From the Arch Club Journal

The underrated lenses of the Canon EF mount

Everyone knows the famous L primes. These are the lenses photographers keep recommending in quieter voices.

Written by Arch Club, which shoots 35mm on a Canon EOS-1V. Every lens here fits any EOS film body. Sources are listed at the end.

The EF mount has been around since 1987, which means a huge used market and plenty of excellent lenses that never got the attention they deserved. On film, where you aren't zooming in on pixels, many of them are simply wonderful.

I
EF 100mm f/2 USM.Lives in the shadow of the popular 85mm f/1.8, yet reviewers point to less vignetting, sharper corners and less distortion at a similar price. A lovely portrait length.
II
EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro (the original).Cheap, sharp and almost forgotten. It doubles as a portrait lens, and it gets close enough to fill the frame with a single foot.
III
EF 17-40mm f/4L.Often dismissed for its f/4 aperture. Fans point to low cost, sharpness and very little vignetting. On film, f/4 is rarely a problem.
IV
EF 200mm f/2.8L.Called a bargain again and again. Small for an L telephoto and very sharp.
V
EF 28mm f/1.8 and EF 20mm f/2.8.Light, inexpensive wides that photographers carry all day and seldom regret.
VI
EF 40mm f/2.8 pancake.Barely thicker than a body cap. It turns a big film SLR into something you can carry everywhere.
VII
EF 400mm f/5.6L.Far cheaper than the big white telephotos, and owners report it holds its own side by side.
The verdict: if you buy one, buy the 100mm f/2. It's the portrait lens nobody talks about.

In our studio

For feet, a short telephoto earns its place. It lets the photographer stand back, keeps proportions natural and drops the background into soft shadow. The 100mm lenses above do this beautifully, and the macro adds the ability to come in close on an arch or the line of a toe.

White marble stilettos with red marble straps on a black marble plinth
Shot on film at Arch Club

ARCH CLUB

A members' club for foot photography, shot only on film.

Every Arch Club photograph is made on a Canon EOS-1V, a Mamiya 7 or a Fuji GW690II, with real models in New York and never AI. Members receive new film photographs every month, and collectors can own the original negative, sealed in display resin with a print of their choice.

Membership$49.99/mo
Polaroid$111
4×6 print$200
Negatives$1,100 to $2,000
Cameras35mm, 6×7, 6×9
Become a MemberBecome a Model

Anyone can find a picture. Few will ever hold a photograph.

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Sources we read

Published by Arch Club, Brooklyn, New York.