HANDLING

Mounted on the Canon 1Ds Mark III, the Canon 135L is well balanced. The lens does not feel nose heavy like the Canon 85L Mark II. There is plenty of room for the left hand to support the lens. Compared to the Canon 85L Mark II, the biggest difference is the weight and balance. The 85L weighs ~2.1 pounds and 135L weighs ~1.7 pounds. The difference is only .4 pounds - or about 6 ounces. That does not sound like much, but the 85L is a very dense lens with most of the weight at the front of the lens due to its large elements. To me, on the 1Ds Mark III the 85L Mark II feels nose heavy and is a tiring combo to hold for an extended period of time. Whereas the 135L’s weight is more evenly distributed; there is not a nose heavy feel about it.

With the lens hood attached the total length is ~ 8 inches. There is nothing discreet about a 135L. With the 1Ds Mark III the total package is large, obvious and draws attention. Just about anything mounted to the 1Ds Mark III draws attention when shooting in public areas. Likewise, a white L zoom such the 70-200/4 L IS or one of the F2.8 L’s will draw even more attention.

Auto focus was addressed earlier, so in a word - fast. When taking pictures of our dogs, all those images were with Servo focus. Focus is reliable and the keeper rate is more than satisfactory. Shooting action with servo focus takes practice, some skill and a good understanding of the Canon 1-series auto focus system. I have none of that. There are too many custom functions and I do not have the inclination to test all the possible permutations. I set the servo tracking to focus priority (as opposed to shutter speed) and the results have been better than my past attempts with the original 1Ds and 1Ds Mark II.

The 135L’s .9 meter minimum focus distance is quite short, and the 135L can be used as quasi macro lens as well. With extension tubes the minimum focus distance can be shortened even further (at the loss of infinity focus). I often use the 135L for product shots and feel that it excels in this area.

PERFORMANCE

Most people will agree 85mm, 100mm and 135mm are the most common portrait lenses. It is easy group the lenses in that category, but there are significant differences in their FOV. At 135mm the telephoto “feel” is much more noticeable compared to a 100mm or 85mm lens. In terms of FOV, when traveling I prefer 100mm because it is easier to integrate the background for a sense of context and location. When taking pictures at home (at known locations and conditions), I prefer the Canon 135L.

As a travel lens I have mixed feelings about the 135L. I like how the lens draws - mostly the bokeh, but I have not netted any personal favorites from the lens during a vacation. I think the reason is the 135mm focal length. I tend to see things as 100mm, 200mm, and 400mm. I cannot think of a time where I thought, “ahhh - now this has to be a 135mm shot.” On the other hand there have been many, many times where I wanted the 135L’s bokeh. So, after several years with the 135L, it has two common uses - dogs and product. It’s earned the coveted title - “the dog lens.”

When taking pictures of our dogs, the fast auto-focus and subject isolation work wonderfully. When taking product pictures, the sharpness and resolution are excellent as well. When traveling, I struggle to find good opportunities for the 135L. For outdoor candids and such, my results with fill flash have been mixed. It is not Canon’s fault, it is my technique - or lack thereof. The above shot was taken in dark cavern-like area (in Banff); there is simply too much fill flash - shame on me. It probably was a poor location selection (on my part), but more importantly, for travel pictures I feel the Canon 24-105L provides good enough results - and without having to change lenses (the image to immediate right was taken with the 24-105L).

This section’s title, “Performance”, implies a discussion about sharpness, resolution, color, contrast, bokeh, etc. Those attributes have been covered repeatedly in other on-line 135L reviews, so to speed things along, let just categorize the 135L as a “great” lens. I feel a more important consideration is how the 135L will be used, such as - indoor vs outdoor, subject matter, studio vs out in the field, etc. Ultimately the outcome of those uses will determine whether a 135L is a good fit (for you) or not. You will not keep or sell the lens due to its sharpness, contrast, etc., because those aspects are quite good.

The picture directly above was taken with a Canon 24-105L on the 1Ds Mark III. Fill flash was used, shutter speed was a touch too low and it is ISO 400 - so less than the 1Ds3’s optimal quality. That said, it is better picture than the previously discussed candid taken in the Banff cavern. Maybe the 135L would have produced prettier bokeh than the 24-105L, but the 24-105L picture was taken during a vacation specifically for the fall colors. Completely blurring out the background sort of misses the point. The formal portrait to the left was taken with the 135L, 1Ds Mark II, three 580EX’s and in make-shift studio (back drop cloth hung in the family room). This image was needed for a business card and website. I think the 135L did well - in that highly controlled setting - with a flash.