Canon EF 135mm f/2L USM Lens for Canon SLR Cameras - Fixed, Black - 2520A004

This lens is sharp. And at the cost of repeating myself, this lens is SHARP.For 135/2, this is rather compact, the hood is almost half the length of the lens and makes it look bigger and heavier. That was the first thing that struck me when I took it out of the box. Exactly the same size as a Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 (without the hood), probably twice as heavy. With this lens, hood, a 20D, battery pack and 580EX, you know you are carrying something in your hand that will make heads turn. You look through the lens and realize that the opening is W-I-D-E...Not very handholdable with 1.6X even at f2...minimum 1/250s required, atleast for me. My hands are not the steadiest, quite shaky. So I dont go below 1/250s.The color saturation, richness, unparalleled. Im tempted to say that the 50/1.8 gives the same amount of sharpness and color..im even tempted to say that the 50 is a tad sharper, but my reasoning would be that the 50 is more handholdable than the 135. A lot more handholdable.Be warned, this is a high maintenance lens - if you are taking a portrait, (i) stand in the right distance (ii) focus on the eyes (iii) recompose (iv) make sure you dont loose the focus or move (v) click.You move 2 mm, the focus is off at f/2. The subject moves a little or shakes his/her head, you probably need to refocus. Thats when the focus override comes handy. Seems simple, but needs practise...just a little.Hood, prefer it with a crimped finish, removing and replacing the lens cap is a bit of a pain.Built solidly like a tank, branded with a prominent red ring to be recognized by those who know what it stands for. Yet to test it in proper day light, but I think I am going to be pleased, this one is a keeper. My wife is no photographer, but loves the pictures and suggested that she likes this lens and wants to keep this one.Oh, and if I dont talk about the bokeh, either I dont know what it is, or Im just plain dumb. The BESTEST bokeh I have ever seen, buttery creamy milky smooth. I would pay $900 for the bokeh. The combo of 135 and f/2 makes it a killer. And if I use this on my EOS-3 (35mm), I will be closer to my subject while the background is still far away, making the bokeh even smoother.This is the only lens which I can turn to f/32 for infinite depth of field. Yet to take broad daylight shots with that. The only reason I will stop down the lens is for the depth of field. For everything else, I know I am going to use f/2.Great lens, buy it. It doesnt get better than this. Take a look at the two pictures I posted, especially the Indian decor.--------------------------------------------------------------------------Update on 23 July 2007I have taken many pictures with this lens at f/2, f/2.8 and f/4 and simply put, this is a lens that will have its place in the Photography Hall of Fame. If you stand at the right distance, you can keep the aperture at f/2 and still get most of the person in full focus without the ears or shoulders out of focus. Having said that, there is absolutely NO necessity to stop down unless you want more dof.This one is a keeper, beg borrow or steal $900 to buy this lens.----------------------------------------------------------------------Update on 12 feb 2008.Oh boy, I love this lens all over again, any excuse to take this out and shoot. I will do free portraiture if necessary. One of the pros that I didnt think was highlighted enough in the above reviews (one or two mention it, not all) is that this lens gives a verrrry pleasing 3 d effect to the images. The background is completely compressed into one thin sheet and looks like a (very pleasing) backdrop and the subject has so much pop and clarity that it creates a very good 3D effect. If the 85mm/1.8 makes the subject stand out in a crowd, this lens make the subject pop out of the picture. Simply put, the best portrait lens if u have the distance on a cropped sensor. 6 stars out of 5, again, beg borrow or steal $900 to buy this lens.

I went through all of the reviews here today. I have to say quite a few of the reviews failed to specify the camera body they are using. The difference of the sensor type will greatly affect the outcome of the review. Those who are complaining about no IS on this lens, mostly own crop sensor bodies. IS is especially a concern on a crop sensors for 2 reasons, you will have to multiple 135mm by 1.6 and this lens becomes a high telephoto lens. Second, you can crank up the ISO on a full frame sensor for higher shutter speed and that helps out the IS problem a lot. Anyway, it makes a big difference when you are doing a review, so please keep that in mind and edit your review if you left it out. I own a Mark III and the focal length of this lens is just right for portrait, at least for me. I find it a bit difficult to get close up shots with the 85mm F1.2 and I don't know how people do it with the 50mm F1.2. It is just too intrusive to get a nature portrait. May be some like the full body bokeh and I like the head and shoulder shots. I chose this lens over 100mm f/2.8L IS is because I already have a 24-70mm 2.8L IS which has a very close focal length to this and it is not creamy enough at 2.8. I know it is 30mm difference but I can just take one step foward with 70mm to equal 100mm. The 135mm also can be used with the 1.4x extender which comes in very handy shooting indoor sports with a tripod. It will be equivilent to 189mm F2.8 (I lose 1 stop with the extender) without seeing much of difference of the very expensive 70-200mm F2.8. If I don't have the 24-70mm. I would have purchased the 100mm but I do not know if it is going to work with an extender.Update 8/9/2012. I did a comparison between this lens and my 50mm F1.4. The 135mm are mostly head shots, unless you back up all the way against the wall, you will not be able to get head and shoulder shots. This lens also will not focus shorter than 3 feet which is a minor problem to deal with. The bokeh is well worth it as it is incredible better than any lens I have ever seen. Even the 50mm at F1.4 does not come close. On my 50mm, I have to space out the back ground and the subject much further which is not possible unless I ask the person to post. This is due to the ratio of focal length and the distance to the subject. If you like bokeh, the longer focal point lens will easily blur background and would be a better choice. Knowing the physics and the problem with the 50mm, I can see there is no way an 85mm would even come close compare to 135mm. It should be somewhere in between and marginally pass my tast. If you like bokeh, you should own the 135mm for head and 85mm for head and shoulder, the 50mm is simply not the correct choice IMHO, not even for full body shots because the background is just not creamy enough. Remember there is only a 1/2 stop difference between 1.4 and 1.2 so that 1.2 is simply not going to cut it. I got lucky that I did not spend 2k for the 50mm F1.2 so my 50mm isn't a total lost. This lens is a must own for wedding or to photograph young ladies and children. My next purchase is the 85mm but I would not expect better bokeh than this 135mm.