I just picked up a Canon R5 II and I also have the EF to RF adapter with the Control Ring. I am thinking about getting a Canon EF 135 f/2L to shoot my son's basketball games. Do you get the full 30 fps with that lens on the R5 II. I noticed the lens isn't on the official list at Canon of lenses that get full frames per second. Any experience of that lens with that camera would be appreciated. Also I might pick up the EF 1.4X TC for this combo at some point. Any experience with the lens and the TC with this camera would be appreciated as well.
Steve Spencer wrote:
I just picked up a Canon R5 II and I also have the EF to RF adapter with the Control Ring. I am thinking about getting a Canon EF 135 f/2L to shoot my son's basketball games. Do you get the full 30 fps with that lens on the R5 II. I noticed the lens isn't on the official list at Canon of lenses that get full frames per second. Any experience of that lens with that camera would be appreciated. Also I might pick up the EF 1.4X TC for this combo at some point. Any experience with the lens and the TC with this camera would be appreciated as well....Show more →
Yes, you should get 30fps in ES mode as it's a fast focusing lens. You could get less if AF is struggling, anti flicker on, etc. but other than that although Canon won't guarantee it you should still get 30fps with that lens on the R5II.
Edit: Just tested this combo and I'm getting 20fps in ES wide open. I could have camera settings that limit it to 20fps but don't have time to fiddle so at least we know it can hit 20fps consistently. Plenty for indoor basketball.
I have this lens in my R5 II.
I love the lens but once I tried to take a burst of a friend walking towards me and it was far from 30fps, and some of the pictures were not in perfect focus, so not up to the task. I could try again to discard user error, but don't take for granted that it will work...
Steve Spencer wrote:
I just picked up a Canon R5 II and I also have the EF to RF adapter with the Control Ring. I am thinking about getting a Canon EF 135 f/2L to shoot my son's basketball games. Do you get the full 30 fps with that lens on the R5 II. I noticed the lens isn't on the official list at Canon of lenses that get full frames per second. Any experience of that lens with that camera would be appreciated. Also I might pick up the EF 1.4X TC for this combo at some point. Any experience with the lens and the TC with this camera would be appreciated as well....Show more →
I used to just take 50 1.8 on an aps body for basketball so I think 135/2 would be way more than adequate. I dont take it that seriously to need 30 fps YMMV
I used to find 135 pretty close to 70-200 so I've considered picking one up. Faster than 70-200 2.8 nice to have indoors
AmbientMike wrote:
I used to just take 50 1.8 on an aps body for basketball so I think 135/2 would be way more than adequate. I dont take it that seriously to need 30 fps YMMV
I used to find 135 pretty close to 70-200 so I've considered picking one up. Faster than 70-200 2.8 nice to have indoors
Thanks, Mike. You are right I don't need 30 fps. He is in eighth grade and last year I shot his basketball games with a Sony A7r V (which only shoots at 10 fps) and I didn't even get that as I shot the Sony/Zeiss 135 f/1.8 A-mount lens adapted to Sony E mount (it is a great lens but really slow focussing) and it worked out alright. The gyms are pretty dark, however, so having a faster aperture is good. I was mostly wondering what the limitations would be, but it sounds like it can vary pretty substantially depending on the situation and there is no set limit with lens not listed as being 30 fps capable.
I also have the RF 85 f/2 Macro, which technically is 30 fps capable. I am not sure which lens will keep up with action better, but we will see as I use them.
The EF 135mm f/2.0L is a special lens, IMO. While the RF 135mm f/1.8L IS may technically be "better", I prefer the rendering from the EF lens, and it seems others agree. This lens was recently voted as the best EF lens of all time by social media followers of Canon Rumors:
Unfortunately, as an older EF lens introduced before 2010, it does not support high framerates on Canon R bodies. Shooting speed will be limited to about 7 fps or so in H or H+ modes. See here for a list of EF lenses that are compatible with high-speed shooting:
In terms of actually following focus at whatever framerate, the 135L is a very fast and responsive lens, leaps beyond what you are used to from the RF 85mm f/2.0 IS STM Macro.
