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Kevin Sherman
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Registered: Nov 11, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 1042
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Review Date: Jan 19, 2012
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharp sharp sharp, incredible bokeh, great value
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Cons:
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135mm can be a little long if you don't have a varied collection
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Fast, light and sharp as heck. I love using this lens to cover the beam routines in gymnastics. the f2 vs f2.8 lets you drop a whole ISO stop cleaner, makes a HUGE difference in the quality of your pictures. The bokeh on a FF lens is so wonderful, it should be illegal.
Only caveat is that 135mm is pretty long, especially if you aren't using it on a full-frame body.
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 Jan 19, 2012
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taemo
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Registered: May 22, 2006
Location: Canada
Posts: 121
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Review Date: Nov 14, 2011
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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sharp at f2, amazing bokeh
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Cons:
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price
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amazing lens, rented one over the weekend and instantly was in love, so much that I'm buying one now.
focal length is great, use it extensively for street and concerts.
incredibly sharp at f2
wish it was cheaper but wow is it worth it.
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Nov 14, 2011
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ZachBonnell
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Registered: Nov 11, 2011
Location: Canada
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Nov 11, 2011
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,200.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Great shots at F2, very solidly built, black instead of those white 70-200Ls, super cool bokeh.
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Cons:
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I've yet to find anything negative.
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I've had this lens for a little over a year now. I've read reviews that say that the focal length is a little unfitting for an APS-C crop sensor, but I've been using this exclusively on my Canon 350d and the focal length is great for what I've been using it for. I've used it for landscape shots, city shots, portraits, and events. The images are nice and sharp all the way to F2, it's great for low light, and the build quality is nice and solid. Also, the fact that the lens is black instead of the other high end L white lenses is a positive to me. I can't think of anything negative to write about this one.
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6197/6118770868_39621cc543.jpg
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5103/5591644074_763660f3d9.jpg
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5284/5332851119_99fbf963bc.jpg
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6160/6185774445_b40ba1719e.jpg
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6151/6185774519_d43f4e008c.jpg
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Nov 11, 2011
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Tredders
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Registered: Dec 5, 2002
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 525
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Review Date: Aug 4, 2011
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharp, fast to focus, quiet, lightweight, relatively small when on a 1 series body.
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Cons:
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Nothing I've found yet
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Very good build quality, and pretty light on my 1D mk III. Razor sharp images, even wide open.
I bought this with the intention of using it 99% of the time to shoot hockey, along with the 200 f/1.8 on my other 1 series, but it's actually pretty much a permanent fixture on the camera away from the rink, too. Beautiful portrait lens. Lovely creamy backgrounds. Lightening fast focusing. I got it for a good price (for the UK!), so what's not to like?
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Aug 4, 2011
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garydolson
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Registered: Mar 28, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 125
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Review Date: Aug 2, 2011
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $900.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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OH-MY-GOD sharp
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Cons:
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What?
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I bought my 135L "used" a few days ago for $900 and did a n outside portrait session today with new mom, new dad, and new-born. 100% auto focus. Results:
$900 investment turned $1200 40D into $10,000 medium format camera. It's THAT good!
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Aug 2, 2011
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antuni
Offline
Buy and Sell: On
Registered: Dec 6, 2009
Location: United States
Posts: 114
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Review Date: Jul 3, 2011
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharp at wide open! Fast focus
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Cons:
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none
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This is one of the best lens I have used.
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Jul 3, 2011
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Ghost
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Registered: Feb 22, 2005
Location: Canada
Posts: 1821
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Review Date: Jun 15, 2011
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $800.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Relatively light weight, Fast AF, awesome bokeh, F2.0!, contrasty, sharp even wide open.
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Cons:
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Hood is rather big, can be tight on a crop body,
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Need a good portrait lens. I have both a crop and a FF. On the crop, I can have a good reach of 216mm @f2.0! It makes for a great indoor sports lens. Toss in a tele-converter will only slow it down to 2.8 which is still fast.
On the FF, this lens totally shines as a portrait lens. Pleasing super smooth bokeh. Sharp at wide open becoming razor sharp when stopped to f2.8. This is my go to outdoors portrait glass. The white L zoom current stays at home gathering dust.
Unlike the 85L, this has a fast AF motor. From near to infinity, it snaps to focus instantaneously.
Overall this is a seriously good lens. It is considered one of the if not the best 135mm lens in the industry.
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Jun 15, 2011
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msavage
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Registered: Jun 12, 2011
Location: Canada
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Jun 12, 2011
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharp
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Cons:
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No IS??
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The best for unobstrusive street photography, or portrait. Much better than any zoom. The lens deserves its reputation, and its relatively inexpensive.
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Jun 12, 2011
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dmcharg
Offline
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Registered: Dec 1, 2003
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 784
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Review Date: Apr 29, 2011
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Just amazing. The Bokeh is just wonderful, small, light weight, amazing colors.
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Cons:
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No IS.
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Just amazing. This is the sharpest lens i have ever owned. You buy this lens to use at F2 and it really does not disappoint. I used it along side a 70-200 F4 and the difference between F2 and F4 is massive. Sharp, wonderful bokeh, great colors etc etc.
