Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
 Great Lens December 21, 2008
This lens was a gift for my wife. She loves it. The pictures are clear and the focal length is great.
 A very fun and good lense October 17, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I am an amateur photographer using this lense on a Canon 40D to take portraits or anything that requires some reach. The lense is light, which I love, since I can carry it with me everyday. The built is solid and more than well enough to hold up with my use- lots of tossing in the bookbag type of handling.
The lense autofocus (AF)is from the older generation of AF by Canon. It makes this cool, sharp, and distinct wirring sound that isn't too lound that I like. All my other Canon lenses are just plain quiet and I do miss that mechanical buzzing of things that actually moves. The manual focus is disable whenever the autofocus is turned on. For my usage, which is casual everyday multipurpose photo snapping that includes some wildlife, candid, low light, and photojournal photography, the autofocus is more than fast enough. For low light situation, I have used this lense indoor during the evening with decent lighting and it performs fine. So far, I have not encountered any flaring or optical aberrations that catch my attention as an amateur photographer.
As for sharpness, contrast and image quality, I find the lense very good. I can't tell the differences between this lense and my 70-200 f/4L IS. Of course, I am not a pixel maniac, so I can't tell the differences if any exist. If you need or want a high performance 135mm lense, then perhaps you should look more into the 135mm f/2L lense that Canon has. That seems to be the most popular choice for people when they talk about 135mm lense. However, if your need is a consumer level 135mm lense, then this lense is the one.
Finally for the highlight of this lense. Its unique, and best feature of soft focus put it in a class of its own. Soft focus allows the photographer to soften an otherwise very sharp image into that glamorous superstar type of shot that looks very good for facial portraits and creative uses. With some side lighting or back lighting, I get to have a lot of fun with glamor photography through the use of soft focus; it is a wonderfully fun lense, and I am so glad to have one. No other Canon lenses on the market can do what this lense does, and I think that other makers such as Nikon don't even have it in their lineup, with the exception of a very few makers such as Pentax. When the soft focus is turned off, it is a sharp, sharp little lense. Of course, I am aware that through graphic programs like Photoshop, one can try to mimic what this lense can do in post processing, but it isn't the same. It will also take some work to imitate the effect.
For its versatility of functionality, creativity, and value in prices. I rate this lense top notch!
 DONT BUY IT IN AMAZON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! October 3, 2008
0 out of 6 found this review helpful
Don't buy any expensive stuffs from Amazon. THey are irresponsible for anything damaged or missing package. I just lost $300 for this len from a missing package. They said they won't be responsible for it. I just so disappointed about amazon, I would rather buy stuffs from ebayer who sell cheaper if no guarantee for delivery.
 Wanted to love it, but... September 8, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I bought this lens based on the reviews that I read here. I shoot weddings in a professional context, and own both L and non-L lenses, including the 50mm 1.4 and the 85mm 1.8 that are in a similar price bracket.
I really wanted this lens to be great, because a light, 135mm 2.8 lens that was sharp would mean that I could hand-hold in situations that I couldn't with a 70-200 f4, or even a 70-200 f2.8. Unfortunately, I can't give it a good review.
I found this lens to be far from sharp, it was not contrasty like the 50mm 1.4 or 85 1.8, and it did not work well with my 40D's white balance - all the photographs taken through this lens looked reddish and too dark. It is light and it is a 2.8, so if you want the focal length for casual shots and if the fact that the image quality is not up to a pro's standards doesn't matter so much to you, then definitely go for it. But if you are purchasing this lens because you think it will produce really good photographs, you're in for a let-down.
If I can get my hands on another version of the lens (in case mine was a defective one), I'll update this review.
Not Bad At All August 16, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I bought this lens because I needed its focal length on my 5D. It seems like a toy when compared to L-glass, so I was a little worried. The manual focus ring is a joke, put it on the 5D and took a few shots, I was surprised at how sharp this lens was wide open. I even tried the soft focus feature......nice and soft, yet still in focus. There is a little learning curve with the soft setting, but nothing a few test shots won't solve. On a crop sensor camera its a bit tight. For the money I spent, not bad, not bad at all. I'm very happy with it!
|
