Review: Canon RF 135mm f/1.8L IS USM

Friday 19 May 2023, 15:51 by Nando Harmsen | 4,108 views | 1 comment

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

There is a fantastic Canon lens for portrait photography. This is the EF 135mm f/2L. Canon has released an RF version for mirrorless cameras. I was allowed to try this lens from Canon, and these are my findings. Find out whether it is just as fantastic as the original?

A 135mm lens used to be a very popular lens. It was a long focal length that was still available with wide apertures. You then had a reasonably affordable lens that was not too large or heavy.

The EF 135mm f/2L is and remains a fantastic lens with lovely bokeh (Canon EOS R5, EF135L with EF-RF adapter, photographed at f/2)
Canon has always had a fantastic 135mm lens available for its DSLRs. This was the EF 135mm f/2L USM. For the modern digital photographer, it was often just too long, or just too short.

If you can work with the focal length, the EF 135mm f/2L is a fantastic lens. It is not only fast, it has beautiful bokeh and a pleasant transition from sharpness to blur. I continue to find it a very beautiful focal length and an indispensable lens.

With the arrival of mirrorless cameras, the EF 135mm f/2L USM got a second life. Thanks to the AF systems of the EOS R cameras, focusing at the widest aperture only got better. With an EF-RF adapter, it was also a manageable combination.

The eye AF of the Canon EOS R5 has only made working with the familiar old EF135mm f/2L more enjoyable. (Canon EOS R5, EF135L with EF-RF adapter, photographed at f/2)

The RF version of the EF 135mm f/2L USM

It was only a matter of time before an RF version of the 27-year-old EF 135mm f/2L USM arrived. This became the RF 135mm f/1.8L IS USM. A lens with a maximum aperture of f/1.8 and image stabilisation.

As expected, it is a larger and heavier lens. It weighs 935 grams instead of 750 grams and is 13 centimetres long instead of 11.2 centimetres. The diameter has also increased from 8.25 centimetres to 8.9 centimetres.

The EF 135mm f/2L USM next to the RF 135mm f/1.8L IS USM. For mirrorless cameras, an EF-RF adapter is needed for the EF 135mm, making the dimensions and weight almost the same.

The lens has two programmable buttons, and there is a switch for focus and image stabilisation. With image stabilisation switched on, up to 5.5 stops can be corrected. Combine this with a camera that has IBIS, and the combination is good for 8 stops.

The minimum focusing distance is just 70 centimetres. This gives the lens a magnification of 0.26x. By comparison, the old EF 135mm f/2L USM could not focus closer than 90 centimetres, with a magnification factor of 0.19x. Unfortunately, the RF version cannot be combined with a teleconverter, while the old EF version could.

The button and switch on the RF 135mm f/1.8L

Bokeh and minimum depth of field

The RF 135mm f/1.8L IS USM is, of course, perfect for portrait photography. You can stay at a comfortable distance, so your model is not distorted at all. The longer focal length also creates a beautiful separation between your model and the background, partly thanks to the wide aperture.

Odette in Den Bosch on a rainy day. The weather sealing makes taking photos more enjoyable than without it. (Canon EOS R5, 135mm, f/1.8)
The background blur is very smooth, as expected. In this respect, the lens is every bit as good as the familiar old EF 135mm f/2L. The bokeh rings from light sources in the background have a pleasing shape, without the dreaded onion ring patterns.

At f/4, you start to see differences. Thanks to the larger number of aperture blades in the RF 135L, the circles stay round for longer.
An additional UD optical element has been added to the lens, bringing the total to three. This optical element prevents chromatic aberration.

It is therefore completely absent from every photo I took. Canon has also applied Air Sphere Coating to prevent flare and reflections.

At the widest aperture, vignetting is visible, but only when lens correction is disabled. The left image is without lens correction, the right with it.
The lens shows a little vignetting at the widest aperture. This is almost completely gone when you choose aperture f/2.8. However, the vignetting is only visible when in-camera image stabilisation is switched off.

In practice

As expected, the lens is very pleasant to use. It feels familiar, although I had to get used to the buttons on the lens. The image stabilisation is a welcome addition, especially with this focal length and the shallow depth of field you can achieve.

The fantastic transition into blur gives your photo a three-dimensional effect, even when you are not using the widest aperture. (Canon EOS R5, 135mm, f/2.8)
Using blur at the widest aperture produces beautiful results. Thanks to the distance you need to keep from your subject, the depth of field for your model is not too shallow. That is the danger with shorter focal lengths such as 50mm or 85mm.

Laura (Canon EOS R5, 135mm, f/1.8, Profoto B10 with translucent umbrella)
Thanks to the short focusing distance, you get a pleasant magnification for photographing flowers, for example. Combine this with the shallow depth of field and you can achieve wonderfully dreamy results.

Thanks to the minimum focusing distance, you get the perfect magnification factor for this type of flower photo (Canon EOS R5, 135mm, f/1.8)
It is a shame that this lens cannot be combined with a teleconverter. This was a welcome option with the old EF 135mm f/2L lens.

With it, you could achieve a beautiful compact 270mm focal length with an aperture of f/4. However, this is the only possible disadvantage of this new RF lens.

Final verdict

There is no denying that the RF 135mm f/1.8L IS USM is a fantastic lens. The image quality is almost perfect, and the transition from sharpness to blur gives the photo a three-dimensional effect.

I have never experienced this to the same extent with any other lens. In that respect, it is a shame that this focal length range is so undervalued.

I can only be enthusiastic about this lens. It is a pleasure to photograph with, and the image stabilisation and weather sealing make it a reliable lens. These are things I miss with the old EF 135mm f/2L.

The minimum focusing distance also gives a good magnification factor, making it perfect for semi-macro photography.

Odette in Den Bosch. You cannot achieve this lovely depth of field and 3D effect with any other lens (Canon EOS R5, 135mm, f/1.8)
There are a few things you could consider disadvantages. The extra 1/3 stop of aperture compared with the old EF version offers no real benefit. You cannot see it in the depth of field, and it does not give you a faster shutter speed when needed.

What the extra 1/3 stop does provide is a larger lens and greater weight. That is a shame, because the low weight of the EF version was so pleasant.

In that respect, Canon might as well have stayed with f/2, or gone straight to f/1.4. Although the latter might have resulted in an unwieldy large and heavy lens.

Bruc (Canon EOS R5, 135mm f/1.8)
The lens is perfect for anyone who wants to use an extremely shallow depth of field, or who needs the light-gathering ability. Use it for portraits or indoor sports photography. It is also a fantastic lens for semi-macro work.

Unfortunately, the lens cannot be combined with an extender. This was possible with the old EF version, which considerably increased its possibilities. A 2x extender would have given you a 270mm f/3.2.

Advantage

• Fantastic image quality
  
• No visible chromatic aberration
  
• Beautiful bokeh
  
• Image stabilisation
  
• Function button
  
• Minimum focusing distance and magnification
  
• Good balance when the lens is on the camera
  
• Weather sealing
  

Disadvantage

• Cannot be combined with an extender
  
• The extra 1/3 stop of aperture compared with the EF version offers no benefit
  
• Price
  

The cost of this beautiful lens is considerably higher than that of the old EF version. At 2739 euros, it is not the cheapest lens, and may therefore be out of reach for many hobbyists.

Even so, it is a fantastic lens that is almost perfect and therefore well worth the money.

As an alternative, the EF version is still a fantastic lens, especially with the autofocus systems of modern mirrorless cameras.

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