Lens advice please Canon 135mm f2l - Sigma 85mm f1.4 - other?

Northantsgeezer

Northantsgeezer

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Hi all,
I am currently using a 1.6x Canon, and I am considering a new lens. I borrowed a Canon 135mm f2L once (just one shot of a bride model), and was blown away by its sharpness! I have searched on Flickr and absolutely love the bokeh it produces too. It gets rave reviews, and I believe it is known as the lord of the red rings?
The only concern I have, is that I will be using it for mainly outdoor portrait, or some street photography. Do you think it may be a bit long , as it will equate to over 200mm.
I don't really want to be in peoples faces, but do you think the Sigma may be a better choice, and do you have experience of its sharpness?
Some say sharpness isn't everything, but I would rate it as very important for me. Maybe there is an alternative to consider?
Any help/advice/views appreciated (y)
 
Canon is great lens and very well regarded.

Sigma is OK, but personally I'm holding out for the new ART version when it is finally released.

I'd have the canon but if you need 85mm or f/1.4 then you need that.
 
When I had Canon DSLR's I had a Sigma 85mm f1.4 and at the time I thought it was the best AF lens I'd ever used, even better than their well regarded 50mm f1.4 (the older non art one.)

I've not used the Canon lenses you're interested in but just wanted to say that the Sigma is well worth adding to anyone's list of possible purchases and well worth a look if you get the chance to try one.

PS. There's no Sigma 85mm Art yet AFAIK.
 
I must have been looking at different focal lengths. :oops: :$
I will certainly continue to consider Sigma as an option :)
 
probably go 85mm 1.4

the tamron 60mm f2 macro is also great on a crop camera, feels right length at its 90mm equiv
 
Thanks @pingu666 , I will take a look. I do like the ability to be able to calibrate the Sigmas though :) I have no calibration on my 40D. I was going to get a 7D, but have decided that a new lens may be a better spend.
 
Back when I had Canon the 135L was by far my favourite lens, granted it was on full frame but I much prefer it to any other lens I'd owned - that said I never had the 85 1.4 so cannot directly compare.

PS: Skip the 7D - I had one of those once and really couldn't live with the noise.
 
I have both lenses and the 135mm is my best ever lens BUT my least used lens , the 85mm lens is fantastic and pretty much my most used lens SO you can't go wrong with either but there will be more times than not the 135mm will be too long .......when it's not too long it will blow you away!
 
Thats true and even more so on a crop.
 
Thanks for the feedback guys. Tomorrow I will lock my 70-300 L on 135mm and see if it meets my needs (or the needs I am guessing at in some situations).
The shot of the bride was hand held, and of course it doesn't have stabilisation, but was as sharp as a needle (every tiny hair showed on the edge of her arms).
I can see the advantages of the 85mm , and I have no doubt that it's probably the most practical, but I think the 135mm quality/bokeh combo has 'got' me. Very few good secondhand ones about though :(
You are a lucky man @stumac to own both!
 
Canon 135 is an excellent lens. However, for your cropped SLR with 135 lens is bit limited if you take street photography. I also got SIGMA 85mm. Fantastic lens if you get a good copy.
 
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Tharksha said:
Canon 135 is an excellent lens. For your cropped SLR with 135 lens is bit limited if you take street photography. I also got SIGMA 85mm. Fantastic lens if you get the good copy.
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I will make a final decision in the next week or so, but the Canon is still winning me over. :)
 
In your position I'd keep in mind the sort of shot I wanted as 135mm is quite a bit on APS-C and if you want to do a whole body shot or include some scenery or context the distance between you and your subject is going to have to increase and you're possibly only going to be able to talk to them via loudhailer or mobile phone :D and if outside trees, busses, other people and mountains might tend to get in the way... well, maybe an exaggeration but framing and distance may be things to think about :D
 
woof woof said:
In your position I'd keep in mind the sort of shot I wanted as 135mm is quite a bit on APS-C and if you want to do a whole body shot or include some scenery or context the distance between you and your subject is going to have to increase and you're possibly only going to be able to talk to them via loudhailer or mobile phone :D and if outside trees, busses, other people and mountains might tend to get in the way... well, maybe an exaggeration but framing and distance may be things to think about :D
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Thanks Alan, yeah I have been looking at the Sigma 50mm f1.4 Art lens, (£571+ £39 for the usb dock). Do you think that might be a good choice. It may be ok for me, providing I can fine tune the lens for max sharpness on my 40D until I get a better camera. As you say, it will obviously allow me to get closer to the subject, and may acheive better focus anyway. I am torn :(
 
I don't know which lenses work with the dock and which don't so can't help much.

