Canon EF 16-35 mm f/4L IS USM Lens - Black

If you already own a 17-40 and are deciding on whether to upgrade or not, or if you are looking to buy this or the 17-40 then the answer depends on what you shoot.If you shoot landscape at f/11 or smaller then you do not need to upgrade as both lenses are near identical at that aperture. I know, I've had both and done a head to head with them.If however you want to shoot things at f/4 then there really is no competition between them. The 17-40 is well known to be soft in the mids and corners wide open and doesn't really get sharp across the frame until f/11, which is great for landscapes but useless for anything else that you may want to be sharp across the frame.The 16-35 f/4 on the other hand is superb wide open. Truly. At all focal ranges, making it an incredibly versatile lens. In fact, at f/4 there's not much in it between this and my primes at the same aperture in terms of sharpness, just marginally softer, but that's to be expected. Primes are primes for a reason. However, I'd be more than happy to use this lens instead of my primes if all I needed was f/4.Bottom line...Landscape at at f/11 or smaller? Get the 17-40. It's just the job and nearly half the price (plenty of good 2nd hand copies on the auction site)Landscape + everything else: Get this. It'll see you right for many years to come. Expect it to be 15-20 years before Canon attempt to update this beauty, and I've not even mentioned how useful the IS is for hand-held work...!Highly recommended.

Absolute beaut of a lens! I have owned this lens for two weeks and to date have used it for landscapes, star trails, skateboarding filming and shooting.I was dubious whether to purchase the Canon 16-35mm f4 L as I everyone could do with a spare £700 and I already was able to shoot wide with my Canon 24-105 f4 L, however the promise of corner to corner sharpness at f4 at 16mm, 4 stop image stabilization and improved resistance to CA proved to hard to resist. After shooting with it for two weeks I can confirm that the purchase was well worth it. Canon really have crafted the ideal landscape photography lens, the reasons are as follows:- High image quality. Good sharpness and contrast throughout the aperture range. (Maximum IQ between at f9 IMOO)- Construction. The lens feels robust, solid but also relatively lightweight. Feels just right on my 5D3.- Weather sealing. Works well, I have experienced no ingress of water / dust and have recently photographed waterfalls where lots of drips and mist fell on lens with no issues. (Please note weather sealing is completed only 77mm filter is added onto the front. I recommend a very slim filter to avoid vignette at 16-17mm)- Auto Focus. Works quickly and silently. Definitely lives up to the Canon USM that we've come to expect on L glass.- Image stabilizer. Works well for situations with low light and no tripod and is completely silent. My test show about 2-3 stops on 5D3, Potentially more on 1DX (always remember to turn off when using a tripod!)- Usability. The location of the lenses switches, focus / zoom rings are just right and in gerneral the lens feels good in the hand. The lens does not extend further than the filter ring which allows for good use of Polarising filters.- Improved lens hood. Lens hood is much smaller and more effective than hoods for 16-35mm f2.8 mkII and 17-40mm f4.The only issue I have had to date is using my Cokin filter holder at 16-19mm I experience severe vignette, however this is to be expected on such a WA lens and is completely gone by 20-21mm.When you get images of camera and into photoshop / lightroom this lens will continue to impress! ;) I know will enjoy this lens and the images it allows me to capture for years to come. Highly recommended. Thanks Canon!Sell, scrimp and save to get this lens. you will not be disappointed.Kind regards,Adam Handley

Swapped the f/2.8 mk3 version to try this lens. Recouped a fair bit of money. Not sure why but I managed to get this through Amazon for less than £700 whereas the f/2.8 had cost me £1600.Very good image quality, having IS is useful, and is my staple for wide angle shots. Good build, weather sealed and a friendly 77mm filter thread.One of canon’s better value L series lenses.