24mm lenses are the entry into ultra-wide angle photography and this lens is the ideal starting point.  It is extremely sharp and offers superior correction of linear distortion, and its f/2.8 aperture makes it easy to use with slow, fine-grain films or in low light. It focuses as close as 10 inches (25cm), and for many photographers gives the ideal combination of a wide-angle “look” without excessive perspective distortion.

Reviews

Canon EF 24mm f/2.8 Lens Review by the-digital-picture.com

If you need very decent quality images from a 24mm focal length lens, do not have the budget for the Canon EF 24mm f/1.4 L II USM Lens and do not need the versatility of a zoom for your particular purpose, the Canon EF 24mm f/2.8 Lens may be the right choice for you. With its light weight and compact design, the Canon EF 24mm f/2.8 Lens is a convenient lens to pack along everywhere you go. And then there will always be a wide angle lens at your disposal.

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Canon’s newest fixed length L-series lens, the EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM, incorporates the newest in Canon lens technology for spectacular sharpness and impressive performance at all settings. It features two high-precision, large-diameter aspherical lenses for sharpness across the sensor, even in peripheral areas of full-frame sensors. Lens elements have a newly-designed anti-reflective SWC (Sub Wavelength Coating) that departs from conventional coatings by using an extremely fine structure that minimizes ghosting and flaring across the lens surface, regardless of the angle with which light enters or exits. It also features two UD lens elements to minimize chromatic aberrations, incorporates rear-focusing, ultrasonic, quiet and high-speed AF with full-time manual override. A circular aperture provides beautiful out-of-focus detail and offers legendary dust- and water-resistant L-series construction using only lead-free glass.

Read more at Canon USA

Reviews

Canon EF 24mm f/1.4 USM L II – Review / Test Report by photozone.de

The Canon EF 24mm f/1.4 USM L II gave us some mixed feelings during the tests. If you use it at its sweet settings – that’s between f/4 and f/8 – the lens will be about as good as it gets for a lens in this class. It’s extremely sharp here and there’s no significant vignetting to speak of. Lateral CAs are also no serious problem and the distortions are well controlled. The question may be whether this is “good enough” though. At max. aperture (f/1.4) the technical image quality isn’t all that great – an extreme vignetting and soft corners are obvious flaws here. This is usually forgivable for a tele lens where the center quality is paramount but it may be more of a question mark for an ultra-wide lens if you desire more than just shallow depth-of-field here. The quality of the bokeh could also be better although we haven’t really seen a really good performance from a (moderate-) ultra-wide lens here so far anyway. Please note that we don’t question the immense creative potential of such an ultra-large aperture lens – if you require the capabilities of an f/1.4 lens there’s no substitution of course.

The build quality of the EF 24mm f/1.4 USM L II is simply superb and the new weather sealing is reassuring when shooting in very harsh conditions. The AF is very fast and near silent. All-in-all it’s a very good lens if you’re aware of its potential and limitations.