Canon RF 35mm f/1.4L VCM
2024 ~ today
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Canon RF 35mm f/1.4L VCM (takes 67mm and rear gel filters, 19.3 oz./548g, 0.9'/0.28m close focus, 0.18× macro ratio, $1,499). bigger.
I got mine at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or get it used if you know How to Win at eBay.
This 100% all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to my personally approved sources I've used myself for way over 100 combined years when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Canon does not seal its boxes in any way, so never buy at retail or any other source not on my personally approved list since you'll have no way of knowing if you're missing accessories, getting a defective, damaged, returned, gray-market, store demo or used lens — and all of my personally approved sources allow for 100% cash-back returns for at least 30 days if you don't love your new lens. I've used many of these stores since the 1970s because I can try it in my own hands and return it if I don't love it, and because they ship from secure remote warehouses where no one gets to touch your new lens before you do. Buy only from the approved sources I've used myself for decades for the best prices, service, return policies and selection.
October 2024 Better Pictures Canon Reviews RF Lenses EF Lenses Flash All Canon Reviews All Reviews
EF 35mm f/1.4L II (2015-today, 72mm filters, 26.8 oz./760 g, 0.92'/0.28m close focus, 0.21× macro ratio, works great on an EF-to RF adapter).
EF 35mm f/1.4L (1998-2015, metal 72mm filter thread, 20.5 oz./582 g, 1'/0.3m close focus, 0.18× macro ratio, works great on an EF-to RF adapter).
Sony vs. Nikon vs. Canon Full-Frame
Why Fixed Lenses Take Better Pictures
Sample Images top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Specifications Accessories USA Version
Performance Compared User's Guide
More samples throughout this review at Bokeh, Falloff, Macro, Sharpness, Spherochromatism and Sunstars.
These are just snapshots; my real work is in my Gallery.
These are all shot hand-held as JPGs at the lowest JPG quality setting of 1. No tripods, FINE JPGs or RAW CR3 files were used or needed.
I snapped these in the space of just one 9-minute walk:
Dusk, Pacific Beach, California, 7:27 PM, Wednesday, 11 September 2024. Canon EOS R5 II, RF 35mm f/1.4 L VCM wide-open at f/1.4 hand-held at 1/10 of a second at Auto ISO 320 (LV 2.7), Skylum Luminar Neo software to pump it up. bigger.
Pacific Beach by Moonlight, Pacific Beach, California, 7:28 PM, Wednesday, 11 September 2024. Canon EOS R5 II, RF 35mm f/1.4 L VCM wide-open at f/1.4 hand-held at 1/8 of a second at Auto ISO 640 (LV 1⅓), pumped-up in Skylum Luminar Neo software. bigger or camera-original 45 MP © 3 MB JPG quality 1 file.
Vertical crop from the same image. bigger or camera-original 45 MP © 3 MB JPG quality 1 file.
Ahh, perfect sharpness and no coma right to the edges wide-open at f/1.4. The RF 35mm f/1.4 L VCM is an ultrasharp lens!
You can see some tiling in the subtle washes of color in the sky because I shot it at the lowest JPG quality setting of 1 and then mucked around amping-up colors and contrasts which highlight JPG artifacts. Serves me right! I was wondering when I was going to be able to see a reason to shoot at anything other than JPG quality 1.
You can't see anything wrong in the original image, and only see it above because I screwed with this image to make it look as I envisioned it before I shot it. In the future maybe I'll use a higher-quality JPG setting with my R5 II — but I doubt it 😇. One of the many clever ways JPG lowers file size without causing any visible degradation is using quantization matrices to limit color precision where it's not needed — but with all the screwing around I did, I made it visible.
Pacific Terrace Hotel at Dusk, Pacific Beach, California, 7:34 PM, Wednesday, 11 September 2024. Canon EOS R5 II, RF 35mm f/1.4 L VCM wide-open at f/1.4 hand-held at 1/10 of a second at Auto ISO 1,600 (LV ⅓), pumped-up in Skylum Luminar Neo software, perspective correction in Photoshop CC. bigger or camera-original 45 MP © 10.4 MB JPG quality 1 file.
Pacific Terrace Hotel and Ghost Girl on Her iPhone, Pacific Beach, California, 7:34 PM, Wednesday, 11 September 2024. Canon EOS R5 II, RF 35mm f/1.4 L VCM wide-open at f/1.4 hand-held at 1/8 of a second at Auto ISO 640 (LV 1⅓), pumped in Radiant Photo software, perspective correction in Photoshop CC. bigger or camera-original 45 MP © 3.9 MB JPG quality 1 file.
Ghost Girl, Palms, Sea and Clouds at Dusk, Pacific Beach, California, 7:36 PM, Wednesday, 11 September 2024. Vertical crop from the right side of a horizontal Canon EOS R5 II image, RF 35mm f/1.4 L VCM at f/2.8 hand-held at one-half of a second at Auto ISO 1,250 (LV ⅓), pumped in Radiant Photo software. bigger.
Yes, my steady hands and the built-in stabilization of my R5 Mk II give me sharp shots hand-held at a half of a second. Tripods are for wimps! What's unsharp is simply out-of-focus at f/1.4, which is most of the photo. I cropped-out the out-of-focus trees on the left: just look at the lights along the coast at a distance!
Introduction top
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Specifications Accessories USA Version
Performance Compared User's Guide
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This Canon RF 35mm f/1.4L VCM is Canon's smallest and lightest 35mm f/1.4 lens of all time, and its optics are superb. It's ultra-sharp and completely devoid of coma at f/1.4, which is critical for the things we shoot with this lens.