I owned this lens for a 4 years and then sold it because on a 1.6x body i found it a strange focal length. Its too long for indoors. If this focal length really works for you i cannot imagine anyone being disappointed with this lens. The 70-200 is much more flexible.
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Apr 29, 2011
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marcusedward
Offline
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Registered: Nov 23, 2010
Location: United States
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Apr 1, 2011
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,000.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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f2, light, fast focus, amazingly sharp even at f2, beautiful bokeh
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Cons:
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absolutely none
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After only 1 day of shooting with this lens I find it's already my most favorite. Things shot on this lens simply look better. After reading all the reviews I actually didn't think it could stand up to the propaganda but it did and beyond.
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Apr 1, 2011
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martinpperry
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Registered: Feb 21, 2011
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Feb 26, 2011
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Colours, contrast and overall image quality. Beautiful bokeh. Great value.
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Cons:
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I can't think of any.
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This lens is just about perfect and I can't fault. It seems really good value when compared to some of the other Canon L primes. I know it is probably a bit long in the tooth now, but I don't see how Canon can better this. Perhaps IS will please some people but it depends on subject matter and it wouldn't be of benefit for me 99% of the time. I have started using it at fairly low lit gigs where I wouldn't shoot at less than 1/100 second to minimise subject blur anyway. I just shoot wide open and bump up the ISO on my 5DII. A classic lens.
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Feb 26, 2011
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charliebs
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Registered: Dec 19, 2009
Location: United States
Posts: 34
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Review Date: Feb 23, 2011
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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sharpness, good balance on the camera (5d), color/contrast, bokeh!, black color.
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Cons:
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none
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not my first prime but my favorite one and my favorite lens for portraits, street. i don't do lens reviews (this is my first one) but it's such a great lens that i have to back up everyone on this thread. this lens is a pure treat. you'll find excuses to bring it along for every photo trip/outing.
i sold my 70-200 2.8 IS I to fund this. some days, i miss the versatility but the IQ is so good, i've never looked back.
the color and bokeh set this lens apart from anything else (although i haven't tried the 85L). the sharpness is great, even wide open. i use it at f/2.2 mostly. you buy a lens like this for use between f/2 and f/2.8. the background blur is truly outstanding. otherwise one of those white zooms will suffice. it's black so it's lower key, it's not heavy like the zooms, and you'll end up zooming with your feet to show off the IQ of this lens.
a lot of talk about making this an IS lens. that's fine, but if any of the IQ is sacrificed in doing that, i'd recommend against it. you don't need it, people have been taking incredible shots with the lens for years without it.
considering many other L primes cost much more than this, i think it's the best value of the canon trinity and the entire L lineup.
while i could trade out some of my other nice glass, i'll never get rid of this one. at least rent it to see what the hype is all about...
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Feb 23, 2011
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sym5
Offline
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Registered: Mar 1, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 21
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Review Date: Feb 20, 2011
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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sharp; contrasty; gorgeous bokeh; built like a tank; produces incredibly gorgeous images; focuses swiftly and accurately; well-priced for so much quality; wholly deserving of its reputation as one of the best lenses Canon has ever made
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Cons:
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awkward focal length; no stabilization makes it useless for serious low light work; a bit on the heavy side
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135L is arguably as close to a perfect lens as there is in the Canon lineup. It handles beautifully, holds up well in tough environments, isn't so large or heavy as to be burdensome, and of course takes drop-dead gorgeous photos that are just dripping with saturation and contrast. It's not an easy focal length to work with, but what it produces is pure magic. For under a thousand dollars, there is no better Canon lens for uncompromising image quality.
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Feb 20, 2011
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edatc
Offline
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Registered: Jul 17, 2009
Location: N/A
Posts: 39
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Review Date: Feb 19, 2011
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $984.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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After two years of use, the lens is phenomenal.... shoot mostly at f2
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Cons:
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not a con, but one with an IS option could be nice.
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Feb 19, 2011
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lucas lumiere
Online
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Registered: Feb 10, 2011
Location: Canada
Posts: 174
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Review Date: Feb 10, 2011
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharp wide open, color, contrast, bokeh, compact, lightweight,
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Cons:
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None ... although it would be nice if it was weather sealed.
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I just can't say enough good things about this lens. I have used it on many different camera bodies and it delivers every time.
I traded in my 70-200 2.8 IS for this lens, and while there are times I miss the versatility of the zoom, I just LOVE the images from this lens.
Buy it... you won't regret it. If you're getting bad images from this lens... work on your technique... or maybe consider giving up on photography all together 
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Feb 10, 2011
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Jeroenro
Offline
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Registered: Jan 11, 2011
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 16
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Review Date: Jan 11, 2011
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $950.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Bouquet, lage aperture, super sharp, build like a rock.
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Cons:
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I found none.
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Bought the lens second hand after i have read al the reviews on FM. Its really worth every penny. I love the bouquet it gives at large apertures. I use it for most of my portrait work these days.
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Jan 11, 2011
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Reviews
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Views
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Date of last review
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383
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503384
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May 20, 2013
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Recommended By
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Average Price
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96% of reviewers
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$1,301.92
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Build Quality Rating
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Price Rating
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Overall Rating
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9.80
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9.41
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9.9
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