The Lenses Pt.5
Now i come onto one of my favorite lenses that is on one of my full frame cameras pretty much all the time. It is the amazing 135mm F2.0
135mm F/2.0 L seris USM lens.
This was a lens that really should not fit into my lens collection with the focal length already covered by the 70-200mm so why did i decide to buy this lens? Well there is a couple of reasons. The first is that this lens is actually very affordable. it came in at a cost of around £700 new. Now for an L series this is a total bargin. The second reason was its super super sharp, like tack sharp. i think it is the sharpest lens i own and i have a few L series lenses. This lens is used for Weddings and events, as well as general use when out and about. It gives you great images everytime with vivid colour rendition something that can not be matched.
wedding shot through the crowd. at F.2.0
a walk in the park. A kids photoshoot in Bushy park
On the slide. Great colour tones and image sharpness.
As you can see above the lens is great for people and skin tones in particular so is a lens that is always on one of my camera bodies when shooting a wedding. This was supposed to be the 70-200mm for versitility but due to its sharpness and better low light capabilities it destroys the 70-200mm. Now i would love to test this against the 70-200mm f2.8 IS but at £1800 it is just not in my budget.
Caged. Taken in very poor light inside a dark room without use of a tripod or flash. The detail and texture the lens picks up in the eyes and face is great.
This image of a Victoria crowned Pigeon was taken at birdworld and just shows how sharp and how the colours come out with this lens.
When i got this lens i started to see the massive benefits of using a fixed focal length lens. This is something that has taken time and patience as it is easier simply to use a zoom and stay in one spot. These lenses make you think about the shot and makes you move to get it. This at first can seem a hinderance but with time you will come to see that your photography will improve because of it. This ultimately began my change from the zoom too the fixed focal, prime lens. This has been a gradual prosess that this 135mm lens started off, and has finished with my last two lenses which lead to a bit of an impass, with both having its good and bad points. These lenses are the 35mm 1.4 L series prime lens which is my most expensve and newest lens, against the 24-70mm F4 L series Zoom lens which was in itself a replacement for my very first lens that i discuss in the lenses pt.1.
