Canon RF 35mm f/1.4L VCM Review

#41
DhlcadR6 said:
35GM breathes like a dragon. There is a reason why it is cheap in the used market. And it's vignetting is not better than RF35L.

As for Samyang.... I guess size doesn't matter for you right? If so, Sigma 28Art and 40Art are much better than Sammy.

Those numerical score doesn't reflect in a meaningful way if you are comparing across the different systems.
Click to expand...

The 35/1.4GM is an excellent lens. Yes, there are focus breathing issues which are managed with focus breathing compensation in many of Sony's newer bodies. Lens design is always a trade-off between different factors, and unless you wish to make your lenses absolutely massive (see: Nikon), something will take a hit. Canon has chosen digital compensation for other issues instead, and has better managed focus breathing.

I look forward to Sigma releasing mirrorless-native and more compact DG DN versions of their superb 28/1.4 and 40/1.4 lenses. Unfortunately I doubt Canon will ever allow them to be sold on RF mount.
 
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#43
SwissFrank said:
I've gotten some good answers for digital correction of vignetting, if you have a scene that absolutely demands the full DR from the center and the very deep corners, though the only practical examples I've heard of so far are astro.
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I do not find that to be a good answer,
An optically corrected lens would have the same exact problem.
Other people have raised the point that Canon should make lenses bigger to avoid vignetting.
That is an excellent point but that is a common problem across the entire RF lens line.
I can kind of defend Canon here though.
Those huge f/1.2 primes would be absolutely monstrous and a bigger 35 f/1.4 VCM would absolutely defeat the purpose.
TBH I wish companies were still making SLR lenses.
That would be the optimal solution for me.
 
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#46
Richard CR said:
there is a loss of resolution on digital stretching of the frame to fit a full image circle. On the other hand, we lose resolution anyways because of the AA filter, so it's all in the wash.
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I frequently point out that all wide angle lenses need to have the corners stretched to make them rectilinear, historically that was done optically to the point where the corners were at least filled in. There’s a loss of resolution in the corners whether you stretch those corners with glass elements or with silicon chips.

I’m not sure why people think it’s inherently better to stretch the corners with glass elements. One need only look at the sharp-as-a-bowling-ball corners of the EF 17-40/4L to see that optical correction is not necessarily the aspirational ideal.
 
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#47
Canon is addressing 1) Desire for smaller and lighter. 2) Pinched budgets for consumers and profit margins for Canon.

I do feel a nostalgia for pickle-jars, I admit, but Canon's L-series prime lenses have been frequently criticized for their size and weight. The ef 35mm f/1.4L II does feel long and slightly awkward with the adapter, but the RF 50mm f/1.2L feels long and awkward without the adapter.

I am still surprised, though, that Canon didn't add IS.
 
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#48
EOS 4 Life said:
Because we are paying US dollars.
I can't think of a single reason to care how much money Canon is making off the deal.
I understand why USA inflation does not matter to you.
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The US may be a big market but it certainly isn't the whole world so "we" is a pretty insular comment in a global forum.
Justification that new product with USDxx makes sense compared to previous product priced at USDyy in the past based on inflation doesn't make sense.

Inflation does not equal ability to pay which is based more on wages index and should be a better comparison within a particular country.
Buy in USD and enjoy but the rest of the world doesn't.

My US parent company likes to think of themselves as "domestic" and us as "international" which is quaint - almost colonial.
We call ourselves Most Of World (MOW) as Rest Of World (ROW) was just insulting.
 
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#50
EOS 4 Life said:
I do not find that to be a good answer,
An optically corrected lens would have the same exact problem.
Other people have raised the point that Canon should make lenses bigger to avoid vignetting.
That is an excellent point but that is a common problem across the entire RF lens line.
I can kind of defend Canon here though.
Those huge f/1.2 primes would be absolutely monstrous and a bigger 35 f/1.4 VCM would absolutely defeat the purpose.
TBH I wish companies were still making SLR lenses.
That would be the optimal solution for me.
Click to expand...
What purpose does a larger 35mm defeat?
 
