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    135 f/2L Discontinued?

    By 102 Comments1 Min Read

    102 Comments

    2. Roger767 on

      strange, the 135 is one of canon’s best primes. There are other lenses that need updating before this lens. *Cough*50mm1.2*Cough*

    7. Ed on

      I just bought mine in April, and I’m not parting with it. Canon would be pretty crazy to just discontinue it altogether, since it is one of their best lenses.

      I’m not sure I’d prefer a IS model, its fast enough to leep shutter speeds up, even in low light, and the photography I’ve done with it has lots of motion, so IS would be of little help.

    16. David on

      The original post reads like a commercial for ephotocraft.com – the poster is probably the amazing Eldar he raves about.

    20. Anonymous on

      The 135 f2 L was originally a close focusing lens, but I don’t know, macros are usually slow and squirrelly on focusing, and low light focusing was one of this lens’ strengths, in addition to legendary IQ.

      Maybe the difference will be adding IS? Maybe a 150 f2 L IS with a 77mm thread.

      One things for sure, Canon is going to have a lot of people stoked this Fall!

    21. Justin on

      50 1.2 just got an update. I wouldn’t hold your breath for it. I would think that the 135 would eventually get IS though.

    22. dude on

      I am fairly new to Canon Rumors, but it seems if the rumors are true that Canon is going to be overhauling a LOT Of their lineup. Is that realistic or is this the normal ebb and flow of rumors at Canon Rumors?

    24. Ed on

      But … in this case, the rumor is thats its going away, no replacement. Hard to believe though.

    25. Claire on

      What the point updating lenses that everyone is satisfied with (35 1.4, 135 f2) when some lenses obviously need updates (50 1.4, 35 f2) ?
      As a recent Canonist I am quite disappointed with this approach : they just update the very expensive, very heavy and cumbersome L lenses (which are also great, I own two of these) and the bodies every six months.
      Nothing for street photography (fast and light primes) and amateur … :(

    26. rod on

      135mm F2 – the best lens i’ve ever used – i’ll stick with Canon no matter what happens on the body front, I just love it.

    28. Anonymous on

      Ef-s 18-55 got an update in the last 2 years. Ef-s 55-200 did too. EF-S 18-200mm f3.5-5.6 IS a year ago. The ef-s 60 macro 4 years ago. And the EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 5 years ago.

    29. Ray on

      As of Saturday (8/2) evening, available at canogacamera.com. No affiliation but I recommend the store.

    35. Justin on

      True, technically. I should have been more precise. But the response was to refute a gripe that Canon doesn’t focus on EF-S lenses. They do, often in fact.

      Also, technically speaking, there is no indication in this rumor that an update is imminent. Only that a lens has been discontinued. Update, replacement, or different focal length, or nothing are all in the cards.

    36. Canon4Life on

      Learn to hold your camera still. Good posture and using both hands helps. You guys are nothing but gear heads. Learn to use your cameras.

    37. kubelik on

      oh. I suppose good photographers don’t need AWB either. or Av/Tv modes. or ISO anything above 400. or long battery life. or larger viewfinders. boy I look forward to the day when I have to crank before I can take my next shot again.

    39. Tom on

      This is a ridiculous comment, as was your first one. It is important to have good technique. It will improve all of your photos. There are times when all of the technique in the world won’t help. If you prefer not to have it, that’s fine, I would prefer to have IS. It greatly increases a persons ability to handhold in low light. That doesn’t make me a gearhead.

    42. nostyle on

      Word!

      Canoga Camera is good place. I’m not affiliated either, but it’s the kind of business I like to be in business with.

    43. Zac on

      hey @$$hole, I have a tremor. thats why I use a monopod a ridiculous amount of the time, Thank god I’m left eyed so I can rock it in the crook of my shoulder the rest of the time.(Joe McNally’s “Da Grip”) my safe shutter rule is 1 and 1/3 stops faster than the generic.

      Also IS doesn’t make you incapable of properly holding a camera. coupling the two for a photog without a tremor means…. oh yes MORE creative possibilities with shutter drag, allowing photogs to capture motion to tell a visual story.

      Are the people on this forum gear oriented: yes, obviously.
      Are we all incompetent: No, many are working pros looking to make intelligent equipment decisions based on likely future capabilities.

      Do I think IS is a must? No, lots of work arounds, but it only helps, if I don’t want it I can turn it off(like I do on a tripod).

