Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM vs Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Only show differences

Better figure, where one is clearly better

Share comparison

EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM compared with EF 50mm f/1.8 STM

	CanonEF 35mm f/1.4L II USM	CanonEF 50mm f/1.8 STM
Overview
Released
Released	September 2015	May 2015
Optics
Lens type
Lens type	Prime	Prime
Focal length
Focal length	35 mm	50 mm
Maximum aperture
Maximum aperture	f/1.4	f/1.8
Minimum aperture
Minimum aperture	f/22	f/22
Optical construction
Optical construction	Fourteen elements in eleven groups	Six elements in five groups
Special elements
Special elements	BR optical element between convex and concave glass elements; two aspherical lenses and one UD lens according to Canon Camera Museum	–
Coatings
Coatings	Subwavelength Structure Coating; fluorine on front and rear elements according to Canon's product overview and Museum	Lens coating optimised for digital cameras to reduce ghosting and flare
Aperture detail
Aperture detail	–	Minimum f/22 with one-third-stop camera aperture increments
Diaphragm
Diaphragm	Nine blades with a circular aperture	Seven blades with a circular aperture
Angle of view
Angle of view	54° horizontal, 38° vertical and 63° diagonal according to Canon UK	Full-frame horizontal 40°; vertical 27°; diagonal 46°
Mount and compatibility
Mounts
Mounts	Canon EF	Canon EF
Image circle
Image circle	Full frame	Full frame
Compatibility
Compatibility	Canon EF full-frame and APS-C cameras	Canon EF cameras, including full-frame and APS-C DSLRs
Adaptor support
Adaptor support	Canon UK confirms EOS M use with the EF-EOS M Mount Adapter	Canon UK supports EOS M cameras with an EF-EOS M mount adaptor
Focus and stabilisation
Autofocus
Autofocus	Yes	Yes
Minimum focus distance
Minimum focus distance	0.28 m	0.35 m
Maximum magnification
Maximum magnification	0.21×	0.21×
Optical stabilisation
Optical stabilisation	No	–
Autofocus detail
Autofocus detail	Ring USM with full-time manual focus according to Canon UK	Gear-type stepping motor; manual override after autofocus with the camera set to One-Shot AF
Focus distance detail
Focus distance detail	Constant external length and non-rotating front during focusing according to ePHOTOzine	Electronic focus ring requires camera power; no distance scale (Digital Camera World)
Magnification detail
Magnification detail	Canon UK specifies 0.36–0.58× with EF12 II and 0.80–1.03× with EF25 II extension tubes	EF12 II extension tube gives 0.45–0.24×; EF25 II gives 0.74–0.53×
Stabilisation detail
Stabilisation detail	No optical stabilisation according to ePHOTOzine's exact-model specification	–
Design
Dust and moisture resistant
Dust and moisture resistant	Yes	–
Filter diameter
Filter diameter	72 mm	49 mm
Maximum diameter
Maximum diameter	80.4 mm	69.2 mm
Length
Length	105.5 mm	39.3 mm
Weight
Weight	760 g	160 g (better)
Weather resistance
Weather resistance	Mount, switches and focus ring have dust- and water-resistant construction; not described as waterproof	–
Dimensions detail
Dimensions detail	80.4 mm maximum diameter × 105.5 mm length and 760 g according to Canon UK	69.2 mm maximum diameter × 39.3 mm length in the retracted state
Weight detail
Weight detail	–	Approximately 160 g according to Canon UK specifications and Camera Museum; the UK store dimension panel instead lists 159 g
Lens hood
Lens hood	Supplied EW-77B hood according to Canon UK's box list	Optional ES-68
In the box
In the box	Lens, E-72II front cap, Lens Dust Cap E, LP1219 case, EW-77B hood and user manual according to Canon UK	Lens, E-49 front cap, Lens Dust Cap E and user manual
Release detail
Release detail	Canon's August 2016 retrospective explicitly records release in September 2015; its Museum table records October 2015, also the originally scheduled month in the August 2015 announcement	Marketed in May 2015 according to Canon Camera Museum