VCM stands for Voice-Coil (focus) Motor, which is the same thing as Sony's XD Linear motors. It use a coil of wire as an electromagnet held inside the field of a permanent magnet to move the internal optics for focusing, exactly how speakers and headphones work. In this case the VCM is used to allow largely silent and fast focusing.
35mm f/1.4 lenses were all the rage in the days of 35mm film because they let us shoot hand-held in the lowest light with less camera shake at a given shutter speed and much more depth-of-field wide-open for much sharper available-light photos than with a 50mm f/1.2 or 85mm f/1.2. Today with digital's superb ultra-high ISOs we don't really need 35mm f/1.4 lenses for most night shots; the reason for this 35mm f/1.4 is that it lets us shoot at much lower ISOs than if I used my otherwise favorite RF 24-240mm f/4~6.3 IS USM, and we can grab sharper action shots with higher shutter speeds than with a slower lens.
This is not a lens for soft backgrounds. Focal length is much more important for getting soft backgrounds than f/stop. This wide 35mm lens has much more depth of field than a 50mm lens; if you want soft backgrounds, even a 50mm f/1.8 will put them more out of focus than will this 35mm f/1.4.
This lens is optimized for shooting movies rather than just stills. Some weirdnesses that result from this are:
1.) The VCM (voice-coil motor) doesn't lock when asleep or off, so the internal optics flop around inside unless the camera is actually awake and shooting.
2.) It has a big aperture ring, but it only works for video and not for stills unless you have an R5 Mk II or R1. Even if it does work, it has no clicks so it's weird because without clicks we wind up looking at the finder display, which has a slight delay in response. Trying to use the aperture ring to set apertures is much more fidgety than simply using a clicked dial on the camera.
3.) It has more ghosts than most other lenses, especially at typical taking apertures whose effects we usually don't see in advance unless we use the aperture preview button. This, and the fact that it comes with a very effective and deep hood, suggests that this is one lens with which I'd consider using the included hood.
I got my RF 35mm f/1.4L VCM at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or get it used if you know How to Win at eBay.
Canon RF 35mm f/1.4L VCM. bigger.
New intro top
Canon's smallest 35mm f/1.4 of all time.
Canon's lightest 35mm f/1.4 of all time.
Canon's first 35mm f/1.4 dedicated to the EOS R mirrorless system.
Rear gel filter holder.
For movies (not stills), the aperture rings lets you set aperture to 1/32 of a stop. No, I don't know how you read 32nds of a stop other than by looking at the ring.
VCM means voice coil (focus) motor. It's a linear motor that uses a coil of wire near a magnet, exactly like most speakers and headphones use, to move the focus groups inside the lens. When turned off these are left to bang around unchecked, which freaks out most people as it feels as if there is something floating around loose inside, which there is! Sony has done the the same thing for quite a few years, calling them linear XD motors, which also sound like there are loose parts inside the lenses.
Good intro top
Ultrasharp, especially wide-open at f/1.4 in the far corners.
Great bokeh.
No coma (sagittal coma flare).
AF/MF switch.
Made in Japan.
100% U.S.A.-based high-quality technical support at (800) OK-CANON.
Bad intro top
Some ghosts at the smallest apertures can sneak into your pictures if you're not careful to use your depth-of-field preview or at least play back religiously. You may want to use the excellent included hood.
Internal linear voice-coil focus motors do not cage (lock-down) with power off or sleeping, so half of the internal optics bang around inside as you're carrying it. Canon's instruction manual says this is normal (page ENG-3), but it's unsettling and inelegant.
Plastic filter threads and plastic exterior.
Soft plastic filter threads are easy to cross thread, typical of consumer lenses in 2024.
Strong spherochromatism, sadly it's about the same as the original EF 35mm f/1.4L (1998-2015) and worse than the current EF 35mm f/1.4L II (2015-today).
Missing intro top
No Stabilizer switch for in-camera stabilization.
No clicks on aperture ring. Weird.
Mounting index dot not raised so it can't be found by feel in the dark.
No always-active manual-focus override, unless you set that in a menu.
No focus or depth-of-field scales.
No infra-red focus indices.
Only stops down to f/16.
Specifications top
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Specifications Accessories USA Version
Performance Compared User's Guide
I got my RF 35mm f/1.4L VCM at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or get it used if you know How to Win at eBay.
Compatibility
This lens only works on Canon's EOS-R series of mirrorless cameras.
It won't work with any teleconverters, EF or either of the RF 2× Extender or RF 1.4× Extender teleconverters.
It won't fit on, and cannot be adapted to, any DSLR because a DSLR has too much distance between its sensor and its lens mount flange.
Name specifications top
Canon calls this the RF 35mm f/1.4L VCM:
RF: Works only on Canon's EOS-R Mirrorless cameras.
L: Expensive as L.
VCM: Voice Coil (focus) Motor.
Canon's Model Number: RF35mm F1.4L VCM.
Optics specifications top
Canon RF 35mm f/1.4L VCM Internal Optical Construction. Aspherical and UD elements. Blue dashes show Air-Sphere coatings.
14 elements in 11 groups.
2 UD extra-low dispersion elements, which help reduce secondary axial chromatic aberration.
2 Aspherical elements.
Super Spectra multicoating.
Air Sphere variable-refractive-index coating (ASC) on two internal surfaces, shown as blue dashes in the diagram above.
Fluorine anti-crud coating on both external surfaces.
