135mm L

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Cfunkexplosion said:
Lastcoyote, I see that you have the 100L as well. I've been debating on the purchase of the 135L. I'm really not interested in the 70-200 due to its size, weight, and conspicuousness. I'd be curious to see what your thoughts are regarding having both the 100L and 135L, and if there is enough to justify both in one's camera bag. Obviously, one doesn't go to f/2 and one doesn't do macro, but I figured I'd ask given the similar focal length. Cheers, and good luck with the lens.

yeah i debated getting the 135L for a while now considering i have the 100L.
actually from reading lots on various forums on the web it's quite surprising how many people do have both of these lenses.

as you can see from my sig i'm rather in to my macro photography. started off with the 100L and then got the MP-E 65 which is of course a very specialised bit of kit indeed. i've used these lenses on my 40D for quite a while now.

now I have the 5D MK III i was really looking for a good close portrait lens. the 100L does ok for this but from what I've read of the 135L i think i'll just love it and will prefer that extra bit of reach on the full frame. i'm quite a shallow DOF lover and like to use it as much as I can for creative effect. photography is my hobby so I can take shots just how I want rather than to please others which is nice :)

the faster AF of the 135L will be handy. also i'm hoping to use this for gigs/theater etc.
the reputation of this lens is certainly a motivating factor too. but overall i think it'll be useful for various aspects of my photography desires.

for you it may possibly be a slightly more difficult decision as you not only have the 100L but the 85L as well.
 
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For me it depends on what I am shooting, for indoors I almost always use the 85 or the 135, once I get outside I change over to either the 200 or my 70-200, the 135 gives me excellent bokeh indoors that you cannot hardly get with any other piece of glass.
 
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good grief this things sharp! :o :P
my lovely shiney new 135L turned up today. Fired off some shots and boy does this thing live up to the hype.
Can't quite get my head around how it can be so sharp across the whole frame wide open at f2! stunning.
when i first took the lens cap off and was greeted by that big front element i couldn't hold back a big cheesy grin :D

can't wait to go out and start shooting with this thing on my 5D3. oh yeah and the af is super quick and build is quality.
 
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lastcoyote said:
good grief this things sharp! :o :P
my lovely shiney new 135L turned up today. Fired off some shots and boy does this thing live up to the hype.
Can't quite get my head around how it can be so sharp across the whole frame wide open at f2! stunning.
when i first took the lens cap off and was greeted by that big front element i couldn't hold back a big cheesy grin :D

can't wait to go out and start shooting with this thing on my 5D3. oh yeah and the af is super quick and build is quality.
Congratulations. For me it isn't just the sharpness of the lens, but also the look of the images. There is just something special about the way they look.
 
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Kernuak said:
lastcoyote said:
good grief this things sharp! :o :P
my lovely shiney new 135L turned up today. Fired off some shots and boy does this thing live up to the hype.
Can't quite get my head around how it can be so sharp across the whole frame wide open at f2! stunning.
when i first took the lens cap off and was greeted by that big front element i couldn't hold back a big cheesy grin :D

can't wait to go out and start shooting with this thing on my 5D3. oh yeah and the af is super quick and build is quality.
Congratulations. For me it isn't just the sharpness of the lens, but also the look of the images. There is just something special about the way they look.

yeah i've heard that said before about this lens. just from testing it i can already see what you mean.
look forward to seeing this even more as i get some good use out of it.
 
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drjlo said:
I have both 135L and 70-200 f/2.8 II, and the latter is plenty of lens for most situations, superior even, when longer shutter speed is needed due to the IS. 70-200 certainly is not lacking in sharpness, either.

What 135L has is bokeh, magical bokeh, with great center sharpness wide open at f/2. Below was shot with 5DIII with 135L at f/2. The next photo is a crop in the middle to show the sharpness.



World Melting by drjlo1, on Flickr



100% Crop! by drjlo1, on Flickr

Very nice! It does have a magical look!
 
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So I spent the past couple of weeks researching portrait lenses (mostly this one and the 85mm f1.2), and partly as a result of this thread, I picked up the 135mm this afternoon. I can't wait to get out with it a bit tomorrow. I think my fiancée will really enjoy not waiting around for the slow focus of the 100mm f2.8L... fewer frozen smiles, here we come!
 
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phixional ninja said:
So I spent the past couple of weeks researching portrait lenses (mostly this one and the 85mm f1.2), and partly as a result of this thread, I picked up the 135mm this afternoon. I can't wait to get out with it a bit tomorrow. I think my fiancée will really enjoy not waiting around for the slow focus of the 100mm f2.8L... fewer frozen smiles, here we come!

http://ramonlperez.tumblr.com/post/33253428138/fast-prime-shoot-out-pt-1-85mm-1-2l-ii-mini-review
 
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I'll reiterate, pretty much everybody needs to just buy this lens and forget about researching it. Every time I put it on the camera...it's magic. It doesn't care what it's aimed at, the result will be art, at least on some level.

40 minutes after sunset (well into the "blue hour"), hand-held, center point autofocus (then re-compose), 1/100 second, f/2, ISO 400, my front yard, cropped about 60%, distance to deer about 250 yards. This obviously doesn't showcase any bokeh or much color saturation...but I recently was looking at some of my snow shots, and still got a kick out of this one. (sorry for the small web size).
 

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RLPhoto said:
phixional ninja said:
So I spent the past couple of weeks researching portrait lenses (mostly this one and the 85mm f1.2), and partly as a result of this thread, I picked up the 135mm this afternoon. I can't wait to get out with it a bit tomorrow. I think my fiancée will really enjoy not waiting around for the slow focus of the 100mm f2.8L... fewer frozen smiles, here we come!

http://ramonlperez.tumblr.com/post/33253428138/fast-prime-shoot-out-pt-1-85mm-1-2l-ii-mini-review

I recently read your review of the 50L and found it very informative. There is someone in my area who has the 50L on Craigslist for a very tempting price. I already own the 85 1.2 and plan to buy the 135L in the very near future. I currently own the Sigma 50mm f/1.4, but have that red ring addiction. With my current obsession with primes, the 50 1.2 seems like the next logical upgrade... If the price is right, of course. :-)

Has anyone had experience shooting babies with the 135L? I ask because I'm expecting my first child in less than two months, and have been "upgrading" my lens lineup from wide angle architecture to fast primes in anticipation of my kid being my new photographic muse. Already picked up the 85L for its spectacular DoF and bokeh. I've been sold on the 135 for awhile now, given all the raves reviews. Just need to squirrel away the money. ;-)
 
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Pierce, I have shot children with my 135L, but not infants. I'm not sure there would be as much advantage with the angle of view and DOF, but I'm sure you could get good results. Hope all goes well with your baby.
 
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I have both the 135L and 70-200 2.8 II that I use on a 6D. There is a place for both lenses in you bag. I use the 70-200 when I need versatility and am in situations when I can't "zoom with my feet" fast enough to get the shot.

The 135 is great when I want a lighter, more discrete lens. It does have awesome bokeh and a special look. It's my primary portrait lens.
 
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Woo! Finally got out for some (sadly brief) shooting with the 135mm! This is my favorite shot from the set so far:


5D3 135mm f/2.0 1/500s ISO400

I know it's a tad sharper stopped down, but I'm just thrilled with the sharpness and subject isolation wide open.
 
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