Ideal normal lens and is recommended

I have been taking pictures for over thirty years and have experienced everything from 110 point and shoots to 8x10 view cameras, not to mentioned I have used nearly every focal length for 35mm cameras.

So with that said when I purchased my first auto focus camera a EOS-3 I decided on the Canon 35mm 2.0 lens. I choose 35mm over 50mm as my normal lens, based on my years of experience using both focal lengths on a manual focus camera system. The 35mm focal length is a wide angle lens, but not so wide as to distort under normal usage and f/2.0 is fast enough for most indoor photography and bright enough to enjoy outdoor photography.

While a Canon zoom lens like the 24-85mm would have been a more ideal single lens choice, it was also more expensive and slower (f/stop) than the 35mm/2.0 fixed focal length. I personally prefer to shoot without a flash from time to time and the faster lens is a requirement for that application. Also I like the smooth depth of field effects shooting at f/2.0 on some subjects. The Canon EF 35mm/2.0 is tack sharp and has good contrast from wide open to fully stopped down. While not a USM lens the focusing is fast enough for most applications and is very quiet compared to the EOS-3 camera shutter release noise.