Canon EF135mm f2.8 soft focus lens!

06/22/2004 05:23:14 AM · #1

I can get hold of one of these lenses relatively cheap and am thinking of using it to photograph some skate titles in a couple of weeks time. I need a fast lens because of the low lighting. I can also borrow a 135mm L f2 series lens for the occasion. Is the 135mm soft focus worth getting and would it cater for a low light situation adequately?

06/22/2004 05:29:41 AM · #2

F/2.8 is pretty reasonable - although not great. 135mm on a 300D should be pretty good reach though. I believe you can turn the soft focus off (?), so it may very well be fairly versatile.

How much do you want to spend? Or is it a case of 'I need to get my hands on something for this'?

06/22/2004 05:35:03 AM · #3

Yeah....price is limiting! You can switch the soft focus on and off but mainly I want it for the skating which will be without soft focus. I can see some other uses for it maybe? There's a big difference in price between the 2 lenses I mentioned but luckily Canon will loan me one to "try out"! The soft focus lens I can get as new for about half the retail price so it is tempting. I just need to know that f2.8 will be enough for what I need! I have experimented with a 90-300mm lens but at that focal length f5.6 was it's limit, combine that with an 800 iso setting and noise was the order of the day! I would like to try and keep the iso down to atleast 200 maximum if possible. So, I guess the question is will using a set telephoto at f2.8 do the trick?

06/22/2004 05:39:18 AM · #4

Why do you want to shoot at such low ISO? I frequently shoot at ISO 800-1600 without too many probs. Are you cropping your images heavily?

06/22/2004 05:40:50 AM · #5

Another question - are you sure 135mm will be the right focal length? I use an 85/1.8, which is reasonably prices and even faster than the f/2..

06/22/2004 05:43:28 AM · #6

No, I don't crop much at all. Some people are wanting some fairly big enlargements (11" x 14") so the less noise the better. If the lens will give me a nice crisp image then shooting higher would not be a problem. Especially for any faster action shots (spins etc..) The result I got from the cheap 90-300mm lens was pretty crap to say the least at 800 iso! unusable!

06/22/2004 05:46:23 AM · #7

So basically you want some cheap, high quality glass!

Options:

- 50mm/1.8 @ $80 US (Very high quality)
- 85mm/1.8 @ $340 US (Very high quality)

Above that, yep, your 135/2.8 soft may be a reasonable option. It depends just how cheap is cheap.. If you can borrow a 135/2 for free, again, may be worth doing. I'd be too worried about breaking it though, I think.

Be wary of too telephoto primes though - it's easy to crop, it isn't easy to zoom out!

Edit: There's also a:

- 100mm/2 @ $390 US (Very high quality)

Message edited by author 2004-06-22 06:07:24.

06/22/2004 07:05:11 AM · #8

Yes PaulMdx. You hit the nail on the head there! The 135mm will equate to about 216mm on the 300D so from where I have to shoot that will be fine! If I need to crop I can do! The 90-300mm I have is fine for outdoor sports such as football but shite indoors! Even shooting at 800 iso it is so grainy it's terrible. 85mm may be a little to short a focal length for what I need it for but I like the 1.8!

06/22/2004 07:06:22 AM · #9

And yes, the 135mm f2 is a great lens but worth about $2700 (Aus) so I definately do not want to drop it!

06/22/2004 07:09:09 AM · #10

Originally posted by MakAttack:

And yes, the 135mm f2 is a great lens but worth about $2700 (Aus) so I definately do not want to drop it!

Hehe, yep. Good luck with the shoot - hope you post some final results.

The 135/2 is inevitably a great piece of glass.. Be wary trying the 'good stuff', you won't want to go back to anything else. ;-)