which telephoto woudl you pick

still trying to narrow what i want, which would you pick.

the 74-200/4 non IS, sigma 70-200/2.8 HSM, a 135L or a 200L mki? outdoor portraits mainly.

the 135L is my pick but i'm trying not to spend that much, if its far and away the best choice please say so, i'm curious if the others are close and will work for me until i get more funds for the 135L...

I have a 135L and for me it's the perfect combo for my Sigma 50
I see that you have a Canon 85 1.8 already, do you still find it too short?
the 135L is just fantastic, the 200L might be too tight unless you like to shoot from far or looking for headshots.

BUT I also just bought a 70-200 f4L non-IS yesterday, it is as sharp as the IS version, smaller and lighter and I figured it will get me the long shots that the 135L cant.
I'm mainly going to be using mine for landscape though

The Ef 70-200/4 used is a great deal. No, not as sharp as the IS version but way cheaper. It gets my vote.

the longest lens i have is 85mm and often its not too short, but i'm trying to add that look that high end glass gives you. plus extra length on occasion is nice. it either going to be a telephoto or a wide prime, i just cant decide what to get and i can't get both. i'm thinking longer since i dont do too many environmental shots and i have the 17-40L which will be fine, but i wont have an indoor lens after i sell my 50mm

of course one option is to keep the 50, sell the 85 and get the 135... i just dont know what to do. all i know is i love to shoot portraits and i want to keep improving upon the quality.

70-200 if money is an issue, otherwise the 135 will be stellar for portraits. keep the 85

i would love to sell the 17-40 and the 50, get a cheap wide prime and splurge on the 135L. i just fear i'll miss the UWA...

if possible, get the 135 first, then decide what to get rid of. I see you shoot low light a bit, and the 135 IS NOT for that, since you need pretty high shutter speeds. It's pretty fantastic, but very specialized good light lens.

Another option is that you can split the difference between 85/135 and get the 100 F2. IQ is almost on the level of the 135 tbh.

I just upgraded the 100F2 to 135F2, and the 135 is a sexy beast comparatively, but far away better? Kind of subjective. The reach and compression are noticeably better with the 135, but you need noticeably more shutter speed for a clean shot, which is a knock against the 135.

i did something stupid. i looked at the lens archives. the 70-200/4L is really, really nice.

but the135L.

well, that lens is magical.

Did you mean 200/2.8 L II not I? I would think that a 700-200/4 non is or 200/2.8 II would both be good choices, but a used 135/2 for $700-800 isnt that much further out of reach and it seems like it is what you really want anyhow.

Personally, I'd sell the 85 1.8 and combine it with the 135L money and pick up a tamron 70-200 vc.

I'm not a big fan of 3rd party lenses, but man is this one amazing. Since you're looking at lens archives, look at that one as well!

What's your intended subject?

For posed/model type of shot, I'd say 135L. But if you're talking about your kids who runs around and doesn't stand still, zoom is very much preferable.

Don't get me wrong the 135L is magical indeed, but being a longish prime which has kind of a tight framing is nothing but frustration if you try to capture your active kids...I've been thru it all.

Between Canon 70-200 f4 and Sigma, I take the extra stop any day...

No kids. I refuse to shoot them unless they are related to me. Posed subjects is my subject of choice.

RickRandhawa wrote in post #16074250
Personally, I'd sell the 85 1.8 and combine it with the 135L money and pick up a tamron 70-200 vc.

I'm not a big fan of 3rd party lenses, but man is this one amazing. Since you're looking at lens archives, look at that one as well!

I hear the non VC is even better but you can't find them used anywhere. If I'm spending 1300 on a lens its going to be canon 70-200/2.8

Sometimes people get carried away with all they read. I sold my Canon EF 135L. Not all that magical actually.