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Archive 2015 · Nikon switchers, do you miss the 135L?

  
 
Depth of Feel
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p.6 #1 · p.6 #1 · Nikon switchers, do you miss the 135L?


MRomine wrote:
Not at all. I never focus and recompose. I focus continually non-stop right through and after releasing the shutter.


Doesnt half pressing the shutter do the same thing?



May 27, 2015 at 08:32 AM
Ziffl3
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p.6 #2 · p.6 #2 · Nikon switchers, do you miss the 135L?


Depth of Feel wrote:
I never have used it. I never understood the utility. Seems to be solely for focus and recompose.


You are separating out when you want the camera to focus or not.
There are moments when you are waiting for a good moment, even if you shoot through the moment.
You are anticipating it.... especially if you are running a 70-200. with the AF and IS engaged... you can wait for the moment.
You have the AF/IS engaged with the back button.

Or you have focus setup and can work a scene with slight model movement. but you don't want to change the focus.

Or when you use AI servo ... let the tracking follow the subject and you can chose when to take a picture or two.
The last example... with AI Servo is a sport shooters world.

Works really well for processional or entrances to reception.
I used this this last weekend to follow an entrance to a reception. The door to the dance floor was 50-75 yards.I covered the first half..... I let the camera track the couple as they were gyrating there way to the dance floor. I was ready when each couple in the wedding party made their big move.

Back button focus allows greater control of the camera. Kind of like going from Av mode to manual mode.
Sure you can ride the exposure ... but in manual you are making the decision when to change.


No biggie if you do not use.
We all shoot differently.

-Mark



Edited on May 27, 2015 at 09:29 AM · View previous versions



May 27, 2015 at 09:22 AM
MRomine
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p.6 #3 · p.6 #3 · Nikon switchers, do you miss the 135L?


Depth of Feel wrote:
Doesnt half pressing the shutter do the same thing?


In addition to what Mark wrote above. Ever press the shutter down too far and you get a shot when you didn't want it when all you wanted to do was activate the AF? Also if you are shooting with flash in that instance then obviously your flash(s) go off when you may not have wanted them too.



May 27, 2015 at 09:25 AM
Depth of Feel
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p.6 #4 · p.6 #4 · Nikon switchers, do you miss the 135L?


MRomine wrote:
In addition to what Mark wrote above. Ever press the shutter down too far and you get a shot when you didn't want it when all you wanted to do was activate the AF? Also if you are shooting with flash in that instance then obviously your flash(s) go off when you may not have wanted them too.


Nope that has never hapoend to me.




May 27, 2015 at 10:03 AM
MRomine
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p.6 #5 · p.6 #5 · Nikon switchers, do you miss the 135L?


Depth of Feel wrote:
Nope that has never hapoend to me.



You must have a softer lighter touch.



May 27, 2015 at 10:05 AM
Dj R
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p.6 #6 · p.6 #6 · Nikon switchers, do you miss the 135L?


I switched to Nikon last month

I did love my 135L on the mark III, but it was only used for sports and concerts and some ceremony shots.
I used a 85Lii for portrait

Now, I have the nikkor 85 1.4 G for portrait.

Nikon 135mm f2 DC, could I use this for low light indoor/evening concerts? could I use it for sports indoor/outdoor?

Cheers!!!



Sep 25, 2015 at 09:25 AM
Mark_L
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p.6 #7 · p.6 #7 · Nikon switchers, do you miss the 135L?


Depth of Feel wrote:
Nope that has never hapoend to me.


This has never happened to me either (nikon). I've read through Ziffl3's response twice and still can't see when I'd use it.

I'm also uneasy about using af-c with back button as a substitute for af-s as I suspect it is less accurate for static subjects especially with some lenses. It wants to track something and can jitter rather than lock and stop.

Dj R wrote:
Nikon 135mm f2 DC, could I use this for low light indoor/evening concerts? could I use it for sports indoor/outdoor?Cheers!!!


It would be a very poor choice for this given it's af performance - this is a 20 year old lens. With nikon, their zooms focus much faster and more accurately than their fast primes (teles 200mm up are a different conversation).



Sep 25, 2015 at 09:54 AM
Dj R
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p.6 #8 · p.6 #8 · Nikon switchers, do you miss the 135L?


Mark_L wrote:
It would be a very poor choice for this given it's af performance - this is a 20 year old lens. With nikon, their zooms focus much faster and more accurately than their fast primes (teles 200mm up are a different conversation).


thx for your input! saved me the hassle of renting it to find out myself.



Sep 25, 2015 at 10:24 AM
jasonpatrick
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p.6 #9 · p.6 #9 · Nikon switchers, do you miss the 135L?


I kept the 70-200 f/4 IS, but sold the f/2.8 IS II to purchase (again) the 135L. I have great glass, and that's my favorite lens. I agree on the outdoor portraits usage - it's the best there.

gotta have some images













Sep 25, 2015 at 11:49 AM
FrancisK7
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p.6 #10 · p.6 #10 · Nikon switchers, do you miss the 135L?


