Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L ll USM Zoom Lens for Canon EF Cameras

I've been transitioning all my equipment to full frame (from my 60D to my 5D). So I used and loved my 10-22mm lens the few years I had it. Certainly the cost is extremely higher on the full frame bodies and lenses, but man this lens is incredible.The focal length is almost 100% identical to the 10-22mm (focal length measurements adjusted for crop body, 10-22 = 16-35 on a full frame sensor), so if you've ever used that lens you know what to expect focal-range-wise. Unlike the 10-22mm which does not fit a full frame body, you *can* use this lens on any body, whether cropped or full-frame, but it is *definitely* not worth the price if you are just going to be using it on a cropped sensor camera (60D, 70D, T4i, T5i, etc), because you lose the extreme wide end which is what is so awesome about the lens.I've used the lens quite a bit for real estate photography for great wide shots of rooms that can get *all four walls* in the frame at its widest. Really any architecture or landscape shot will look incredibly awesome at 16mm due to the very interesting perspective achieved at ultra-wide. You'll want to dial back the aperture though since at 2.8 you won't get tack sharp focus at very much of the image. But if you have a particular subject you want to focus on rather than the entire scene, 2.8 is great as it allows for better shots in low light or better bokeh, depending on what you're going for (the 10-22mm's max aperture on the other hand is only 3.5-4.5).If you look at 100% crops near the corners of shots taken at either focal extreme, it's not perfect, but it can get pretty close to perfect when you get the lighting and depth of field just right. I am honestly very happy with the copy I got as far as overall sharpness goes. The majority of its use is in video, paired with my Glidecam, and those two pieces of equipment make an epic pair. In 1080p video the entire shot looks nearly perfect with minimal work, so the fact that 22 megapixel photos don't look perfect in every spot in every situation doesn't matter too much for me as I purchased it with a much higher priority on video quality. And videos with this lens are amazing.The included lens hood and pouch are just icing on the cake. The Canon-branded hood I bought for my 10-22mm was the most expensive hood I ever purchased, so I appreciate that the L-series lenses come with them bundled in.Autofocus is very quick and 100% accurate on my copy, another noticeable improvement from my old 10-22mm. There is no IS but at 16mm you would rarely need IS, so I am okay with that omission, especially considering how much extra weight and cost IS would add to the lens.The date code on mine showed it was manufactured in 2013 (purchased in Feb 2014), which is good because I always worry about dropping a ton of cash and somehow ending up with a really old copy. Mine is flawless and I am enthusiastically looking forward to many years of use on this lens.

Allow me to fill in a little niche gap here. Obviously this is a great lens for still photographers, but for all of the DSLR filmmakers out there who are having trouble with lackluster and muddy video results, the problem lies not with your camera; you need to step up to the L-Series glass. The primary issue with the 7D, 5D Mark II, etc. is the chunky artifacting and pixellation that comes from the poor compression codec built into the processor, or so we all thought. However, the key is, primarily, the quality of the glass in front of the sensor. This lens seems to nullify nearly ALL of the drawbacks of the HD video processing in my 7D. I can expand frame grabs up to 4k resolution, and they still hold up! 2K and 3K looks fantastic. THE GLASS MAKES THE DIFFERENCE. It's borderline magical.This lens is nice and fat, just like a cinema lens, and therein lies much of its power. The bigger glass allows more light to enter into the sensor, giving the camera more "information" to pack into the frame, whereas with cheap, small lenses, the sensor has to essentially blow up and extract a muddy image from a tiny window. Drop the contrast, sharpness, and saturation settings to zero, add some L-Series glass, and your DSLR video can compete with Genesis, Viper, and can even hold its own against Red, at 1/10th of the cost.This lens is perfect for the 7D's APS-C sensor. With the 5D, vignetting is a bit of an issue wide open. The focal range is perfect for walk-around footage, steadicam shots, and wide-angle effects shots. Consider this an essential range.If you want professional-quality video, you need to have L-Lenses. I no longer care about the cost...I am immediately replacing my lens lineup with L-Series glass. I can't believe I've run a photo/video business for 6 years without L lenses! Besides, compared to other lens manufacturers, L-Series lenses are actually quite cheap. I've had the benefit of comparing this with Panavision lenses and I can assure you, there's no significant difference in the results. NONE. This is a gold mine for independent filmmakers.Shell out the cash. AND be sure to add a few hundred more to the cost of this lens, in the form of high-quality filters! Protect your glass! And do it properly...there is no point in spending $1k+ on a lens if you're going to ruin it and put a piece of plexi-glass in front of it...just because you want to save $50. Get a $100 multi-coated (MRC) UV filter from B+W and just think of it as an insurance policy on your lens. Put on the filter the moment you take out your lens and never take it off.Happy shooting! You will love this baby.