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Canon EF 135mm f/2L USM Lens for Canon SLR Cameras | List Price: $1,500.00
Discount Price: Too low to display
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Brand: Canon
Binding: Electronics
Features: - EF mount; telephoto lens
- Ultra-low Dispersion glass with Fluorite elements; inner focusing ring
- 135mm focal length f/2 maximum aperture Ring USM motor
- Comes with Leather bag & lens hood
This blasted lens makes my other lenses look terrible! [Posted on 2008-01-22]
When I first acquired Canon Lens Collecting Syndrome about three years ago, I thought to get a few primes, as Common Wisdom runs that primes are uniformly better than zooms. I needed a portrait lens, looked at the 135 f/2 prime and thought "hey, that'll probably work ... f/2 will make for nice bokeh and all the books say to use an 85 mm for portraits but I've got a 1.6 crop, so 135's probably the way to go." I also eventually got a 400 mm prime for wildlife.
Looking at my three years' worth of wildlife pictures, most of the real eye-poppers... were with the 135. The 400's sharp (especially when on a tripod), but the 135 simply blows away every other lens I own. Yup, I do portraits with it sometimes, but in general it is my "go-to" lens when something neat's wandering through the backyard.
The other day the "something" was a gray fox. It was on the ground, I was on a top level deck with no time to get downstairs, and the sun was setting. I grabbed the camera (which had the 135 on it already), got a few shots despite the dim light... and they're beautiful. Couldn't have done it without f/2.
Nine hundred bucks is a lot of money for a lens. But if knew then what I know now, I might only own this lens, the f/5.6 400, the f/1.4 50mm, the 17-40, and perhaps the f/4 70-200 IS. This 135 will make you look like a much better photographer than you are. (At least it does for me!)
About as sharp as they come... [Posted on 2008-02-13]
Other reviewers have already covered the many positive attributes of this lens. I already own an excellent copy of Canon's 70-200 f/2.8 zoom so I was curious to see how the 135 L would compare with a 1.4 TC installed. The 135 is MUCH sharper and has noticeably better IQ (image quality) from f/2.8 to f/8--so much sharper that I am considering selling the 70-200. The Zoom is more convenient and still produces great pictures, but I will be more likely to reach for the 135 L plus the 1.4 TC when shooting at 200 mm (135 L + 1.4 TC = 189 mm). At 135 mm this lens produces absolutely STELLAR results. I am currently using it on a 40D crop camera so it is a little long for portrait work but I purchased it with an eventual move to Full Frame in mind. You absolutely cannot go wrong here if you are in the market for this focal length. Five stars don't seem like enough!!
The best EF lens I own, by far [Posted on 2008-03-03]
Previously, I relied on Canon's EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens for modest telephoto images. There is *no comparison* between the images that the 135mm lens produces and that zoom. The difference is not merely that the fixed lens is a lot faster (in practice, I rarely go wider than f2.8 anyway; the depth of field becomes too narrow for my taste). Rather, the pictures are sharper, colors are brighter, and people seem to have a strong preference for the bokeh in pictures taken with this lens. More than once, I've been asked "How do you blur the background like that?"
You might expect that a fast lens is particularly useful indoors in natural light, and it does produce great results in such conditions, but I've also taken wonderful photos with this lens of children playing outdoors.
No image stabilization, but I've never missed it. I've had mixed results with other Canon lenses but this is by far the best of the lot, I've no criticism of it at all.
Amazing lens for indoor sports photography [Posted on 2008-03-23]
I've had this lens for over 2 years now, coupled with my 20d, and it's given me amazingly sharp results at WNBA basketball games. The Key Arena is where I shoot from the stands as a fan, and I usually shoot vertical format. A white lens wouldn't be allowed into the Arena unless I was a pro, so the black color and small size of the 135 doesn't raise any red flags. Having a fast lens allows me to go to higher shutter speeds, freezing some very fast action. A fellow photo fan recommended this lens to me, and said that it was so sharp, I should forget about zoom. Instead, I should take shots and crop to achieve different compositions, and he was so right. I'm extremely glad I took his advice! If the focal length suits your needs I'd go for it without hesitation.
Canon EF 135mm f2/L USM Lens Is Sweet [Posted on 2008-06-13]
I don't really have much to say other than I really enjoy this lens. It's super sharp and great for low light conditions. You can read all sorts of fantastic reviews regarding this lens pretty much everywhere online. It's also very reasonably priced for a Canon 'L' lens. If you have the spare change, go out and buy one. You won't be disappointed :o)
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