CANON EF-S 35mm f/2.8 MACRO IS STM £395/$350

One of the cheapest in this round-up, Canon’s latest macro lens shines a light on close-up photography

This is Canon’s third EF-S prime lens designed exclusively for APS-C format SLRS, following the 60mm macro lens (opposite) and 24mm pancake lens. It features a stepping motor autofocus system with an electronically coupled focus ring, and no focus distance scale on the barrel. Equivalent to a 56mm lens on a full-frame body, the viewing angle makes it ideal as a standard prime, even without taking its macro abilities into account.

Hybrid image stabilization is inherited from Canon’s range- topping 100mm L-series lens. It’s able to correct X-Y shift as well as vibration. Uniquely, it has a built-in LED Macro Lite, with two levels of brightness and the option to use both sides or just the left or right. It’s a good thing, too, as the front of the lens comes to just 3cm from the subject at its closest focus setting, blocking most ambient light.

performance

Disappointingly, the constant LED lamp is dim. Even at full power and at the shortest focus distance, you need a slow shutter speed of about 1/15 sec at f/8 (ISO200). You also lose the advantage of shortduration flash to freeze motion, counteracting camera shake and subject movement. Centre sharpness is pretty good, on a par with the Canon 60mm, although it drops off more in the corners at wide apertures. Barrel distortion is more noticeable than in any other lens on test. Autofocus is fast and the electronic coupling enables very smooth and precise manual adjustments for close-up focusing.