Product ReviewsCanon EF 20-35mm f/2.8 L Lens

Fills an important niche

Fast ultra-wide zooms are really expensive. This one ain't. It's built like a tank and my copy is silky smooth.

The focal range of this lens is perfect for candids & street photography without much distortion and it's fast. It's useful for landscapes but sometimes I want to go wider than 20mm and so I also bought the Rokinon 16mm f2.8.

If you want one lens to do everything, you have to spend a lot more. The 17-40 f4 and 17-35 f2.8 are more affordable replacements but the 17-35 isn't as sharp (I've heard) and the f4 isn't as fast, forcing you to use higher ISOs. A cheaper option is the 20-35 f3.5-4.5 USM which I also have, and it is comparably sharp but not as fast. That's its only downfall. If you don't need f2.8, get the USM version. It's fantastic for the prices they're going for in 2017.

Every lens has its purpose and for me this lens is perfect for landscapes and light painting particularly when I want f2.8, like shooting <30 second exposures of the sky, and for street and candids. Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: rmgmg367

Exceptional lens for the current cost--get a good copy though!

The Canon EF 20-35mm f/2.8L USM is still an excellent lens even though copies are now 20 years old and older. If you can find a good copy, you're golden. Mine is in exceptional shape cosmetically and the glass performs solidly--no fungus or dust, it's obvious the lens was cared for. There does appear to be something causing a very tiny light refraction when you look inside the lens in the light though. One thing I've noticed with the lens is that it doesn't care for high ISO on my Canon 6D. Shooting hand held in low light, even at High ISO with enough shutter speed yields less than exceptional results from my perspective. The lens is very unforgiving on a full frame camera with imperfect technique. Also, wide open the corners are a bit softer than I would expect from Canon L glass. Where it shines is with landscapes, at between f/9 and f/16, tripod mounted, mirror locked up on the 2s timer so that camera shake is absolutely non-existent. Overall, I am pleased with the lens especially since it was relatively inexpensive for what you receive now that new L glass is well over $1500 for comparable wide zooms. If you find a good copy and learn its strengths and limitations, you won't be sorry. Just don't break it because they cannot be fixed!Read full review...

Great Old "L" Lens with Lot of Value

Canon EF 20-35mm f/2.8 L is old Canon "L" lens for all Canon EOS cameras cropped or full frame. This is old version of 16-35mm f/2.8 L lens. You get very sharp images from this lens and colors are lovely with good contrast. Only question is whether 20mm is wide enough for you which is plenty wide for me on my 6D. I use this lens when I want lot of background with my subject. I mostly shoot people so this works very well for me, but many people also use 24-70mm 2.8. So you only gain 4mm wider compared to 8mm on a 16mm-35mm lens. As for price, I got it for around $200 so it was a no brainier for me. I prefer this lens over 35mm f2 lens and don't want to pay 3-4 times the cost for a lens that I would use only in certain situations. Cost will vary depending on the condition of the lens. My lens had af-mf switch broken but I almost never use mf so no big deal. I doubt you will be able to find one in mint cond. Still, I love old bargain quality lens with wear as long as glass elements are clean and does the job. ^_^Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: lomaprieta

Remarkable condition

It is great, the 20-35 is very very new. The condition is just remarkable. The only con is that it has noisy autofocus. It’s not quiet. Other than that, lens is perfect and it works. Just wish it was more clearly described about the autofocus noise.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: felega70

Always Shoot L-Series “Red Line”

Great lens perspective from wide angle to eye angle love this lens for city shots

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: matsuiyastore

Little-known Gem of Canon's L-Series lenses. Amazing value.

This lens is one of the classics that not many new photographers are aware of. Introduced in 1989, it originally had an MSRP of over $2300, but can now be found for a less than a quarter of that price. "L" build quality is evident, and the lens feels well balanced on crop sensor and full frame cameras alike. Color fidelity is good, and auto focus is quick and consistant. Make sure to protect the front element with a filter, since it moves slightly forwards and backwards, creating the potential for dust to enter the body.

This lens has never let me down, and during a recent trip to Nepal it stayed on my camera almost exclusively. On a crop sensor body, it provides a very useful wide angle to normal reach, allowing creative compostions while still challenging the photographer. It covers some of the most popular focal lengths: 20mm, 24mm, 28mm, and 35mm.

All things considered, this is a fantastic lens for a photographer looking for quality gear without breaking the bank. I highly recommend.Read full review...

Don't sleep on this value!

This is my first L series lens. It has already produced some of the sharpest images I have ever created. It is not a quiet lens because it is considered antique by todays standards. If you are using for street photography or landscape photography it is the absolute best value. This lens is used on both my Canon M50 and my Canon EOS R and produces amazing images on both. I don't recommend it for video work though just stills.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: kazo2000

Good tool in my Wedding photog. bag

I shoot weddings and have been using the Sigma 24 1.8 for 2 years, mainly on a cropped sensor body for its macro capability, low light capacity and descent focal range on a crop camera during reception stuff. On tight timing situations, the Sigma's AF goosed too many shots, its slow and tracks, and having experienced the USM of Canon's 50 1.4 and 100 f2, this lens was my logical choice. The thing that sucks, is that its not a 1.8, but the fast focus is worth the loss of a stop, as long as you have a juicy flash, that and dancing couples faces look a lot better at 2.8, or 3.2 than they ever could at 1.8, IMORead full review...

Don't even consider this lens on a full frame EOS body.

This very old design L glass zoom was a total disappointment. The image in the corners using a full frame Canon 5D is just awful wide open and only gets acceptable at f/16. At f/16 and f/22 diffraction softens the central image, so it is a bad trade-off. I returned this lens and later purchased a Zeiss 18mm f/3.5 Distagon T* ZE lens. Though the Zeiss is a manual focus prime lens, everything else works on any EOS body, including green "in focus" light and beep. Forget this Canon lens, unless you are only going to use it on a 1.6X crop body.Read full review...

Great lens despite its age

This is a 30 year old lens that was one of the beat in its class when made.
Image is sharp and has beautiful colour rendition.
If you can find one used in good condition buy it!!

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: tcxd2010