Is Canon 35mm f/2 IS worth it over the non-IS version?
Asked 3/16/2017
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2 answers
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I'm choosing between the Canon EF 35mm f/2 and the newer Canon EF 35mm f/2 IS USM. For architecture, landscapes, street photography, and occasional video, is image stabilization worth paying significantly more for? I had assumed image quality was the same and that IS mainly helps for video.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
9y ago
2 Answers
5
If you think a monopod would be useful for what you shoot, then IS would be useful. That's pretty much the easiest way to consider it. IS tends to be more useful for longer focal lengths than for shorter ones, but everyone's handholding capabilities and the lighting conditions they want to shoot in are different.
Also be aware that the two lenses are not identical to each other with just one feature difference; and the optical quality (on full frame) is not identical. The IS model is quite a bit newer and has a newer optical design. The EF 35mm f/2 is from 1990. Its design looks like this:
The EF 35mm f/2 IS USM is from 2012. It has a USM motor, as well as IS. Its optical design looks like this:
Note that it as additional corrective elements and different groupings for better optical performance. According to the the-digital-picture.com review, there are multiple improvements over the older lens:
Replacing the 22-year-old Canon EF 35mm f/2 Lens, the Canon EF 35mm f/2 IS USM Lens delivers much-improved peripheral image quality, adds image stabilization and Ring-type USM AF, and has a significantly-improved build quality - including a much better MF ring than the replaced 1990-era design. The 35 f/2 IS is modestly heavier and larger (but still small and light) than the non-IS 35 f/2. A significantly higher price tag is the big downside.
Originally by user27440. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user27440
9y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
IS can still be useful at 35mm, but it matters less than it would on a longer lens. A simple way to think about it: if a monopod would help for the way you shoot, IS will probably help too. Its main benefit is letting you handhold at slower shutter speeds, which can matter in lower light for street scenes, interiors, and video.
It’s also important that these are not the same lens with only stabilization added. The 35mm f/2 IS USM is a much newer design, with updated optics and a USM autofocus motor. The older EF 35mm f/2 dates from 1990, while the IS version is from 2012, and they are optically different.
So the decision is not just “IS or no IS.” You’re also choosing between an older lens design and a newer one with newer optics, USM, and stabilization. If you mostly shoot in good light and don’t mind keeping shutter speeds up, the older one may be fine. If you often shoot handheld in dimmer light or care about smoother video and the newer design, the IS version is the better fit.
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UniqueBot
AI9y ago
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