We rate the great Canon RF 135mm f/1.8L IS USM

news7g05/02/2023

10 4 minutes read

We Review the Amazing Canon RF 135mm f/1.8L IS USM

After 27 years, Canon has finally released a new 135mm lens. Instead of a new EF lens, it’s clearly an RF lens. How does this expensive lens perform and is it worth the upgrade if you’re still using an old but reliable version of EF?

While many photographers generally prefer the 85mm focal length for portraiture, the 135mm’s narrow field of view can be a great choice. Especially in a studio setting, it will allow for a smaller backdrop while keeping enough distance between the subject and the background.

I’ve always loved the EF 135mm f/2L USM, and even though it’s a 27-year-old design, it still performs well against modern lenses. With a sophisticated autofocus system, the EF 135mm f/2L USM works well on modern mirrorless EOS cameras. Focusing with a shallow depth of field becomes easy and precise.

Close-up of RF 135mm f/1.8L IS USM . lens

Now Canon has released RF 135mm f/1.8L IS USM. The new lens adds a 1/3-stop wider aperture and built-in image stabilization. While 1/3 stop doesn’t make much of a difference, image stabilization does. Especially with this focal length, your own movement can lead to out of focus if you are using the shallowest possible depth of field.

The lens itself is made of the same material as other fast RF fixed lenses, like the lens RF 50mm f/1.2L USM and RF 85mm f/1.2L IS USM. The barrel is slightly longer than the RF 85mm, but the smaller diameter makes it easier to use. The lenses are well balanced and well handled.

There are two switches located on the side, one for image stabilization and one for autofocus. There are two buttons that can be programmed with a variety of functions. Like every other RF lens, there is also a programmable control ring.

A word or two about image quality

Not much to say about lens quality. Sharp images, even with f/1.8 aperture. At the corners, images are also sharp, although it can be a bit difficult to notice due to the limited depth of field. I only looked at real-world examples during my testing where subjects rarely align across the entire focal plane.

At f/1.8, vignetting can be seen, but only when in-camera lens correction is turned off. Most of the vignetting disappears when reduced to f/2.8. I didn’t notice any chromatic aberration, which is impressive. With in-camera lens correction enabled, image quality is near-perfect.

While the areas in focus are sharp, the parts that are not in focus have a smooth and nice appearance. The transition from sharp to out of focus is what makes the EF 135mm f/2L USM so great, and the RF 135mm f/1.8L IS USM doesn’t disappoint either.

The bokeh rings have a nice shape. There is no evidence of the ugly onion ring effect. At f/1.8, these rings look similar to the older EF model. When stopped, the difference becomes clear. Due to the new RF 135mm f/1.8L IS USM’s 9-blade aperture, the rings retain their beautiful shape longer when reduced, while the rings of the EF 135mm f/2L USM change to octagonal at f/4 .

Using the RF 135mm f/1.8L IS USM . lens

I’ve used RF 135mm f/1.8L IS USM in a couple of weeks, and it’s a great lens. It’s razor sharp and the bokeh looks great too. I mostly use the lens with the largest aperture because the presence of out-of-focus areas makes this lens great.

The lens has a minimum focal distance of 70 cm, resulting in a 0.26x magnification. While it’s not a macro lens so far, it’s perfect for capturing flowers and the like. If you combine this lens with an extension, it makes a great semi-macro lens.

The combination of the large aperture and fast and silent autofocus makes the RF 135mm f/1.8L IS USM a great lens for indoor sports photography as well. While you may feel the reach of the focal length is a bit limited for that, stopping the extra light can become quite convenient.

Compared to the EF 135mm f/2L USM

I compared RF 135mm f/1.8L IS USM with the old EF 135mm f/2L USM. Although the older version of the EF was slightly smaller and lighter, an EF-RF adapter is required if you want to attach it to a Canon mirrorless camera. In that case, the total length is pretty much the same.

While both lenses perform well, the older EF lens is showing its lifespan, especially with high resolution sensors. It is still usable in many situations and for most photography. But if you need the best possible quality, there’s no question about that. The new RF 135mm f/1.8L IS USM is better in every way.

Another benefit of the new RF lenses is image stabilization. It evaluates up to 8 stops in combination with the IBIS system. No, it still rallied to 5.5 stops. The function buttons on the lens are nice, but for me there’s no such thing as a deal breaker.

The biggest benefit of the older EF 135mm f/2L USM lens is its compatibility with Canon extenders. Combining the EF lens with the 2x extender turns it into a great 270mm f/4 lens. The RF 135mm f/1.8 IS USM does not have this capability.

Conclusion

There is only one possible conclusion. The Canon RF 135mm f/1.8L IS USM It’s a great lens, with near-perfect image quality. The lens has image stabilization, which wasn’t available on older models, and if you like the function buttons on the lens, they’re there.

This lens is perfect for indoor sports photography thanks to its fast and accurate autofocus combined with the available aperture. The focal length may not be ideal for every photographer, but it does take some getting used to. It is used for many genres of photography.

There’s only one downside, and that’s its price. You have to use this lens quite often to justify the investment. If you only use it occasionally, it’s too expensive. In that case, the EF 135mm f/2L USM with EF-RF adapter would be a perfect alternative.