I’ve been eyeing the 135mm focal length for years now. It’s the king of bokeh.
When I finally got my hands on the Samyang 135mm f/1.8, I was captivated by the blurry backdrops and sharp portraits.
For my portrait work, the 85mm focal length has been a staple for many years, but now I can’t get enough of the 135mm focal length.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Samyang 135mm f/1.8
Offers a solid build, stunning image quality, and buttery bokeh, all for a very reasonable price.
If you want maximum bokeh or if you need a telephoto lens that’s great in low light, I highly recommend the Samyang 135mm f/1.8.
Read on to find out why I love this lens.
Samyang 135mm f/1.8 Specs
Pros
Very sharp
Beautiful bokeh
Great in low light
Great image quality
Affordable
Cons
Autofocus speed
Plastic body
Focal Length: 135mm
Aperture Range: f/1.8-f/22
Lens Format: Full-Frame
Image Stabilization: No
Filter Thread: 82 mm (Front)
Minimum Focus Distance: 27.2″ / 69 cm
Maximum Magnification: 0.24x
Dimensions (ø x L): 3.7 x 5.1″ / 93 x 130 mm
Weight: 27.2 oz / 772 g
Build & Ergonomics
Whenever you consider buying a third-party lens, you likely wonder about build quality.
The Samyang 135mm f/1.8 does not disappoint in this area. I was immediately impressed by the rugged feel of the body and the grippy rubberized focusing ring.
Although the barrel of this new lens is plastic, it still feels durable and well-built.
If you want a metal body, you’ll have to upgrade to the Sony 135mm f/1.8 FE, but that will cost you triple the price (more on that later).
In addition to a durable feel, the Samyang 135mm f/1.8 comes with a nicely fitting lens hood, a customizable mode switch, and a focus range selector. It balances nicely on a Sony camera body.
Although it doesn’t have an aperture ring, the focus ring can be used for manual focus or customized to be an aperture ring.
The M1/M2 custom switch can be programmed to a wide variety of functions with the Samyang lens station (purchased separately). I found it most functional as a manual focus switch.
The focus limiter switch is useful if you know your subject will be in a certain distance range. It will help you get faster autofocus performance by limiting the hunting the lens has to do to lock focus.
Weather sealing is another nice quality this lens comes with. Many lower-end lenses sacrifice this helpful feature, so I appreciated that this lens included it.
Overall, the build quality is quite nice on this lens. With the release of the second generation of Samyang autofocus lenses for Sony cameras, the quality got much better.
It’s well-built without feeling heavy, especially with the maximum aperture of f/1.8.
Focus Performance
The Samyang 135mm f/1.8 is decent at tracking subjects but misses focus sometimes.
To get straight to the point, autofocus is one area where the Samyang sacrifices a little performance to save on price. In a practical setting, the autofocus works great for everything but fast-moving action sports.
If you’re using it as a portrait lens, the Samyang 135mm f/1.8 autofocus is fast and accurate. The linear STM focus motor will quickly grab a subject even with a very shallow depth of field.
The focus accuracy was repeatable and excellent, regardless of the lighting conditions. Sometimes focus accuracy can suffer in low light, but that was not the case.
In low light, I found it to be very good. When photographing a dance show with a dark stage, this lens was able to track subjects and get sharp images.
If you want the fastest, most rock-solid autofocus, you’ll probably want to spend the extra money to get the Sony 135mm f/1.8 FE. This GM lens is going to provide maximum performance.
When compared with some of the older gear I’ve used, the autofocus on this lens was still more than adequate for most of my use cases. I appreciate how fast and accurate autofocus is with newer lenses.
Overall, this is a great lens and the slight shortcomings in autofocus should not dissuade you. Read on about the image quality to find out what’s so impressive about this lens.
Image Quality
Image quality is where the rubber meets the road in terms of third-party lenses.
While Samyang has made some good lenses in the past, the Samyang 135mm f/1.8 is exceptional.
This first-generation lens matches the quality of the Sony lens (the main competitor) with impressive results.
First off, this is one of the sharpest lenses Samyang has produced. This Sony 135mm f/1.8 is known for its sharpness (see our review here), so I was pleasantly surprised when the Samyang was able to keep up despite being 1/3 of the price.
This lens is sharper on the edges than many of my other lenses are in the middle of the frame! If you’re not familiar with lens design, lenses are often sharpest in the center, falling off toward the edges.
If you’re shopping for the 135mm, bokeh is probably one of your top priorities. Getting a buttery bokeh backdrop is easy with this lens given its large maximum aperture and telephoto focal length.
In addition to the quantity of blur, the bokeh on this lens is very pleasing. The 11-bladed aperture gives a nice shape to the bokeh.
