Test drive: Canon EF 35mm lens

I'm not equipped to do pro-style reviews (there are plenty of those available online) so I'll just give my layman version of how it works for me and how I liked it. 

When I bought my 35mm f/2 lens, I knew that it was special.  The 50mm changed my life and a prime lens with greater range but just as much light sounded like it was going to be perfect.  The man in the shop put it on my camera and said, "Why not start using it right away?  You're going to love it."

And I do.  

I took it out for brunch with some friends the other day and have been using it as my standard day-to-day lens since.  

First, the things I'm not so fond of.  This complaint is a wee one, but it's heavier than the 50mm because it's made of metal.  It also doesn't stop all the way up to f/1.8 but in most cases, that's just me being nitpicky.

The zipping sound of the autofocus is rather startling though.  Someone online compared it to the drone of a wasp and I'm inclined to agree.  I still jump when the lens hunts and consequently, some of my photos are a little blurry.  The lens is clearest on centre focus and even though it's a wide-angled prime, it's still not the best idea to focus and recompose.  

Again though, those are niggling details.  There is so much to love.

I took it for brunch at a place called Kith in Park Mall.  Not the best service, but the food was pretty good.

We decided what to eat as we lined up.  The lens is pretty clear and suits my purposes wonderfully.

I had the big breakfast right at the top, but Winnie's prawn pasta was too pretty to pass up a picture of.  The really impressive dish though, were the tomatoes.  I'll eat tomatoes in sauces and purees and sundried but I am repulsed by anything that is even a hair shy of fully cooked.  People have been offering me cherry tomatoes over the years, trying to convince me that they're sweet ("Like grapes!").  Um.  No.

These grilled beasts however.  Oh my.  They were soft and hot and pulpy in precisely the right way and drizzled liberally with herbs and sea salt.  I actually ordered an extra helping on the side and I never do that. 

While the depth of field is really pleasing on close up shots, here is where the 35mm really shines.  Look at how many people you can pack in!  The first shot was taken from just across the table and the second one was from about two metres away.  At this distance, the 50 1.8 would just cough and give up and it was a massive struggle to try to get a full-length picture of anyone.

I'm so pleased with this range - that's what makes it such a neat little everyday lens. 

Of course, nothing is as much fun as instant pictures!  I was really excited by Winnie's Instax camera - it is so exciting and convenient to be able to print shots right away!

I took pictures of this neat little Vespa on the way to pole that day.  Again, I didn't have to stand too far away.

And finally, here are some pictures where I pushed the lens almost to its limit.

 
Amanda is forcing me to write a post about these rice balls, so I thought I would incorporate them here because damned if I'm going to do an entire post about rice.

These riceballs come from a shop in Novena Square 2 called QQ.  Nina first introduced me to them and I fell in love with them.  You go in, choose a healthy glutinous rice and they wrap it around any five meat or vegetable fillings that you choose.  If you're in a rush or don't want to think too hard, they're tasty, pretty nutritious and are a really good meal in an instant.

I made the mistake of introducing them to Amanda some time ago and since then, she's developed a love-hate relationship with them.  She can't decide if she keeps going back because she's impressed by the gimmick and because I make them look so tempting or because she genuinely likes them.

So, each time she suggests going to QQ, I cringe because I know she will squeal once we get into the shop, dither for five minutes at the back of the queue about whether she really wants one, browbeat the man into giving her six or seven shreds of ingredients instead of five, then hold the finished product up to her face, enjoying its warmth while contemplating whether she actually enjoys eating it.

So, Amanda, for what it's worth, YOU DO.  Now stop making me engage in hour long discussions about the merits of QQ each week!

At any rate, they're good for testing equipment.  Hah.

This is the lens at f/2.8 which is the highest I would push it if I wanted a sharp image.  The colour and light are great and look at that delicious depth-of-field.  I tried the same picture on f/2 and it was a little softer.  The DOF though was noticeably shallow, so it's not great if you want a lot of detail.  Still.  Amazing lens, no?

(That's Amanda's riceball from yesterday - purple rice mixed with red rice.)

And here, again on f/2.8 is mine.  You have to be very careful at close range with what you want to stay sharp.  But hey, that's par for the course with any other close range prime.

My fillings of choice in mixed grains - corn, carrots, seaweed, a very crunchy burdock and spicy chicken floss.  Amanda never fails to let me know that she takes issue with my combo. 

I don't care.  It was delicious.  And on the whole, when I think about my awesome little snub-nosed ranger, I am well pleased.