Even better is that dozens of manufacturers were putting out 135mm f/2.8 lenses in the 1960s-1980s, all of which have interesting characteristics in their color rendering and bokeh. If you already have something like a 70-200mm zoom filling up that focal length, grabbing a faster 135mm for a bargain can give you unique image quality plus the other advantages of this length without having to break the bank.
So I have the a7iii and a7riv. Ive tried various lenses from the 24mm GM, to 35, 85, 90, 70-200, 200-600, and finally the 135GM. I have to say that for dog photography (still) and subjects, the 135mm GM produced the best results in terms of bring the subject and colors to life. It was just beautiful out the box so to speak with minimal post editing.
Purchased a Sony 135mm GM lens from Park Cameras this year. Took a bit of risk buying it for street photography I thought, but happy to say I've found it amazing, one of my favourite lenses, if you can live with a bit of bulk.
Thanks for the nice video. I agree with your comment. 135mm is a bit of a niche focal length, but it always gives me great results if I have enough space to work in. I think the 135mm GM is one of Sony's very best lenses. I have also used it quite a bit for making panoramas, as stitching such detailed close-ups from this lens gives amazing results.
I use a lot of vintage SLRs, and my go to focal length on all them is 135mm. To me, it’s the sweet spot. Not too wide, but not too narrowly focused. It does have its limitations, to be sure, but I’m almost always willing to work with those limitations so I can make use of that focal length’s strengths.
I’m a fan of 135…usually you can pick up old manual 135 lenses for cheap…Tamron and Vivitar each have close focus 135’s which are sharp and versatile…the 20 aperture blades of the Russian Tair makes for nice bokeh…I splurged for the Sony 135 and it is so sharp and fast to nail focus
Thank you for your explanation on the ‘main idea’ when using a 135mm lens. I did not really know about this. I always give much thought on composition, but now I know this I will think about the subject even more. I own a vintage Coslinar 135mm 2.8 lens and love it very much. Bokeh is great, very well built and was very cheap.
I recently bought the Rokinon 135mm f/2 specifically for deep space astrophotography on a tracking mount with auto-guiding. It is a popular choice for this due to the low chromatic aberration and low coma aberration in the corners. Just used it for the first time last week. I’m very happy with the results at f/2.8.
I also bought these lense ($60) with my lumix s5, but is a little dificult for me to manual focus and when the aperture below 4, the picture is a little soft, but overall I am willing to take it out and shoot.
I tried out an old 135mm f/2 lens recently for portraits. It's for an old Minolta film camera but I put an adaptor on it to work with the Canon RF mount. I used it on my Canon RP. It was very different than what I'm used to but I liked it. I'm going to have to try it out again. The colors were different than my modern lenses. I'd like to try a newer one to compare the two.
Nice video. Love the way the 135 is conceptualized: “it goes deeper into who your subject is”. I’m waiting for my Sigma 135 to arrive. It’ll correspond to my 90mm for APS-C, which I love. But the Sigma is for full frame and it’ll take in a little more light. Great for event photography I expect. But this idea of doing landscape with it and being very conscious about where to put the focus is very appealing. Thank you.
Love your energy, and thank you for a thought-provoking video. I rather enjoy shooting at 135mm, a great focal -length :) I always have a 135mm in my bag.
I picked up the Sony 135mm GM last spring and it became my #1 lens for portraits if I have enough room. The bokeh/depth of field it produces is just magical and it took over my sigma 105 f1.4 art lens. Put the Sony 135 gm on a a7riv and your getting some of the sharpest images ever. I decided to try using the 135mm with my a9 for sports at my cross country atv and dirt bike races and wowsers this is a killer combo. I prefer it over a 70-200 for the more light it allows to get a faster shutter speed a freeze action. I am just bummed that Samyang came out with their 135mm version. I have had great success with their 85 & 35mm f1.4 lenses. But the 135 gm will definitely stay in my camera bag. Great video
Interesting video, I just picked up a vintage Japanese Photax 135mm f2.8 lens in a bundle of 5 bought for £20. Looking forward to seeing what kind of images it produces.
I havva Pentax-M 135/2.5 & soon 2 get my paws onto a Tamron CT-135/2.8. Discovering the "compression" qualities of this focal length .. & "subject isolation". We t out shooting with a Tamron 200/3.5 & that Pentax-135. I like attempting graphic images.
Just came across you're channel,... Thanks for shining a light on the 135mm, an underrated lens for sure,.. but will definitely force you to create good composition, this why it is personal favourite lense 👌.. You've just earned yourself a Sub..
I added sigma 135mm f1.8 Art to my gear and learning more about it. Its the most interesting lens i have at the moment. Bought also c-pl filter for landscpe and 8point star filter for streetphotos at low light from cellonic to get more interesting results.
@parkscamera can use the lens for safari? Also can the rokin mm135 add new life to older cameras like a6500? Second your lens doesnt have oss so do you need gimble or steady shot xamera?
Now I watched your video again for the 5th time. I'm planning to buy lenses. I just own an 28-70 3.5-5.6 which I purchase with my a7iv. I'm confused should I buy it? I wanna do different types of genre that you mentioned. Like weddings, fashion, products, food. And for hobby sometimes street. Should I buy it or not? plz anybody suggest me.
