OVERVIEW

The Canon 135L has its roots from the manual focus 135mm F2 in the FD mount (amongst several other 135mm lenses). For the EF mount Canon redesigned the 135L, increasing the element count from 6 to 10. New to the 135mm F2 was two “UD” elements, thus earning the 135L its “L” badge. With the addition of the UD elements, the 135mm F2 L has optical performance similar to Canon’s legendary super telephoto lenses. So it is not surprising that  the 135L is often cited as one of Canon’s best lenses in the EF mount.

UD refers to “ultra low dispersion” glass. According to Canon, the use of two UD elements provides the same benefit as using one fluorite element. Fluorite elements are used to reduce (or eliminate) chromatic aberrations. Fluorite glass is expensive to manufacture (it used in Canon’s super telephoto lenses such as the 300mm F2.8 L IS and 500mm F4 L IS). The UD elements glass is cheaper to manufacture and provides similar benefits. If you are in the mood to further research UD glass, Wikipedia has an entry.

With regards to the 135L, Canon writes - “This lens is for perfect indoor sports photography that takes advantage of the F/2 brightness, and for portrait photography that uses the beautiful shading only possible with a large aperture lens and the nearness of the closest focus distance.” (EF Lens Work III - The Eyes of EOS, 2003).

Part of the 135L’s attraction is its ability to isolate the subject from the background and render the background (bokeh) in a smooth, but distinguishable manner. In the 1960‘s and 1970’s the 135mm focal length was in vogue for model and portrait work due to the flattering nature of mid-range telephoto lenses. The 135mm focal length is known for:

•  Compression

•  Minimizing backgrounds

•  Perspective

Compression means flattening the depth in a image; object behind a subject seem closer than they really are. Minimizing background relates to blurring the areas behind and in front of the focus plane, thus isolating the subject and allowing it to stand out. And perspective pertains to the narrow field of view, less sensitivity to the upward/downward angle of the lens and the sense of a vanishing point. These three characteristics increase as the focal length increases (ie - 200mm, 300mm, 400mm, etc). The 135mm focal length is the tipping point where these characteristics are noticeable and distinguishable from other short telephotos such as the Canon 85L.

As zoom lenses improved and gained in popularity, the 135mm prime lenses lost ground to the zooms. For many photographers the 135mm is either too long or not long enough, so today the 135mm focal length is sometimes considered as an awkward focal length. While zoom lenses offer convenience and flexibility, primes such as the Canon 135L offer higher shutter speeds, more dramatic bokeh and better subject isolation. As is usually the case, there is the convenience and flexibility of the zoom versus the quality and performance of a prime lens.

BUILD QUALITY

The 135L’s build is similar to Canon’s other L lenses, such as the Canon 24-105L and Canon 200L. The lens barrel construction is a mix of metal and durable plastic - presumably some type of polycarbonate. The 135L feels solid, durable and balanced. As noted in the Canon marketing, the Canon 135L has full-time manual focus, USM focus motors, internal rear-focus design and two UD elements. Points of Light has a nice description / explanation of the Canon marketing icons - click here.

Internal rear focusing provides several key benefits. First, the lens remains a constant size when focusing. The front element does not move or rotate, which is good when using polarizer and graduated filters (72mm front filter thread). Nor does the barrel extend, decreasing the likelihood dust will find its way in the lens. Rear focus designs generally provide fast(er) auto-focus performance. A focus limiter switch on the lens barrel sets the minimum focus distance at either .9 meters or 1.6 meters. Focus speed is fast at either setting, and almost instantaneous when set at 1.6 meters. The ring-type ultrasonic motor provides smooth, noise-free auto-focus. For all intents and purposes, auto-focus operation is silent.

Overall, most people will be satisfied with the Canon 135L build quality, though, some would probably prefer a more  dampened manual focus ring. Manual focus is smooth, but it lacks the dampened feel often found in manual focus lenses such as the Leica-R and Contax RTS. Unlike the Canon 200L F2.8 II, the Canon 135L does not have a provision for a lens collar. For my needs this is irrelevant, but for someone shooting indoor gymnastics (as an example) using a monopod, the lack of a tripod collar will be an inconvenience. Lastly, the 135L comes with a lens hood and lens pouch. Canon’s lens hoods are made of plastic with a satin black finish - which scuffs easily.