Diaphragm specifications top
Canon RF 35mm f/1.4L VCM. bigger.
11 rounded blades.
Electronically actuated.
Stops down to f/16.
Filters specifications top
Plastic 67mm filter thread, and also takes rear gel filters:
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Rear of Rear Filter Holder (faces sensor). bigger. |
Front of Rear Filter Holder (faces lens). bigger. |
Coverage specifications top
Full frame and APS-C.
Focal Length specifications top
35mm.
When used on APS-C, it sees the same angle of view as a 55 mm lens sees when used on a full-frame or 35mm camera.
See also Crop Factor.
Angles of View on Full Frame specifications top
63º diagonal.
54º horizontal.
38º vertical.
Autofocus specifications top
Both Nano USM and Voice Coil motors.
No external movement as focussed, so no air or dust is sucked in.
Focus Scale specifications top
No.
Not on lens, but may be displayed in-camera.
Infinity Focus Stop specifications top
No.
You have to focus somehow to get precise focus at infinity, just like at every other distance.
Depth of Field Scale specifications top
No.
Not on lens, but may be displayed in-camera.
Infrared Focus Index specifications top
No.
Close Focus (distance from subject to image plane) specifications top
0.9 feet (0.28 meters).
Maximum Reproduction Ratio specifications top
1:5.6 (0.18×).
Minimum Subject Field specifications top
7.7 x 5.1 inches (195 x 130mm).
Image Stabilizer specifications top
NONE.
Caps specifications top
Canon E-67II 67mm front cap.
Rear Lens Dust Cap RF (p/n 2962C001).
Hood specifications top
Included Canon EW-73F Hood for RF 35mm f/1.4L VCM. bigger.
The included EW-73F hood is actually deep enough to do some good, which considering the relatively high levels of ghosts and flare in this lens, is a good thing.
It has a locking pawl. Bravo!
Case specifications top
Included LP1219 Lens Sack. bigger.
Nice LP1219 suede-like sack included.
Size specifications top
3.01" ø maximum diameter × 3.91" extension from flange.
76.5 mm ø maximum diameter × 99.3 mm extension from flange.
Weight specifications top
19.315 oz. (547.65 g) actual measured weight.
Rated 19.6 oz. (555 g).
Quality specifications top
Canon RF 35mm f/1.4L VCM. bigger.
Made in Japan.
Announced specifications top
05 June 2024.
Promised for specifications top
June 2024.
Included specifications top
Lens.
Canon E-67II 67mm front cap.
Rear Lens Dust Cap RF (p/n 2962C001).
Nice LP1219 suede-like sack.
Canon's Model Numbers specifications top
Model number: RF35F14LVCM.
Product code: 6710C002 (6710C001 in Japan).
JAN code: 4549292-235012.
Price, U. S. A. specifications top
September 2024
$1,499 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield.
About $1,400 used if you know How to Win at eBay.
253,000 yen in Japan.
Box, Canon RF 35mm f/1.4L VCM. bigger.
Corrugated cardboard box with formed pulp caps on top and bottom.
Accessories top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Specifications Accessories USA Version
Performance Compared User's Guide
I got my RF 35mm f/1.4L VCM at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or get it used if you know How to Win at eBay.
Luckily all these are included, so below are links for replacements should you need any of these:
E-67II 67mm front cap.
Rear Lens Dust Cap RF (p/n 2962C001).
Nice LP1219 suede-like sack.
Getting a Legal U. S. A. Version top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Specifications Accessories USA Version
Performance Compared User's Guide
I got my RF 35mm f/1.4L VCM at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or get it used if you know How to Win at eBay.
This section applies in the U. S. A. only.
Canon RF 35mm f/1.4L VCM U. S. A. Warranty Card. bigger.
Your xx must include a U. S. A. warranty card like the one shown above from Canon U.S.A., Inc. It should be on top inside your box as you open it. The serial number on the card must match the serial number on the bottom of your xx.
If you have no card or the serial number doesn't match, you got ripped off with a gray market version intended to be sold in another country. This is why I never buy from any place other than my personally approved sources. You just can't take the chance of buying elsewhere, especially at any retail store where strangers have probably opened your completely unsealed box and played with your camera, because non-U. S. A. versions have no warranty in the U. S. A., and you probably won't be able to get firmware or service for it — even if you're willing to pay out-of-pocket for it when you need it!
Shifty dealers may include color copies of a card from a legitimate U. S. A. product in a gray-market box, hoping you won't check serial numbers and catch their fraud. A card with the wrong serial number means nothing other than that you have no warranty coverage.
The serial number on the box doesn't have to match, but it should. It will be hidden someplace on the sticker with all the bar codes. If not, it means a shady dealer took things out of boxes and was too sloppy to put them back correctly — and it means you got a used lens if anyone other than you took it out of the box.
If a gray market version saves you $600 the risk might be worth it, but for $200 or less I wouldn't risk having no warranty or support.
Always be sure to check yours while you can still return it, or just don't buy from unapproved sources and never at retail so you'll be able to have your camera serviced and get free updated firmware as needed. Get yours from the same places I do and you won't have a problem.
Performance top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Specifications Accessories USA Version
Performance Compared User's Guide
Overall Autofocus Manual Focus Breathing
Distance Recording Bokeh Coma Distortion
Ergonomics Falloff Filters Flare & Ghosts
Lateral Color Fringes Lens Corrections
Spherochromatism Stabilization Sunstars
I got my RF 35mm f/1.4L VCM at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or get it used if you know How to Win at eBay.
