Canon EF 135mm f/2L USM Review
When we talk about Canon’s L prime lenses, the EF 135mm f/2L USM in my book holds the second spot right after the amazing EF 35mm f/1,4L USM. This is one of the most in demand Canon L series lens and with the quite affordable cost tag of $899 US it really offers well-known value for the money. The Canon EF 135mm f/2L USM was introduced by Canon as a vignette lens but this isn’t in any shape or form the end of usability spectrum this lens can lapse into.
The optical design of the lens is made of 10 elements in 8 groups including two UD elements. The min. bring into focus distance is 0.9m resulting in a extreme object magnification of ~1:5. The gap mechanism features 8 aperture blades. With a assay of 83×112mm it’s fairly terse but due to the big glass elements required for the ultra-as a whole max. aperture it is a quite heavy lens at 750g. The pass through size is 72mm. The mechanical & built je sais quoi of the lens is absolutely amazing. Everything looks and feels dependable therefore I would give the highest mark in this department. The AF is darned fast and the USM drive makes AF counter-espionage very silent and full-time manual focusing remains tenable in one-shot AF mode.
This is one of the Canon L primes that exhibits no distortion what so ever. These results are based on tests I did when shooting with Canon EF 135mm f/2L USM on full skeleton EOS 5D and 1Ds Mark II and naturally you wouldn’t imagine any problems with this focal length. I’ve noticed some vignetting at f/2.0 but from f/2.8 this “dilemma” completely disappears.
When comes down to sharpness and pertinacity, the Canon EF 135mm f/2L USM produces the results not some many other lenses can joust with. The center & corner resolution is fully stunning. Images taken at f/2.8 – f/5.6 are wonderful sharp and clear and so many times I yearning I can keep this lens all the time on my camera. I think the Canon EF 135mm f/2L USM shines around f/4.5 to f/5.6 and for me this is its “maudlin spot”. As far as I’m caring, the resolution and sharpness really doesn´t get gamester than this.
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