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#51
David - Sydney said:
I am not sure why people use the US inflation calculator and assume that it makes sense if the input costs are in USD.
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Neuro compared the US prices so everything else makes no sense.
I'm in Germany and this is alsothe easiest way to get a basis number.
By the way the precise number is not needed. With a corse calculation you can see the EF price is more like 50% higher then 20% .
It's allways strange people compare release prices ( in this case EF/RF with 9years difference) without the inflation in mind.
 
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#52
David - Sydney said:
The US may be a big market but it certainly isn't the whole world so "we" is a pretty insular comment in a global forum.
Justification that new product with USDxx makes sense compared to previous product priced at USDyy in the past based on inflation doesn't make sense.

Inflation does not equal ability to pay which is based more on wages index and should be a better comparison within a particular country.
Buy in USD and enjoy but the rest of the world doesn't.

My US parent company likes to think of themselves as "domestic" and us as "international" which is quaint - almost colonial.
We call ourselves Most Of World (MOW) as Rest Of World (ROW) was just insulting.
Click to expand...
Sorry, but that just comes across as insecurity.
No one would hold it against you if you talked about inflation in terms of Aussie dollars.
You should not be concerned about US inflation.
I can't understand why you would be concerned about people in the US being concerned about it.

Also, your comment about wage increases is totally irrelevant.
People have savings and either retire or plan to retire.
Also, wage increases have not kept up with inflation.
 
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#53
Nemorino said:
It's allways strange people compare release prices ( in this case EF/RF with 9years difference) without the inflation in mind.
Click to expand...
When discussing high-end camera gear, we are basically talking about luxury goods. The price of such goods is generally not dependent on the cost to produce them, but rather the price the market will bear. Inflation plays less of a role in that.

Inflation is probably the reason the RF 50/1.8 costs more than the EF 50/1.8. But if Canon adjusted the pricing of their L series lenses to match inflation, sales would drop significantly. They know this, so they keep the price increases moderated relative to inflation and absorb the cost through other efficiencies (one of which is exemplified by Rudy).
 
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#54
EOS 4 Life said:
Sorry, but that just comes across as insecurity.
No one would hold it against you if you talked about inflation in terms of Aussie dollars.
You should not be concerned about US inflation.
I can't understand why you would be concerned about people in the US being concerned about it.

Also, your comment about wage increases is totally irrelevant.
People have savings and either retire or plan to retire.
Also, wage increases have not kept up with inflation.
Click to expand...
More like reality than insecurity.
As @neuro says, camera products are not part of the CPI "basket of goods and services" that are used to calculate US inflation. Although mobile phones are included
https://www.bls.gov/cpi/factsheets/telecommunications.htm

As an aside, the global market chaos this week was set off by US jobs number with a cascading effect impacting Japan and the Yen carry trade positions pretty dramatically. Rightly or wrongly, the US is the world's biggest market especially financially so unfortunately, we do need to be concerned about the crazy things that happen within the US :-(

Sourcing costs are "generally" a predominant part of the pricing/profit model essential for business. Some intangible items like SW, insurance and financial services can be different of course but cameras have stuff in them and SW to make them work.
I would contend that inflation rates are not a relevant measure for a price change over time for cameras. YMMV
 
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#55
JTP said:
A few from this past weekend.I bet one would be pretty hard pressed to determine what I shot in 35/50/85 here other than for compression. Best 35 I've ever used and I'm very finicky with my gear.
Click to expand...
Apologies as I snipped before replying just to cut down on reply size - thank you very much for sharing. Wonderful photos!
 
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#56
EOS 4 Life said:
I don't.
Click to expand...

Canon has always been extremely anti-third-party. They are NEVER going to allow anything onto RF that might compete directly with their own products, and will actively work to break compatibility with any 3rd party products that go the reverse-engineering route. (See: Ongoing R5ii battery compatibility fiasco for the most recent example.)

I get with a name like "EOS 4 Life" you're very committed, but if 3rd party compatibility and selection are important to you, Canon is not the right system to be on.
 
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#57
I went ahead and bought a new EF 35mm f/1.4L as a backup to my eight-year-old copy. I just wasn't crazy about the new, RF design, and I wanted to be sure to have the same "look" I've come to love. One of my kids is very close to being old enough to trust with an L lens, so that's another justification.

Please don't tell my wife.

Cheers!
 
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