Edit: I corrected myself in a follow-on comment, but the 7 fps framerate limit does not seem to apply to the 135L, at least when using e-shutter.
garyvot wrote:
The EF 135mm f/2.0L is a special lens, IMO. While the RF 135mm f/1.8L IS may technically be "better", I prefer the rendering from the EF lens, and it seems others agree. This lens was recently voted as the best EF lens of all time by social media followers of Canon Rumors:
Unfortunately, as an older EF lens introduced before 2010, it does not support high framerates on Canon R bodies. Shooting speed will be limited to about 7 fps or so in H or H+ modes. See here for a list of EF lenses that are compatible with high-speed shooting:
In terms of actually following focus at whatever framerate, the 135L is a very fast and responsive lens, leaps beyond what you are used to from the RF 85mm f/2.0 IS STM Macro....Show more →
Gary, I'm one of those people who's favorite lens is the 135L and I've been shooting it for many years through all generations of DSLR up to the 1DXIII and then onto the R bodies. I can tell you that I'm getting a lot more than 7fps on the R bodies as I did with my 1DX bodies, in fact I would say definitely close to full or if not full fps on R bodies. I shot it extensively with my R5's while switching between 100-300 and RF 70-200 so I know this is the case or I would have noticed a big difference with burst sequences, but haven't shot it a ton with my R5II's. I don't even need to go look or test it as I'm 1000% sure I was achieving close to max fps on R5. This is for ES mode of course. I use it for sports/motocross etc and there is just no way I'm getting 7 fps as that would take me back 20yrs and I would see it in my results.
The lens will be more than sufficient for basketball. However, I believe the reason some of the older EF lenses are limited is due to the aperture motor. With that said I shoot this lens wide open, or very near so not sure if that affects results.
artsupreme wrote:
Gary, I'm one of those people who's favorite lens is the 135L and I've been shooting it for many years through all generations of DSLR up to the 1DXIII and then onto the R bodies. I can tell you that I'm getting a lot more than 7fps on the R bodies as I did with my 1DX bodies, in fact I would say definitely close to full or if not full fps on R bodies. I shot it extensively with my R5's while switching between 100-300 and RF 70-200 so I know this is the case or I would have noticed a big difference with burst sequences, but haven't shot it a ton with my R5II's. I don't even need to go look or test it as I'm 1000% sure I was achieving close to max fps on R5. This is for ES mode of course. I use it for sports/motocross etc and there is just no way I'm getting 7 fps as that would take me back 20yrs and I would see it in my results.
The lens will be more than sufficient for basketball. However, I believe the reason some of the older EF lenses are limited is due to the aperture motor. With that said I shoot this lens wide open, or very near so not sure if that affects results....Show more →
Oh that's interesting. I will have to test this with my copy. I was passing along what I understood was the case, did not mean to share any misinformation. I'll report back if I find out something different.
garyvot wrote:
Oh that's interesting. I will have to test this with my copy. I was passing along what I understood was the case, did not mean to share any misinformation. I'll report back if I find out something different.
I just attached my 135L to one of my R5II's and I'm getting a consistent 20fps. Don't have time to check if I have any cam settings to limit it to 20fps, but at least I know it can get consistent 20fps wide open in ES mode and possibly more depending on camera settings. I'll edit my post above.
artsupreme wrote:
I just attached my 135L to one of my R5II's and I'm getting a consistent 20fps. Don't have time to check if I have any cam settings to limit it to 20fps, but at least I know it can get consistent 20fps wide open in ES mode and possibly more depending on camera settings. I'll edit my post above.
Thanks for that update. That is very useful information to have. 20 fps is more than enough for my use.
artsupreme wrote:
Gary, I'm one of those people who's favorite lens is the 135L and I've been shooting it for many years through all generations of DSLR up to the 1DXIII and then onto the R bodies. I can tell you that I'm getting a lot more than 7fps on the R bodies as I did with my 1DX bodies, in fact I would say definitely close to full or if not full fps on R bodies. I shot it extensively with my R5's while switching between 100-300 and RF 70-200 so I know this is the case or I would have noticed a big difference with burst sequences, but haven't shot it a ton with my R5II's....Show more →
With the R6II I absolutely did not get anywhere near 12 fps in EFCS with the EF 135L. It was one of the last EF lenses I regularly used and it annoyed me greatly when going from an RF lens to this one because the frame rate was so much different. Granted, I rarely used it in e-shutter so can't comment on its maximum frame rate there, but if it is 20fps on the R5, and if it's the same on the R5II, which is a much better e-shutter camera for action, then I think it will do OK for basketball. However, I sold the EF 135 because of these factors, so can't try it on the R5II for you, Steve.
Honestly Steve, if you can spend the money, get the 70-200/2.8 Z. I finally bit the bullet on one and it's a superb sports lens. Very fast focusing. So far I've only used it for youth hockey tournaments and it has been great with and without the 1.4x TC. While I normally don't for these events, I was recently able to shoot the last half of a U18 competitive boys game at 30fps with pre-capture and there were very few missed focus photos. And I used subject/face/eye detection a lot, which worked very well at keeping focus on an intended subject (not perfect, but very good).
