Canon’s new RF 135mm f/1.8 L IS USM is a vital lens within the firm’s mirrorless system, not solely as a result of the focal size is a staple alternative of portrait, marriage ceremony, and company pictures, however as a result of Canon’s newest prime is actually distinctive.
The RF 135mm f/1.8 L stands out as a result of it’s one among solely two lenses within the mirrorless world to seize fast-action sports activities and wildlife pictures, even on the lens’ most f/1.8 aperture.
Writer’s Be aware: Along with my ideas under, my video above goes into far more element in regards to the Canon 135mm f/1.8.
When Sony launched its 135mm GM lens, it ushered in a brand new age of the semi-telephoto prime lens that would do greater than its predecessors. The lightning-fast motors in that G Grasp lens enabled the glass to maintain up with the corporate’s then-industry-leading AF know-how.
Just some years into its mirrorless lineup, Canon’s AF has caught as much as Sony, and this new 135mm lens is a wonderful demonstration of the system’s prowess. The Canon RF 135mm f/1.8 L USM lens is among the many quickest prime lenses ever produced, and the excellent picture high quality makes a powerful argument for placing it into legendary standing.
The RF 135mm f/1.8 lens is a large piece of glass that options 17 parts organized into 12 teams and consists of three Extremely-Low Dispersion parts plus one thing Canon calls Air Sphere Coating, which it says reduces ghosting and flaring.
Focusing is achieved with Canon’s Nano USM motors, which give a close to (however not completely) silent capturing expertise. The motor is just not loud sufficient to be a problem in sensible on a regular basis pictures, however video shooters ought to maintain it in thoughts when deciding on audio sources.
Not solely is the main target quick, however when mixed with the autofocus system within the new Canon R6 Mark II on which I examined this lens, it is usually impressively correct. Whereas the Canon R6 II doesn’t present the most important choice of AI-based topic recognition (you received’t discover insect AF right here, as an example), what it does, it does impressively properly. People and animals are acknowledged and captured with unprecedented accuracy, and due to the 40fps body price of the R6 II, it offers many pictures to pick out from.
As an apart, when testing this lens, it appeared from the viewfinder that it was often not monitoring the eyes of people and animals that had been clearly in focus upon overview in Lightroom. I don’t know if this can be a firmware concern, a slight delay within the EVF on the R6 II, or another issue, however needless to say if it doesn’t appear like the lens is specializing in a topic’s eyes, it seemingly nonetheless is.
Design and Construct
The Canon RF 135 is just not small nor notably mild, although it’s on par with its Sony competitors. The lens weighs about 935 grams — simply over two kilos. That is about 15 grams lighter than the Sony 135mm GM.
Certainly one of my few unfavourable impressions of this lens is the huge, foolish, repurposed lens hood. Taken from Canon’s 600mm RF lens, the hood weighs 76 grams and is noticeably and ridiculously giant — it is going to undoubtedly shade a lens after which some. I think some prospects will go away their lens hood at house moderately than convey it of their digital camera bag, and a smaller, lighter hood would have alleviated this.
Canon’s RF lenses function a lens-barrel-based management ring, a function I want each digital camera lens had. This management floor is programmable, bringing fast settings modifications to the lens itself, a pure place for a photographer’s hand to relaxation. This dial could be set to vary ISO, publicity compensation, aperture, and far more.
Talking of aperture, there isn’t any handbook aperture ring on the 135mm RF, an omission that I discover notably noticeable having simply shot with Fuji and Sony lenses that function such dials. In my view, all pro-level lenses ought to have direct aperture management on the barrel, particularly on methods that don’t have settings shows on the highest of the digital camera.
The barrel incorporates a bodily toggle between handbook and autofocus, an image-stabilization management change, and two programmable buttons.
Like the remainder of Canon’s professional glass, the RF 135mm f/1.8 L USM lens feels strong and big. If it had been searching for garments, it will discover them within the “husky” part of the shop. The scale and weight are reassuring, although if not a bit tiring and intimidating. Individuals often speak about topics getting nervous when a big skilled system is pointed at them, and so they’re speaking about any such lens.
