Nikon 135
Well if you are into reading reviews, this is one of the lenses that a lot of people write great stuff about. It is really a very good lens, nobody can complain. However, is this really so much better than a Nikon 85 which sells for one third the price? Lenses at this level, especially for less experienced photographers are very frustrating, as they are not visibly much better than what they had before. Do not get me wrong, this is an excellent lens. But this lens is also one example of being better than very good. It sounds good, but overall is not much of an improvement.
The lens has a special feature (DC == Defocus Control) that allows you to control the bokeh of the lens. I am still trying to get the grips of that feature, so far I have managed to find a setting that does not disturb everything.
Versions
- This is an autofocus lens
- There are several older manual focus lenses (AI-S) for f/3.5, f/2.8 and f/2.0. I actually have the f/2.8 version which has very poor performance when wide open.
| Price | Expensicve |
|---|---|
| Weight | Heavy, 800g |
| Good for | Portraits, details |
| New or used | 1'400 new, quite rare used, I have seen around 1'000 |
It is designed and optimized for a full frame camera and works superbly. Since the lens is a bit longer and it has no vibration reduction assists, you will need to either be more generous with the exposure and/or ISO or for serious work, consider a tripod.
Gallery / see also
Mounted ona Nikon D850, two high-end parts.
Bianca the Bear in high contrast light.
Shortly after Halloween, seen on the street,
It is possible to use it also on an APS-C, makes it a formidable long lens at 200mm. The softness in the picture is not due to the lens, but more due to the photographer and light.
These pages are for Amateur Photographers and not really for seasoned photographers and professionals. I have no affiliation or commercial interest with any brand/make. I write from my own experience. I ended up using mainly Nikon, so I am more familiar with this brand than others. See price for notes on pricing as well as photography related links.