CANON EF 16-35mm f/4l IS USM £999/$1099

Reasonably priced for a Canon L-series lens, it’s a top performer and great value

This Canon lens has a lot going for it, especially in relation to the rangetopping EF 16-35mm f/2.8l III USM, also on test. The f/4 lens has the same zoom range but is more compact and lightweight, has a smaller 77mm filter thread, and gains a highly effective 4-stop image stabilizer. For many, that combo of advantages will outweigh the extra f-stop in aperture rating of the f/2.8 lens, especially at this price point.

Like most L-series lenses, it’s built to a pro-grade standard. As such, it’s robust and weathersealed, with ace handling. Optical highlights include two UD (Ultra-low Dispersion) elements and Super Spectra coating. Fluorine coatings are also applied to the front and rear elements.

For max viewing angles on full-frame cameras, the Canon lenses are the least impressive here. Still, the resulting 108 -degree angle is comparable to using any of the zoom lenses that start at 10mm on APS-C cameras, and not far behind the

Tamron 15-30mm full-frame lens. An upside is that the Canon lenses stretch further than any of the competing lenses at the long end of their range.

Performance

This lens gives similarly superb centre-sharpness as the Sigma 14-24mm and Tamron 15-30mm lenses on test, although sharpness drops off a little more towards the extreme edges and corners of the frame.