135L - how many steps on a 1.6

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cressers

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Hi All

I am pretty new to all this, and am looking to increase my lens selection, currently all are pretty low FLs (17-40, 50, 85) and I would like to add a zoom.

Now I am looking at the 135L, there are a lot of very good things said about this, with the constant negative that its too long on a 1.6

Could someone give me a guide...how many steps back would I have to take to make the equivalent shot as on a FF...ball park....5ft, 10ft, 20ft....

I know this is a wierd question....

Alternate is the 70-200 4L IS.

Cheers and flame away :)

Andy
 
Just to clear up the glossary, a zoom is a lens with a variable focal length, i.e. 17-40 or 70-200.
A fixed length/prime lens is one with exactly that: a fixed focal length, i.e. the 50mm, 85mm or 135mm.

Wide angle is anything under 50mm
Standard is anything that includes 50mm (50mm prime is a standard lens, 18-55 is a standard zoom)
Telephoto is anything above 50mm (85mm, 135mm, 70-200)
 
Not sure how many steps, also depends on how big your steps are of course. ;)

Give or take, it would be easier to change to your 85 and take one step forward. That would be about the same field of view as a 135 on a FF camera.
 
OK, so telephoto! Sorry about the terms!!

Good point, maybe my question was not quite thought through enough....

I guess I need to go try one out to see what length it is through the camera... I am just trying to picture what the difference would be compared to the 85.

Maybe a better question would be does anyone have any comparisons of the 85/135 taken from the same place....
 
cressers said:
Hi All

Now I am looking at the 135L, there are a lot of very good things said about this, with the constant negative that its too long on a 1.6

Could someone give me a guide...how many steps back would I have to take to make the equivalent shot as on a FF...ball park....5ft, 10ft, 20ft....

Andy
Click to expand...

Andy,

The diagonal field of view of an 85mm lens is approximately 29 degrees whilst a 135mm lens has a diagonal FOV of 18 degrees.

A quick bit of maths tells me that you'll need to be 1.7x further away with the 135L to frame the same shot. I can't tell you in steps because the distance to your subject is not stated.

This however does not make the same image....it would frame the same view but the perspective between objects at different distances from the camera would be altered.

Hope that helps.

Bob
 
foodpoison said:
Wide angle is anything under 50mm
Standard is anything that includes 50mm (50mm prime is a standard lens, 18-55 is a standard zoom)
Telephoto is anything above 50mm (85mm, 135mm, 70-200)
Click to expand...

Whilst it's true that a 50mm lens remains a 50mm lens regardless of the format of camera it's mounted on your comments above are only true for a 35mm or "full frame" camera.

It's the field of view that classifies a lens as telephoto, wide angle or standard.

The field of view of the 50mm on a camera like the D200 or 40D is similar to mounting an 80mm on a full frame camera. IIRC putting a 50mm on a medium format gives a wide angle field of view.
 
Chris L said:
Whilst it's true that a 50mm lens remains a 50mm lens regardless of the format of camera it's mounted on your comments above are only true for a 35mm or "full frame" camera.

It's the field of view that classifies a lens as telephoto, wide angle or standard.

The field of view of the 50mm on a camera like the D200 or 40D is similar to mounting an 80mm on a full frame camera. IIRC putting a 50mm on a medium format gives a wide angle field of view.
Click to expand...

I do know that, I just wasn't taking it into account. I was going by lens lengths only. Thanks for clearing it up though!
 
Andy

The question is why are you interested in the 135. It's not to long for a 1.6 crop camera, provided it does what you want it to do.
I would suggest that yes it is to long for studio portraiture, but to get you "closer" to other subjects outdoors maybe not.

If you are just adding the lens to your kit because it seems like a good idea, then maybe it's not such a good idea after all. You really need a reason to purchase a lens.

Give us some idea as to what you want to do and I'm sure the members of this forum will try to help you out.

As far as I am aware this is a "Non Flaming" forum ;););)
 
You should probably also specify which 85 you have.

