Canon EF 35mm F/1.4L II Rumored to Be on the Near Horizon

There are new rumblings in the rumor mill about a 35mm f/1.4 refresh from Canon. For years now photographers have been wondering when the lens — popular among photojournalists and street photographers — might see an update. According to Canon Rumors, the time is “sooner rather than later”.

The latest word is that a few prototypes of the lens are currently floating around, being stealthily tested by photographers, and that the announcement won’t arrive until the new 24-70mm f/2.8 II gets some traction in the marketplace.

This means we might be seeing the lens arrive late this year or early next year.

As we wrote yesterday, the 35mm is one of the popular Canon lenses that have long been due for an update. First introduced in 1998, the 14-year-old lens is getting up there in lens-years (the 85mm was replaced after 17 years).