This is the mother of all other lenses and surprisingly affordable used. Fantastic build quality, parfocal and internal zooming: no protruding element when zooming from 28 to 135. No way a non-PZ lens could come even close to this lens, when you need that smooth creeping zoom. This PZ28135 is the lens I'd never sell, the other is Canon TS-E 17mm/f4 for my A7III. These are the only two lenses I'd ever need.
This lens is great on the FX6 for event or documentary work. Being stabilised is pretty rare for Full Frame zooms. Internal zoom is really important also.
To keep it a PZ, parfocal, and OSS lens while not being absolute gigantic, they’d have to keep it an f/4. And honestly on full frame I think that’s fine. It’s such a great lens for events and sports filming, even without a version 2 it’s still great. But a version 2 with the exact same specs but improved, new AF motors, new faster zoom motors, better glass, and a more compact size would be SO GOOD!
You didn't mention the second other thing this lens does that stills lenses can't, it doesn't breathe. The reason for this lens is it won't give you that fugly breathing during focus pulls that all other Sony stills lenses do. It's a fantastic set of useful focal lengths with ample speed at a very reasonable price. Excellent lens, underrated, under appreciated and undervalued.
@@elitefamilyparkour Breathing compensation simply crops into the sensor. Basically wasting the full frame sensor one paid so much for. Why shoot at 1.3x-1.5x crop on a full frame?
The company i am working for has a great selection of lenses, but if i could choose just one, it would be this one. I absolutely love the smooth zoom, the constant f4, the IS,the rings, everything. My fav lens ever.
I come to this video because I made a recommendation for this lens and wanted to check out if it still hold in 2023. Yep, it still have it. Powerzoom feature is not something that I kinda interested in, but overall look from that lens, consistent F4, is, rings and everything - is what is a good thing of this lens in additional to overall picture character. Its kinda sad that such great peace of engineering is kinda get lost because Sony REALLY did a great job here. FS7 is a great camera, but possible lens is much greater thing than camera itself.
I film chamber music concerts with this lens on an FX6 or Alpha 7iv. I love the slow zoom and the focal length for this. It works excellently for this application.
True an ideal lens for that sort of work. Would be nice to see a V2 which is a bit more pro. Perhaps the option to mechanically zoom in and out on the barrel
i purchased this lens and it is perfect; i do documentary work, short films and sports, specifically basketball; i have prime lenses as well from sony for my FX3; but this lens right here is amazing; this guy seems to be bashing it and he keeps saying the same thing over and over, "you get a much sharper and cheaper lens" but he fails to mention the parafocal as well as the reliability and the stabilization in it with any sony A series; i totally disagree with his review because his review was only from his perspective; we get it; you don't like it
What?! I think it’s a great lens, I even put it in the title! Ideal for someone like yourself doing sport and documentary work as I said in the video. My point is if you don’t need power zoom or a parafocal lens then there are cheap, shaper and lighter lenses out there, that’s just a fact.
I was between this lens and the Tamron a couple of months back, between scalpers and the not so wide 35mm max length of the Tamron, I went with this one. There's some downsides such as the horrible weight and the $$$ filters, and specially on my R4, the not so sharp image. But 28mm can really get you out of a pinch, and so does 135mm, I've barely needed to switch to a wider lens, stabilizing it on a gimbal is painful. It got the excellent OSS, so good in fact I have used it handheld no problem to record interviews, wider range, aperture ring and being par focal over the Tamron, but I am really wanting to sell it for the Tamron and compromise on that ...
I love this lens and it is the biggest reason I keep the Sony a7iii even though I have a Panasonic S1H. I film high school football, soccer, basketball, assemblies, and plays. The power zoom is smoother than I could ever be with a non powered zoom. Moreover, this lens is parfocal which means I can use manual focus without issue. I considered upgrading the a7iii to the a7siii but found out the 12mp sensor would not support crop mode. This is a must for me. Except for the wide kickoff, I shoot the rest of the game in crop mode, giving me a 42-200 ish equivalent. That’s a good range for me and I love that I get a constant aperture over that range. I’m considering upgrading to the a7iv so I can shoot in 10 bit. I just hope overheating will not be an issue. Of course, all of the outdoor events are always cold so might not mind a warm camera. Anyway, for me, this lens is great for these uses.