To me the 85 is a half body fashion/portrait lens, while the 135 is a face only or closeup beauty lens.

To put it another way, the 85 is a single player driving or taking off from the faul line lens, and the 135 is a half court / 3 point line lens.
 
The answer is simple, 1.6x the focus distance. So at 10 feet you'd need to move to 16 feet, 100 to 160 feet, etc.

Of course if you've focused at infinity you're in trouble ;)
 
As you lens selection is as you say on the short side, I'd not get another short prime yet.
Instead I'd be inclined to go for something like the 70-200 and cover an even longer length while still having the ability to zoom out and cover a shorter range if and when it's required.
 
I thought telephoto was (technically) a reference to the type of lens construction?
 
"In photography and cinematography, a telephoto lens is a specific construction of a long focal length photographic lens that places its optical centre outside of its physical construction, such that the entire lens assembly is between the optical centre and the focal plane. A regular lens of a focal length that is longer than what is considered a normal lens is not necessarily a telephoto lens. A telephoto lens has to incorporate a special lens group known as a telephoto group (see below); nevertheless, non-telephoto lenses of long focal length are often informally referred to as telephoto lenses. The angle of view created by a telephoto lens is the same as that created by an ordinary lens of the same specified focal length."

nicked from Wiki :D
 
I was bored...

with my EOS3, and a subject approx 20 feet away, I had to step back approx 12 feet to get the same framing on my 1.6x crop 20D.

But yes, it will all depend on the camera to subject distance.
 
Kevin, thats great, I can understand that...not so far :)

I think I need to play with a 135L, will go to the local store and try one out. I think the 70-200mm f/4 IS would be a better all round lens.
 
The 70-200 f/4 is a very well respected lens, but it ain't f/2 ;) - the 135L will let in 4 x as much light!
I pair this with the 85mm f/1.8 for low light uses.

I do have the Sigma 70-200 f/2.8 and this is a great lens but it's a lot heavier.

If you want it for general shooting then yes the zoom is more versatile, but for a controlled environment - i.e. you know you can move to frame the subject, and the distance is ok for the focal length, than you simply can't beat the IQ and bokeh of the 135L IMO
 
I travel quite a lot with work, and want to start taking more street photos and abstract shots. I am not into sport or fast moving pictures, and so when looking at the 70-200, I guess I need either the 2.8 or f4 IS....thats a subject with more opinions floating around than any other topic on this board!!!

I keep coming back to the shots people have taken with the 135L though. I love the thin DoF picutres, and when I look back at the pictures I have taken over the past few months with the 50 1.4 and 85 1.8, I get most satisfaction out of the "blur".

I don't mind setting a shot up if needed, but the simplicity of the 70-200 does appeal to me.

I have one other issue. My girlfirend is a journalist and knows white=EXPENSIVE.

She does not know that red ring=equally expensive....as tested with the 17-40L :)
 
With the 135 do you think you'd ever stop mid composition and wonder how it would be different shooting full frame? I know I don't. I compose based on what I see in the viewfinder, if I need to foot zoom I will and I think the same is true for any prime regardless of the sensor size.
 
FranchiseJuan said:
So why can't you borrow lenses from your girlfriend?
Click to expand...


Sadly she writes rather than shoots, but there are enough photogs around that she knows a bit :(

pxl8 said:
With the 135 do you think you'd ever stop mid composition and wonder how it would be different shooting full frame? I know I don't. I compose based on what I see in the viewfinder, if I need to foot zoom I will and I think the same is true for any prime regardless of the sensor size.
Click to expand...



I guess I was not really wanting to know the difference, but more to get an idea of what zoom factor it had compared to my 85 for example. Numbers are not very easy to picture in my mind.

IP manage fine with my other lens, and the 17-40 hardly has a HUGE zoom range so a lot of "foot zoom" there too.

I have spoken with my local shop and they have used of all the lens mentioned, and are willing to let me try them for the morning. So hopefully that should clear some things up!!!

THanks everyone!
 
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