When I was walking around Saratoga Spa State Park the other day testing out the 24mm lens it became apparent that in many cases 24mm is just too wide to get what I want. It's not so much that the coverage is too wide but that more distant objects are just too small in the scene. 

In some cases the 50mm lens features objects very nicely but it doesn't encompass enough of the scene to get what I want. I decided that what I needed was a 35mm lens equal in quality to my two other lenses.

Due to cost and size considerations I decided on the first version of the EF 35mm f/1.4L lens. This lens was introduced in 1998 and replaced by a larger and more expensive version in 2015. As it happened, MPB had two copies of the lens for sale, both listed as in excellent condition. MPB includes photos of the actual lenses in their listings and most of the time the date code is visible at the camera end of the lens. One of the two lenses was manufactured in August, 2015 and must be one of the last ones made as the version II was introduced in October, 2015. The lens also included all the original packaging and paperwork. It's now my lens.

Another great thing about MPB is they're located in Brooklyn and for me, their free shipping is over night. I tested out the lens along the Shaver Pond Trail at Grafton Lakes State Park after FedEx made the delivery today. You can see a comparison scene with the three lenses here.

Shaver Pond TrailCanon EOS R6, EF 35mm f/1.4L USM, f/8, 1/1500 sec., ISO 400. Shaver Pond TrailCanon EOS R6, EF 35mm f/1.4L USM, f/8, 1/750 sec., ISO 400. Shaver Pond TrailCanon EOS R6, EF 35mm f/1.4L USM, f/8, 1/1500 sec., ISO 400. Shaver Pond TrailCanon EOS R6, EF 35mm f/1.4L USM, f/6.7, 1/250 sec., ISO 200. CPL filter. Shaver Pond TrailCanon EOS R6, EF 35mm f/1.4L USM, f/4.5, 1/250 sec., ISO 800. Shaver Pond TrailCanon EOS R6, EF 35mm f/1.4L USM, f/5.6, 1/1000 sec., ISO 200.