Overall performance top
The RF 35mm f/1.4L VCM has extremely sharp optics with great bokeh and no coma, at a great price in a small package, but it does have strong spherochromatism and a few mechanical weirdnesses.
Oddly, close-focus and macro ability are identical to almost every other 35mm SLR lens made since 1960. Weird. If you want a close-focusing 35mm lens, get the RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro, or get the dedicated RF 100mm f/2.8L Macro.
Autofocus performance top
Autofocus is about as fast as other 35mm lenses. The VCM system is almost silent, but if you're worried about capturing quality audio with an in-camera or on-camera mic, the small amount of noise made by this lens is the least of your worries. If you're serious about audio, you need mics close to the subject and not sitting back on your camera, in which case it doesn't matter how much noise the lens makes.
Manual Focus performance top
Manual focusing is entirely electronic; the manual focus ring isn't connected to anything other than a digital encoder.
How to Get Manual-Focus Override.
Focus Breathing performance top
Focus breathing is the image changing size as focused in and out. It's important to cinematographers that the image not breathe because it looks funny if the image changes size as focus gets pulled back and forth between actors. If the lens does this, the image "breathes" by growing and contracting slightly as the dialog goes back and forth.
The image from this lens grows as focussed more closely.
Focus Distance Recording performance top
The focused distance is recorded in the EXIF data. I read this in the lower left of my screen in Photoshop's
lens correction filter.
Bokeh performance top
Bokeh, the feel, character or quality of out-of-focus areas as opposed to how far out of focus they are, is excellent. Even though this lens is short enough that things never get that far out of focus, thankfully backgrounds don't distract.
Here are photos from headshot distance wide-open. I'm focused on the DAVIS logo. Click any for the © camera-original file:
Made-in-U. S. A. Davis 6357 Wireless Sensor Suite (use with WeatherLink console), 8:52 AM, Thursday, 05 September 2024. Canon EOS R5 II, RF 35mm f/1.4 L VCM at 1/10,000, 1/4,000, and 1/1,000 at ISO 100, +0.3 stops exposure compensation (LV 14.4, 15.0 and 15.0), Radiant Photo software.
Click any for the camera-original 45 MP © 2.5 MB JPG Quality 1 file.
Bokeh is also superb at macro distances.
As always, if you want to throw the background as far out of focus as possible, shoot at f/1.4 and get as close as possible.
Coma performance top
Coma, or sagittal coma flare, is often seen with fast normal to wide lenses as weird batwing shapes on bright points of light in the corners at night. To see bad coma, see my review of the the LEICA SUMMILUX 35mm f/1.4 (1960-1995).
Thankfully I see no coma in this lens, which is excellent. Points of light remain as points of light all the way out to the corners at f/1.4. This is superb performance, bravo!
Pacific Beach by Moonlight, Pacific Beach, California, 7:28 PM, Wednesday, 11 September 2024. Canon EOS R5 II, RF 35mm f/1.4 L VCM wide-open at f/1.4 hand-held at 1/8 of a second at Auto ISO 640 (LV 1⅓), pumped-up in Skylum Luminar Neo software. bigger or camera-original 45 MP © 3 MB JPG quality 1 file.
Distortion performance top
My EOS R5 Mark II won't let me turn off distortion correction, so therefore there is no visible distortion as-shot:
Capri by the Sea, Pacific Beach, California, Wednesday, 11 September 2024. Canon EOS R5 II, RF 35mm f/1.4 L VCM at f/2.8 at 1/60 at Auto ISO 160 (LV 8.3), Radiant Photo software. bigger or camera-original 45 MP © 3.8 MB JPG Quality 1 file.
For more critical scientific use, use a correction of +0.50 in Photoshop's lens correction filter to JPG images.
If you shoot raw data rather than JPG images, whatever software you use to create visible images from raw data may or may not correct the distortion as is done in-camera as JPGs. You're on your own there; I don't bother with raw data.
While Canon's own software probably also corrects this from RAW CR3 files, be warned that other brands of raw processing software probably won't correct the distortion, and Heaven only knows what distortion you may see then.
Ergonomics performance top
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Canon RF 35mm f/1.4L VCM. bigger. |
Canon RF 35mm f/1.4L VCM. bigger. |
This lens is optimized for shooting movies rather than just stills. Some weirdnesses that result from this are:
1.) The VCM (voice-coil motor) doesn't lock when asleep or off, so the internal optics flop around inside unless the camera is actually awake and shooting.
2.) It has a big aperture ring, but it only works for video and not for stills unless you have an R5 Mk II or R1. Even if it does work, it has no clicks so it's weird because we have to look at the finder display, which has a slight delay in response making it difficult to work quickly. (A Nikon FE does a much better job with it's Aperture Direct Readout (ADR) that lets us see the lens ring optically in the finder). Trying to use the aperture ring to set apertures is much more fidgety than simply using a clicked dial on the camera.
3.) The ribs on the aperture ring are there to mesh with a gear on a remote control rig.
There's no always-responsive instant manual-focus override unless you enable this in a menu. Newer cameras may have this active by default, however it still won't hold a manually-focused distance while in SERVO AF modes. This is a flaw in Canon's cameras; not anything specific to this lens.
Falloff performance top
Falloff is invisible on full-frame because all the cameras correct for it. It's not 2006 anymore.
