I currently use a few 5Dc cameras with several lenses (24-70/2.8, 50/1.4, 85/1/8, 100/2.8, 70 - 200/2.8) and recently purchased the 35/1.4 and 135/2. These are supposed to be two of Canon's best lenses..... However, with the 5D classic body, the two new lenses are more difficult to focus, and seem less accurate than my other Canon lenses. I've had good luck shooting the 50 and 85 nearly wide open, in back lit situations, etc., so it shouldn't be me...
I have been shooting the 35 at /2.8 or so, and the 135 at /2.8 or so, and just haven't been getting consistent focus. I have shot the 70 - 200/2.8 for the last 5 years, and never have any focus issues.
Is it just me, or are the 35 and 135 a bit more difficult to use? Anyone else experience these issues?
The 5dc is one of the best digi cams ever made and the 35L and 135L are two of the finest lenses ever made.
However, they are all prone (as is all camera equipment) to focus and calibration issues.
Send it in and have it fixed.
If you are shooting static objects both lenses should be razor sharp wide open at ALL distances.
If they are not they need to go in.
The 135 and 35 are not, IMO, super hard to focus and use.
They should just work.
Steve, is the 35L sharp at f/1.4 for you? Is it as easy for your camera to focus as other lenses? I have found the 35 to be very hard to focus in backlit situations. Much more difficult to achieve focus than my 24 - 70, for example...
I have never had focus issues with my 5Dc, either.... All the lenses I have used just work.... which is why I made this post. A bit frustrating, but I guess they should be sent in...
The other lenses you list are not going to be as demanding as their focus is not as shallow so you can miss and still be in the plane of focus. The 35l is sharp wide open, but really does well closer to 2.0. I had the 135L and it was extremely sharp wide open but both take some practice in getting sharp shots. Not sure what to tell you without seeing some examples and knowing how you shoot. Do you use the center point and recompose?
Again, I have used the 5Dc, shot the 50 and 85 around f/2 for years, and never had any real issues. (I have probably shot 100 - 125 weddings with the 50/1.4 and 85/1.8.) Never any issues.
I bought the 100/2.8 macro at the same time, and it nails focus every time, even at f/3.2 or so... Maybe I need to spend more time at f/3.5 or so with these lenses, but that defeats the purpose...
I guess I was just curious if other people had experienced issues with these lenses. Frustrating spending good money and not getting the results you want consistently. I can't imagine using an 85/1.2 wide open...
The 35L focuses fine in most situations, but in back lit situations it is noticably more difficult to focus than my 50/1.4 or 24-70.
The 135 seems to lock on to random points not in the center point. If I am shooting a torso portrait, it seems to hunt a bit, focus on hair rather than the eyes, etc., even when the center focus point is on what I want sharp. the 135 just seems a bit more "vague" when I use it, not wanting to focus as easily as my other lenses. Which is weird, because I shoot my 70-200/2.8 a lot at 135mm, and it is just a 100% intuitive, never let me down, lever an issue, never have to worry about anything lens. If the images aren't great, it is my fault every time with the 70 - 200.....
I have heard from one other photographer that getting good focus results on the 135L is more difficult than on the 70-200. I have used both but not as extensively as the 35L to comment.
I shoot with 5dc and 35L+135L. Initially I thought I had AF problems with the 135 but found that it was just me trying to shoot fast incoming subjects at f2, or occasionally forgetting to set the focusing distance limiter to the correct setting. It will hunt a lot if wrong distance limiter is set.
Otherwise both those lens are pretty much spot on with focusing.
