One of the most important things to me as a wedding photographer is that the gear I use to capture once-in-a-lifetime events will allow me to create and deliver the highest quality of images. Being a professional photographer is so much more than taking great photos. It also involves pursuing education on how to provide the best possible services and products. As business owners, we are also continuously evaluating whether the investment in our gear will provide a return in image quality that will justify the expense. In comparing the Canon RF35mm F1.4 L VCM lens to my current Canon RF 35mm F1.8 Macro IS STM, I wanted to discern whether or not there would be a significant enough difference between the two lenses to justify the higher price tag.

Canon RF35mm F1.4 L VCM (left) vs. Canon RF 35mm F1.8 Macro IS STM (right) Sharpness

The F1.4 L lens is VERY sharp. At f/1.4 the sharpness from the center to the corner of the image is incredible. In comparing it to the F1.8 Macro, which isn’t a poor performer itself, it isn’t until we zoom in to view the image at 300% that we can see the difference in the center of the image. For sharpness in the corners, the difference becomes apparent right away with the F1.4 L having more contrast. This is important in situations such as group portraits where I want the depth of field that the F1.4 aperture can deliver while still being able to compose my subjects near the edge of the frame. 

Canon RF35mm F1.4 L VCM Focusing

The autofocus on the F1.4 L is extremely fast, accurate, and virtually silent. I was very impressed when my subject was running at me and the lens had no problem keeping her in focus. The AF ring is also much more responsive that the F1.8 Macro which requires you to turn the focus ring over and over to go from minimum to infinity whereas the F1.4 L adjusts faster and easier.

Canon RF35mm F1.4 L VCM (left) vs. Canon RF 35mm F1.8 Macro IS STM (right) Focal Length

The F1.4 L is slightly wider than the F1.8 Macro, and to me it feels more like a 32mm focal length. The more I analyzed side by side comparisons of the F1.4 L and F1.8 Macro images, it became quite obvious that the F1.4 L was a wider lens as the subject consistently appeared slightly larger using the F1.8 Macro (see images above). I actually liked that because when paired with my most used lens, the Canon RF 50mm f/1.2 L, it gives me more frame to work with which is helpful on wedding days when I am working in tight spaces and am physically unable to back up. To me, it feels like a good length between 28mm and 35mm. That, or it could be that the F1.8 Macro that I am used to using feels more like a 38mm focal length.  

Canon RF35mm F1.4 L VCM (left) vs. Canon RF 35mm F1.8 Macro IS STM (right) Focus

Another advantage of the F1.8 Macro is that it can focus much more closely than the F1.4 L can. The flowers above were taken as close as I could get them to focus. The .5 times magnification of the F1.8 Macro is also very useful, which is lacking on the F1.4 L.

Canon RF35mm F1.4 L VCM (left) vs. Canon RF 35mm F1.8 Macro IS STM (right) Bokeh

I really like the background blur that the F1.4 L produces. When shot at f/1.4 the bokeh wraps around the subject creating a “cinematic” look to the photos. As you stop down, the 11 aperture blades keep the bokeh smooth. If you compare it to the F1.8 Macro, at first glance you won’t notice a big difference. If you analyze it more you will begin to see slight nuances. The F1.8 Macro is slightly more rough in the corners as the bokeh loses shape. However, in the middle of the frame, it is virtually indistinguishable.

Canon RF35mm F1.4 L VCM Distortion

The F1.4 L lens does create images with significant distortion and vignetting. However, both issues can easily be corrected in post-processing. After manually correcting these issues in Lightroom, the image looks great. As with buying any new gear, oftentimes the software hasn’t caught up to the hardware. Thus, at the time of this review, the F1.4 L lens profile correction isn’t yet available in Lightroom. This isn’t a deal breaker as I am able to select all of my F1.4 L images using their metadata and then manually correct the distortion by adjusting it to around +27.

