135L - Why It's So Special!

For all you 135L owners out there, you know how special this lens is. I just wanted to post a few pictures here that I've shared in various forums throughout the past several months because recently I've been reminded of how awesome this lens really is.

Yes, the focal length can be restricting, but given enough working distance, it really shines. One of my favorite things about this lens is that focusing is so quick and accurate, which is essential to me because I'm often shooting families with young, active kids. It's also nice to be able to soften the background without having to shoot wide open for family portraits. I love pairing this with my 35L for most sessions.

Tim

1.

holy smokes thats sweet. what kind of lighting?

are these straight out of the camera?

if thats straight out of the camera....i quit :P

max3k wrote in post #10448718
if thats straight out of the camera....i quit :P

The 135L is a magic pipe, no processing required

max3k wrote in post #10448718
if thats straight out of the camera....i quit :P

It's probably not too far off. Other than a little sharpening, this is:

f/2.5 on a 1d.

Byte size: ZERO | Content warning: NOT AN IMAGE

Beautiful shots Tim and John.
I'm looking for my first prime but I would have to guess that this would be too long on my 7D though. Kinda makes me want to get a FF.

You definitely good a good copy there

vmdc wrote in post #10448792
Beautiful shots Tim and John.
I'm looking for my first prime but I would have to guess that this would be too long on my 7D though. Kinda makes me want to get a FF.

Get an 85L instead, pretty much gives you the same length as the 135 on a FF camera except you'll be rocking f/1.2 instead of f/2

agree with above...135 for full body or group portraits seems a little limiting in that you need lots of space. You have the 35 already...seems the 50 or 85 would be a better match but thats me.

regardless great images

Thanks guys! These have gone through my normal editing process, but images are sharp straight out of camera. Not a whole lot needs to be done in post-processing, unless you want to get creative. btw, most of these were lit with a single 580EX into a shoot thru umbrella.

I am planning to run one of my last rolls of Kodachrome with the 135L and Zeiss 35mm ZE in the next few weeks.

great shots Tim! Quick question... for shot number 4 how far away were you from the subjects?

Every time I look at 135L images I'm always blown away by the background blur and how sharp the images are. Really debating between 135L or the 70-200 F2.8 IS II. The prime, like mentioned, is more restrictive but is cheaper; the zoom is more flexible but is hell a lot more expensive. What would you guys do? I already have the 85 F1.8.

k-lo wrote in post #10449036
great shots Tim! Quick question... for shot number 4 how far away were you from the subjects?

I'd estimate (roughly) that I was about 25-30 feet away. I made sure to leave plenty of room above their heads to crop a 16x20 if needed.