Lens: Canon EF 16-35mm ƒ/4 L IS USM (Photography Museum)

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Canon EF 16-35mm ƒ/4 L IS USM

The Canon EF 16-35mm ƒ/4 L IS USM, introduced in 2014, replaced my non-functioning Canon EF 16-35mm ƒ/2.8 L USM (which stopped focusing in early 2017).

For many years this was my primary focal range. With APS-C bodies, and my switch to smaller Canon M-series cameras, the fast, wide, full-frame compatible zoom lens became less used. The wider, smaller, and excellent Canon EF-M 11-22mm ƒ/4-5.6 IS STM became my primary lens for landscape work (even it if is a little hard to use filter stacks on such a tiny lens), interiors, travel, and architecture.

I still fall back to the Canon EF 16-35mm ƒ/4 L IS USM, even on my M-series cameras, if I really need to impress people (just kidding), when shooting landscapes with anything more than just a circular polarizer, or if conditions warrant a better sealed lens. Really, someday I do want to have a full-frame mirrorless body on which to properly utilize the EF 16-35mm ƒ/4 L IS USM.

Since I knew it was not going to be my primary lens for some time, I opted to save a lot of money and get the ƒ/4 stabilized lens rather than the ƒ/2.8 non-stabilized lens. I have never regretted that decision.

The only thing I don’t like about the ƒ/4 is are the hideous bright-white and overly-bold markings on the lens barrel—they do not match the quality or aesthetic of any other Canon lens I have ever handled and I cannot figure out a logical reason why.

Early-2020 MSRP prices comparison:

Lens	MSRP (USD)
Canon EF 16-35mm ƒ/4 L IS USM	$1099
Canon EF 16-35mm ƒ/2.8 L III USM	$2199
Canon EF-S 10-18mm ƒ/4.5-5.6 IS STM	$399
Canon EF-M 11-22mm ƒ/4-5.6 IS STM	$299