Lisa Holloway seems to be using her 200/f2 exclusively lately and whenever she posts sets in the people forum I am always amazed at the IQ, bokeh and compression the lens provides.

While the canon's 135L might not be as dreamy, it is pretty damn close in final result for a fraction of the price. I love my 85 1.4G too (in spite of its abysmal AF performance) but I do envy Canon shooters for that lens. For us Nikon shooters, the jump from 85 1.4G to 200/F2 is quite big. An intermediary would be nice. Really boggles my mind Nikon hasn't released an updated version in 20 years. The integrated radio TTL and the 135L are two major gear advantages for Canon.



Sep 25, 2015 at 12:42 PM
petr vokurek
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p.6 #11 · p.6 #11 · Nikon switchers, do you miss the 135L?


Hi guys, from what I have seen I must agree the raw files are more pushable from the Nikon-Sony sensor. But I canīt remebmer when I last had to recover 3 stops of under- exposure from my 5d III. But I do remeber when I held one of my clientīs (who was a photographer himself) Nikon 750...that was a very big disappointement- it feels very crappy, indeed. In the end I truly prefer my 5d III and 1ds III over the more popular Nikon 750- just for the shooting experience- that is a shit camera with a very good sensor. To the topic of Canonīs 135 mm L- I had that lens twice and I sold it twice. It does produce incredible photos but is a very impractical focal length IMO. An 85 mm works far better to complement my 70-200mm that I need for all kinds of reasons (though I admit itīs not my love..)


Sep 25, 2015 at 12:52 PM
Mark_L
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p.6 #12 · p.6 #12 · Nikon switchers, do you miss the 135L?


petr vokurek wrote:
Hi guys, from what I have seen I must agree the raw files are more pushable from the Nikon-Sony sensor. But I canīt remebmer when I last had to recover 3 stops of under- exposure from my 5d III.


It is less "recover my huge exposure screwup" and more deal with big brightness ranges so you can expose to hold the highlights (eg. bright sky) and then push the shadows up in post retaining detail in both without noise/banding. It is the kind of thing you only really appreciate when you have it.



Sep 25, 2015 at 01:37 PM
Dj R
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p.6 #13 · p.6 #13 · Nikon switchers, do you miss the 135L?


Mark_L wrote:
It is less "recover my huge exposure screwup" and more deal with big brightness ranges so you can expose to hold the highlights (eg. bright sky) and then push the shadows up in post retaining detail in both without noise/banding. It is the kind of thing you only really appreciate when you have it.


right, not about correcting user error. more about the ability to creatively "work" the image in processing. more so, than with the canon raws.



Sep 25, 2015 at 03:04 PM
Mark_L
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p.6 #14 · p.6 #14 · Nikon switchers, do you miss the 135L?


Dj R wrote:
right, not about correcting user error. more about the ability to creatively "work" the image in processing. more so, than with the canon raws.


Pushed a little too far but an example is here http://diglloyd.com/blog/2014/20140821_1732-NikonD810-FauxHDR.html



Sep 25, 2015 at 04:28 PM
hvu2012
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p.6 #15 · p.6 #15 · Nikon switchers, do you miss the 135L?


I'm Canon shooter and I have 70-200 L II which I use only in church wedding or bridal outdoor. However, during the wedding day, i use mostly 24-70 L II, and sometime I need to get closesup shots. 70-200 is heavy and I end up using mostly 135mm focal range from 70-200.

I've just bought 135mm L F2 and I like it a lot. It's less weight, focus fast. I'll shoot this weekend wedding and I expect it will be good.



Sep 28, 2015 at 08:29 PM
agelessphotog
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p.6 #16 · p.6 #16 · Nikon switchers, do you miss the 135L?


MRomine wrote:
I wouldn't bother, the 70-200 f2.8 N is far superior in every way. Better glass, better focus more reach, also more expensive.


Is the reach that much farther? I thought because of the focus breathing it was close to 135 when zoomed all the way out? Better focus I will give you that. The bokeh is definitely creamier on the 135 DC, some would argue better skin tones also. As far as sharpness I think once you AF fine tune adjust the DC they are about equal at the same apertures.

http://www.davidpinkertonphotography.com/blog/2012/01/12/nikkor-135mm-f2-dc-vs-70-200mm-f2-8-vr-ii-part-2/



Mar 22, 2016 at 10:02 AM
MRomine
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p.6 #17 · p.6 #17 · Nikon switchers, do you miss the 135L?


agelessphotog wrote:
Is the reach that much farther? I thought because of the focus breathing it was close to 135 when zoomed all the way out? Better focus I will give you that. The bokeh is definitely creamier on the 135 DC, some would argue better skin tones also. As far as sharpness I think once you AF fine tune adjust the DC they are about equal at the same apertures.

http://www.davidpinkertonphotography.com/blog/2012/01/12/nikkor-135mm-f2-dc-vs-70-200mm-f2-8-vr-ii-part-2/


I don't know, is the bokeh better on a 135 mm f2 vs a 70-200 f2.8 at 200 mm and f2.8? It probably is at 135mm. I don't know and I don't really care much about bokeh after a certain point because none of my client will care. Because they can't see the difference in fact photographers can rarely tell the difference unless you put two samples side by side. Either way, you can't charge more for more bokeh.

