Sunday, 22 April 2018

telephoto - Is replacing a 70-200mm Canon lens with a 135mm and extender a good idea?


In the Canon camp we are all very familiar with the range of 70-200mm lenses. I am very impressed by the 135mm f/2.0 L though. I am considering getting rid of my 70-200mm lens in favor of the 135mm with the addition of a 1.4x extender. This would give me the ability to shoot at either 135 f/2.0 or 189mm f/2.8. I see huge gains in form factor and weight. I understand I would lose the 70-135, and the range between the two lenses. But I would also be gaining the f/2.0 at 135mm. And depending on which 70-200mm lens is used for the comparison, either gaining f/2.8 over f/4, and or losing image stabilization.


I really enjoy prime lenses, and the magic of the 135L is drawing me towards this as an option. Rather then spending the $1500 to outfit myself with this kit blind, I'm hoping someone else has tried this and can tell me it is a bad or good idea, and I can learn from your experience.


Am I really gaining quality or sacrificing?




Answer



I have both a 70-200 (2.8, non-IS), as well as the 135 and a 1.4x (II). This is a very difficult question to answer because it depends on your use.


For me: I enjoy the flexibility of the 70-200 for certain types of shooting, e.g. action sports and other activities where I'm not easily able to zoom with my feet and/or it's a pain to fiddle with extenders. There's a reason the 70-200 zooms are so popular!


On the other hand, I sometimes like to go out on "prime-only" missions, and the 135 is always in my bag for those. It really is a wonderful lens. Of course, pairing it with the 1.4 (or any) extender) degrades the quality slightly, but is still better than the 70-200 non-IS at the same focal length. So if you don't need the 70-135 range and are able to zoom with your feet, and don't mind swapping the extender in/out to go between 135 to 189 then you might be better off with that combo.


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