Canon EF 24mm f/1.4 L USM Lens Review

The Canon EF 24mm f/1.4 L USM Lens is a great wide angle lens. If 24mm is your need, the Canon 24 L is currently the highest quality EF lens to meet your need.

The Canon EF 24mm f/1.4 L USM Lens was introduced 1 year before its very slightly longer and narrower sibling, the Canon EF 35mm f/1.4 L USM Lens. The Canon 24mm L has 77mm filter threads while the 35mm has 72mm threads. Otherwise, these two lenses are very similar. Their weights are similar - 19.4 oz (550g) for the 24 vs. 20.5 oz (580g) for the 35. The 24 measures 3.3" x 3.0" (83.5mm x 77.4mm) (DxL) vs. 3.1" x 3.4" (79.0mm x 86.0mm) for the 35. The resulting image quality is excellent from both lenses.

The Canon EF 24mm f/1.4 L USM Lens is solidly built with a professional grade feel (part of its Canon L Series Lens heritage). It is relatively compact and handles very nicely.

Ring USM (Ultrasonic Motor) also provides for FTM (Full-Time Manual) focusing. The Canon EF 24mm f/1.4 L USM Lens focuses quietly and quickly.

Canon Wide Angle Lens Size Comparison

Pictured above from left to right are the Canon EF 24mm f/2.8 Lens, Canon EF 24mm f/1.4 L USM Lens, Canon EF 35mm f/1.4 L USM Lens and the Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM Lens.

The Canon EF 24mm f/1.4 L USM Lens' sharpness was inconsistent at f/1.4 - sometimes decent, sometimes poor. Close shots usually disapointed me - distant shots were only slightly soft. At f/2, the 24 L was quite sharp and very sharp from f/2.8 and f/4 on. Corner softness was noticeable at 1.4. Light fall-off was also noticeable at f/1.4 improving as the lens was stopped down. Expect noticeable CA (chromatic Aberration) when using this lens wide open with bright subjects against a dark background (or vice versa).

Compared to the Canon EF 24mm f/2.8 Lens, the Canon EF 24mm f/1.4 L USM Lens was somewhat sharper at comparable apertures and especially (as expected) at f/2.8. These results were not completely consistent as the 24 f/2.8 bested the 24 L in some tests - especially with closer subjects. Color is a little better on the 24mm L than the 24mm non-L.

Compared to the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8 L USM Lens, the Canon EF 24mm f/1.4 L USM Lens was somewhat sharper at comparable apertures.

Compared to the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM Lens, the Canon EF 24mm f/1.4 L USM Lens was similar in center sharpness and better in corner sharpness at similar apertures. Color was similar amongst the Canon 24mm L lenses.

Compared its sibling, the Canon EF 35mm f/1.4 L USM Lens, the Canon EF 24mm f/1.4 L USM Lens was a bit less sharp at comparable apertures until stopped down to f/5.6 or so. The 24mm L was slightly sharper in the corners. Colors again were similar.

Distortion on the Canon EF 24mm f/1.4 L USM Lens is low, but proneness to flare is not. The 24mm L flared more easily than the Canon EF 24mm f/2.8 Lens, Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8 L USM Lens or the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM Lens. Zooms were compared at 24mm - all lenses compared with their hoods attached.

Speaking of lens hoods ... The hood on my Canon EF 24mm f/1.4 L USM Lens fit very tightly - too tight for my liking. While I hoped this was an anomaly with my copy, I have had multiple people email to say their copy also has an unresonably tight lens hood. My second copy of this lens also has a very tight lens hood, so I conclude that lens hood tightness is a "feature" of this lens. I suspect the hood will loosen up some with use - or better yet - add a little body oil to the threads. Your body oil (from your forehead, side of nose ...) that is. The EW-83DII lens hood and an LP1214 lens pouch are included in the box.

The quality of the Canon EF 24mm f/1.4 L USM Lens' background blur is nice. Creating a diffusely blurred background is not easy with a 24mm lens - f/1.4 is very helpful in this regard.

The wide aperture on the Canon EF 24mm f/1.4 L USM Lens makes it suitable for low-light and low-light action photography. Do you want to catch that indoor shot without a flash? This lens can do it possibly better than any other current Canon non-IS lens.

Even at 24mm, depth of field for a close subject is shallow at f/1.4. You must get the focus exactly right for sharp results.

The 24mm focal length yields a strong perspective to relatively close subjects - a dramatic separation of subject from the background by making the background appear farther away. This creates a strong sense of presence when used close to a subject.

This fact makes a 24mm the wrong choice for most close-up portraits. Noses will look like Pinocchio's during a lie. When used for portraits at a distance such as environmental portraits, group photos, stage photography ... the Canon EF 24mm f/1.4 L USM Lens works well.

While the 24 L does not have a large native maximum magnification (.16x) at .82' (.25m), it can be used with the 12mm Extension Tube to achieve a very nice .66x magnification. Of course, a 24mm perspective at this magnification will be unique.

Watch the background when using this lens as 24mm will allow lots of it into the shot.

There are many other uses for a 24mm lens including landscape photography.

The bottom line is that the Canon EF 24mm f/1.4 L USM Lens is an excellent low-light hand-holdable lens. If you want the best Canon autofocus 24mm lens, look no farther. This is it.

Canon EF 24mm f/1.4 L USM Lens Sample Pictures ...

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