My favorite lens (so far) - the EF 135mm f/2L USM

Jonathan Brady wrote:

My only nit pick with the combo is the limited AF points with which to place on my subjects eye, for composition purposes.

You don't use back-button focus & compose with the center AF point? It's a pretty safe bet on the 135, even wide open, and perfect for the portraits that you're shooting. Much better/faster than faffing about with focus points, I think.

For almost everything I do, I'd be perfectly happy with a 6D and a single AF point!

Al, don't you find this gets in the way of proper composition, which is part of the point (and the fun) of shooting primes?

I go back and forth between center point plus crop vs. Side point vs. Focus and recompose (which doesn't work well with these shallow dof situations).

A great lens. Perhaps a great tool from Canon. I have observed that the focussing is a lot better than the 85mm L II.

For those shots where the kids pose and so, even a manual focus will help, I strongly suggest u to try the Zeiss 135mm f2 APO rented.

M H S wrote:

Al, don't you find this gets in the way of proper composition, which is part of the point (and the fun) of shooting primes?

I go back and forth between center point plus crop vs. Side point vs. Focus and recompose (which doesn't work well with these shallow dof situations).

Hiya,

I do have to use the closest-possible AF point when working with the 50L wide open (and avoid some situations entirely), but with the 135L I find I can get away with the centre-AF point. My normal 135 routine is:

- Glance through the finder to make sure I'm in the right ballpark
- Quickly put the centre-AF point on the part I want to focus on, and hit the back-focus button once
- Swing back to my composed view and shoot (if average metering is appropriate).

It's a natural method for me because I spent years using manual focusing on a microprism dot/split-image screen. I completely accept that I'm stuck in the past in that respect, but it does work for me. I wouldn't steer someone away from any alternative method, but Jonathan had complained about the 6D's lack of AF points preventing him from working the way he wanted.

NikonHaoleboy wrote:

As a Canon/Nikon shooter, I'll go with the 135, f/2 L over what Nikon offers in that focal length.

Nikon's 135mm f2 is also fabulous but they still haven't updated it with a focus motor.  Every time I've considered switching to Nikon I've wondered why they haven't done this. I guess they're more into newer zoom lenses.

How did I miss this review?  So happy I purchased my 135 f/2.  It sees duty for portraits, indoor sports, backyard flora and fauna, school events, and more.

Jonathan Brady wrote:

The lens hood could be prettier. It's truly ugly. I use it though. It's more than half the length of the lens itself. I do like that it locks into place and doesn't rotate. It's not of the petal-type, it's cylindrical and has the felt lining on the inside that Canon is known for.

Yes, the hood is huge, so some photographers use the EW-78C from the EF 35mm 1.4L instead.

The EW-78D fits but the"petals" are 90 degrees out when installed.

Not sure about the EW-78, EW-78B, or EW-78E. They may work as well.

Glad I searched for existing threads and found this discussion. I got a great deal on a used lens this afternoon and in the past few hours, I am amazed at how amazing this lens is. I doubt this will be coming off my 5D for a bit. Love the shooting experience, and sharpness/bokeh/subject isolation. Posting some images I captured this evening...

Don't miss the bullet holes....Oh Florida!!!

Please excuse the weird pattern on the front bumper, I hastily clone/stamped the number plate...