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Viltrox 135mm F1.8 LAB: two-minute evaluate
Ever since I noticed the Viltrox AF 135mm F1.8 LAB lens for Sony full-frame cameras I have been counting down the times till Viltrox made it made accessible for Nikon Z-mount cameras. That day has now come.
Viltrox’s first skilled LAB lens will get the Z-mount remedy, and I’ve already had the prospect to check the lens for a number of weeks, pairing it with my Nikon Z6 II for supreme shallow-depth-of-field portraits and extra.
It is the inexpensive different to my dream Z-mount lens, the dear Nikon 135mm f/1.8 S Plena, in addition to to Sony’s own 135mm F1.8 GM.
At $899 / £829 / round AU$1,500 (reductions can be found on the Viltrox website too), it is half the worth of the Sony lens, and only a third of the worth of Nikon’s Plena, which initially price round $2,600 / £2,700 / AU$4,600. For Nikon Z customers like me, that is clearly an enormous distinction.
135mm is a perfect focal size for portraits, however I additionally love the attitude for panorama pictures, along with the wonderful light-gathering capabilities of a quick f/1.8 aperture prime lens like this.
So what do I consider the Viltrox 135mm f/1.8 LAB now that I’ve examined it? It is a actually beautiful lens, though it does have one vital disadvantage that has me pondering twice.
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Viltrox 135mm f/1.8 LAB specs
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Kind: |
Telephoto prime |
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Mount: |
Nikon Z-mount / Sony E-mount |
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Sensor: |
Full body |
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Focal size: |
135mm |
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Max aperture: |
f/1.8 |
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Minimal focus: |
0.72m |
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Filter dimension: |
82mm |
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Dimensions: |
93 x 145.7mm |
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Weight: |
45.6oz / 1235g |
Viltrox 135mm f/1.8 LAB: Design
- Premium design and construct high quality
- Very heavy
- Distinctive customizable LCD display is a enjoyable contact
It is clear that the Viltrox 135mm is constructed for professionals. The construct high quality is top-drawer, from the weather-resistant metallic barrel, entrance lens aspect and rear mount to the reassuringly safe connection to the digital camera – you will want some muscle to click on the lens into place – and the premium controls dotted across the exterior.
There is a clean focus ring, a second ring that may be set to clean or clicked and which by default is about to manage aperture, plus customized buttons and a customizable high LCD.
It is potential to customise the welcome display of the highest LCD (severely), which is a pleasant contact, even when I can not see myself creating my very own welcome display… but. It is also potential to use firmware updates simply by the USB-C port constructed into the rear mount.
Focus distances are marked exactly on the LCD, all the way down to the centimeter, which is one thing you do not get with different lenses. There’s additionally a AF / MF change plus a focus-range limiter. These exterior controls cowl all of the bases for the situations through which I see myself utilizing the lens.
Autofocus is clean and basically silent. Viltrox says focus speeds are “150% sooner”, though I am undecided what that is compared to, and I would not say that is the fastest-focusing lens I’ve used, even whether it is clean. I am going to contact on why I believe so in a bit.
Within the field is a decent-sized lens hood and a mushy lens pouch for packing the lens away safely. So, all in all, the Viltrox 135mm F1.8 sounds nice, proper? And it’s, however for one factor.
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As I discussed in my verdict in the beginning of this evaluate, this lens is heavy – very heavy. It is the very first thing you discover as you are taking it out of the field. How heavy? 43.6oz / 1,235g, with out the lens hood. Ouch.
To be clear, high quality 135mm f/1.8 lenses like this are heavy, however the Viltrox is one other degree; it is about 25% heavier than the Sony and Nikon lenses I’ve talked about.
I want the Viltrox was lighter, at the least for utilizing it with my Z6 II. The stability is so front-heavy that this can be a lens that is greatest utilized in brief bursts, which is a disgrace as a result of I might see myself utilizing a lens like this for occasion pictures, and people jobs are lengthy hours.
Should you shoot with a bigger digital camera such because the Nikon Z8, or extra so the Nikon Z9, the stability of the Viltrox lens will probably be a lot better.
Nonetheless, there’s additionally an excellent motive why this lens is so heavy – its supreme optical high quality.
Viltrox 135mm f/1.8 LAB: Efficiency
- 135mm focal size splendid for isolating topics
- Just about flawless optical high quality
- Exact and clean autofocus, however not the quickest
The optical high quality of the Viltrox 135mm f/1.8 LAB lens is nearly flawless, very like the Nikon Plena lens, and the MTF charts shared by Viltrox again this up.
Element is sharp from heart to edges, even when utilizing the utmost f/1.8 aperture. There’s not an enormous quantity of vignetting both – it is hardly noticeable when you cease the aperture all the way down to f/2.8, whereas at f/1.8 it is simply corrected if you do not need these darker corners that assist your topic stand out all of the extra.
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I purposefully pushed the lens in difficult situations, corresponding to backlit portraits at golden hour, and it dealt with flare admirably. It additionally targeted exactly, no imply feat when its VCM motors are working onerous to shift these weighty lens components, of which there are 14 in 9 teams, though focusing is barely snappier with Sony’s and Nikon’s lenses in my expertise.
Most photographers splashing the money on a lens like this achieve this for its capability to provide enticing bokeh, and the Viltrox lens impresses on this entrance, particularly for the worth.
The 11-blade round aperture delivers buttery clean and round bokeh in out-of-focus areas of dappled mild, as you possibly can see within the pattern pictures. This sort of bokeh high quality is the holy grail for professional portrait photographers, and it is now accessible in a lens that prices a fraction of the worth of Nikon and Sony’s personal lenses.
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The highest-drawer optical high quality, particularly for the aggressive value, can’t be overstated, and Viltrox has actually given me one thing to consider. Would I purchase this lens? Completely. I am going to simply hit the fitness center first, or improve my gear with the chunkier Z8 for higher stability, or – extra cost-effectively – the Z6 II battery grip.
Its weight and barely sluggish autofocus are the one drawbacks to an in any other case flawless lens.
Must you purchase the Viltrox 135mm f/1.8 LAB?
Purchase it if…
Do not buy it if…
How I examined the Viltrox 135mm f/1.8 LAB
- Examined intermittently for a couple of weeks
- Paired with a Nikon Z6 II
- Utilized in a spread of situations and at totally different instances of day
I obtained the Viltrox 135mm f/1.8 LAB lens for Nikon Z-mount a couple of weeks forward of its official unveiling on March 19, 2025. It is already accessible for Sony E-mount.
I’ve paired the lens with a Nikon Z6 II physique, and used it in a spread of difficult situations to check its optical high quality. These conditions included backlit portraits throughout golden hours, with the sunshine dancing across the solar included in some pictures.
I have never but had the chance to check the lens throughout inclement climate but, so I can not touch upon its weather-resistance credentials.
- First reviewed March 2025