Canon 16-35mm Mark II: Evaluation 1

Canon 16-35mm f2.8 Mark II v Leica 19mm f2.8 v Olympus 18mm f3.5


Performance at f8 (Zone A)

CanonFlare2a ff ff
Olympus 18mm f3.5 at f8 (centre) Leica 19mm at f8 (centre) Canon 16-35mm f2.8 II at 18mm f8 (centre)
4.4 points
4.9 points
4.8 points

From hereon up we see the same phenomenon at work that was first shown in Mike Hatam's Olympus v Zeiss 18mm test: reversing the usual pattern, the Zuiko is relatively sharper at the outer edge of its image circle than in its centre. For centre frame performance the Canon 16-35mm peaks at f5.6 and is just fractionally less attractive than the Leica 19mm at f8. The Elmarit is a delight here.

Performance at f2.8 (Zone B: Upper Right Side)

CanonFlare2a ff ff
Olympus 18mm f3.5 at f8 (mid-frame) Leica 19mm at f8 (mid-frame) Canon 16-35mm f2.8 II / 18mm f8 (mid-frame)
4.3 points
4.9 points
4.8 points

Note how richly the Leica's colours are rendered. This goes a long way toward the more three-dimensional presentation of the prime which for the first time is pulling away from the Canon L zoom.

Performance at f8 (Zone C: Upper Right Corner)

CanonFlare2a ff ff
Olympus 18mm f3.5 at f8 (corner) Leica 19mm at f8 (corner) Canon 16-35mm f2.8 II at 18mm f8 (corner)
4.2 points
4.5 points
4.3 points

The Leica too suffers from a relatively sudden drop off in corner performance affecting the last hundred or so pixels. Were it not for that, it would have scored higher. The Canon and Olympus are on a long, slow journey to acceptable corner performance, and they're not there yet. Again, gob-smackingly lovely Leica colour.

 

 

 

 

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