I was surfing the web and have been trying to figure out what kind of gear would be great to have.....
We will be investing in primes since we have all the desired zoom ranges currently made by canon that fit with our shooting.... 15, 24 t/s, 35, 50, 85 are currently in the toolbox. We have been thinking heavily on a few and thought it may be nice to hear feedback from any readers about their personal fav's and why.
Because business is good :) we will be planning on pretty substantial gear purchases in the future. The 24 1.4, 135 2.0 are primes we have been seriously considering, to round out the group. Some fantasy lenses we have been considering lately are the new Tilt and Shift lenses coming out in May, 2009 from Canon. The 17mm looks crazy? I'm thinking how nice it would be to shoot 17mm as a prime lens...and then the lens twists sideways for dramatic focal plane manipulation....wow, too crazy.
By the way... I'd like to recommend a pretty honest review site that I've been exploring recently and if you ever want to see go check out Canon's lenses and some photo examples, do check out the digital-picture.com
recent shots with the T&S, not flashflavor material but for the sake of discussion, who cares.
I shot this one witht the 24 tilt and shifty shifty....
this one is kinda shifty too....shot with the 24. 
and here is one just added, Sol's T&S flashflavor...
Ok, now imagine the 17 mm tilt & shift ($2500)..... how crazy is that?
Anybody got eyes for a 135 2.0? 
or how about the middle range tilt and shift lenses? The 45 or the 90? Anybody have any good stuff with those? Anybody know any links to some good shooters who use them and post them alot?
Ok, sorry to get off topic.... thanks for listening....
The northwest has some really clean photographers that shoot tilt-shift. Check out sergiomottola.com. You will enjoy
You should check out JeffNewsom.com CameronIngalls.com JeredScott.com and JoshuaCaine.com they are from my area and they all use the 45 tilt shift and they are all amazing photographers check it
I’d love to get into some T/S stuff - when used right, it creates such a unique effect. Looking forward to seeing you put them into use.
I hear the 135 f2.0 is just awesome. Guys on Sportsshooter.com swear by it. I really want that, but I need a 70-200 something bad.
M.D.
I got to test out the 17mm TS-E at the Canon booth at NAB last week. On a Full Frame sensor, it is just AMAZING!!!! Unfort, I was unable to take any test shots on my CF card :P That lens has some MEGA glass.
I picked up the 45mm ts-e a couple months back and am loving it—it’s a super-sharp lens, so even if not tiling or shifting, this lens is amazing. As for some good shooters using the same lens (or another ts-e lens), check these guys out:
http://benjhaisch.com/blog/
http://sergiomottola.com/blog/
Good stuff.
-craig
Telmo,
We have 2 28 1.8’s, 1 50 1.4 and 2 85 1.8’s. Yep, we use them as backups some of our 2nd shooters use them as Primarys. The 85 1.8 is my FAV of all 3 of them. With the 5d Mark II, it is amazing for receptions.
will not be a bad investment… but the 35mm L is worth the weight in gold :)
For quite a time I wanted to get some primes. On my mind are the 35mm and 135mm, but I’m waiting for a mkII (since other lenses got mkII versions).
For some one like me (started last year solo), I think I’ll be getting the cheaper versions like 28 f1.8, and 85 f1.8, swap them later.
What’s your opinion on that?
What to say? I’m just happy with 135/2.0L :))))
Yeah, the 135 has been on my mind for a while. Before primes, I used the 70-200 like it was my work horse… but like Zach says, when you point that beast at someobody it can draw attention (look at this big honkin white stupid lens)... i really have enjoyed it, but have used it WAY less in the last 12 months.
90% of the time, the 85 mm 1.2 is my long lens. I think the 135 will be perfect because its almost smaller than the big 24-70, another old work lens of mine, that currently hasn’t seen my camera in an eternity.
Kevin, Susan Stripling tried to tell me about the Prime side of the equation way back in 2006 but I wouldnt listen to her… she told me about the 135 and even borrowed my 70-200 at my sister’s wedding, only to return it back to me...too heavy.
with the Tilt and shift thing… I can see me purchasing the entire set in the next 2 to 3 years. It is my goal to have 3 35mm 1.4’s, 2 or 3 50’s, 2 85 1.2’s and 2 or 3 135’s… We want to own Every tilt and shift lens too, just because the are so experimental and damn expensive. Anything we can do to add a flame to the fire and change up the scene… I personally love the look of the T&S;and think our clients will too…
I’ll probably be on the 135’s, for sure! I’m still open for any links...Thanks Breck & Brett for the links so far....
thanks for the thoughts and links, plase keep em coming :)
cheers,
matt
http://www.blog.markbrooke.com/
Mark Brooke uses massive amounts of amazing tilt-shifty goodness. He’s a master.
135 f2 is as everyone has said, with the side benefit that shots out of the camera have tremendous contrast. Feels like it’s doing the post processing while you are shooting even with difficult shots. The Isolation is awesome.
Hey Matt, we use the 45mm Tilt-shift occasionally at weddings. Even sometimes with some off-camera “Flash Flavor” :) But the 135mm f/2 is a mainstay for us. We sold our 70-200mm and just use the 135mm solely as our longest lens.
I did some test with the TS series and found the 45mm the best (on a full frame). Not so much because of image quality (the 24 is better) but for usability.
That 17mm is very intriguing to focus plane manipulation, so if you end up getting it, please give us your impression!
I have both the 24 1.4 and the 135 and I LOVE them both. The 135 gets used less as the 70-200 2.8 IS often fits my needs better at a wedding, but man, when the 135 is the lens for the job, DAAANNNNG! So good. And it doesn’t scream “Hey look at the HUGE lens I’m pointing at you!” another bonus. In fact they let me take it into a hockey game recently becuase it didn’t look like a “professional” lens. Mwa haha. It also doesn’t replace a good arm workout at the gym the way the 70-200 does. The 24 is just fun. Feels and acts very similar to the 35 (my ultimate fav lens) but it’s a little squattier, and of course you already know how the focal length feels. To be able to get away with a 25th or less at 1.4 and 1600 is pretty nuts. Feels like cheating. Primes as just so fun, glad to see you’re loving them too!
Love your blog btw, very helpful/inspiring.
-Zach
I LOVE my 135 f/2. Sharp, contrasty, great bokeh and a good price. Here are a few shots with it:
http://brecksargent.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/fav03.jpg
http://brecksargent.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/cn12.jpg
http://brecksargent.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/cn13.jpg
If you want more examples shoot me an email!
I love the 135 2.0! It really is razor sharp and creates a fantastic effect for portraits. The subject isolation is incredible and the telephoto effect is really nice. It isn’t quite as easy to use in tight situations, but it truly is a great lens.
The 135 f2 is a great lens. Great. The TS lenses look really fun, I hope to get one in the next few months and will start with the 45mm. This guy uses it a decent amount: http://benjhaisch.com/blog/
Now if you’re really dreaming about gear… 200 f2.0 IS… drool.