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Thread: Questions about the Canon EF 135mm f/2.8

  1. #1

    Questions about the Canon EF 135mm f/2.8

    soft focus lens.

    How good would this lens be on a 60D for sports and wildlife? Will I need to use a tripod all the time or can most shooting be done handheld? Is it as sharp as the reviews say it is? I am looking for those that have this lens and their experience with it. I have not bought it yet but am looking very hard at it and want some expert advice, for me this is the place. It is at a price that want break the bank and would give me a little more reach when I need it.

  2. #2
    rpcrowe's Avatar
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    Re: Questions about the Canon EF 135mm f/2.8

    This is a nice sharp lens with quick focus (but not as fast as USM). It is not a lens that I would select for sports because I don't think that it focuses fast enough. Also, 135mm is pretty short for wildlife, even on a 1.6x crop camera. Additionally, I would not put it in the class of the 70-200mm f/4L IS as far as sharpness goes. It is probably more like the 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens but, doesn't focus as fast.

    I have looked through my images and cannot find any using this lens without SF dialed in. I bought it on sort of a lark about a year ago because it was on eBay used and I got it for $100, USD.

    The reason I haven't used it is not that it isn't a good lens but, because I love my 70-200mm f/4L IS which is always hanging on my camera.

    I purchased the lens to play with the soft focus cpability rather than to use it as a standard lens. I just haven't goten around to using it very often because I haven't found a pretty gal to shoot with this lens. It does have a bit of a learning curve since the SF #1 and SF #2 react differently at different apertures.

    I would not buy one new. I would peruse eBay and other used camera equipment sites. The 135mm SF lenses usually sell for between $150 and $200 USD...

  3. #3

    Re: Questions about the Canon EF 135mm f/2.8

    Quote Originally Posted by rpcrowe View Post
    I would not buy one new. I would peruse eBay and other used camera equipment sites. The 135mm SF lenses usually sell for between $150 and $200 USD...
    Thanks Richard,
    I have been searching for a good used one, not wanting to buy new. Ebay has them going for around $320.00 and B&H $419.00. I have not checked any other locations and don't really know of any. Maybe I just need to hang on to what I have and save up for a better lens.

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    rpcrowe's Avatar
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    Re: Questions about the Canon EF 135mm f/2.8

    I don't think that I would opt for that lens at that price.

    I cannot get over the way Canon equipment (both used and new) is going up in price. I just looked up the 7D on Canon's Loyalty program and it is over $200 more than I paid for it a couple of years ago.

  5. #5
    Scott Stephen's Avatar
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    Re: Questions about the Canon EF 135mm f/2.8

    Quote Originally Posted by rpcrowe View Post
    I don't think that I would opt for that lens at that price.

    I cannot get over the way Canon equipment (both used and new) is going up in price. I just looked up the 7D on Canon's Loyalty program and it is over $200 more than I paid for it a couple of years ago.
    I guess the customers' "loyalty" is not a two-way street.

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    rpcrowe's Avatar
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    Re: Questions about the Canon EF 135mm f/2.8

    i think that the U.S. Dollar/Japanese Yen exchange rate is the culprit...

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