Sell my 135 f2 lens?

Hi all, so i have a 5d4 along with 3 primes: a 35Lii, 85L 1.4, and the 135L. I want to invest in a 24-70 or a 70-200 as my next lens, but I am wondering if it is a bit redundant to have the 135 since i already have the 85l and if i get the 70-200 i will have that focal range covered. I love my 135 as it was my very first pro grade lens and I have taken some of my best photos with it. I do mainly portraits and weddings, so what do you think i should do?

Dmatrix Photo wrote:

Hi all, so i have a 5d4 along with 3 primes: a 35Lii, 85L 1.4, and the 135L. I want to invest in a 24-70 or a 70-200 as my next lens, but I am wondering if it is a bit redundant to have the 135 since i already have the 85l and if i get the 70-200 i will have that focal range covered. I love my 135 as it was my very first pro grade lens and I have taken some of my best photos with it. I do mainly portraits and weddings, so what do you think i should do?

I had shot weddings for a long time and I never had the need for a 70-200 lens.  It's too big, too bulky, too unwieldy.  An 85, a 50, and a 35 are all you really need and the 135 is a nice lens to have for the more atmospheric shots with flatter perspective when you have the room to do it.

I realize that it seems that a 70-200 would be more convenient, but I don't think it would be.  It would be a royal PITA to carry it around all day long.

A 24-70 on the other hand, would be super convenient and a great tool to shoot a wedding with.  However, I would still keep the 85 and the 35 to provide me with redundancy and a peace of mind in case something went wrong with the 24-70, I wouldn't be caught dead in the water.  Although, if money is an issue, I would replace the 85 1.4 with 1.8 and the 35 1.4 with 35 f2IS.

Very interesting, what lenses do you use most often for weddings, and what roles do each of those play for you?

Dmatrix Photo wrote:

Hi all, so i have a 5d4 along with 3 primes: a 35Lii, 85L 1.4, and the 135L. I want to invest in a 24-70 or a 70-200 as my next lens, but I am wondering if it is a bit redundant to have the 135 since i already have the 85l and if i get the 70-200 i will have that focal range covered. I love my 135 as it was my very first pro grade lens and I have taken some of my best photos with it. I do mainly portraits and weddings, so what do you think i should do?

The 70-200mm is arguably Canon's most versatile lens.

Dmatrix Photo wrote:

Very interesting, what lenses do you use most often for weddings, and what roles do each of those play for you?

The 35 does all the candids, party, dancing, large groups

The 50 does small to medium size groups and most church pictures depending on whether or not I can come up on the dais.

The 85 does all of the single portraits, bride and groom shots and small groups where I don't have to go full length.

The 135 is used rarely.  I use it outside for B&G shots if I have enough room to move back, like in the park if there are no people around.  I also use it for single and double portraits if I have enough room and enough time to do it.

Dmatrix Photo wrote:

Hi all, so i have a 5d4 along with 3 primes: a 35Lii, 85L 1.4, and the 135L. I want to invest in a 24-70 or a 70-200 as my next lens, but I am wondering if it is a bit redundant to have the 135 since i already have the 85l and if i get the 70-200 i will have that focal range covered. I love my 135 as it was my very first pro grade lens and I have taken some of my best photos with it. I do mainly portraits and weddings, so what do you think i should do?

I did exactly that. Sold my 135L and got the 70-200/2.8L II.

For professional use the zoom is much more versatile but for me as hobbyist this didn't matter. It was mainly the IS that made me switch.

If you don't need the cash then just keep the 135L and get the zoom as well. I never really regret selling it, however, in some travel occasions a light medium tele would have been nice.

I faced the same problem. I loved the 135L and used it a lot. Once I purchased the 70-200L 2.8 IS II it rarely came out to play. I ended up selling mine. In fact I just recently sold about 5 that just sits in their case.

Seems like a waste.

Casey

casey1823 wrote:

I faced the same problem. I loved the 135L and used it a lot. Once I purchased the 70-200L 2.8 IS II it rarely came out to play. I ended up selling mine. In fact I just recently sold about 5 that just sits in their case.

Seems like a waste.

Casey

Almost the exact scenario for me, but in my case I just wasn’t using the 135L enough to justify keeping it. I sold it and along with my EF-200 2.8 prime and I use the 70-200 (f/4 IS in my case) as a “replacement”. The 70-200 f/4 IS is light/portable/extremely sharp and IS is a bonus. It along with my 100L and 85 1.4 ART check my portrait, macro and travel zoom boxes well.