Do you use a remote zoom controller for the Power zoom? Does It even work on cameras like the a7III? I know that the multi USB input should work even with cheap zoom remotes you can find online but they don't give you the right hand grip to do smooth zooms..
@@RunningWormProd I’m not sure how it would plug in. The multiplug? I have a vaizoom that I use with a Sony Nx5 but that has a lanc connection. Honestly, I never felt like I needed a controller with this lens. I recently traded the a7iii for the a7iv. I also purchased the 18-105 f4 power zoom lens and use it in crop mode (apsc lens). It is not in the same ballpark as the 28-135 but the zoom works well and it is great for everyday carry.
@@shotmonkey7219 yes I read that with the multiplug and a compatibile zoom controller (you can find non lanc cheap ones on Amazon) you should be able to record and zoom without Always putting your hand on the Lens but I don't have Power zoom lenses to test this. If you have a 8 hour long course to record trust me It makes the difference!
I love my 28-135. I am thinking of getting the 18-110 for my fx30 once it comes in. I did snag a 95mm threaded glimmer glass to soften the image even more.
My favorite video zoom - the best feature is actually that the lens doesnt extend when zooming. When using rigs and matteboxes having the lens not extending when zooming is a must. So its a professional eng style zoom lens with autofocus thats DIRT CHEAP compared to anything else in this category. You could get something like a fujinon zoom in the same pricerange for super35 but then no autofocus. For the price its a bit of unicorn really...
This! Even the reviewer hasn't mentioned it: this is incredibly important, powered totally silent creeping powerzoom. My daughter used this only lens for weddings, theater work, documentary. Now I use it for everything, family and friends. Brutally awesome lens.
This lens rocks. It's very well made, and I like the speed and smoothness of the focus and zoom. It's one of the only full frame lenses with a power zoom. If you are using full frame, doing event videos, it's a must have.
Thank you. Your videos have been by far the best I have seen on RU-vid in years. I love that they don’t start with “Sony sent me this for free” as soon as I hear that on other videos I skip. Great job. Thank you.
Thank you very much. To be fair I’m just not big enough yet to be sent stuff from major brands, sadly it’s something that’s required as no one could buy everything themselves to review. That said regardless if it’s my own kit or review kit I’d always try and review kit in the same way, does it provide good value for money and an investment that will either make you more money or save you money.
@@JonathanPalfrey you know the reason it winds me up when I see a review that starts with “I was sent this free” a while back I went to get this Acer laptop and all the big reviewers only mentioned how amazing it was, then when I got it it had so many issues, even my replacement unit. A few weeks later i see an actual on RU-vid with those same reviewers in the add. I felt lied to. I thought that’s why they didn’t mention anything negative they don’t want to bite the hand that feeds them. Most reviews these days should be labelled extended ads or product demos. Just my opinion.
@@TruthReviewsyeah that can be annoying. I’ve definitely bought kit on the hype of reviews or worries that the cheaper option wouldn’t be good enough. Try and look at a broad range of reviews when you can and try and spot what the actually use day in day out through bts images on social media etc. Small RU-vidrs and individuals can go the other way too, overhyping something they’ve purchased as they don’t want to admit its not perfect. I might do a what kit am I using video every six months so people can at least asses for themselves if I really do like the kit or not.
OSS Optical Stabilization is the reason to buy this lens! The Tamron 35-150 doesn't have OSS like many other lenses... If you don't want to use a gimbal or tripod, you need need Optical Stabilization.
Excellent review. I just got this lens to pair with my Fx9 and it's a good companion for that camera as I shoot sports and I'm able to get close to the players (like you said not very long). F.4 is slow but the 9 has so much range and is clean in higher ISO, so I think it's gonna work for me for run and gun stuff.
The main reason I've always wanted this lens is that it's parfocal. The most important part of a lens imo. Unfortunately I don't seem the be the target audience for any lens makers :)
Hi pal, Is a great lens, I had my FS7 with that lens yet and i'ts so sharp & crispy. I have an FX3 too but I have more advantage with FS7 for the DCI 4k and the ND Filter Internal make a stunning combination in films, That's why Sony called the FS7 the workhorse power camera and Sony's predecessor FX9. So I don't have to spend a lot money with a 95 nd filter to use it but I use the FX3 to motion scenes, High ISO 12800 in night scenes and 120 fps in 4k with a Peter Mckinnon ND filter the fx3 is a baby monster camera ;) Great video buddy. Have a good one.