I've greatly exaggerated the falloff by shooting a gray field and placing these on a gray background; it will not look this bad in actual photos of real things:
Falloff on full-frame at infinity, Peripheral Illumination correction at its default of ON:
© 2024 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved. |
If you shoot raw data rather than JPG images, whatever software you use to create visible images from raw data may or may not correct this as is done in-camera as JPGs. You're on your own there; I don't bother with raw data.
If you go out of your way to turn off the correction, this is what you get:
Falloff on full-frame at infinity, Peripheral Illumination correction deliberately turned OFF:
© 2024 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved. |
Filters, use with performance top
There's no need for thin filters. I can stack several standard 67mm filters with no vignetting at any setting on full-frame.
Go ahead and use your standard rotating polarizer and grad filters.
Flare & Ghosts performance top
There are more ghosts in this lens than most other modern lenses. It's sneaky because they are more visible at the smallest apertures, so you may not see them until you play them back. (Most viewing is done at larger apertures than the actual shooting apertures).
Be sure to check for ghosts with the depth-of-field preview button. I almost never use hoods, but this lens' hood is deep and excellent, so I'd recommend using it. Hoods don't do much for zooms, while this lens' hood is deep and optimized for its one fixed focal length.
Of course you get even more ghosts with a filter. I use a UV filter instead of a cap, so I'll remove my filter in cases where ghosts might be a problem.
See examples at Sunstars.
Lateral Color Fringes performance top
There are no color fringes when shot as JPG with the default Chromatic Aberration Correction (inside the Digital Lens Optimizer) left ON.
If you go out of your way to turn this OFF (or shoot raw and then use non-manufacturer software to process that data into images) then there is a tiny bit of green-magenta fringing.
There is strong spherochromatism, which can cause green-magenta fringes on highlights that aren't in perfect focus at large apertures. Spherochromatism is a completely different aberration in a different dimension than lateral color fringes.
Lens Corrections performance top
Other cameras may vary as the years roll on, but my EOS R1, R3, R5 II, R5, R5C, R6 II, R6, R, R8, RP, R7, R10, R50 and R100 all have options to correct for falloff (Peripheral Illumination Correction), Distortion and a Digital Lens Optimizer which corrects for a suite of other aberrations.
Falloff and the Digital Lens Optimizer are ON by default, and may may be turned off individually.
If you turn off the Digital Lens Optimizer, you are then offered à la carte ON/OFF options for Chromatic Aberration Correction and Diffraction Correction.
This lens integrates electronic distortion correction as part of its design, so Distortion correction is always ON. The Distortion setting is grayed-out because it cannot be turned off.
If you shoot raw data rather than JPG images, whatever software you use to create visible images from raw data may or may not correct these as is done in-camera as JPGs. You're on your own there; I don't bother with raw data.
Macro Performance performance top
It's super-sharp at close distances, but I find it amusing that the close-focus distance (0.9'/1m) and maximum macro magnification ratio (0.18×) are the same as almost every other 35mm lens made since 1960.
Wide-Open at f/1.4
It doesn't get very close, while it is ultra-sharp even at f/1.4, which is fantastic. Look out for spherochromatism, which will put color fringes on anything that's not in perfect focus, and so long as you're in perfect focus, it's brilliant (and look at the bokeh!):
Casio G-Shock Solar Atomic Watch at close-focus distance, Thursday, 05 September 2024. Canon EOS R5 II, RF 35mm f/1.4 L VCM wide-open at f/1.4 at 1/10,000 at ISO 100, +0.3 exposure compensation (LV 14.4), Radiant Photo software. bigger or camera-original 45 MP © 2 MB JPG Quality 1 file.
1,200 × 900 pixel (6.8× magnification) crop from above. bigger or camera-original 45 MP © 2 MB JPG Quality 1 file.
The texture you're seeing is on the watch face.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 3" (7.5cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at a large 14 × 21″ (35 × 55 cm) at this same high magnification.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at a huge 27½ × 41¼″ (70 × 105 cm) at this same high magnification.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at a mammoth 55 × 82½″ (1.4 × 2.1 meters) at this same extremely high magnification!
At f/9
As expected, it has more depth of field stopped down, bokeh remains superb and spherochromatism goes away:
Casio G-Shock Solar Atomic Watch at close-focus distance, Thursday, 05 September 2024. Canon EOS R5 II, RF 35mm f/1.4 L VCM at f/9 at 1/250 at ISO 100, +0.3 exposure compensation (LV 14.4), Radiant Photo software. bigger or camera-original 45 MP © 2.6 MB JPG Quality 1 file.
1,200 × 900 pixel (6.8× magnification) crop from above. bigger or camera-original 45 MP © 2.6 MB JPG Quality 1 file.
The texture you're seeing is on the watch face.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 3" (7.5cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at a large 14 × 21″ (35 × 55 cm) at this same high magnification.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at a huge 27½ × 41¼″ (70 × 105 cm) at this same high magnification.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at a mammoth 55 × 82½″ (1.4 × 2.1 meters) at this same extremely high magnification!
Mechanical Quality performance top
Canon RF 35mm f/1.4L VCM. bigger.
It's all plastic on the outside:
Finish
Black plastic.
Hood
Plastic bayonet with a plastic locking pawl.
Front Bumper
None.
Filter Threads
Plastic.
Hood Bayonet Mount
Plastic.
Barrel Exterior
All plastic.
Focus Ring
Rubber-covered plastic.
Slide Switches
Plastic.
Identity
Printed with invisible gray-on-gray paint around the front of the lens.
"35" engraved and filled with white paint on the top of the barrel.
Internals
Seems like mostly plastic.
