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Canon Looks to Raise the Bar With New EF 35mm f/1.4L II

One of Canon's most popular pro lenses just got better.

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Canon has been making pro lenses for decades and boasts one of the most robust lens lineups on the market. But within Canon's arsenal, the L-series has stood out as the pinnacle of the company's optical ambitions. These lenses are often the go-to options for professional around the world, a legacy Canon is adding to today with the new EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM.

The new lens replaces the existing 35mm f/1.4L, which we recently reviewed. While we love what that lens is capable of, we felt that it was held back by some heavy chromatic aberration which limited resolution in the corners and at wide apertures.

The new lens tackles this problem head-on, and will be the first Canon lens to feature the company's new "Blue Spectrum Refractive Optics." This involves placing a new "organic" element between concave and concave glass element, supposedly offering chromatic aberration that is more effective than existing methods such as fluorite and UD glass elements.

This will be the first Canon lens to feature the company's new "Blue Spectrum Refractive Optics."

Externally, the overall size of the new lens is similar to its predecessor, though it'll be about a half inch longer with a slightly different aesthetic. Internally, Canon has added three elements for a total of 14–up from 11 in the original. The lens will once again be weather-sealed and will feature an impressively close focus distance of just 0.28 meters.

The new lens will sports a 72mm filter thread, will ship with a lens hood, lens pound, and have fluorite coating on the front and back to help eliminate smudges and smearing from moisture and dirt.

If you want to pick up the new EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM, it will be available in October for $1,799. We will have a performance comparison for you as soon as we get our hands on version two.

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