When the aperture is stopped down to 37mm using step-down filter rings, this lens produces incredibly tiny pinpoint star images from edge to edge. If you aren't completely set on the 135mm, the 200mm f/2.8L is a fantastic lens and i think its less expensive than the 135mm f/2L. You may need to stop down to control star bloat, and thats exactly what Ive done with this 135. Part of it might be that they were designed for film photography and modern digital sensor are far more demanding in terms of optical quality. I was blown away when I loaded the photos into my computer. That is why when SLRs came along the 200mm became the big seller and the 135 was largely forgotten. There are times that making no comment at all is far more telling than posting negative - and sometimes offensive - ad hominem attacks on the author for daring to show some enthusiasm. I almost bought one, but couldn't manage that focal length and DoF with moving subjects and manual focus. One of the prime examples of such a design is the "nifty fifty"the 50mm F1.8 lens construction that many lens manufacturers provide. Robert. EF-mount only, this packs more megapixels, a bigger sensor, and a high max ISO. Include the Carl Zeiss in your research though, it might be an interesting lens for you, even if it is a bit pricey for what you get. It's Film Friday, so let's take a look back at the film format that gave APS-C sensors their name! If you want to preview the image field you can expect with a particular camera sensor and lens combination, Stellarium features a useful tool. As you'd expect from a premium prime lens, both maximum and average chromatic aberration is very low across the aperture range, with the maximum CA on the order of 0.02% of frame height regardless of aperture. In the middle of the OM System lineup, the OM-5 promises yesterday's top-tier performance in a lighter, more compact body. You will get perfectly round star images if you use an aperture stop in front of the lens made of a series of filter thread step-down rings. Contrasty, saturated, nice colours. Another article that I read only the headline and saw a couple of samples then jumped directly to comments. My copy has very stiff manual focus though and is quite heavy. I therefore reduce the aperture at the front end of the lens (as an aperture stop) by screwing in a series of step-down rings into the filter thread. The Rokinon 14mm F/2.8 was the first lens I had ever used like this, and these aspects do not hinder the astrophotography experience whatsoever. I have taken some of the coolest photos with this lens on a canon mark III which shoots ten frames per second. Many students just wanted to take better snapshots of family, vacation, pets, etc. thanks for the write-up.. i just got this lens and have just been trying it out. Zeiss Jena or Oberkochen? Check out some of the photos he took. Sharp wide open, wonderful bokeh, fast AF in dark conditions. Every different lens design has different "bokeh" even when the lenses are by specs same, like Canon 135mm f/2 vs Samyang 135mm f/2 are both same, but both render differently, even when both have same DOF. The 135 is lighter, but that's its only advantage. I stopped reading after the part where someone I don't know told me I "should" be doing something. Thats quite a jump from 135mm, so the camera body you use with this lens may change the types of targets you shoot. I have a vintage Nikon135mm f/2.8 AI-s which produces virtually the same bokeh and weighs a quarter of this or any other 135mm AF lens. Digital camera types . When I was teaching photography in 70's at a junior college, I critiqued students photos, but I never did so harshly. It's sharp, has very low aberrations, no real distortion and the bokeh is very nice. All of them are extremely sharp and produce mouth-watering bokeh, and all of them are reasonably priced for what you get. http://www.idyll.com/135. To achieve creamy bokeh, a lens should have a wide maximum aperture and a long focal length. It must not be confused with the much cheaper SMC Takumar, often deceptively advertised as SMC Pentax Takumar, which has the M42 camera thread, and is plagued with unextinguishable blue chromatic aberration. The extremes are 2 and 22. Digital sensors are roughly 5 times as sharp as 400-speed film. The lens arrived next day, less than 24 hours after I hit the order button. A quick question, I have a Sony a6300 mirrorless camera which is great but the sensor is very close behind the mount. For portraits and with a high MP body I'd be more inclined than ever to just go 85mm, and for other uses it's hard to pass up the zooms' versatility, but I still there's still room for 135s in some kits and some formats. Because it manage to do so. All content, design, and layout are Copyright 19982023 Digital Photography Review All Rights Reserved. Astrophotography is one of the ultimate tests of lens quality, as long exposure photography of deep-sky objects in space can highlight issues that are hidden during daytime photography. 