Regardless of the burden and bulk, my son (12 years previous) opted to shoot the Canon R6 II with the 135mm lens over a lighter lens setup as a result of he mentioned the autofocus was “that significantly better.” If a twelve-year-old that balks at carrying his jacket when he’s too scorching can shoulder the burden of the system, it might’t be that dangerous.
Picture High quality
Unsurprisingly, the picture high quality from the lens is great, that includes wonderful colour rendition, implausible background defocus (bokeh), edge-to-edge sharpness, and no or next-to-no chromatic aberration or vignetting.
Naturally, portrait pictures are rendered fantastically when shot vast open or close-to-wide open, with wonderful pores and skin tone accuracy and a implausible quantity of element. When enhancing images of myself that my son took, I even classify this lens as being upsettingly sharp.
Focus softness on the fringe of a topic is phenomenal, and at f/1.8, little or no distance is required between the topic and background to defocus the photograph.
From an image-quality standpoint, there may be little to seek out fault with the RF 135mm f/1.8 L USM. Even capturing at evening beneath harsh and unpredictable mild sources, the RF 135mm introduced house superb pictures that confirmed off the R6 Mark II sensor’s dynamic vary and highlighted the AF system’s prowess.
Focusing
The R6 Mark II autofocus know-how and the motors within the 135mm lens make for a wonderful capturing expertise. The lens offers 5.5 stops of picture stabilization and works together with the stabilization within the R6 Mark II to supply as much as eight stops.
Significantly for evening pictures, this made an enormous distinction. With the ability to handhold a lens in low mild whereas being assured the sphere of view would keep steady sufficient to take care of a lock on a topic’s eye made capturing the lens far more accessible than some other system I’ve used.
Even Sony’s excellent 135mm lens can’t contact the soundness discovered within the Canon system, as Sony’s 135mm G Grasp lacks optical picture stabilization. Whereas Sony’s cameras present good stabilization, and the lenses with optical stabilization present wonderful movement discount, the 135mm GM can’t maintain a candle to Canon’s low-light capabilities — pun meant.
Whereas the R6 II doesn’t do full AI-based AF in video mode, the RF 135mm shortly targeted and caught to topics. There’s a small clip of an lovely squirrel in my video embedded on the high of this overview that demonstrates this.
The entrance dial offers a pleasant repeatable focus pull, which cinematographers will admire, and the RF system’s video focus is, basically, wonderful.
Certainly one of My All-Time Favourite Lenses
In some methods, reviewing a chunk of apparatus that’s so properly constructed and performs this properly is troublesome as it’s usually simpler to explain one thing’s faults. It’s a minimum of simpler to put in writing a prolonged commentary on a product that’s not fairly good than one which’s pretty much as good as this lens.
One other of my all-time favourite lenses was a Canon, the 50mm f/1.2 L USM. That DSLR-era lens was a staple for me in company jobs and occasion pictures. It wasn’t the quickest focusing lens, however it held its personal and produced pictures that had been laborious to beat. It had a excessive price ticket, however I paid it fortunately as a result of it was the mainstay of my work.
Some will marvel about the $2,000 worth and whether it is price it, however any photographer that has executed weddings or portrait work is aware of that high-end glass has a excessive price however is price each penny if the outcomes are as much as expectations.
The Canon RF 135mm f/1.8 L IS USM turns into one other of these lenses that may, in the proper palms, elevate a photograph shoot with pictures {that a} shopper can’t assist however be happy with. It might sound effusive, however photographers which have shot with legendary glass know the sensation.
Are There Options?
As Canon has supplied authorized challenges to third-party lens producers to maintain them from constructing various RF mount glass (a subject in and of itself), there isn’t any various to this lens for Canon’s mirrorless system. That mentioned, nothing within the Nikon Z-Mount arsenal touches this lens, and even Sony’s beautiful 135mm lens lacks the built-in picture stabilization of the Canon RF 135mm f/1.8 L USM, placing the Canon lens in a league of its personal.
Ought to You Purchase It?
Sure. This lens is a must have upon getting rounded out your assortment of extra typical primes and zooms (35mm, 24-70mm, and so forth.). For portrait shooters, Canon’s 135mm ought to even come earlier than extra typical wide-angle lenses like a 24mm or 35mm prime.