The whole focus breathing thing, meh. That's like all pixel peeping done a DxO. All the 'D' series lenses that I have used or owned are dogs in comparison to the AF speed of the newer N and G series lens made by Nikon. Plus the 105 and 135 DC lenses have a fair mount of purple fringing that the newer lenses don'w have.



Mar 22, 2016 at 10:26 AM
agelessphotog
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p.6 #18 · p.6 #18 · Nikon switchers, do you miss the 135L?


MRomine wrote:
I don't know, is the bokeh better on a 135 mm f2 vs a 70-200 f2.8 at 200 mm and f2.8? It probably is at 135mm. I don't know and I don't really care much about bokeh after a certain point because none of my client will care. Because they can't see the difference in fact photographers can rarely tell the difference unless you put two samples side by side. Either way, you can't charge more for more bokeh.

The whole focus breathing thing, meh. That's like all pixel peeping done a DxO. All the 'D' series lenses that I
...Show more

I get it that Bokeh is just a small part of the overall photo, but I wouldn't say it's not important. If that were the case I would have saved a lot of money on lenses. I have done side by side comparisons with the 135 DC and my 1.8G lenses and the bokeh looks noticeably better and creamier on the DC lens. I guess it's more important to some than others. We shoot weddings but primarily get most of our business from senior portraits. I'm not saying the 135 DC is a better portrait lens than the 70-200 2.8 VR2 for everybody, i'm just saying I can see where some people might think so. Both great but different. I just disagreed with your post that the 70-200 was hands down better. I guess since this is in a wedding thread I would agree it's way better for weddings because of the better AF, just not for portraits in general. One thing that annoys me though is more than half of the people I see complaining about it blame the lens for being soft or the copy they have, when in most cases it just needs a 60 second fine tune adjustment to correct front focusing causing the softness. I get consistently sharp shots out of mine.

I agree with you about the purple fringing, on some lighting conditions I just use the 85 and don't even bother with the 135 DC. But that's pretty rare. We also shoot at 2.8 or 3.2 also, not at 2.0, might also be why it's not a big issue for us. I have compared the same shots taken with the 85 1.8G and the 135 DC, and after the fine tune adjustment the 135 DC produces much better results IMO, no comparison. Part of that though is I just prefer the 135 focal length also. I thought about purchasing the 200 F2 but I really do not want a lens that heavy. I really wish Nikon or Sigma would come out with a smaller, lighter 200 1.8 than the big and heave 200 F2 we have right now. Cheaper would be nice also, I know it's an amazing lens but $5,700 is a little much for me.




Mar 22, 2016 at 11:33 AM
MRomine
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p.6 #19 · p.6 #19 · Nikon switchers, do you miss the 135L?


agelessphotog wrote:
I get it that Bokeh is just a small part of the overall photo, but I wouldn't say it's not important. If that were the case I would have saved a lot of money on lenses.


Nor am I, please don't miss understand me. It's important but only to a point. It's highly over stated in the industry.

Bokeh must be balanced with several other things, AF speed of the fast lenses, weight, size and cost/ROI.

As an example, you can get a creamier bokeh with a 200mm f2 vs a 70-200mm f2.8 at the 200 mm length. But is it worth it for the cost, weight and size? How long will it take you to pay it off the cost difference? How much will wedding/portrait clients be able to see the difference AND be willing to pay you more to use that lens?

Similarly, with most f1.2/1.4 lenses vs their equivalent focal length lenses but at slower f-stops like a 1.8, 2, 2.8. Is the cost of those fast lenses going to give you the ROI because they have a slightly creamier bokeh? Plus you are doubling the weight and increasing the size and in most if not all cases the ultra fast lenses are slower and focusing and at acquiring a focus lock in AF modes.

To me, the best ROI in the market is the Nikon f1.8 G lenses. They have a pretty decent fast f-stop, they are light, small very affordable and they out preform the focus speeds of their faster f1.2/1.4 equivalents. This make for great ROI. I have been begging Nikon for years to make an updated 105mm (one of my favorite portrait lenses focal lengths of all time) and 135mm f1.8 or f2 G series lens. I would be all over them.

agelessphotog wrote:
I just disagreed with your post that the 70-200 was hands down better.


Well specifically in regard to focus speed and locking focus in low light, the 70-200 VRII is significantly better.



Mar 22, 2016 at 01:19 PM
jeremy_clay
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p.6 #20 · p.6 #20 · Nikon switchers, do you miss the 135L?


FrancisK7 wrote:
Lisa Holloway seems to be using her 200/f2 exclusively lately and whenever she posts sets in the people forum I am always amazed at the IQ, bokeh and compression the lens provides.



you should also understand the amount of postwork that goes into those images.




Mar 23, 2016 at 01:56 PM
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