I have owned both (now shoot a 70-200/4G), and don't think you can go wrong with either. IMHO, the 135 (or even the 105 DC) gets the nod by a smidgen. However, if you have an 85, then the 180 would be a better compliment to that.
benjikan has both and I believe he has determined that the 180 is a bit sharper wide open. I prefer the rendering of the 135DC and as of now it is the only one of the pair I have,.
Geoff CB wrote:
If price is a concern, 180, you can grab it for under $500 used.
Yeah, I forgot to ask about that. When I think of pricing of the two, I typically think of the DC being twice as expensive, rather than approaching parity.
I have owned both of these lenses. I enjoyed both and thought both were very good. However, I though the 135 was "special". It renders beautiful images and for portraits and people photography it was always my lens of choice and it never let me down.
I have 135DC and 180/2.8 Ai-S. I give the nod to 135 mostly because it is my more comfortable focal length. If I'm hanging around at a family gathering and taking informal shots, 180 is kind of long. With the 180 if I see someone I want to catch a shot of, chances are I need to take 1 or 2 steps backward, and by then the facial expression I was trying to catch is gone. If you don't have a tele-zoom, consider getting a 70-200 or 80-200 and enjoy the flexibility.
I have both. The 180 is very sharp; the 135 renders in a different, more artistic way. You can't go wrong with either lens. If you look on the used market you can find the 180mm f/2.8 (non-D) for $300-$375 (which is a bargain!).
The DC has a little bit of a learning curve compared to the 180mm. Stopped down I don't like the way the 180 renders OOF areas (it can be harsh or odd at times). I would go with the 135mm f/2 DC because of that. Having said that wide open the 180 is no slouch.
I have the 180 and have used the 135 - they're such different focal lengths it's hard to think of them in any sort of comparison. Both have sublime bokeh, the 135 a bit more customizable with the DC ring. Also, as others have said, they're not even close to the same price. I found a really excellent used 180 for $400 - I've never seen a 135 in any sort of condition for less than $1000 and rarely that low. I found f2 was almost always too narrow at the distances I tended to shoot that lens, so I mostly shot it at f2.8, and I have a 135 f2.8 AI that was about 1/10 the price and is about 1/3 or 1/4 the size as the DC (and renders about 95% as well if not equally well), so I haven't been able to see clear to spend the money on the f2 DC version. I've rented it a couple of times when I had to have AF, but 90% of the time I'm good with manual focus on the AI lens. But at $400, the 180 f2.8 was a no-brainer - I really like having AF at that length...
I used to absolutely love my Canon 135L.
After switching to Nikon, I found that the 135DC just isn't as good, so I tried the 180 instead and was FLOORED. I've now ditched the 135 and 80-200 focal lengths in favor of the compact 180D. It's just amazing.
Advantages over 135:
- Compression! You can't fake compression effects. Having huge, diffuse bokeh balls in a portrait is wonderful sometimes.
- Half the price
- Not as bulky
In a way the preference is entirely dependent on your kit arrangement though. I use my 85G a lot, so the 180 just makes more sense to have. That combined with a 28 and 50G and I can shoot anything in any light without breaking my back. In my Canon days I would carry the 135L with a 24 and 50L. It was a nice setup but heavy, and not as versatile as my Nikon 4 prime kit.
jmai86 wrote:
I used to absolutely love my Canon 135L.
After switching to Nikon, I found that the 135DC just isn't as good, so I tried the 180 instead and was FLOORED. I've now ditched the 135 and 80-200 focal lengths in favor of the compact 180D. It's just amazing.
Advantages over 135:
- Compression! You can't fake compression effects. Having huge, diffuse bokeh balls in a portrait is wonderful sometimes.
- Half the price
- Not as bulky
In a way the preference is entirely dependent on your kit arrangement though. I use my 85G a lot, so the 180 just makes more sense to have. That combined with a 28 and 50G and I can shoot anything in any light without breaking my back. In my Canon days I would carry the 135L with a 24 and 50L. It was a nice setup but heavy, and not as versatile as my Nikon 4 prime kit. ...Show more →
I would love to see some samples, I am pretty floored with my 135 DC but now am thinking maybe looking at the 180D. Could you post any?
agelessphotog wrote:
I would love to see some samples, I am pretty floored with my 135 DC but now am thinking maybe looking at the 180D. Could you post any?
agelessphotog wrote:
I'm not seeing what jmai86 is saying. The 135 looks superior to me in bokeh and skin tones. Checked samples.
I was referring to the comparison between Canon and Nikon 135s. The Canon 135L is superior to me over the Nikon 135D.
I wouldn't take online samples as truth though - a lot of them can be post processed quite a bit, some better than others, and so your comparison may be skewed. The best way to compare would be to try them both out for yourself as I have and form your own opinion. Everyone's taste and preference will be different. For me the 135DC is fine but pales in comparison to the Canon 135L. And after trying the 180, I just prefer the focal length more so the switch was more motivated by focal length preference.
