I picked up a Canon 14mm II thinking that it would replace my 16-35 II that I absolutely love. Only reason why I'm thinking of getting rid of the 16-35 is because the 14mm is because I mostly shoot at the wider end when using the 16-35 plus the 14mm is slightly smaller and from the reviews it's suppose to be sharper. My simple focus tests shows the 14mm being worse not only in the corners but also in the center. I know this isn't very scientific but for this test I used my 1DsMKIII on a tripod with remote shutter release. Pics below were imported into LR, cropped 100%, and exported as jpg's. From the pics you can easily tell that the 16-35 is noticeably sharper. Did I receive a bad copy of the 14mm or do I own a freakishly sharp 16-35? I did a similar test with my 24L and the 16-35 beat it too! I don't know if I should feel happy or sad about these results.
I'm going to return the 14mm but my question is should I bother exchanging it and try another copy or just be happy and stick with the 16-35.
14mm II, f/2.8, cropped 100%
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16-35 II, @f/2.8, cropped 100%
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