Canon YONGNUO YN35mm F2 Lens 1:2 AF/MF Wide-Angle Review

The Yongnuo YN 35mm f/2 is a budget-friendly wide-angle prime for Canon EF shooters. It's small, light, and gives you a classic 35mm field of view for street or casual portraits. Don't expect flagship performance, but for the price, it gets you in the game.

This lens is a mixed bag. Its f/2 aperture is decent for low light and background blur, and its macro performance is surprisingly good for a 35mm. But the autofocus is just okay, landing in the 45th percentile, so it can hunt a bit. Optical quality and stabilization are below average, so you'll need steady hands and might see some softness in the corners.

At around $106, the value proposition is simple. You're paying for the autofocus and the focal length, not for great optics or speed. If your budget is super tight and you really need a 35mm with AF, it's an option. But if you can stretch your budget a little, you'll get a much better lens.

The obvious competitor is the Viltrox 35mm f/1.7. It's a bit more expensive, but its wider aperture and generally better optics make it a smarter buy. The Meike 55mm f/1.8 is a different focal length but is a much more polished lens for not much more money. Against the Nikon or Fujifilm options, the Yongnuo isn't even in the same league. It's strictly for budget-first Canon DSLR users.

Buy this only if you're on an absolute shoestring budget and need a 35mm lens with autofocus for your Canon DSLR. For everyone else, save up a bit more for a Viltrox or a used first-party lens. The trade-offs in autofocus and optical quality are just too big.