      Should Canon include IS in a potential 135mm f/2L USM replace candidate: so long as it doesn’t reduce optical performance, yes. Canon doesn’t make equipment for ‘real’ photographers. They make equipment for Actual photographers. Photographers who realize that every little bit helps. Photographers that realize that photography is the art of capturing the subtleties of light as constrained by the capabilities of a camera, optics, and processing (film or digital).

      So please loose the attitude or step off.

    45. David on

      As for Canon’s lack of focus on EF-S no one is saying they are not making plenty of them, just that they could add weather sealing and make them much better as other companies are doing with their dedicated APS-C lenses.

    46. Anonymous on

      IS will cost twice as much. IQ of this lense is hard to improve any further as it is now. I’m off in the morning to the stores – will try to grab one if available…

    47. Anonymous on

      It is also available on Amazon.com and three other merchants on Amazon.com as of late Sunday evening.

    48. zach on

      i want some cool news like cr2 or cr3 about new lens or bodys 1d4 1ds4 60d a d300 competitor for me to buy something interestingg

      and this lens disapering is a depressing thought

    49. Kufucius on

      Ha ha, I just got one 2 days ago :)
      IS would really be awesome, esp that it’ll outshine Nikon for another 10 years or so :)

    50. David on

      +1 on the cr2/cr3

      I don’t believe this rumor. There’s no way Canon is discontinuing the 135mm 2.0 unless they’re updating it, which I doubt. Canon cut production back because of the economy and now we’re seeing backorders until they catch up.

    54. Michal on

      No, no, no. Please don’t do it Canon. As important as IS can be this is not really something needed in a studio, portrait lens. It’s so good because it’s so simple, adding IS to it will add groups and elements and it will never be as sharp as it used to be. Please don’t do it Canon.

    57. gabe on

      on paper you are right, but with new technology, more precisious manufacturing methods, and new coatings, i think they always can improve the optical quality.

    58. Mike V on

      Good photographers only need a shoe box and a pin.

      I don’t believe this rumour.

      The 135mm is just in short supply because Canon have ramped down production to save money in hard economic times.

      135mm IS would be really nice though. I’d buy one and ditch my 135mm L.

      People keep posting that such and such lens doesn’t need updating, but Canon updates lenses not because they need updating, but because they think they can make more profit on them i.e make minor adjustments to the design yet majorly revise the sell price.

    63. Will on

      I recently spoke to a Canon rep. Actually it was a month ago and willbhe was displaying all the Canon gear, I asked him why is the 135 L never in stock any where (I have been looking for one). He said that it is not the most popular lens in there line up. So they manufacture it less. So they always are in low supply. Canon uses only a few plants to make lenses and make more of what sells the most. He said like the white L lenses and the 50mm primes. Now, that does not mean that it’s not getting
      updated but just wanted to share what I know. Peace.

    65. Ed on

      Yes, there have been some huge improvements in lenses in the very recent past. Many of the lenses were designed 20-50 years ago using ray tracing done on paper by hand. It was a trial and error method requiring many combinations trying to find a good design. Complex lens grinding that could accurately make aspherical lenses did not exist and when it started to be produced later, some lens designs were updated with greatly improved qualities, but still using pretty primitative design tools.

      Now, powerful computers can try millions of solutions, and integrate them with computer controlled lens grinding machinery which means a whole level of improved design.

      New but very exotic and expensive coatings reduce internal reflections and flare.

      All this costs money, and all that development and tooling must be paid for, so the new lens designs and coatings will add $$$ to the price. For those that are happy with the older designs, and I’m not knocking them, because many are very good, the price will drop making them affordable as those who need or just want the newer models step up.

      Certainly, the wide angle lenses could use a major re-design, the Nikon 12-24mm zoom is rated to be much better than the closest Canon Zoom, and soon, the Zeiss 21mm will be out.

      I’d also like to see a improved 50mm F:/1.4 lens

    66. David on

      I think Nikon is taking the DX line a little more seriously than Canon is taking the EF-S line. Not everyone wants huge L glass on FF bodies and a lot of serious hobbyists, enthusiasts and even some pros are happy with APS-C and will never upgrade to FF, so why not give them some good products to spend money on like EF-S weather sealed 2.8 zooms and fast primes? The cost of such lenses should be much less because of the smaller sensor – Pentax has prove that by making dedicated APS-C 2.8 ED zooms that are both weather sealed and very compact for very reasonable prices.

    68. David on

      It’s also the only weather one in its class.

      “the new 55mm is an amazing lens with fabulous edge-to-edge sharpness, great bokeh, and exceptional build quality” and “…takes contrast and sharpness to new extremes” digitalcamerareview.com

      (it does have known backfocus issues with the older K10D, but was tested fine on the newer models like the K20)

    69. David on

      meant to write it’s the only weather sealed one in its class…

      so in terms of price comparison on weather sealed lenses you have to put it against the 50 1.2 L that sells for $700 more.

