2016
Canon nFD 135 f2 - One and a half pounds of glass
This lens was introduced in 1980 and advertised as "lightweight and compact." It's not. It's a tank with a huge front element encased in an all-metal barrel. To be fair, it is lighter and smaller than other fast 135s, especially modern autofocus ones.
The Canon nFD 135/2 specs:
Build Quality/Handling (Excellent/Good but heavy)
The fd135/2 is a solid chunk of metal and glass. The focusing ring is luxuriously wide and smooth with an extremely long focus throw which allows precise manual focusing but is not conducive to doing it quickly.
The build quality is excellent, but the lens does not balance well on either the A7s or the a6000 - it's too long and it's too heavy. However, as far as I know there really isn't anything smaller with f2 at this focal length. While it's not a compact package by any means, the A7s with the FDn 135 f2 is still MUCH smaller than a similar DSLR set up.
Image Quality (Excellent on A7s, not as good on a6000 )
Most people will probably want to use this lens for the very thin DOF it produces at f2. Wide open, the FDn 135mm is capable of some very good results on the A7s.
The Canon nFD 135/2 specs:
- 6 elements in 5 groups
- Weight - 670 grams
- Length - 94 mm (114 mm with adapter; 134 mm when focused to min. focus distance)
- Filter size - 72 mm
- Min. focus distance - 1.3 m
- Aperture - 8 blades, f2 to f32 in half-stops
Build Quality/Handling (Excellent/Good but heavy)
The fd135/2 is a solid chunk of metal and glass. The focusing ring is luxuriously wide and smooth with an extremely long focus throw which allows precise manual focusing but is not conducive to doing it quickly.
The build quality is excellent, but the lens does not balance well on either the A7s or the a6000 - it's too long and it's too heavy. However, as far as I know there really isn't anything smaller with f2 at this focal length. While it's not a compact package by any means, the A7s with the FDn 135 f2 is still MUCH smaller than a similar DSLR set up.
Image Quality (Excellent on A7s, not as good on a6000 )
Most people will probably want to use this lens for the very thin DOF it produces at f2. Wide open, the FDn 135mm is capable of some very good results on the A7s.
f2/ISO 800
100% crop
f2/ISO 100
100% crop
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f2/ISO 800
100% crop
f2/ISO 100
100% crop
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At f2 this lens seems quite sharp, provided that you can actually focus on intended subject. Since the depth of field is minuscule wide open, focusing can be a challenge. However, focus peaking works relatively well with this lens as there is plenty of contrast when shooting at f2.
The Canon FDn 135 f2 does not appear to do quite as well on the higher-density sensor of the a6000.
The Canon FDn 135 f2 does not appear to do quite as well on the higher-density sensor of the a6000.
100% crops. From top left to bottom right: f2 - f2.8 - f5.6 - f8
f2/ISO 200
100% crop
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f2/ISO 200
100% crop
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As can be seen above, there's a gradual increase in sharpness from f2 to f5.6, but the lens isn't at its sharpest until f8, at which point it's tack sharp across the frame. The jump in sharpness is so significant between f5.6 and f8, that I'll need to retest it to make sure that it's not due to focusing error. The two photos directly above were also shot on the a6000 and show the significant amount of chromatic aberration this lens produces. Things don't improve that much stopped down. Interestingly, CA isn't nearly as bad on the A7s.
Where this lens does excel on both cameras is bokeh. It's really smooth and it doesn't really matter what's in the background and how far it is from the subject. It's always pleasing to my eyes.
Where this lens does excel on both cameras is bokeh. It's really smooth and it doesn't really matter what's in the background and how far it is from the subject. It's always pleasing to my eyes.
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As is the case with most FDn lenses flare is well controlled and the SSC coating does a good job of retaining contrast when the light source is pointed directly at the lens. The FDn 135 also comes with a built in lens hood which might help further (but which I rarely use).
Vignetting is sometimes a little strange on my copy of the lens. It seems linear. More specifically, there are times when only one side of the frame shows shading. I have noticed this mostly with some other telephoto lenses I have, but sometimes also with fast (f1.4 or faster) 50s. (Edit: it appears that the electronic first curtain, which I usually leave enabled, can cause uneven exposure at high shutter speeds. I need to thank Phillip Reeve for pointing this out)
Vignetting is sometimes a little strange on my copy of the lens. It seems linear. More specifically, there are times when only one side of the frame shows shading. I have noticed this mostly with some other telephoto lenses I have, but sometimes also with fast (f1.4 or faster) 50s. (Edit: it appears that the electronic first curtain, which I usually leave enabled, can cause uneven exposure at high shutter speeds. I need to thank Phillip Reeve for pointing this out)
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Conclusion
The Canon FDn 135 f2 is a great lens. Sure, it's heavy and balances poorly on both the Sony A7s and a6000. However, it does offer unique image quality with a great ability to really isolate the subject and blur out the background, which is always rendered very smoothly. I also like how the 135mm focal length compresses the objects in the frame giving a very two-dimensional look, which really differs from that given by shorter focal lengths.
It's not all great, though. There's lots of CA at all apertures, especially on the a6000, and sharpness at larger apertures might not quite match the resolution of higher-megapixel sensors. Because of its size, and if I had to keep just one, I would probably choose the FDn 100 f2 because it gives very similar results in a much lighter and more compact package. However, I'll probably just keep both.
You can find a short video shot entirely with this lens on the Sony A7s here.
Copies appear to be going for about 500 USD on Ebay these days. You can help me create more lens reviews by purchasing through this link. Thanks!
Related reviews
Sample Images
The Canon FDn 135 f2 is a great lens. Sure, it's heavy and balances poorly on both the Sony A7s and a6000. However, it does offer unique image quality with a great ability to really isolate the subject and blur out the background, which is always rendered very smoothly. I also like how the 135mm focal length compresses the objects in the frame giving a very two-dimensional look, which really differs from that given by shorter focal lengths.
It's not all great, though. There's lots of CA at all apertures, especially on the a6000, and sharpness at larger apertures might not quite match the resolution of higher-megapixel sensors. Because of its size, and if I had to keep just one, I would probably choose the FDn 100 f2 because it gives very similar results in a much lighter and more compact package. However, I'll probably just keep both.
You can find a short video shot entirely with this lens on the Sony A7s here.
Copies appear to be going for about 500 USD on Ebay these days. You can help me create more lens reviews by purchasing through this link. Thanks!
Related reviews
Sample Images