135mm F2.0 The optical design includes one extra-low dispersion lens element to control chromatic aberration, contributing to sharp, color-accurate imaging, and each of its lens elements features Ultra Multi-Coating to improve light transmission and reduce ghosting and flare. Jordan has a simple fix camera manufacturers could implement to improve their video autofocus. Canon's 700-200 zooms have IS and are weather sealed two features that the 135 f/2 lacks. Recently, the FAA announced that recreational drone pilots in the USA can request LAANC authorization to fly in controlled airspace at night. (purchased for $899), reviewed December 9th, 2006 thanks for the tiring patronising lecture and then agreeing with me. My first shot was a section of the constellation Sagittarius that included the Lagoon Nebula, and Trifid Nebula. Were those taken with the Canon telephotos you spoke of, and the full spectrum modified camera and the clip in filter? I took a few shots with the lens on my way home after buying it. http://www.adstateagent.com | http://www.printradiant.com | http://www.hitsticker.com, I love this lens. Its fast f/2.0 maximum aperture is effective in low light and enables shallow depth of field control. At least not in my camera (Sony A6000), the focal length in a crop sensor does not make it very suitable for portrait, the photo detail is something else, but without AF that type of photography with that focal distance and at least 80 cm of the subject it requires too much dedication, with how comfortable the DMF approach mode is for that type of photography Also in my mount it does not have any communication with the camera (it does not have a chip, it only has it for Nikon). The flat lens hood is great for taking flat frames after a night of astrophotography. Click on following link to view images Sure, the Nifty 50 is an incredible value (and a LOT cheaper), but the 135mm puts you within range of some of the best astrophotography targets in the night sky. What I am trying to avoid is spending another $1,100 on a quality APO, and instead using my existing Nikkor 180mm ED lens with a Baader-modified Canon 450D that I just obtained. I shoot dozens of weddings every year but the 135mm stayed in my bag a majority of the time; I just didn't find myself needing to use it. Colour and contrast is great. http://www.astrovale-f-2/index.html, Hi Lord_Vader, They create a beautiful, mesmerizing dreamscape in their photos, and their secret weapon, besides an impeccable sense for aesthetics, is the 135mm F2 lens. But, since fast 300mm ED lenses are beyond my toy budget, I would appreciate seeing magnified center and corner test images of actual star fields. "That is why when SLRs came along the 200mm became the big seller and the 135 was largely forgotten"Did you notice that this 135mm F2 lens on an APS-C camera is more or less equivalent to a 200mm F2.8 lens on an FF camera ?So this lens can be seen as the 200mm F2.8 lens for APS-C camera users. 645 lenses such as the mamiya apo line and pentax edif can operate within these conditions without vignetting on apsc sensors. sigh, overdone bokeh and centre sharpness bear little relevance to the art of this hobby. I already did some trials with the Samyang 12mm lens. Both the 135 and 200mm Canon l lenses are winners IMHO. @juksu - you're such a hypocrite. It's terrible. Interesting that ancient, low-tech (no ED glass, no special coatings) non-apo telephotos could produce decent results compared to something modern. The finish and texture of the Rokinon 135mm F/2 is a step up from the 14mm F/2.8 I ordered a few years ago. If you are a Nikon user, of course have a look at the Nikon AF Nikkor 135mm f/2D DC and compare it to the other lenses mentioned in this article. At a local amateur soccer game using the 135 f/2 the action was almost always too close, or too far away. I would never shell out hundreds of euros for a 135 prime let alone one with manual focus. With no general agreement about what Bokeh is it is little wonder that there is so much argument and disagreement. When i just judge by the indicator line as i click through, it seems like its 19 that gets skipped wondering if there is anything more definite? Big F-value.Light. The author's recipe for a good photo is:1) Just shoot blindly, with no regard to what's in the frame, because the lens will blur away everything on the background.2) If (1) does not work, just head on to https://www.bhphotovideo.com, download a jpg of the lens you were using, and photoshop it on top of the taillaits of the passig car that didn't get blurred out enough.3?) Chromatic aberration is almost eliminated in narrowband, so lenses with that problem may be fine performers. This way you get both lenses with only one! IS would also help outside with wind. (purchased for $800), reviewed March 15th, 2010 You can't really ask them to stand still while you move around. Pentax seems to have put more emphasis than others on keeping the resolution uniform all over the field. The 135 f/2 is not perfect. RATING. One of Canon's best lenses for a reasonable price. The image shown below covers 4.96 x 5.98 degrees in the constellation Cassiopeia. But you couldn't have because you don't know even as much as this guy. The logic of this article can be applied to a 200/2.8 as well. To remedy this, I reduced the star size in post, and I started shooting at F/4 to really tighten things up. thank you for that great review and also the explanations. And it's not the one problem from my L lenses very sad =(, My favourite lens, hands down.
canon 135mm f2 astrophotography