When I had Canon DSLR's I had both the 50 non art and 85mm f1.4's and I thought they were both very good especially the 85. The only thing that I'd worry about in your position is framing with the longer 135mm lens. I didn't have a 135, I had a 150 but that's not too far from 135 and I remember how far away from the subject I had to be to get a full body shot especially in landscape orientation. These longer lengths are nice for a tighter shot but you need room and nothing that's going to get in the way for the whole body and context shots but as you already have a long zoom covering 135mm you'll be able to judge for yourself if it's a practical fixed length prime for you to have.
 
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you can get decent 128/135mm's cheaply from the film era and adapt them, so u could try that, ive never really got on with 50mm length, 40ishmm is way better ;)

i thinkyou need to try lenses if you can, or lock your zoom at a certain length and simulate different primes, the sigma 50 1.4 art is really the one to go for if your going for a 50 and have money :)

tamron do a 45mm 1.8 with os thats good, and the 60mm f2 macro does 1.1, and feels great on my 1.5 crop sony :). and its maybe half the price of the 50art and 45 :eek:
 
Don't you consider the Canon 85 1.8?

It's a great! lens and way cheaper than the Sigma (never compared the two, though). You won't be able to calibrate it yourself to your 40D, but you can always take the two to Canon and they'll do it for you (free of charge in case you buy the lens new, with warranty).
 
PitaDaVespa said:
Don't you consider the Canon 85 1.8?

It's a great! lens and way cheaper than the Sigma (never compared the two, though). You won't be able to calibrate it yourself to your 40D, but you can always take the two to Canon and they'll do it for you (free of charge in case you buy the lens new, with warranty).
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There's a reason it's cheaper than the Sigma, it's nowhere near as good.
 
Hi guys,
Thank you for the input into this thread, no matter what I decide to do, it has been interesting reading (y)
I did actually wonder if I could use an old lens on my 40D (maybe a Nikon, cough cough), but apparently it is a bit of a faff.
I have also read that the Sigma is better than the Canon, and for me it's all about image quality. Since doing a few shots at the weekend, I really miss having a second body, so that may have to come first now.
It's all about money.........I just wish I had more! :D
 
Well guys, I ended up buying a 7D (Noise isn't a problem @JohnN , as I usually have headphones on when out shooting).
Still looking for the lens though, and I have taken on board your comments, and I am going to opt for the Sigma 85mm f1.4 I think. If it's not a good copy, it will go back :D. Not going to pay out good money for rubbish :). Thanks for your help (y)
 
One thing of note with the Sigma 85mm... it's due an update to the ART version soon. So when that happens it's value will decrease. I think the 135mm is also rumoured to be made by Sigma soon.

The 50mm on the crop would give you a great portrait lens. The Sigma 50mm Art is really really sharp.
 
Well.......guess who got sent the duff lens!! No prizes I'm afraid.
I took it out for a test drive, and it wouldn't focus very well, especially on objects that were not right in front of me.
To confirm my suspicions, I took it to my local camera shop, who said it has a really strange problem. It has serious back focusing the further the object of focus is away from the camera.
I took a picture of a sign, and the bollards (which are about 2 mtrs behind it) are in focus, but the sign isn't. One shot, single point AF.
It is going back for a full refund. Gutted, because I wanted this lens for an event on the 30th, but this has put me off Sigma (maybe a bit unfair, but it was my first Sigma lens).
 
compasiune11 said:
Use Sigma 85 f 1.4, it's the logical sens for protrait. Great bokeh and image quality!
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I agree that the bokeh is great, but the one I received didn't produce quality images imho, nor the camera shop that checked it out. Obviously just a faulty lens. :(
 
Northantsgeezer said:
I agree that the bokeh is great, but the one I received didn't produce quality images imho, nor the camera shop that checked it out. Obviously just a faulty lens. :(
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All the Sigma lenses starting wit 85 f1.4 and the art series lenses are great lenses, great image quality... but the AF is inconsistent, is bad. I sent to lenses to be calibrated and no luck... still the same issues.
 
compasiune11 said:
All the Sigma lenses starting wit 85 f1.4 and the art series lenses are great lenses, great image quality... but the AF is inconsistent, is bad. I sent to lenses to be calibrated and no luck... still the same issues.
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I think this is very camera dependant. I used wide aperture Sigma lenses including the excellent 85mm f1.4 for years on my 20D and 5D with no issues at all :D Sadly, I think that the body manufacturers keep moving the goal posts to try and keep Sigma out.
 
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