I also have the RF 135/1.8 and while it's a sharp lens, and 1.3 stops faster than the Z, it's not as fast focusing, nor as consistently in focus when working with moving subjects, as the Z. Also no TC compatibility, which is a bit of a disappointment considering its price point.
rscheffler wrote:
With the R6II I absolutely did not get anywhere near 12 fps in EFCS with the EF 135L. It was one of the last EF lenses I regularly used and it annoyed me greatly when going from an RF lens to this one because the frame rate was so much different. Granted, I rarely used it in e-shutter so can't comment on its maximum frame rate there, but if it is 20fps on the R5, and if it's the same on the R5II, which is a much better e-shutter camera for action, then I think it will do OK for basketball. However, I sold the EF 135 because of these factors, so can't try it on the R5II for you, Steve.
Honestly Steve, if you can spend the money, get the 70-200/2.8 Z. I finally bit the bullet on one and it's a superb sports lens. Very fast focusing. So far I've only used it for youth hockey tournaments and it has been great with and without the 1.4x TC. While I normally don't for these events, I was recently able to shoot the last half of a U18 competitive boys game at 30fps with pre-capture and there were very few missed focus photos. And I used subject/face/eye detection a lot, which worked very well at keeping focus on an intended subject (not perfect, but very good).
I also have the RF 135/1.8 and while it's a sharp lens, and 1.3 stops faster than the Z, it's not as fast focusing, nor as consistently in focus when working with moving subjects, as the Z. Also no TC compatibility, which is a bit of a disappointment considering its price point....Show more →
Thanks Ron. That is very helpful. I will be shooting the OBL U14 tournament but only my son's games. The last few years it has been in the Niagara region, but ths year it is in Ottawa so I know less about the gyms and how much light they will have. A few years ago, I used a Sony A9 with the 135 GM and it worked well and I shot in electronic shutter mode (that camera shoots at 20 fps and has almost the exact same sensor scan speed as the R5 II). So, I think electronic shutter on the R5 II and 20 fps ought to be fine but we will see if the focus accuracy is there. Honestly, however, the limitation is going to be me. I don't shoot sports regularly. Just my son's events a couple of times a year, so my skills are going to be the problem. That said, if I get a handful of decent shots I will be happy.
Given my budget and the amount I shoot sports I can't really justify spending on the 70-200 f/2.8 Z and I don't think I would use it for much else. It looks like a wonderful lens, but way too much lens for me to have around for one or two events a year. I think I will try the EF 135 f/2L this year and if it doesn't work, then I will rent the 70-200 f/2.8 Z for the next event, which will be next year because this tournament is an end of season thing. I think I would like to have the EF 135 f/2L around for portraits anyway and at it current price it is not a major inevestment. Just the price of a few rentals of the 70-200 f/2.8 Z.
When you get your used copy of the 135, be sure to thoroughly test its AF performance. I owned one copy of this lens for about 20 years and I did enjoy using it. On the EF system it had very snappy AF and the only thing I thought it lacked for non-sports/action work was image stabilization. I actually would have been really happy if Canon had kept the RF version an f/2 lens and just added IS (and modern sharpness). But it was also my one lens that had the most USM motor replacements of any Canon lens I've owned. I think three times. But it was never to the point of total USM failure to drive focus. What would happen was that at certain orientations, the lens wouldn't AF. I don't recall the exact details but for example, vertical composition with the lens pointed slightly up. Or down. This would also translate to manual focusing. I could turn the MF ring but it wouldn't actually adjust the focus (the focusing scale wouldn't move). This lens has a 'direct MF' USM motor whereby the MF ring is mechanically coupled to the focusing group. It is not fly-by-wire MF like virtually all mirrorless lenses nowadays. There must be a clutch or something inside that with my copy would eventually keep slipping in certain orientations.
TBH, if this tournament is kind of a big deal for the family, and if you've all invested a fair amount in it, I would definitely rent the 70-200 Z. A couple weeks would probably equal a couple days hotel stay, or eating out a few times with the whole family.
I really do think the 70-200 Z is THE lens for this kind of thing, even if you're not a frequent sports photographer. It just works so well.
Lastly, with the R5II, you could also look into the face recognition/registration feature so that it will prioritize focus on your son whenever he's recognizable in the frame (though I have not yet tried this myself, so can't comment how well it actually works in 'real world' use). Another potentially interesting feature is Action Priority, which I believe can be used for basketball. With this setting enabled, the camera will recognize players performing certain specific actions and will move the AF point to them. Again, it's not something I have tried yet because I don't photograph the supported sports for this feature.
rscheffler wrote:
When you get your used copy of the 135, be sure to thoroughly test its AF performance. I owned one copy of this lens for about 20 years and I did enjoy using it. On the EF system it had very snappy AF and the only thing I thought it lacked for non-sports/action work was image stabilization. I actually would have been really happy if Canon had kept the RF version an f/2 lens and just added IS (and modern sharpness). But it was also my one lens that had the most USM motor replacements of any Canon lens I've owned. I think three times. But it was never to the point of total USM failure to drive focus. What would happen was that at certain orientations, the lens wouldn't AF. I don't recall the exact details but for example, vertical composition with the lens pointed slightly up. Or down. This would also translate to manual focusing. I could turn the MF ring but it wouldn't actually adjust the focus (the focusing scale wouldn't move). This lens has a 'direct MF' USM motor whereby the MF ring is mechanically coupled to the focusing group. It is not fly-by-wire MF like virtually all mirrorless lenses nowadays. There must be a clutch or something inside that with my copy would eventually keep slipping in certain orientations.
