The Canon 24 mm f/1.4 L II was introduced at the end of 2008. In the digital photography era, that seems like ages ago. But this is still one of Canon’s fastest wide-angle lenses with a fixed focal length. Such lenses can be used for available-light photography and are to be found in the bags of many professional photojournalists and landscape photographers. According to Canon, the image quality of the 24 mm 1.4 L II is improved in comparison with its predecessor, thanks to two exceptionally accurate aspherical lenses, which correct aberrations, image curvature and distortion.

Review Canon EF 24 mm f/1.4L II USM @ Canon 5D MK3

Build and auto focus

The Canon lenses are designed for intensive use by professional photographers in their daily work. Water- and dust-resistant seals offer extra protection, and the lens will be delivered with a lens bag and sun cap. In the Canon EF 24 mm f/1.4L II, environmentally friendly, lead-free glass is used. It is an addition that makes you tthink, since I have not often encountered it on other Canon lenses.

The silent USM (Ultra Sonic Motor) of the Canon EF 24 mm f/1.4L II focuses quickly and can always be overridden manually. The AF speed is not lightning-fast, but it gives nothing up to the modern 24-70 Canon zooms that we have reviewed previously. The floating internal focus system, according to Canon, provides high image quality across the whole focal range. It also ensures that the front lens does not turn during focusing, which is nice for using, for example, a circular polarization filter.

Vignetting

The vignetting at full aperture amounts to 3 stops. If you are going to correct for this, then you will have more noise in the corners of the image than in the center. After stopping down two stops, 1 stop of vignetting remains visible.

Distortion Canon EF 24 mm f/1.4L II USM

We can be brief about distortion: you will have no trouble with it when using this lens. And that, given the large field of view, is a good performance.

Flare

Sharpness

The center sharpness at full aperture clearly increases by stopping down two stops. The sharpness in the corners is visibly lower at full aperture than the center sharpness. The highest sharpness in the corners is reached at f/5.6. Even so, you will experience the sharpness in practice as constant from f/2.8 through f/11. Across that range, this Canon performs exceptionally in comparison with other Canon lenses. Only the Sigma 24-105 mm f/4 Art and the Canon 24-70 mm f/2.8 L II perform better at 24 mm for resolution.

Canon EF 24 mm f/1.4L II USM @ f/1.4, 1/100 sec, 200 ISO

Chromatic aberration

Lateral chromatic aberration, blue- and red-colored edges at sharp contrast transitions in the corners of the image, are common in wide-angle shots. This kind of color separation is minimized by the design of the Canon 24 mm f/1.4L II by applying two lens elements with an extra-high breaking index (“UD elements”).

But with bright (<f/2.8) lenses, CA can also occur: purple (in front of the focal point) and green (behind the focal point) edges at sharp contrast transitions in blurred parts of the shot. This color separation, called color bokeh, unfortunately does not only appear in the corners, but across the entire image. Here you see an enlarged part from close to the center of a shot taken with the Canon 24 mm f/1.4 L II. Stopping down helps. Above f/2.8, you will have no further trouble with it.

Bokeh Canon 24 mm 1.4L II

There are many micro-43 and APS-C lenses with a quieter bokeh.

A large sensor, rounded aperture lamellae (preferably as many as possible) and high brightness all make a positive contribution to the bokeh. But the glass types applied and the types of lens elements that are used also have an influence. In our standard test set-up, the bokeh did not look bad, although there was a colored edge around the bokeh rings. But in some practice shots, the bokeh was quite noisy.

Conclusion Canon 24 mm 1.4L II review with Canon 5D MK3

WYSIWYG score: This table shows the performance of this lens if you store the files in the camera as jpg, and you have applied all available in-camera lens corrections. This score gives you for this lens/test camera combination: “What you see is what you get”.

Pros

• Solid build quality, extra-well sealed against dust and splashwater
• High brightness
• High sharpness above f/2.8
• Little distortion

Cons

• Not cheap
• Inconsistent bokeh
• Lower sharpness and lots of vignetting below f/2.8
• Visible longitudinal chromatic aberration

The Canon 24 mm f/1.4L II has already been around for a few years, but it is still among Canon’s best and fastest wide-angle lenses. If you don’t need the brightness, then the Canon 24-70 mm f/2.8 MK2 offers higher and more even sharpness. Vignetting with a wide-angle lens for a camera with a full-frame sensor is common, but 3 stops at full aperture is quite a lot. On the other hand, a nearly total lack of distortion is an exceptionally good performance for this lens.

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