If the OP does decide to sell the 135, I found they really hold their value well. I sold mine for more than I paid for it.

Dmatrix Photo wrote:

Hi all, so i have a 5d4 along with 3 primes: a 35Lii, 85L 1.4, and the 135L. I want to invest in a 24-70 or a 70-200 as my next lens, but I am wondering if it is a bit redundant to have the 135 since i already have the 85l and if i get the 70-200 i will have that focal range covered. I love my 135 as it was my very first pro grade lens and I have taken some of my best photos with it. I do mainly portraits and weddings, so what do you think i should do?

I'm a big believer in Canon's pro zooms, but you love the 135mm. Keep it until you find yourself not using it anymore.

Doug_PS wrote:

casey1823 wrote:

I faced the same problem. I loved the 135L and used it a lot. Once I purchased the 70-200L 2.8 IS II it rarely came out to play. I ended up selling mine. In fact I just recently sold about 5 that just sits in their case.

Seems like a waste.

Casey

Almost the exact scenario for me, but in my case I just wasn’t using the 135L enough to justify keeping it. I sold it and along with my EF-200 2.8 prime and I use the 70-200 (f/4 IS in my case) as a “replacement”. The 70-200 f/4 IS is light/portable/extremely sharp and IS is a bonus. It along with my 100L and 85 1.4 ART check my portrait, macro and travel zoom boxes well.

If the OP does decide to sell the 135, I found they really hold their value well. I sold mine for more than I paid for it.

I had the F4 IS version and sold it for the 2.8 IS version. The F4 is a very nice lens but I need the 2.8 for indoor sports. I really hated to part with it but once I had the 2.8 I just never used it.

Casey

Dmatrix Photo wrote:

Very interesting, what lenses do you use most often for weddings, and what roles do each of those play for you?

When I have 'down time' at a wedding is when I use the 100mm Macro and 35mm f1/4. That is when I don't have to worry about fast changing scenes, etc.  During and after the ceremony, when things are happening fast and the scenes are changing fast, I tend to stay with my 24-70 and 70-200 zooms.  With these two lenses (one on the 5D4, and one on a 6D), I'm ready for anything.

I love the 135 f2. I would never sell it. It is my primary portrait lens. I also have a 200mm 2.8. It is much smaller and easier to carry than the zoom. I had a 70 - 200 2.8, but I sold it and purchased the 100 - 400 II and never regretted it. the 100 - 400 has really impressive IS and is very sharp. I have an 85 1.8, but I am saving my pennies for the 85 1.4.

I love the lens too, but i feel like it may be redundant to have both it and the 85 1.4. Since I bought the 1.4 i havent used the 135 since i can get much more use out of the 85 without having to back up to get more than headshots. As a wedding photographer i think it would be in my best interest to get the 70-200 simply for the useful range and versatility.

You may be correct about the 70 - 200 for weddings. I like the reach of the 100-400 for landscapes. i have not shot a wedding for years, although still shoot portraits where I have time to set up and choose a prime lens.

Dmatrix Photo wrote:

Hi all, so i have a 5d4 along with 3 primes: a 35Lii, 85L 1.4, and the 135L. I want to invest in a 24-70 or a 70-200 as my next lens, but I am wondering if it is a bit redundant to have the 135 since i already have the 85l and if i get the 70-200 i will have that focal range covered. I love my 135 as it was my very first pro grade lens and I have taken some of my best photos with it. I do mainly portraits and weddings, so what do you think i should do?

There is something I forgot to add. I have or have had all the lenses you have except for the 85mm 1.4. IMO the 85mm is better than the 135mm at what it's supposed to primarily be used for- low light and portraits. Their weight is nearly identical too. Most end up with the 135mm as a compromise in weight and price to the 70-200mm. If you're only looking to use for professional gigs, the 70-200mm is your best bet. It's very versatile and somewhat heavy, but only if you're lugging it around for hours on end. If you want a lens that is more for personal use and not low light/ events, then the 100-400mm ii is the lens to buy. A 24-70mm would be the second lens I buy after since the 35mm ii is just so good and 35mm is such a convent focal length as a prime. I only parted with the 135mm because I also had the 100mm L and I do a lot of macro, so I wanted the versatility.