This definitely isn't a review (I'm not talented enough for that!) more my thoughts and opinions about the suitability of this lens for photographing children, so that other moms or child photographers can decide whether this (or similar) lens is right for them.Focal Length
My major concern about getting this lens was whether 135mm would be too long for shooting toddlers, where, let's face it, you need to be reasonably close to your subject. I searched everywhere for a review that could tell me exactly how far away you needed to be from your subject when taking a photo (rather than "quite a way back"!) and I couldn't find it anywhere! So, for those of you that might be wondering the same thing - here's some photos (all are uncropped, so this is the exact same view as you would get through the viewfinder) with the approximate distance between my subject and the camera noted.
Head Shot - Around 1.3m / 4 Ft from Subject
Partial Body - Around 2.5m / 8ft from Subject
(remember it's uncropped - ignore the white blob in the background which I would have cropped out!)
Full Body - Around 5.8m - 19 ft from Subject
As a little aside, my husband's advice on getting a rough idea of distance without a tape measure - when walking measure your strides, one full stride is around one metre.
Please bear in mind that I use a full frame camera - those of you with a cropped frame would have a different field of view with this lens - closer to what a 160mm would look like on a full frame (In other words you would need to be even further away to get the same view through the lens). To get roughly the same field of view as the 135mm on a cropped frame, you would need an 85mm .
lens.
As you can see for a single full body shot you do have to stand quite far back (around 6m) which is impractical in some situations when you are shooting a young child if you are on your own. For this reason, it's not great as a walkaround lens, but brilliant for portraits or candid shots when you can afford to be a little bit away. For obvious reasons this isn't suitable as an indoor lens - you would have to be standing out of the room in order to get a full body shot! I usually use my 50mm
(which unfortunately is currently at the Canon hospital!) for indoor shots.
I personally love the 135mm focal length, but it's definitely a lens I only put on my camera when we are somewhere I don't have to be close by Callum all the time (out in the back garden is great) or I'm out with someone else who can stay reasonably close to him so that I can back off and just observe.
Sharpness & Bokeh
The slight impracticality of this lens is overshadowed by some major plus points. There are two reasons why this lens is so special - the first is just how sharp your images are. I have heard it said it is too sharp for portraits (it shows up everything!) but for children, who have lovely smooth skin and big eyes, this really is not a problem. I also would always prefer to have the sharpness and smooth out any areas that need it in processing, rather than not have it to begin with. The second is the amazing bokeh that it produces. It totally isolates your subject, and gives you a smooth, buttery blur making pretty much anything behind your subject look gorgeous. Love, love, love.
Auto Focus
Another area that was a possible concern for me was quickly this lens would focus - as I'm sure you are all aware shooting a toddler or young child can be challenging at the best of times, and you really want a lens that focuses quickly or the nanosecond that your child deemed to smile at the camera for is lost forever. There really is no worries on this score, it really is fast to focus, surprisingly even in low light.
Weight
The lens really does not feel heavy at all and it feels perfectly balanced on my Canon 5D MKIII - might feel a little front heavy on a crop but not by much. I have certainly have no problems with the combined weight and I'm a wimp.
In Short....
All in all, this is an superb lens. The focal length gives amazing bokeh, it's incredibly sharp, and it focuses quickly - the only downside is that you have to be a good distance from your subject making this a lens I use occasionally rather than a daily one. (If I am out with Callum on my own I tend to use the 85mm, and the 50mm for indoors) However, it would be the first one I would pick up if I were taking portraits or candid outdoor shots, without a doubt. In fact, I'd make sure to try to find a way to use it, I love the lens that much. Although I haven't used it for this, it would also suit indoor sports or school plays where you are not terribly far from the action - the focal length, F2.0 aperture and quick focus even in low light means this would tick all the boxes. If you are looking for a great outdoor portrait lens, with the option to use for indoor sports (or even outdoors if you weren't too far away) then this lens would suit you perfectly. It would not suit those who want to be closer to their subjects, or are looking for a general walkabout lens - I would suggest this lens would complement a 50mm and/or a 85mm so that you have options for indoor shots and for a lens where you can be closer to your subject when need be. (Remember, if you have a cropped frame, and 85mm will act like a 135mm on your camera body)
Although this post talks about the Canon 135mm f2.0 lens, the Nikon 135mm f/2.0
is also considered to be as divine!
Similar "mom reviews" will be coming up on the 28-75mm Zoom, 50mm (also F1.8 vs 1.4), 85mm and 100mm lenses, and as requested by some readers, a post showing all the focal lengths and how the affects the final photo so you can see how the focal length changes the perspective of your image.
I know many of you won't be interested in this particular lens but I hope you found it interesting none the less!
is also considered to be as divine!Similar "mom reviews" will be coming up on the 28-75mm Zoom, 50mm (also F1.8 vs 1.4), 85mm and 100mm lenses, and as requested by some readers, a post showing all the focal lengths and how the affects the final photo so you can see how the focal length changes the perspective of your image.
I know many of you won't be interested in this particular lens but I hope you found it interesting none the less!
7 comments:
do your 135 have image stabilization? the nikon version does not, and if you're supposed to keep your ss at double your focal length (as a rule of thumb), i can see how is would be helpful for this focal length. the rumor mill has said that nikon is coming out with one soon, of course that could simply be eager speculation. i think this will be a wonderful focal length for when my girls are older and i want to capture them playing together outside without them knowing that i'm taking pictures. i'm sure by that point, they won't want their picture taken so this will be the perfect tool! for now, i'm going to wait for the nikon version to get vr, well, and the money tree to appear in my backyard! haha!
does...not do! sorry!
Hi Jan, it doesn't have IS but I don't really think you need it with this lens. Although some say double the focal length for shutter speed, one over is usually enough, so speeds of around 1/150 for this lens is fine. I'm never down that low when photographing kids anyway (definitely not with a three year old!) as I'm minimum 1/250 when outside, usually even higher than that, just to stop their motion blur! If you would to know the minimum shutter speed for handholding with this lens, I can certainly do some test shots? Might be interesting! I dd get IS on the 100mm but only ever use this for macro - just because of needing the higher shutter speed anyway with kiddos. Let me know if I can help or if you find where these money trees are hiding...!
Thanks for an interesting review of the lens. Having only just bought one I can't afford another just yet but I like to have a wish list ready should my husband feel generous. ;)
good to know. i figured that you'd need to shoot at a minimum 250+ shutter speed so it's great to hear that's not required. i'll keep looking for that money tree...hehe!
Hi Audrey, i was wondering, as an 85mm on a crop frame is similar to 135mm on ff, will the 85mm make the same beautiful images where the subject pops out and the bokeh is so creamy? Or is that something special about the 135mm 2.0?
The 85mm will give you lovely creamy bokeh too, especially on a cropped frame due to the distance between you and your subject. There is other differences between the two - the 135 is an L lens so is a bit faster to focus, and probably a bit sharper, so there is something probably a bit more special about it, but the 85mm will do an amazing job (I have the 85mm F1.8 lens too and love it)
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