@А ТЫ ТОЧНО ДИЗАЙНЕР? well for me they are making great job in the field. The filters are not bad, is the person behind the filter is bad. So analyze what you did wrong to say that comment, because 85 percent of the best filmmakers use McKinnon, Hoya and Nisi. The flavors and tastes make the deal in our careers. Cheers 🍻
I know it’s old and big, I recently put in to loan one from Sony Pro Support just because I was running out of choices to borrow so I’m looking forward to checking it out when it arrives
I would buy this lens for timelapse. Better range than most sony fe lenses, geared rings for having a programmed motor do zoom/focus/aperture as time of subject changes. No other lens does this.
I’ve not tried it myself but I believe it does. I was looking into if there was a way of connecting a LANC controller to an FX3 and the remotes seemed to be the only alternative option.
It came down to the Tamron 35-150 f2-2.8 and this Sony lens for me, and I went with the Tamron. Very happy with that decision even despite it not having a zoom function or OSS. It’s great to have the extra reach, and faster aperture, but since it starts at 35, it doesn’t make any of my wider zooms focal lengths redundant. Tamron made a world class lens with the 35-150.
lol good lord yes... how you liking it? been thinking about picking it up. i have the 24-105, and the fact that it's f2 up to 85 is just incredible. i'm really hoping we'll see some faster zooms in the future now that Tamron brought that out, for the zooms themselves and so the prices on other lenses go down.
Do you think the Sony 24-105 F4 is a better lens than this? The bigger question is, if you stick a nucelus nano motor on the zoom barrel of it, do you have a a higher quality "power zoom" lens for less money?
For most people probably it is, sharpness is about the same, the 24-105 is a lot more compact and I’d say 24 is much more useful than having the extra reach. Ha probably could do that with a nano. I forgot to mention but I the 28-135 is sort of par focal, I don’t think it actually is however it’s close enough that the autofocus can correct it as you zoom. You might struggle with that with the 24-105. I think if you need the power zoom then the 28-135 is probably still a better option.
… I use the PZ a lot. It’s great for studio work and in controlled light situations. But it makes not much sense, to add any kind of motor to use the lens in the „manual“ zoom mode - it’s a full electronic zoom and you can’t get a quicker response or higher zoom speed in manuell mode. But maybe it’s easier or more familiar to zoom „manual“ with a motor.
It is an awesome lens, I don't use it often as it never seems to be the right lens for the shoots I do however every time I think about selling it I decide to hold on to it.
Have it on my fs7 when shooting conferences/lectures or anything happening on a stage and use it as a tight shoot for interviews/talking head. Also rent it out a lot to people doing eng. 🎉
Thanks for the review! I just found out about this hidden gem. 💎 I have the FX3 and was looking for a good power zoom cinematic lens. Picking it up asap. #legendaryitem
Let me know how you get on. I do a bit of a mix between broadcast and some more cinematic work on gimbal. This seems like a good option- just wish Sony would update
@@bhwhprods Yeah tell me about it! An update would be out of this world 🌎! Ok NICE! I have a gimbal that I'm still learning how to use. Loving this combination (FX3 & 28-135mm). What's your social/ website? I'd love to support and follow!
Hello friend, good afternoon, how are you? I ended up discovering this lens today, and I'm impressed with the price, I live in Brazil, as you probably already know, everything is very expensive here, you have to look for this lens here in the neighboring country, it's costing 10,600.00 reais, which is a good price, since a Sony 70 200 f2.8 gm II is around 12 thousand reais, but I saw that you talk about other options, could you tell me some? I know there's that 18 105f4 too, it's really cheap, it probably costs around 6 thousand reais, but I don't know for sure, but I'm kind of in love with this lens, but videography and photography for me are hobbies, so I wanted the maximum sharpness and quality possible, but I wanted a range more in this style, from 18 to 150mm or so, here in Brazil it's difficult to find good results, if you have good recommendations, I'd be grateful, thanks for the video friend!
Thanks for watching. It's a great lens however there are sharper lenses like the Tamron 35-150 in a similar range. It depends what you need a lens for. This one is perfect for sport and news.