Canon RF35mm F1.4 L VCM Vignetting

I am also able to manually remove the vignette. However, the vignetting is perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the lens in my opinion. When shot at F1.4, the image is very dark in the corners which means that Lightroom is going to have the push the RAW file significantly just to level it back out with the rest of the image. If you need to make any additional significant adjustments to the exposure to correct the image, you could be looking at a fair amount of loss in image quality with the added noise. This issue is not necessarily a deal breaker, but it is one to be aware of. Some photographers choose not to remove the vignetting in their images and may in fact prefer the look of it. Others choose to remove it as vignetting can make images appear overexposed in the center but under exposed closer to the edges of the frame.

Canon RF35mm F1.4 L VCM Lens Flare

One of the aspects I was curious about was how the F1.4 L would perform in real life portrait settings involving lens flare. In the image above, there was one small artifact that showed up at the hairline and an another artifact on the collarbone – both are able to be removed in post processing. That said, this result is better than my old Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II used to produce. Overall, I was impressed with the way the F1.4 L handled sunlight directly behind my subject. The image’s color and contrast did not wash out like it sometimes does with my Canon RF 50mm f/1.2 L and my Canon RF 85mm f/1.2. 

Canon RF35mm F1.4 L VCM Size

In my opinion the size of the F1.4 L is perfect. It feels almost identical in size and weight to my Canon RF 85mm f/2 lens. Though it is bigger than the F1.8 Macro, it doesn’t feel that much different when actually using the lens. However it does feel a lot smaller than the Canon RF 50mm f/1.2 L and significantly smaller than the Canon RF 85mm f/1.2. 

The F1.4 L also features a customizable button on the side which I left as the default AF stop. Since I often use manual focus when photographing wedding rings, I have my camera set so that when I turn the focus dial the camera automatically zooms in to where I am focusing. This button helps with that! 

The focus rings turn very smoothly as does the aperture ring. At the time of this review, the Canon EOS R5 supports the aperture ring for video but not for photo use. This is fine with me as I prefer adjusting my aperture with the back dial so that it’s a consistent operation between all of my lenses. 

Canon RF35mm F1.4 L VCM (left) vs. Canon RF 35mm F1.8 Macro IS STM (right) Conclusion 

The pros of the F1.4 L lens include its sharpness, great contrast and color, good bokeh, fast autofocus, and its compact size. If you are a wedding photographer in the market for a 35mm lens, you may likely already have a macro lens, so it won’t matter that the F1.4 L isn’t able to focus as close as its less expensive counterpart, the F1.8 Macro. 

That said if you are looking to purchase a less expensive 35mm lens, most clients would not be able to tell much of a difference between images taken with the F1.8 Macro and the F1.4 L. When you view the photos side by side, it is nearly impossible for the average person to distinguish between the two of them. With that said, if a 35mm prime lens isn’t your most used lens on a wedding day, the F1.8 Macro is a solid option and provides a bonus macro ability for details such as wedding rings. 

If you are a professional shooting Canon and want the best in image quality, the Canon RF35mm F1.4 L VCM is your ticket, and I highly recommend this lens to any photographers using the Canon EOS R5, or the Canon EOS R6 Mark II.

Additional lenses and accessories such as memory cards for Canon’s mirrorless cameras, along with all of the gear mentioned in this post can be found at the links below. *Purchasing items through these links helps to support us as we continue to share resources and education for photographers.

• Canon RF 35mm F1.4 L VCM
• Canon RF 35mm F1.8 Macro IS STM
• Canon RF 50mm f/1.2 L
• Canon RF 85mm f/1.2
• Canon RF 85mm f/2
• Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II
• Canon EOS R5
• Canon EOS R6 Mark II
• Canon Control Ring Mount Adapter EF-EOS R
• Canon Mount Adapter EF-EOS R
• CF Express Memory Card
• Sandisk SD Card

For a video review on the Canon RF35mm F1.4 L VCM lens, check out our YouTube review:

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