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)
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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)
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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)
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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.