Canon EF 20mm f/2.8 USM Wide Angle Lens for Canon SLR Cameras
Review by Neurasthenic "neurasthenic" : disappointing, especially for a fixed lens

This is one of the first two lenses I bought when I switched to a Canon SLR about five years ago. I've had plenty of opportunity to use it since then, both with film and (full frame) digital.

The idea behind this lens is a good one -- 20mm is wide enough to allow for landscape and architectural photos, and it focuses close enough for entertaining photos of people's faces, taken about a foot away from their noses (note that you'll need either a ring light or lucky ambient light to pull off the latter). There is some pincushion distortion, but nobody would accuse the results of looking like a funhouse mirror, as would be the case with a fisheye lens, for example.

f2.8 is fast enough; I've no complaints there. Unfortunately, this camera consistently vignettes -- the corners of every image are dim. This is true even with a bare lens, and filters make it worse. You can correct the problem in image editing software, or just crop the image, but what's the point of buying a 20mm lens if you're going to have to crop every photo you take with it?

If this had been a cheap zoom lens, I'd have expected the problem and not been bothered by it. With a fixed lens, however, I think there isn't much excuse.

Canon still charges about the same ($400) that I paid for this lens years ago. By now, they ought to have upgraded this thing, or dropped the price. It is the worst EF lens I own.


-- addendum: I've recently been using a Canon EOS IX, which takes APS film. This lens is much more useful with that camera, though using even APS-H, you get something akin to the image you would get from a 35mm lens on a 35mm negative.

Canon EF 20mm f/2.8 USM Wide Angle Lens for Canon SLR Cameras
Review by Risch "Risch" : Great Lens for low light and fast

I use this on my 40D, was not impressed with the previous reviews but needed a 20mm so went ahead and pushed the button. Picture quality was stunning at the amazingly low lights and the lens was super fast. excellent built quality. A great buy for an ultra wide angle.

Canon EF 20mm f/2.8 USM Wide Angle Lens for Canon SLR Cameras
Review by Branden : Not as good as I wish it was

I got the lens because I wanted to get wider than my standard zoom would let me. I shoot full frame, and it was a choice between the $1600 16-35mm f/2.8 and this $470 20mm f/2.8. At less than a third price, I went with this lens.

I want to give this lens five stars -- it's well built, focuses quickly, isn't too heavy or large, and feels solid on the camera. However, it has significant amount of vignetting, chromatic aberration, and flaring, which affect how useful shots from this lens are. Now that I know how this lens behaves, I know to take all those issues into account when composing my shots, but at the end of the day, it's a hassle I'd rather not deal with. Canon doesn't offer too many other options at 20mm, but I'm tempted to save up for options in the L glass to make my wide shooting easier.

Now, with all that griping out of the way, why did I still give this lens 4 stars? Well, because it does shoot sharp, quickly focused, bright and colorful 20mm shots, all in a compact, lightweight body. The full-time focus works excellently, and when all is said and done, I do get some beautiful shots off this lens, and it has become one of my three "travel kit" lenses, even if it is the buck-toothed step-sister of the bunch.

Canon EF 20mm f/2.8 USM Wide Angle Lens for Canon SLR Cameras
Review by John Koehn : Great, versitile lens

I was a bit concerned at first with the fixed focal length, but it has proven to be very versatile. It takes very sharp pictures, even when fully opened in low light. I have not noticed any of the vignetting that other users have mentioned.

Bottom line: great wide angle lens for the price. Useful for landscapes and tight space, low light situations.

Canon EF 20mm f/2.8 USM Wide Angle Lens for Canon SLR Cameras
Review by Mark Cassidy : sharp wide-angle lens for cropped sensors

If you want a wide-angle lens for a Rebel that doesn't have lots of distortion, this is great. I have taken some very nice shots with this hand-held indoors and outside. The first time I took a stopped-down shot indoors on a tripod, I was really impressed. Because of the crop factor and depth of field, it's eye-popping sharp all over with great color saturation. It costs a good amount, but it's one of the most useful lenses I have.

Drawbacks - A chunk of that price is for the 20mm optics of which we only see the central portion with a cropped sensor. The lens hood is extra. The lens diameter is 72mm so buying a polarizer lens will set you back.

Bottom line: I would give up my 85mm f1.8 and 50mm f1.4 - and maybe even my 35mm f2 - before I would part with this lens. Great for landscapes on cropped sensor cameras. People who have complained about this lens must have gotten a bad build.