Canon EF 135mm f2 L USM review

This was my 4th L lens and my 2nd L Prime (35L is my other.) Initially I was a little frustrated by the lens and kind of had to get used to it. After doing some trial and error and applying a +6 micro focus adjustment, this thing is crazy sharp. Even wide open, the sharpness is just unreal. I can see peach fuzz on my 2 year olds face in pictures! This has quickly become my favorite lens, particularly on my 5D2. Focus speed is very good, color is great. I think it has the least CA of any lens I own. I can't recommend this lens highly enough. For the price, it's the sharpest thing going.

Got this lens today... It is amazing...! I used to own a Canon EF 85mm USM F/1.8 for portraits but I did not like all that color fringe that shows up in the photos taken by this 85mm F/1.8. Sold it and bought this 135mm based on reviews I read and the laboratory test done by PhotoZone.... They say that this is the best lens Canon has ever made and I BELIEVE SO. Posted a photo of three colorful pickle bottles taken in my kitchen just for fun and it came out wonderfully. I do stock of photo professionally and I believe that this lens is a true money maker for stock of photos. Excellent boken. Crisp and tack sharp images. Quality construction. Weather sealed... What else would you expect? Perfect lens. I recommend.

My first impression of this lens was that it is compact, built well, but not light. I bought this lens to replace my 70-200mm 2.8 non IS, which was too big and too heavy to take everywhere. While the size is much smaller, it is heavier than any wide angle or general purpose zoom lenses, which is understandable because it is a f/2 prime. The focus ring is very smooth. This is a big plus because you are probably going to use it often because the depth of field at f/2 is razor thin. Auto focus will get you in the ballpark but you will need to make slight adjustments. The build quality is the standard L lens build, very high quality. I am a little disappointed with the sharpness wide open. It is only decently sharp wide open, sharp at f/2.8, and tack sharp at f/4. Fast primes like this are meant to be shot wide open and at this price I expected better. That is the reason I gave this lens 4 out of 5. There is also noticeable vignetting at f/2 that gets better until f/4. Don't get me wrong, this is a GREAT lens but coming from a zoom lenses and hearing all the talk about how primes are better I was a little disappointed. If you don't mind the weight and size, get the 70-200mm 2.8 non IS. It is tack sharp, even wide open, and very versatile. If you shoot mostly portraits and like this focal length, you will love this lens. It is not huge and intimidating and it won't make your arms tired.

I have really been wanting the 85L II for its sharpness, insanely low DoF and dreamy bokeh. When I traded another lens for the 135L, it initially felt like a second place prize ("This will do until I can afford the 85L!"). For the first few weeks of owning this lens, my full frame body was getting repaired, so I was only able to test it out on a crop (T3i), and I was pretty underwhelmed. Its equivalent field of view was way too long on a crop body, and the images--though tack sharp--didn't necessarily blow me away. I got my 5D Mark II back from the shop, and that all changed. This lens is awesome on a full frame. The focal length becomes much more usuable (even indoors), and the bokeh is absolutely out of this world (of course, on a full frame, you get closer to your subject for the same shot, which decreases DoF). Everything else I can say about this lens has been said 100 times: great contrast, great color rendition, and it autofocuses quickly. I also own the 70-200L II, which is amazing, but it's as heavy as a tank, so it's very refreshing to shoot with the 135L, which is lightweight in comparison. It's also nice to have a tele-length lens that doesn't draw attention to itself. Without the hood, it doesn't really stand out that much at all (compared to the big white beast zooms Canon makes).

I don't even own this lens but I can't wait until I do. Usually photo submitters blame Amazon's website when a photo doesn't look crisp and sharp; not a boo-hoo here about how the photo looked better until Amazon compressed it. This is my first lens review although I've reviewed, for months, the photos taken with many, many Canon lenses on Amazon's site. I can truly say this is the best lens yet. With the exception of a couple of user errors, the photos are just like they are supposed to be - beautifully contrasted and color saturated, crisp, sharp and brilliant. This lens is amazing - the rest will be up to you.