    71. Blake on

      I can’t possibly get enough direct print button jokes. Extra point go to those that use “MOAR!” in the comments, LOL.

    75. Matt on

      If you look at their cheap USA.CANON website you would think they don’t care much DSLRs and could easily discontinue. When are they going to update their site or have a dedicated site for SLRs like back when they used the http://www.canoneos.com url? Or like the Nikon site, let’s include a little flash or something to market to the US their great cameras.

    76. Will on

      Hey D,

      Yeah, Pentax makes nice glass. But in terms of price and build and quality, I would place it against the Sigma 50mm 1.4 EX. Ala dpreview. It’s the best 50mm in it’s class. And one of my favorites.

    77. David on

      I hear ya Will. I’m just making an issue out of Canon holding real weather sealing out for their pro top of the line bodies/lenses – sqeeky wheel gets the greese, right? If enough people start complaining about the lack of weather sealing maybe Canon will pay attention. The Sigma’s not weather sealed from what I can tell but seems like good lens from the review.

    81. zach on

      all the people who dident logicly answer you -1

      yes this is the normal flow thing here lots of the rumors are exactly that rumors and the cr3 and cr2 rumors are the ones worth really takeing note of…other wise lots of this stuff is just an educated guess a prediction if you will

    84. ZT on

      Well… I was putting this off for a few months and even though the rumor might be not true, but as soon as I read it here I went out next day (this morning actually) and got myself a brand new copy of this lense. This glass is too good and quite affordable, so i donno what is it exactly they might “improve” here. Adding IS is great but that’ll be a price increase for sure. So right now this glass at its current price is a steal. I’m happy I was able to get one today.

    87. Gene on

      What does the root domain name have anything to do with the quality or quantity of the information they provide? I rather dislike it when companies spam their products across different domains; just put things in subdomains.

      And flash? More useless flash is the last thing the web needs.

    88. David on

      Well, it is interesting that Canon recently pulled the canoneos.com site down and routed it to the regular domian. Maybe Canon is discontinuing EOS in favor of MOAR Direct Print Buttons??? ;)

    91. Anonymous on

      Rumors, more rumors please!. It’s been tooooooo long since the last one. I need them bad!!!!!!!!

    94. David on

      Nah. At 12.7 MP the FPS should be much higher, more like 8 or 9 – and you know it’s gonna have video, even the Rebel has video. One has to want the camera over a 50D, right? These specs one might as well save $700 and buy a 50D (or wait for a 60D mentioned below with 15MP, aps-c, digic V, HD video, 3″OLED).

    98. Justin on

      Indeed I call bogus on these craptastic stats.

      The way I see it Canon has some choices to make. They can keep the 50D the way it is, improve high iso with a digic V and fairy dust and add video and call it a 60D.

      But that’s not going to satisfy xxD users so…

      They need something to fill the gap between the xxD and 5D mkII.

      Enter 7D

      In all likelihood this should be a 1.6 fov crop speed master. It should have improved AF (19 point), 8 fps, weather seals, and should be 15 mpx. Oh yeah and for the extra cash a bigger viewfinder (100% is long overdue.) Movies, yada yada:
      $1999 US.

      But this isn’t going to satisfy the folks who really want a 5DMKII with the speed capabilities of a Nikon 700D.

      Enter 3D

      Think 5DMKII, full frame, 21 mpx, but with faster shutter, improved AF (like aforementioned 7D, weather sealed, and 100% viewfinder, high iso performer, movies yada yada. $3199 US.

      Finally Canon should round out its DSLR offerings with one, yes one pro level full bodied, full frame camera. 25.6 mpx sensor, 16 mpx 1.6 dynamic crop for faster fps bursts (call it 10 fps), then all the top-of-the-line trimmings. Sell it for $5999 and make a cruise liner boat load of money.

      Are we all happy?

      Total Canon Dominance

      Now come on with the lens updates…

    99. David on

      I’m all for MOAR new stuff! Personally I’d make your 7D be the 60D; and your 3D FF I’d drop the MP to around 15, fps up to 8 or 9, and make it the 7D; the 1D4 make FF fast fps with HD video; the 1Ds4 28 MP with 4K video…so we’d have the 1Ds4, 1D4, 5D2, & 7D all FF, 60D the killer APS-C body, followed by the usual plethora of entry level Rebels/500D/1000D.

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