In the extreme corner, you may notice some cateye to the bokeh highlights, but it’s only exaggerated when you have point sources of light.
The bokeh blends into a nice blur with a more typical backdrop.
You may also be wondering about chromatic aberration and longitudinal chromatic aberrations. These are well controlled on this lens.
The Samyang AF 135mm delivers stunning image quality due to its ultra-precision aspherical elements.
Close focusing is not the strong suit of this lens, with a minimum focus distance of 27.2″ / 69 cm.
The Samyang AF 135mm lens really shines as a portrait lens. If you are shooting video or in JPG, you’ll be glad to know that vignetting is well-controlled.
Overall, the image quality of this lens is stunning, especially for the price! More on value below.
Samyang 135mm f/1.8 Sample Images
Here are some sample images taken with the Samyang 135mm f/1.8 , using a Sony a7R V.
Sony a7R V + Samyang 135mm f/1.8 | 1/640 f/1.8 ISO 250
Sony a7R V + Samyang 135mm f/1.8 | 1/640 f/1.8 ISO 250
Sony a7R V + Samyang 135mm f/1.8 | 1/400 f/1.8 ISO 100
Sony a7R V + Samyang 135mm f/1.8 | 1/200 f/1.8 ISO 12800
Sony a7R V + Samyang 135mm f/1.8 | 1/1250 f/2.8 ISO 100
Sony a7R V + Samyang 135mm f/1.8 | 1/1250 f/1.8 ISO 400
Sony a7R V + Samyang 135mm f/1.8 | 1/1250 f/1.8 ISO 400
Sony a7R V + Samyang 135mm f/1.8 | 1/5000 f/1.8 ISO 100
Sony a7R V + Samyang 135mm f/1.8 | 1/8000 f/3.5 ISO 100
Sony a7R V + Samyang 135mm f/1.8 | 1/800 f/1.8 ISO 100
How I Tested the Samyang 135mm f/1.8
The Sony a7R V with the Samyang 135mm f/1.8
I used the Samyang AF 135mm f/1.8 on a variety of shoots over several months prior to writing this review. Having used it thoroughly in a variety of conditions, I love how it performs.
Being able to get such good image quality with this lens was a pleasure. I love how sharp it is and the bokeh is what I love the most.
If you shoot in low light or want to completely hide a backdrop, using this AF 135mm f/1.8 from Samyang will be very helpful.
It’s a special lens due to its limited versatility, but in the right conditions, it really stands apart.
Two lenses I would consider for portraits are the 85mm and 135mm – both give great results. After using the Samyang AF 135mm f/1.8, I am even more convinced that it’s better than my 85mm.
Alternatives
The main alternative to the Samyang 135mm f/1.8 is the Sony. With nearly identical specs, these two lenses are mainly differentiated by two factors: autofocus and price.
If you want the best in bokeh and autofocus, these are the only lenses to consider. There is also a Sigma Art lens, but it’s very heavy/bulky and not worth the price.
Others to consider are adapted lenses, which will not have nearly as good autofocus performance.
Because this is such a specialty lens, I am excited to say that it offers excellent value given its quality. More on that below.
Value for Money
The Sony a7I V with the Samyang 135mm f/1.8
At around US$700, this lens is a fantastic deal. With autofocus being the only slight downside, I will gladly be adding this lens to my kit.
Compared to the $2,100 Sony 135mm f/1.8 GM lens, this lens is a huge savings. At 1/3 the price, it delivers exceptional value for money.
Hard to believe Samyang can make a lens this affordable and still give such good image quality and features. Because it’s primarily a portrait lens, I’m happy the autofocus is the only downside.
Autofocus is a much lower priority for me than image quality when it comes to portraits, so I’m glad they designed the lens the way they did.
FAQ’s
Are Rokinon and Samyang the same brand?
Yes. It’s a bit confusing, but they release the same lenses under two different brand names depending on the region.
Is the Samyang 135mm f/1.8 a good lens?
Absolutely! You get the same image quality as the Sony 135mm f/1.8 GM for 1/3 the price.
Is 135mm a good lens for portraits?
Yes. It produces beautiful bokeh and very sharp images, but you do have to be pretty far back from your subject.
Samyang 135mm f/1.8 Review | Conclusion
If you want the king of bokeh and don’t have an unlimited budget, the Samyang 135mm f/1.8 is a great lens. I really enjoyed the photos I was able to capture with it!
I’ll likely be adding this lens to my kit when needed for portrait work, low light, far away subjects, and buttery bokeh.
If you’re a portrait photographer who shoots with difficult backdrops, I highly recommend you check out the Samyang 135mm f/1.8 lens.
If you have any questions or feedback, please leave a comment below!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Samyang 135mm f/1.8
Offers a solid build, stunning image quality, and buttery bokeh, all for a very reasonable price.