TBH, if this tournament is kind of a big deal for the family, and if you've all invested a fair amount in it, I would definitely rent the 70-200 Z. A couple weeks would probably equal a couple days hotel stay, or eating out a few times with the whole family.
I really do think the 70-200 Z is THE lens for this kind of thing, even if you're not a frequent sports photographer. It just works so well.
Lastly, with the R5II, you could also look into the face recognition/registration feature so that it will prioritize focus on your son whenever he's recognizable in the frame (though I have not yet tried this myself, so can't comment how well it actually works in 'real world' use). Another potentially interesting feature is Action Priority, which I believe can be used for basketball. With this setting enabled, the camera will recognize players performing certain specific actions and will move the AF point to them. Again, it's not something I have tried yet because I don't photograph the supported sports for this feature. ...Show more →
Hi Ron,
Thanks for the heads up to check on the AF. As for how big of a deal this tournament is that is a fairly complicated issue. My son is very much into basketball right now, but may or may not play as he moves into high school. I do want to have a few good shots as a memory of his playing at this time, but I don't think in the grand scheme of things anything more that a half dozen such shots will be important and for that purpose they don't have to be exceptional either just deceent and good enough. At least that is what I am thinking.
There is also the complication that I am divorced from his mother and she is a photographer too and ideally the half dozen shots will be spread between us and I really want to avoid a competition between us for who is doing the shooting and bringing a big gun like the 70-200 f/2.8 Z and spending money on renting it might well be perceived as trying to take over the photography for this event. I think it is better in this instance to bring gear that is similar but not better than her's (she has a Sony A1 and the 135 GM), and to take turns shooting alternate games.
In general, I am in favor of renting in a situation like this one, but the specifics here probably argue against it.
Just an FYI I just bought a mint EF 200mm f/2.8 L II lens on the Buy & Sell here for a great price.
I plan to use it on both my 1DX Mark II natively and on my R5 Mark II adapted. It’s the less popular brother that came out around the same time as the EF 135mm f/2L. And no teleconverter needed.
swldstn wrote:
Just an FYI I just bought a mint EF 200mm f/2.8 L II lens on the Buy & Sell here for a great price.
I plan to use it on both my 1DX Mark II natively and on my R5 Mark II adapted. It’s the less popular brother that came out around the same time as the EF 135mm f/2L. And no teleconverter needed.
That EF 200mm f/2.8 L II is a great lens. The bokeh had so much character that I wish I had kept my copy
I agree about the EF 200mm f/2.8L II. Great character and it actually has less LoCA than the 135L. I still have my copy, in fact.
On DSLRs I rarely used this lens because having the stabilization in the EF 70-200 f/2.8L II IS usually trumped it, plus the Mark II and III versions of this zoom were optically its equal, at least.
But IBIS on the new bodies does help and gives some of these older EF primes a new life.
I wanted to report back after using this lens to shoot the basketball tournament my son played in over the weekend. Based on advice here I set high speed burst to 20 fps and I enabled sports mode basketball, which worked ok. To me it seems like that mode focusses on the ball, which is sometimes what I want and I was able to get some shots that I like quite a bit. The lens doesn't always keep up with the boys when they are moving at top speed, however. You get the first 10 or 20 shots in focus but it seems to lag after that so really short burst are the way to go. You can see the focus missing in the viewfinder so knowing when to refocus is pretty easy. I am sure I could do better with more practice, but the bottom line is I was able to get the sort of shots I wanted to get. I have included four more action shots and a couple of portrait type shots from warm up. The lens is great for portraits and has no issues with that use.
Canon EOS R5m2EF135mm f/2L USM lens135mmf/2.01/160s250 ISO0.0 EV
Canon EOS R5m2EF135mm f/2L USM lens135mmf/2.01/160s500 ISO0.0 EV
Canon EOS R5m2EF135mm f/2L USM lens135mmf/2.01/200s640 ISO-0.7 EV
Canon EOS R5m2EF135mm f/2L USM lens135mmf/2.01/160s320 ISO0.0 EV
Canon EOS R5m2EF135mm f/2L USM lens135mmf/2.01/160s640 ISO0.0 EV
Canon EOS R5m2EF135mm f/2L USM lens135mmf/2.01/160s320 ISO0.0 EV
