24/1.4L vs. 35/1.4L on APS-C

[nathan_terhorst]

I have a 20D and I'm thinking about buying one of these two lenses. I

really like the 35mm (FF equivalent) focal length of the 24mm lens,

but numerous comparisons I've read have all said it's optically

inferior to its 35mm sister. Still, I can't help but notice these

tests are almost always performed using a FF body like the 1Ds. It

seems like a lot of the complaints about the 24's corner sharpness,

vignetting, etc. would vanish with the 1.6x crop. Anyone ever check

this out? Thanks!

[pturton]

Jonathon, After doing some tests with a 28-135 zoom on a 10D, I decided that 35mm was the focal length that I needed. 28mm or wider was too wide for my needs. Since getting the 35L, I feel that it was the right decision. It really seems to fulfil all the hype I read about it.

 

Since you like the 24mm FOV more, get it. With your subject most often away from the edge of the frame, and properly focused, any corner problems will not be noticed. Pixel peepers can find problems with any lens.

 

If the 24L is as crisp as the 35L in the center portion of the frame, you will love it.

 

Do a search on some picture forums like pbase.com for random images shot with the 24 and 35 to decide from everyday usage just how good/bad they are for your needs.

[peter_white2]

Just buy it from a store with a clear return policy. Take a few shots and look at them. You'll know in a few minutes if the lens will meet your requirements.

[beauh44]

Hi Jonathan, I haven't tried these guys but they offer the 35mm 1.4L as a rental: http://www.rentglass.com/shop.aspx?type=Canon It looks like someone has it rented at the moment, but you could probably reserve it. Good luck!

[jim_larson1]

I have a different perspective. . .

 

. . .when you spend THIS MUCH MONEY on a lens. . .it should perform on a full frame body. Afterall. . .how long do you plan to use APS-C cameras? Is a 5D in your future? Or a film camera?

 

. . . BUT -> Don't get a 35mm lens if you really want a 24.

 

. . .BUT -> do you really need a 1.4? Or will a 24/2.8 prime (or 24-70/2.8L zoom) fill your needs?

[oceanphysics]

Just looking at the theoretical MTF curves for the 24 on Canon's site, it seems that the lens has almost no resolution at all in the corners wide open. Hence the complaints. At a radius of 15mm from center (the corners on a crop camera) it's decent, in line with the 24 f/2.8 or I guess most other SLR wide-angles. But unless you're desperate for speed (and with the high ISO performance of digital cameras, why would you be?) I think it's nuts to spend that much on an average performer.

[sheldonnalos]

I have the 35mm f/1.4 and the 24mm f/2.8. The 35mm definitely lives up to the hype and is my favorite lens. I couldn't bring myself to spend that kind of money on the 24mm f/1.4, given the mixed reviews out there. I don't think it would suck, it just likely won't measure up to the 35mm L. I've found the 24mm f/2.8 to be a great match with the 20D, very compact and a reasonably good performer.

 

If I were you, I'd buy the 35mm L for the magic, and the 24mm f/2.8 for the field of view. Heck, that's what I did!

[yakim_peled1]

<p> <a href="http://www.photozone.de/8Reviews/index.html">PZ tests</a> are done with a 350D so these are 1.6X tests. The end result is that the 24/1.4 and the 28/1.8 perform about the same, despite the huge price difference. Amazingly, these tests also show that the 24/2.8 is <b>better</b> than the 24/1.4, at least in the borders.</p>

<p> FWIW, I have the 28/1.8 on my 1D and think it is O.K. wide open and excellent at 2.8. I therefore think that the idea of 35/1.4 + 24/2.8 is a good one. As I am too poor to buy the 35/1.4, I am forced to make do with a single lens and thus went for the 28/1.8. Mind you, for a single lens solution and considering the 1.4 prices I think it's a great value for money. </p>

<p> HTH.</p>

 

<p>Happy shooting, <br>

Yakim.</p>

[bennyboy]

I own a 24 2.8 and it is an exceptionally sharp lens, well worth the 40 quid it cost me from ebay.

[peter_white2]

Mr. Physics,

 

At f/1.4, depth of field is rather shallow. So unless you're shooting something flat, corner resolution isn't very important, since there's little chance that anything in the corners will be on the plane of focus anyway.

[peter_white2]

Frequently, wide angle lenses don't have flat fields, meaning that while they are quite capable of focusing sharp in the corners, they don't do so at the same distance as in the center. So if you focus on a test chart in the center, the corners will be out of focus. But you could focus in the corner instead and then the center would be out of focus.

 

Why is this significant? Glad you asked. ;-)

 

It's significant because while a test (using a flat surface) will show that the lens has poor corner resolution at full aperture, in fact you have every bit as much chance of getting something sharp in the corners with such a lens as another lens that tests well using a test chart. Since in the real world it's all up to chance whether there will be something on the plane of focus in the corners wide open, it makes little difference whether the lens is flat field or not, though the test (using a flat chart) would indicate otherwise.

 

Applications where it does make a difference are those where all of your subject is at infinity, shooting the night sky, or a landscape shot from atop a tall building, and of course the classic application; copy work. That's why macro lenses are designed to have flat fields.

[fxdonny]

I use 24/1.4 on 20D and would never sell it, unless I move up to FF like 5D. No complaint here :)

[g_beaudoin]

I personnaly made the same choice Sheldon did and I'm darn glad I did (I use 20d too). I used the 24 2.8 a lot but I've been gradualy more prone to go on someting a little bit more norrow. The 35L is a real killer, sharp at 1.4 & 2.0, extremely sharp at 2.8 and beyong. When you toutch a 1.4 lense, you therefore NEED 1.4. Is in other world than my 24 2.8, 17-40 f4L, 50 1.4, sigma105 2.8 macro... Simply better. But I still can't sell the 24 2.8. It does the job so well! If you can buy both, do it.