Mount & Rear Trim Ring
Chromed metal.
Dust Gasket at Mount
Yes.
Serial Number
Canon RF 35mm f/1.4L VCM. bigger.
Laser engraved in black-on-black on bottom of barrel. My studio shot above makes it much more visible than it is in reality.
Date Code
Coded in the serial number; this one made in June of 2024.
Noises When Shaken
Strong clunking unless its mounted on a camera that's awake.
Made in
Made in Japan.
Sharpness performance top
It's ultra-sharp corner-to-corner, even wide-open at f/1.4:
Photo Library, California, 7:34 PM, Thursday, 26 September 2024. Canon EOS R5 II, RF 35mm f/1.4 L VCM wide-open at f/1.4 at 1/10 of a second at ISO 50 (LV 5.4), Radiant Photo software. bigger or full-resolution 45 MP, 7 MB JPG file (originally shot as a JPG Quality 1 file.)
It takes a lot of lens to be this sharp from corner-to-corner at f/1.4. This is superb performance!
It's so good that diffraction makes it softer by f/8, and worse at f/11 and f/16. Diffraction is a resolution limit set by God and physics which cannot be exceeded, so if we have a lens so sharp that diffraction is limiting it by f/5.6 and f/8 that's superb! See also How to Calculate the Sharpest Aperture.
Lens sharpness has nothing to do with picture sharpness; every lens made in the past 100 years is more than sharp enough to make super-sharp pictures if you know what you're doing. The only limitation to picture sharpness is your skill as a photographer. It's the least talented who spend the most time worrying about lens sharpness and blame crummy pictures on their equipment rather than themselves. Skilled photographers make great images with whatever camera is in their hands; I've made some of my best images of all time with an irreparably broken camera! Most pixels are thrown away before you see them, but camera makers don't want you to know that.
If you're not getting ultra-sharp pictures with this, be sure not to shoot at f/8 or smaller unless you know you need more depth of field, always shoot at ISO 100 or below because cameras become softer at ISO 200 and above, be sure everything is in perfect focus (so you can shoot at f/5.6), set your camera's sharpening as you want it (I set mine to the maximum 7,1,1) and be sure nothing is moving, either camera or subject. If you want to ensure a soft image with any lens, shoot at f/16 at ISO 1,600 or above at default sharpening in daylight of subjects at differing distances in the same image.
People worry waaaaay too much about lens sharpness. It's not 1968 anymore when lenses often weren't that sharp and there could be significant differences among them; ever since about 2010 all new lenses are all pretty much equally fantastic.
MTF wide-open at f/1.4 at 10 cyc/mm (black) and 30 cyc/mm (blue). Sagittal (solid) and meridional (dashed).
Canon's MTF curve confirms what I see in practice: essentially perfect sharpness.
Spherochromatism performance top
Spherochromatism, also called secondary spherical chromatic aberration or "color bokeh," is an advanced form of spherical and chromatic aberration in a different dimension than lateral chromatic aberration. It happens mostly in fast normal and tele lenses when spherical aberration at the ends of the color spectrum are corrected differently than in the middle of the spectrum. Spherochromatism can cause colored fringes on out-of-focus highlights, usually seen as green fringes on backgrounds and magenta fringes on foregrounds. Spherochromatism is common in fast lenses of moderate focal length when shooting contrasty items at full aperture. It goes away as stopped down.
It has strong spherochromatism, similar to the original EF 35mm f/1.4L and much worse than the EF 35mm f/1.4L II:
Casio G-Shock Solar Atomic Watch at close-focus distance, Thursday, 05 September 2024. Canon EOS R5 II, RF 35mm f/1.4 L VCM wide-open at f/1.4 at 1/10,000 at ISO 100, +0.3 exposure compensation (LV 14.4), Radiant Photo software. bigger or camera-original 45 MP © 2 MB JPG Quality 1 file.
1,200 × 900 pixel (6.8× magnification) crop from above. bigger or camera-original 45 MP © 1.8 MB JPG Quality 1 file.
Image Stabilization (VR) performance top
This lens has no Optical Image Stabilization (OIS, IS or VR (Vibration Reduction)), but it does work fine with in-camera stabilization if you have it.
"Percent Perfectly Sharp Shots" are the percentage of hand-held, free-standing with no support or bracing, frames with 100% perfect tripod-equivalent sharpness as viewed at 300%. Hand tremor is a random occurrence, so at marginal speeds some frames will be perfectly sharp while others will be in various stages of blur — all at the same shutter speed.
This rates what percentage of shots are perfectly sharp, not how sharp are all the frames:
| % Perfectly Sharp Shots on a stabilized R5 II | 2s |
1s |
1/2 |
1/4 |
1/8 |
1/15 |
1/30 |
1/60 |
1/125 |
| Stabilization ON | 0 |
10 |
20 |
60 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| Stabilization OFF | 0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
10 |
20 |
70 |
100 |
I see a 4-stop real-world improvement, which is really good!
Sunstars performance top
With a 11-bladed rounded diaphragm, I get mild 22-point sunstars on brilliant points of light only at the smallest apertures.
Ignore the vertical smear at large apertures. This is a sensor artifact called interline transfer smear and is a camera, not a lens, defect.
Likewise ignore the crazy rainbow dots at small apertures; these are sensor artifacts caused by taking a picture directly of the sun and exposing for the dark underside of a huge palm tree, and using that same palm tree to hide the sky to accentuate the stars.
Click any to enlarge:
Click any to enlarge.