How do you feel it works physically with the FX3 long term? I noticed some people had issues with the weight and size putting a lot of strain on the E mount.
I'm having to look at this lens because I'm looking at getting an FR7 PTZ from Sony I really think they should have a few more lens options for that camera though I don't know if any new ones have come out recently since that camera came out of year ago
Thanks, I have an fx9 coming soon with this bundled in. As a news shooter I wondered how it will fair. Do you know of any servo zoom lenses that are wider than this, that would also work with the autofocus on a fx9 ?thanks, good video, well illustrated
Thanks. I presume you’re used to B4 lenses? As I mentioned you might find the lens a bit frustrating compared to one of those. That said another news guys I’ve spoken to who use it with an FX6 was very happy with it compared to his old set up. There’s a couple of wide angle zooms Sony made however they are very much wide angle such as the 16-35mm f4 pz and the Sony 16-35 t3.1
thank you so much for the review! can you use a remote zoom control (like the varizoom ones you can put on the tripod arm) with this lens and the sony FX3? I know that the multi usb input on the F7SIII should allow to control it but remote zoom controls with good hand grip have usually LANCconnection which is not in the FX3 right?
Thanks, this is something I’ve been trying to find out. I’ve got a lanc controller I used on my FS7 and cameras before it. For it to work it would need to be something that converts lanc to the multi usb port. Sadly not found the solution yet.
@@JonathanPalfrey it's Crazy there are also cheap lanc controllers but to use them you need to have a 6000€ camera plus a 2000€ Lens..I want to replace my old Sony pmw ex1r with Manfrotto remote zoom controller I use for corporate and educational events with a new full frame Sony camera (and the a7SIII I own as b camera) and some remote controller so I don't have to rent stuff all the time but the costs are crazy.. also 135mm are not nearly as close as you can get with the ex1/3 or pxw 150/200 etc series..
You mentioned at least four or five times there are better lenses, but never provided any examples. Could you kindly list a few alternative FE lenses that are: 1. Zooms with a comparable or better zoom range than the 28-135; 2. made with a power zoom; 3. faster max aperture than f/4; 4. sharper; 5. more compact; 6. faster to operate; and 7. parfocal.
Better lenses for different purposes, for example the Tamron 35-150mm which I mention is better if your doing corporate work for example. For those that need a parfocal power zoom then yes this is the only option. As I mention those that need a lens like this this is then this one they will need however for others that don’t need those features other lenses might be better options.
@@JonathanPalfrey - "Better lenses for different purposes", so why is the Tamron 35-150mm relevant here at all? The Sony 28-135 is already somewhat limited at the wide end, and the Tamron is worse. The Tamron's zoom is stiff and produces jerky transitions for video. It is not parfocal, so you have to hope the AF in the Sony can keep up. The lens has no image stabilization. It lacks a lot of things you need for video. What "different purpose" it is fit for is also debatable. The lens delivers poor micro contrast, has a hideous pin cushion distortion, and worst of all, makes you one-handed, because the lens does not have a collar, which forces you to dedicate one hand to carrying your camera + lens, unless you're OK with letting it hang off the camera body and warp the mount. Alternatively, you have to carry a bag all the time. Even then, you could never use it with a tripod or monopod without having to invest a long lens support contraption (e.g., from Really Right Stuff). In any case, the Tamron is a camera made for photographers, so I don't know why we are comparing it to a lens designed for videography at all! There are many great lenses that are built for different purposes, e.g., Leica 50mm f/0.95 Noctilux-M. But I wouldn't use it to beat up on the Sony 28-135 f/4. See my confusion? We're talking about an apple, so if the apple is no good, by all means, I'd love to hear about a better apple. But it does not help me that there are oranges, pears, apricots, pineapples, and many, many other fruits out there!
@@minarimon3106 depends on what you’re shooting. The Tamron 35-150 is f2-2.8 so a bit better in low light although you won’t have the power zoom. Otherwise any primes will be far better in low light
Never buy? Haha... The title only tells us that you lack experience in broadcasting filming. SELP28135G is so far the closest to the B4 lenses and also affordable. Photo guys would never understand.
Haha I’m guessing you wrote this before watching the video. I’ve done loads of broadcast shooting in the past. In fact most of this review is saying how ideal it is for someone who is doing sport, news, events etc where you need smooth zoom and a big range
