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Do I really need an 135mm f/2L for portraits?

Started Feb 24, 2020 | Questions thread
EOSSpeedLite Contributing Member • Posts: 640
Age does not Matter
1

C-A-X wrote:

I also was wondering whether I need this lens, given it's rather old optical formula I descided to go for a 85mm f/1.4L IS instead and crop to (almost) 135mm f/2 and I am not disappointed by the results.

P.S. and of course this doesn't necessarily mean that I won't get one eventually, for GAS reasons.

The age of the formula is irrelevant. The better metric is: How does it render and how sharp is it.

I have the EF 135L f2 on my R5 and I love the magic it produces. My copy is almost as sharp at f2 as my RF 50L and RF 85L f1.2's are wide open.

The EF 135L f2 renders punch, contrasty, and shooting with a hood often is enough to control artifacts. I love the compression it provides, the small size, and its low weight. The bokeh is pretty dreamy too.

 EOSSpeedLite's gear list:EOSSpeedLite's gear list
Canon EOS R5 Canon EF 135mm F2L USM Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM Canon Extender EF 2x III Canon EF 100-400mm F4.5-5.6L IS II +12 more
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