Compared top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Specifications Accessories USA Version
Performance Compared User's Guide
I got my RF 35mm f/1.4L VCM at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or get it used if you know How to Win at eBay.
This native RF lens is smaller and lighter than either of the older EF 35/1.4 L II or EF 35/1.4 L, even before you consider the EF to RF adapter with which they need to be used on modern mirrorless cameras. Of course this new RF lens won't work at all on DSLRs or EOS 35mm cameras, on which all the EF lenses work brilliantly. All of the three 35mm f/1.4 lenses are optically excellent and ultrasharp overall.
To look at minor points, this new RF lens has about the same spherochromatism as the original EF 35/1.4L (1998-2015), while the EF 35/1.4 L II (2015-today) has nearly none.
The original EF 35/1.4L (1998-2015) has just a hint of coma at f/1.4, while this newest RF lens has none.
Anni |
2024- |
2015- |
1998-2015 |
2012- |
1990- |
2012- |
Works on mirrorless |
Yes |
Yes, w/EF to RF adapter |
Yes, w/EF to RF adapter |
Yes, w/EF to RF adapter |
Yes, w/EF to RF adapter |
Yes, w/EF to RF adapter |
no |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Filter Threads |
72mm |
72mm |
67mm |
52mm |
82mm |
|
Filter Threads |
plastic |
plastic |
Metal |
plastic |
plastic |
plastic |
Stabilized? |
no |
no |
no |
Yes |
no |
no |
Barrel |
plastic |
plastic |
Metal and plastic |
plastic |
plastic |
plastic and metal |
Build Feel |
nice plastic |
nice plastic |
Pro |
nice plastic |
nice plastic |
Tough plastic |
Autofocus motor |
VCM |
USM |
USM |
USM |
Arc-Form Drive |
USM |
Instant Manual Override? |
Not always |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Close Focus |
0.92' 0.28m |
0.92' 0.28m |
1' 0.3m |
0.8' 0.24m |
0.8' 0.25m |
1.25' 0.38m |
Maximum Repro Ratio |
1:5.5 |
1:4.76 |
1:5.5 |
1:4.3 |
1:4.76 |
|
Sharpness |
XLNT |
XLNT |
XLNT |
XLNT |
XLNT |
XLNT |
Coma |
None |
Minor |
||||
Sphero-chromatism |
||||||
Diaphragm |
11 blades |
9 blades |
8 blades |
8 blades |
5 blades |
9 blades |
Sunstars |
22 points |
18 points |
8 points |
8 points |
10 points |
18 points |
f/minimum |
f/16 |
f/22 |
f/22 |
f/22 |
f/22 |
|
Distortion @ 3m |
+0.52 |
+0.5 |
+1.0 |
+1.2 |
+1.1 |
|
Bokeh |
||||||
Length |
99.3mm |
105.5mm 129.5mm3 |
86mm 110mm3 |
63mm |
42mm |
123mm |
Diameter |
76.5mm |
80.4mm |
79mm |
78mm |
67mm |
83mm |
Weight |
19.3 oz. 548 g |
26.8 oz. 31.2 oz.3 |
20.5 oz. 24.9 oz.3 |
11.9 oz. 336 g |
7.4 oz. |
28.4 oz. |
Price, 12/2012 |
n/a |
n/a |
||||
Price, 4/2013 |
n/a |
n/a |
$1,260 (rebate) |
|||
Price, 4/2015 |
n/a |
n/a |
$250 used |
|||
Price, 8/2015 |
n/a |
$200 used |
||||
Price, 10/2015 |
n/a |
$175 used |
||||
Price, 11/2015 |
n/a |
$200 used |
||||
Price, 03/2016 |
n/a |
$200 used |
||||
Price, 06/2024 |
||||||
Price, 09/2024 |
||||||
Price, 10/2024 |
1.) Use with EF to RF adapter on mirrorless cameras.
2.) With in-camera correction.
3.) Measured with EF to RF Ring adapter for modern mirrorless cameras.
4.) If you know How to Win at eBay.
Compared to Nikon compared top
Anni |
2024- |
2024- |
2010- |
1969-2003 |
Filter Threads |
62mm |
67mm |
52mm |
|
Filter Threads |
plastic |
plastic |
plastic |
Metal |
Stabilized? |
no |
no |
no |
no |
Barrel |
plastic |
plastic |
plastic |
Metal |
Build Feel |
nice plastic |
plasticy! |
nice plastic |
Metal |
Autofocus motor |
VCM |
some kind of stepper |
SWM |
none |
Instant Manual Override? |
Not always |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Close Focus |
0.92' 0.28m |
0.9' 0.27m |
1' |
1' |
Maximum Repro Ratio |
1:5.5 |
1:5.6 |
1:5 |
1:5.5 |
Sharpness |
XLNT |
XLNT |
XLNT |
Good |
Coma |
None |
Minor |
||
Spherochromatism |
||||
Diaphragm |
11 blades |
9 blades |
9 blades |
9 blades |
Sunstars |
22 points |
18 points |
soft 18 points |
sharp 18 points |
f/minimum |
f/16 |
f/16 |
f/16 |
f/16 |
Distortion @ 3m |
+0.5** |
+1.5 |
+1.5 |
|
Bokeh |
||||
Length |
99.3mm |
86.5mm |
90mm |
74mm |
Diameter |
76.5mm |
74.5mm |
83mm |
67.5mm |
Weight |
19.3 oz. 548 g |
14.5 oz. |
21.2 oz. |
13.4 oz. |
Price, 12/2012 |
n/a |
n/a |
||
Price, 4/2013 |
n/a |
n/a |
$850 new or about $500 used* |
|
Price, 4/2015 |
n/a |
n/a |
$799 new or about $350 used* |
|
Price, 8/2015 |
n/a |
n/a |
$799 new or about $350 used* |
|
Price, 10/2015 |
n/a |
n/a |
||
Price, 11/2015 |
n/a |
n/a |
||
Price, 03/2016 |
n/a |
n/a |
||
Price, 06/2024 |
about $436 used* |
|||
Price, 09/2024 |
||||
Price, 10/2024 |
about $475 used* |
* If you know How to Win at eBay.
