1. Wide-Angle Zoom Range: The lens covers a versatile focal length range from 16mm to 35mm, making it ideal for capturing expansive landscapes, architecture, interiors, and environmental portraits.

2. Large Maximum Aperture: With a fast maximum aperture of f/2.8 throughout the zoom range, the lens excels in low-light conditions and allows for selective focus effects with shallow depth of field.

3. High-Quality Optics: The lens incorporates high-quality optical elements, including two large-diameter UD (Ultra-low Dispersion) elements and three aspherical elements, to minimize various aberrations and distortions, such as chromatic aberration, spherical aberration, and distortion, resulting in sharp, high-contrast images with minimal optical artifacts.

4. Subwavelength Coating (SWC) and Air Sphere Coating (ASC): Utilizes Canon's Subwavelength Coating and Air Sphere Coating technologies to reduce lens flare and ghosting caused by stray light, resulting in improved contrast and color accuracy, especially in backlit situations.

5. Ring-Type Ultrasonic Motor (USM) Autofocus: Equipped with a fast and accurate Ring-Type Ultrasonic Motor (USM) autofocus system, which provides quick and silent autofocus performance suitable for both still photography and video recording. Full-time manual focus override is also available.

6. Dust and Water-Resistant Construction: The lens features a durable construction with dust and water-resistant seals at the lens mount, switches, and zoom ring, making it well-suited for use in challenging weather conditions.

7. Fluorine Coating: The front and rear lens elements are coated with fluorine to repel dust and moisture, making them easier to clean and maintain.