Sony announces its 49th E-mount lens, the 135mm f/1.8 G Master

[Shawn Knight]

In brief: Sony's new 135mm f/1.8 is the company's 31st native full-frame FE lens and 49th overall E-mount lens. With it, Sony provides photographers with an even larger selection to meet their demanding needs.

Sony on Tuesday welcomed a new member to its G Master series of full-frame E-mount interchangeable lenses.

The 135mm f/1.8 full-frame, large-aperture telephoto prime lens (model SEL135F18GM) features 13 glass elements in 10 groups. It utilizes an 11-bladed circular aperture mechanism to help produce more natural looking bokeh with a minimum focus distance of just 2.3 feet.

Other noteworthy features include an aperture ring, a manual focus ring, a focus range limiter switch and two customizable focus hold buttons. All of this is packed into a body that’s just five inches long and tips the scales at 33.6 ounces.

Given its compact size and popular focal length, the 135mm f/1.8 will be especially useful to professional portrait photographers, wedding photographers, sports shooters and other enthusiasts.

Sony’s 135mm f/1.8 G Master lens will ship in late April priced at approximately $1,900. Pre-orders open on Thursday over at B&H Photo should you want to go ahead and secure yours.

Sony also has a series of new polarizer filters launching in May in sizes ranging from 49mm to 82mm that are said to preserve image quality and resolution about twice as effectively as its existing circular PL filter lineup. Should you want one for your new lens, be prepared to shell out an additional $230.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/78934-sony-announces-49th-e-mount-lens-135mm-f18.html

 

[Uncle Al]

Not sure this qualifies as a Portrait Lens ..... normally a 90-100mm lens would be for that since the 135 tends to flatten the image more and has less depth of field, which can be considered desirable. Seems to me that this is really just a bit more of marketing to sell a lens that, with so many high quality zoom lenses out there, to sell a repetitive lens.

 

[Arris]

Also note that usually the "two customizable focus hold buttons" on the Sony lenses are not usually individually customizable. They both have the same bound function.

 

[captaincranky]

@Shawn Knight Said: "All of this is packed into a body that’s just five inches long and tips the scales at 33.6 ounces."

You realize Shawn, that's over two pounds, don't you? Or did that "just" in the sentence 'just" attach to the length?

 

[captaincranky]

Not sure this qualifies as a Portrait Lens ..... normally a 90-100mm lens would be for that since the 135 tends to flatten the image more and has less depth of field, which can be considered desirable. Seems to me that this is really just a bit more of marketing to sell a lens that, with so many high quality zoom lenses out there, to sell a repetitive lens.

I'm not sure it's ideal for any of that applications. It's chief selling point is that it's fast. FWIW, there aren't any zoom lenses available in that focal length which aren't a full stop slower.

As for "sports", especially football, that's really the province of the 300 mm to 400 mm F 2.8s you'll see on the sidelines.

With today's speedy sensors, I would prefer to spring for a pro grade 80 -200 mm F 2.8. In fact, Canon still has one of those in their "L" model without image stabilization, for about $1,300. Which, for overall utility makes the Sony well, over priced.

A single fixed focal length is a one trick pony. And yeah, for portrait work on a 35 mm FF, you're better off with an 85 mm F 1.8

But, if you want to take head shots with a 135, all you have to do is back up, and stop down. Problem (mostly) solved. Portraits with a DX sensor body with a 135 would be granted, a nightmare.

Incidentally, 35 mm 100 mm focal length lenses are usually offered as "macro lenses". Flat field and all that.

Here's the Canon 85 mm f1.8 (It's not an "l" lens, but I'll bet it's plenty sharp)):

https://www.adorama.com/ca8518afu.html

The 100mm macro (It is a "L" model:

https://www.adorama.com/ca10028isunk.html

And finally the 70 - 200 mm F2.8L zoom no IS:

https://www.adorama.com/ca70200afl.html

(I swear one day I'll buy a Canon body, so I can buy that lens to hang on it. I have a Nikon 80-200 F2.8 but it's the old auto focus motor in the camera body D model).