Headshots with Alissa and the new 135L!
Some new headshots with my new lens! It's the Canon 135 mm f/2L lens and I absolutely love it! People have already been asking "Why would you get a 135 mm prime lens? What does it do?" Well, the reasons I have been eying this amazing hunk of glass for the last year-plus are as follows:
1) I prefer shooting most things with prime lenses. Don't get me wrong, I still use my trusty zoom for lots of things, but when it comes to shooting in a controlled environment (portraits, etc) I reach for the prime lens most of the time. I like that I have to frame the shot by moving my feet and changing my angle, not just by zooming the ring on the lens. I find that I always have better composition with my prime lenses...with the added bonus that if I pick up a prime and really get into the shoot, I know that when I am looking over my shots later I won't find that I took a bunch of portraits at 30 mm because I got sloppy with the zoom lens. Using a prime locks in your focal length and gives you that perspective every time.
2) I knew I needed a lens with a longer focal length than what I already had. Before the 135, I had a 35, 50, 85, and 24-105. The 85 was my go-to lens for most serious work, but I remember back to the days of shooting with my old Rebel (crop-sensor) and I liked my 85 mm lens even better on that camera. Why was that? Because with the 1.6 crop factor it acted just like a 135 mm prime (85 x 1.6=136)...I just really like that length!
3) I was between the 70-200 zoom and the 135 prime. Since I planned on using the lens for a fair amount of low light work and wanted to really emphasize the creamy bokeh of a fast telephoto lens, I'd need the 70-200 in the f/2.8 model. Well, that's a >$2,000 lens, so that was definitely part of my decision. I also knew that I'd end up shooting most things between 100 and 150 mm anyway, so it was kind of overkill, and it's huge and white and weighs a ton! If I shot weddings for a living it would be a must-have because of the zoom and length, but for me these things were not needed. Especially after reading reviews for the 135 mm f/2L. People tend to describe this lens with terms usually reserved for a romantic partner, like "amazing, fallen in love, mind-blowing, best choice I ever made" you get the point!
Well, after using the lens for a few shoots, I can agree with the terms of endearment used above. I love this lens, and I'm so happy I just went for it! The focal length is my favorite. The colors and contrast just pop off the screen. It's razor-sharp wide open at f/2, which is simply amazing at that focal length. It focuses insanely fast and is built like a tank. It RULES!
Model: Alissa Laderer
Great photos! The only 135 I've used is a manual focus lens. You're so right, it is a real neat focal length to use.
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