My Lens Arrived from Japan!

On my last post I was dismayed that my new Canon 11-22 EOS-M lens had not yet arrived from Japan. Well, that’s all so last week because it has arrived. I now have an ultra wide-angle lens for my little EOS-M mirrorless body. The lens was spendy, but using the Tokina ATX 11-16mm f2.8 with the adapter on that mirrorless body was just too cumbersome. It completely defeated the purpose of the small body having this enormous lens mounted to it. Mind you, it did work, but it was HUGE!. Now I have a lens just a tick larger than the 18-55mm EOS-M lens that gives me all the ultra wide-angle pleasure I can ask for.

The lens performs well. Unlike my ATX 11-16mm which features a bright, constant f2.8 maximum aperture, this little lens has a variable maximum aperture that is f4.0 at the wide setting and f5.6 at the long setting. Since I will not shoot many photos beyond about 15mm with this lens I have effectively given up a full stop of speed in favor of a package that weighs about a quarter as much. Fair trade, I’ll say.

The Canon lens has another big advantage over the ATX Tokina as well. This lens is not nearly as prone to lens flare as the big and bright ATX. Lens flare can be tricky to fix in post processing and in fact it is often nigh unrepairable. This little combo is my new best friend when taking hikes in the woods or shooting cityscapes. It is small and lightweight with big wide-angle performance in a non-imposing piece of equipment. The Canon 11-22mm EOS-M is a sharp lens but not amazingly so. The color and contrast however are spot on with a rich palette and snappy contrast.

Why on Earth is this lens NOT sold in the US? Canon, what is up with that? Wide angle lenses are fun. You can walk around and find interesting subject matter in the most common of details. I shot a picture into a side view mirror on my car. The polished chrome complete with water spots and dirt provide an interesting abstract view. The lens was just a couple of inches away from the mirror.

I have always enjoyed using wide-angle and fish eye lenses to create unusual views of the ordinary. This small Canon EOS-M and the 11-22mm make a compact and fun package to tote around seeking opportunity for an abstract take on daily life.