Using the Canon 135mm f/2L as a 189 f/2.8 – SamplesPosted by drfl on April 13th, 2010

As promised, today I have two sample images from the Canon 135 f/2L with the Canon EF Extender 1.4x II mounted.  This is the shortest lens that allows this combinations and my experience with this was quite good, excellent, in fact.  The autofocus continues to be snappy, most of my photos achieved focus quickly, perhaps not quite as fast as without the teleconverter, but the difference was barely noticeable.  Image quality is excellent, the sharpness and bokeh are still very good.   Additionally, this combination maintains the minimum 2.8 aperture, which provides for the extra sensitivity on the diagonal cross type center focus points on most Canon DSLRs.  I have no hesitation in using the 1.4 teleconverter in almost any situation if I found myself a little more distant from my subject.

All images were captured with a Canon 5D (Original Flavor), 135 f/2L lens, and a Canon EF Extender 1.4x II.

Shot at f/2.8

Shot at f/2.8

This lens is great for portraits, but how is it for other purposes? On Thursday I plan on exploring this question.