Here Comes Another Impressive Canon Lens

Here Comes Another Impressive Canon Lens

Ever since the release of the RF 28-70mm f/2 L USM, Canon has had the pedal to the floor when it comes to lens development, and it seems the company has no intention of slowing down anytime soon. The company is planning the release of another lens later this year that will be an update of one of their hidden gems. 

Canon Rumors is reporting that Canon is planning to announce an RF 135mm f/1.8L USM (possibly with image stabilization) later this year. The EF 135mm f/2L was long regarded as one of the company's best hidden gems. It offered an alternative focal length for portraits that included a bit more telephoto compression and paired it with a wide aperture, fast autofocus, and contrasty, sharp images. The best part was that its price was about half that of the EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM, making it an excellent alternative for photographers who wanted a high-quality portrait lens that would not break the bank. However, that lens is over two decades old and is certainly due for an update, and I have no doubt that an RF version would prove to be quite popular, and of course, a slight bump in maximum aperture would be welcome. Look for the lens in the fourth quarter of 2022. 

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

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14 Comments

I know the Canon 135 is very long in the tooth, but you'll have to pry mine from my dead cold hands. It is still a great lens, even when shooting with the R5 and the adapter.

every time I use this lens I can't believe how beautiful it is. I can also vouch for the adapter + R6 combo... superb.

The EF 135mm f2 is one of Canon's best lenses ever made. Sure it looks like it came out in the 80s but the rendering, af performance, sharpness is perfect. Not much can be improved from it. I like it a lot better than the EF 85mm 1.2 L II.

No, the sharpness isn't perfect, even in the center of the frame it is slightly soft, especialy if you use it with bodies like 5DsR or an R5. On those bodies Sigma 135/1.8 has no competition at all yet. Let's hope for an RF 135/1.4 to change that.

If you want perfectly sterile reproductions of flat test charts, the Sigma is definitely the lens for you. For wide aperture use in the 3D real world, it's a bit underwhelming and lifeless.

what you say regarding the sharpness, softness etc, I call character, and to me that is something that is missing from a lot of newer lenses.

It's great they the RF system is getting this update (& I'm genuinely happy to have the chance to use it at work). But let's stop pretending that Sony & Sigma haven't had this focal length & aperture in hand for years.

The industry will greatly benefit from writers who don't act a fool when engineers do their jobs. The way Alex was talking, I expected a 135 f/1.2 or a return of the soft focus mechanism.

135/1.2 would be so huge that when painted green everyone would think it's a Sigma 200-500/2.8

I didn't read anywhere in the article that the author suggested/pretended that Sony and Sigma didn't have this lens in their lineup. This is about the Canon version being updated.

I saw somewhere that Canon has pattented an RF 135mm f/1.4L. If they make 1.8 or 2.0, then they will need to drop the price to the Sigma level, as it has already for a long time extremly sharp 135mm f/1.8 in the offer, that works perfectly with the mirrorless.

I would be more than happy with a RF 85mm 1.4 for 1000€

I was hoping for RF 80-135/2.0... No need for 135/1.8... Very happy with 135/2.0 and its performance... Size of the old one is great

No doubt with the obligatory £1000 increase over the ef version🙄

Well I sure hope that it's NOT 1.8 rather than 1.4 as they posted patents for that. If not, might as well get the Sigma Art 135mm f1.8