out why I wasn't getting good focus. Sadly, I could not resolve this issue. My camera allows for an AF adjustment, and setting that to its maximum value only got me through about half of the AF error of the lens. So now it gets returned.
4 of 8 people found this review helpful.
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Review 16 for EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM
Nickname: Tim
Location: Honolulu, HI
Used this product for: 1 to 3 months
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Product replacement: No
The lens seems fine
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:September 30, 2010
I bought this lens after renting one to try it out after the reports began to surface regarding the clarity of images. The lens worked well, very well at night and the colors were spectacular. There was no vignetting using a slim u/v and a slim circular polarizer, however there was vignetting when I tried a thicker Canon uv & cp filter. I must commend Canon for the rugged construction of their filters which work well on lenses larger than 50 mm. I should add that I used my Canon 5D mark II camera. In light of the observations of many photographers about semi-clear images and my positive experience, I have to look further. Because we use a variety of cameras with this lense I can look to other causes: I suspect that there needs to a soft ware adjustment made to the Canon software. I hope Canon makes any necessary adjustments.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Review 17 for EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM
Nickname: L to the T
Location: New York, NY
Used this product for: Less than 1 month
Expertise Level: Professional or Expert
Product replacement: Yes
Returning my SECOND 24 f/1.4 II lens - Focus Issue
Overall Rating
Features
1
out of
5
Performance
1
out of
5
Price/Value
1
out of
5
Quality
1
out of
5
Satisfaction
1
out of
5
Date:August 15, 2010
Cons: add a con
Not sure what's going on with this lens but I'm now mailing back my SECOND Canon 24 f/1.4L II because of focusing issues. I'm very surprised by the focusing issue found in two lenses which, in my opinion, can't possibly be coincidental. Not happy at all and I'm not one to leave negative notes but this really got on my nerves and had to share with others. Warmest.
-Just a NY Pro.
12 of 15 people found this review helpful.
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Review 18 for EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM
Nickname: macZiggy
Location: California
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Professional or Expert
Product replacement: No
great 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:November 13, 2009
Pros: Super-sharp images, Superior build quality
I've been a professional photojournalist for almost 30 years and this lens is so much fun to use. The 1.4 aperture makes almost anything you shoot look really cool in an abstract way, although with the sharp drop-off of the depth-of-field, you have to be very careful what you are focused on, especially if there's a person involved. I like to use it particularly with still life photos, such as landscapes or food. I use 5D camera bodies and the images are super sharp with great resolution from this lens.
27 of 30 people found this review helpful.
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Review 19 for EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM
Nickname: low light shooter
Location: California
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Great Lens
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:March 29, 2009
Pros: Super-sharp images, Superior build quality, Fast auto-focus
I've had the opportunity to shoot with both the 24L and 24Lii. Although the heftier price tag may give reason for pause initially, the fantastic results you get with this lens will instantly erase all doubts. (That is unless you get a bad copy like one of the reviewers above.)
The focus is very accurate. My images are quite sharp wide open @ f/1.4. Overall, I can really see and feel the improvements from its predecessor.
If you're looking for a fast 24mm, and have the budget for this lens, you will not regret it.
36 of 39 people found this review helpful.
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Review 20 for EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM
Nickname: pas
Location: Annapolis, MD
Used this product for: 3 to 6 months
Expertise Level: Professional or Expert
Product replacement: No
Perfect at every stop
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:February 10, 2009
Pros: Super-sharp images, Superior build quality, Fast auto-focus, excellent bokeh
Since I purchased this lens about 4 months ago it has been fixed to my 30D. It took me a while to get used to utilizing the 1.4 f-stop because of how little depth of field you have to play with, but, if done right, the effects are amazing.
31 of 34 people found this review helpful.
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