User's Guide top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Specifications Accessories USA Version
Performance Compared User's Guide
I got my RF 35mm f/1.4L VCM at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or get it used if you know How to Win at eBay.
Canon RF 35mm f/1.4L VCM. bigger.
AF - MF Switch user's guide top
AF: Auto Focus.
MF: Manual Focus only.
Unmarked Button user's guide top
This is usually a focus lock button.
You may reassign what it does in your camera controls menus.
IRIS Slider & Aperture Ring user's guide top
The aperture ring locks at A. If it's set to any of the aperture settings, it's locked out of the A position.
To move it between the A position or the aperture settings, push the IRIS lock toward the front of the lens as you move the ring.
The aperture ring only works for video. This ring only works for shooting still images in cameras introduced in 2024 or newer, which as I write this in October 2024, are only the R5 II and R1.
Since the aperture ring has no clicks, it's weird for use for stills even with the newest cameras. I prefer to control aperture with my camera's control dials rather than the ring on the lens.
Manual-Focus Override user's guide top
By default, there is not always immediate instant manual-focus override in all modes as we take for granted in our DSLRs.
Some EOS R cameras may need a menu setting changed for manual-focus override, otherwise the focus ring is always ignored in AF.
Find the "Lens electronic AF" or "Electronic full-time MF" option in your AF menu (AF 6 in R5 II, R6 II, R7, R8 and R10, AF 4 in EOS R5 and EOS R6 or CAMERA 8 in EOS RP), and set it to either "One‑Shot‑> enabled," "One‑Shot‑> enabled (magnify)" or ON.
Canon should have it set this way by default, but they don't. No big deal now that I figured it out.
In ONE SHOT mode manual focus now takes over and stays wherever you set the focus manually, however in SERVO mode this setting lets the lens focus manually as you turn the ring, but as soon as you stop turning the ring the AF system takes back over and keeps tracking focus! Oh well.
Recommendations top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Specifications Accessories USA Version
Performance Compared User's Guide
I got my RF 35mm f/1.4L VCM at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or get it used if you know How to Win at eBay.
This is a great, fast lens for all kinds of shooting, especially action or anything in low light. Personally I only grab it for walks at night; otherwise I use my RF 24-240mm IS USM for everything, including most handheld night shooting.
For mirrorless cameras, this is a better option than an older EF lens on an adapter as it's smaller, lighter and less expensive than the EF 35mm f/1.4L II, although of course if you already own the EF 35mm f/1.4L II or original EF 35mm f/1.4L, there's probably no reason to replace it; none of them has optical stabilization.
I hope a future Mark II version of the VCM cages (locks) the optics when asleep or off so it doesn't have them flopping around inside.
I use a clear (UV) protective filter instead of a cap (exactly like an iPhone) so I'm always ready to shoot instantly. I only use a cap when I throw this in a bag with other gear without padding — which is never. The UV filter never gets in the way, and never gets lost, either.
The very best protective filter is the nearly indestructible Hoya multicoated HD3 67mm UV which uses hardened glass and repels dirt and fingerprints.
For less money, the B+W 67mm XS-PRO MRC-nano 010M, Nikon 67mm NC (No Color/Neutral Clear), Hoya 67mm NXT Plus UV and Hoya 67mm UV MC are all excellent filters, but the Hoya HD3 is the toughest and the best.
If I was working in nasty, dirty areas, I'd use an uncoated 67mm Tiffen UV filter instead. Uncoated filters are much easier to clean, but more prone to ghosting.
Filters last a lifetime, so you may as well get the best. The Hoya HD3 stays cleaner than the others since it repels oil and dirt.
All these filters are just as sharp and take the same pictures, the difference is how much abuse they'll take and stay clean and stay in one piece. Since filters last a lifetime or more, there's no reason not to buy the best as it will last you for the next 50 years. Filters aren't throwaways like digital cameras which we replace every few years, like it or not. I'm still using filters I bought back in the 1970s! The Hoya HD3 stays cleaner than the others since it repels oil and dirt, and you'll be using it long after you've thrown this lens away in 50 years.
I got my RF 35mm f/1.4L VCM at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or get it used if you know How to Win at eBay.
This 100% all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to my personally approved sources I've used myself for way over 100 combined years when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Canon does not seal its boxes in any way, so never buy at retail or any other source not on my personally approved list since you'll have no way of knowing if you're missing accessories, getting a defective, damaged, returned, gray-market, store demo or used lens — and all of my personally approved sources allow for 100% cash-back returns for at least 30 days if you don't love your new lens. I've used many of these stores since the 1970s because I can try it in my own hands and return it if I don't love it, and because they ship from secure remote warehouses where no one gets to touch your new lens before you do. Buy only from the approved sources I've used myself for decades for the best prices, service, return policies and selection.
Thanks for helping me help you!
Ken.
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