Some of you technical aficionados out there will be wondering on one aspect; if this lens has a closest focusing distance of only 1.3 m, how did I manage to get up close to shoot that 1:10 scale BMW motorcycle, anyway? The shots of the flowers look innocent enough to have been photographed with the lens' closest focusing distance of this 135mm focal length but the photos of the bike don't look as though it was a 1:10 scale version, given the limits of the 1.3 m range. The answer is: I used the Extension Tube EF 25 (tested on issue No: 2 of Films & Accessories) on the EF 135mm f/2.8 SF lens. The tube was again used with the EF 135mm SF lens for this series of "portraitures" below of an action figure, Rogue of Marvel Comics' X-Men fame. Instead of relying on the black background for most of the shots here, I decided to use the yellow version for the first three photos of Rogue. Even with the Extension Tube, the focusing distance of the EF 135mm SF lens was still limited to a certain degree when the SF setting was at the zero position, as can be seen from the first photo below. When the SF position was set to 1 and 2, you can see that the subject's size is slightly closer and larger than the first photo. The soft focus effect is more apparent in the eyes and facial parts rather than the costume or hair in both shots where the SF function was selected. Shot at SF zero setting Shot at SF 1 setting     Shot at SF 2 setting Shot at SF 2 with dark background Since both the action figure's hair (with a touch of silver) and jacket are brown, the soft focus effects on the eyes and facial parts can be better visualized here against the yellow background as compared with the photos of the BMW bike on the previous page. When the subject was shot against the black background, the soft focus effect on the face and eyes is more evident than ever, including that from the edges of the hair. The soft focus function can also be used for other subjects like sunlight reflections off the river or pool or landscape to give a fantasy- or dreamland-type of pictures. With an overall length of 98.4 mm, utilizing 52mm filter or accessories and a dry weight of only 390 grammes, the EF 135mm f/2.8 Soft Focus lens is both compact and lightweight, making it ideal for all types of general photography like candid, travel, non-SF portraiture, available light, sports, nature, still-life, etc. On the next page are some examples of photos than can be shot with this 135mm lens whenever the SF function is not needed with the scale set at the zero position. When set in this position, the EF 135mm f/2.8 Soft Focus lens behaves like any other 135mm telephoto lens, providing sharp images in a compact package. Since this lens was introduced very early with the EOS System, the AF motor used is still the older Arch Form Drive (AFD) unit, which provides quick autofocus albeit at a noisier scale. << Back to Main . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .