Canon EF16-35mm f4 Sample Images

The Canon16-35mm f/4.0 IS L Lens gives you a very wide angle of view of your subject. That provides you with the ability to create achieve strong angles and powerful perspectives of a variety of subjects. These Canon EF 16-35mm f/4 sample images are a randomly selected collection of my own photography combined with some from other photographers.

The 16-35mm lens is a great landscape lens for using on full-frame or crop sensor cameras when you want to include close and distant objects in your scene.

Waterfall photo taken by Bruce Lovelace, using the Canon EF 16-35mm f/4.0 Lens.
I chose this lens so that I could include the rocks in the foreground

Another advantage of using a wide angle zoom lens, like the Canon EF 16-35mm f/4.0 IS, is that you can take a lot of different compositions by simply moving your position by a small amount.

Rowan University, Science Hall and Planetarium
Canon 16-35 lens at 16mm
1/250 Second Canon 5D Mark III at f/16 ISO 500

The sample image above was my favorite of the 5 different variations I shot using the 16-35mm and its zoom. The 3 vertical composition sample photos below were made with the lens zoomed all the way out to the 16mm focal length.

I'd appreciate your feedback. Can you vote for the one that you think is best?

Composition 1

Composition 2

Composition 3

The 16-35mm lens is most commonly purchased to use for shooting landscape photos. See the classic example below of how you can use this super wide angle of the 16-35mm lens to include foreground objects to create depth in your images.

"The Serene Dawn at Jordan Pond."
Canon 5D Mark III With Canon EF 16-35mm f/4.0 IS.
6 second exposure at f/8.0 ISO=160.

The 16-35 zoom gives you the ability to compose moderately wide angle compositions in addition to the super wide angle that comes along with shooting at 16mm focal length. This make the 16-35mm lens good for shooting candid portraits too.

I zoomed in to a focal length of 29mm for the storytelling pose below, showing the fountain and the people looking at it.

"Look at The Fountain, Daddy"
f/20 for 1/40 second with Image Stabilization.
Canon 5F Mark III, Canon EF 16-35mm f/4 Lens.

The sample image below was a 30 second exposure (image stabilization turned off) with my 5D Mark III mounted to a tripod. I waited for the light levels to fall to a point where I could shoot with such a long shutter speed. I lowered my ISO to 160 and set the 16-35mm lens at f/18. to get a good exposure for 30 second.

Heislerville NJ Sunset
A 30 second exposure smoothes the ocean waves into a creamy, smooth surface.

In the photo above, I decided on setting my 16-35 lens at a focal length of 34mm. That focal length gave me the perspective I liked with the rocks and sea grasses rendered the proper size in the foreground. Shooting with the lens at a wider zoom made the rocks and grasses too small for the composition.

Like many other sunset photographs over water, the sample image above and the sample image below show the color contrast between the blue and the yellow tones that make sunset photos so appealing.

Beach Landscape by Michael D. Beckwith on Flickr
Canon EF 16-35mm F/4 IS L Lens

In the beach photo above, the choice of using a wide angle lens, like the 16-35, emphasizes the ripple in the sand in the foreground.

Shooting shadows with your 16-35mm zoom lens is a great way to practice your compositional technique. All you need is a clear sky and objects to play around with. One of my favorite images that came out of my portfolio of images made in photography school was a simple shadow photo taken in the student center.

"Courtyard Shadows" taken by Bruce Lovelace
Canon 5D Mark III With EF 16-35mm f/4 Lens

The beautiful interior shot below was shot with the 16-35mm lens by Michael D. Beckwith. I particularly like the strong diagonal lines that lead your eye into the photograph.

Canon EF 16-35mm f/4 Sample Image
of a Cathedral by Michael D Beckwith on Flickr

Is the Canon16-35mm a good fit for you?

In another post I explored whether the 16-35 is worth the money. It's one of only a few lenses in this class that has image stabilization (IS) built into the lens. The IS is rated as up to 4 stops of stabilizing. For a deeper look at whether it's a good lens for you read the post Canon 16-35mm Lens.

If your shooting style includes needing a fast lens you can also look at the two faster f/2.8 versions of the Canon EF 16-35mm. Read this post: Side by side Canon 16-35mm lens Comparison.

I bought my Canon EF 16-35mm f/4.0 IS lens from Amazon on July 27 of 2020 and have been happily using it since then. Please consider using one of the links below to make your purchase.

As an Amazon affiliate Canon Camera Geek receives a small commission from qualifying purchases, at NO added cost to you.

The next sample photo taken with the Canon EF 16-35mm f/4.0 lens was taken "zoomed out" to a 21mm focal length. This is still a wider view than you'd get with the EF 24-105 which is another lens I can use for some of my landscape scenes.

Sommesville Bridge, Acadia
Canon 16-35mm lens @ 21mm focal length

The subject is the Sommesville Arch Bridge, located in the quaint little village of Sommesville at the north end of Sommes Sound in Acadia. This is one of those very popular subjects photographers seek out when visiting Mount Desert Island in Maine.

Canon EF 24-35mm Lens Summary

I recommend this lens based on the sharp images that I've taken with it and its versatility as a zoom lens. I've found that its maximum aperture of f/4 is plenty fast enough for shooting landscape photography, candid portraits, and street photography.

It's considered the best wide angle lens for Canon landscape photography.

For related posts on the Canon Geek website, see the links below my signature, or use the search box below.

Bruce Lovelace is the publisher of Canon Camera Geek. Read more about him on the About Page. He also publishes how to articles and camera gear reviews at the Photography Tips website.

View some of Bruce's photos on Instagram  and Flickr.   Join the tribe of followers on YouTube. Bruce also runs photo workshops and provides 1 on 1 digital photography coaching.

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This post contains affiliate links and the publisher may be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links, at no cost to you.


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