Samyang 135mm f/1.8 - Super Light Mega Bokeh
Modern 135mm f/1.8 lenses have impressive image quality considering the sheer size of their 'Entrance Pupil'. (that is: How big the max aperture appears through the front of the lens): This massive 75mm* diameter entrance pupil lets in over three times as much light as a 50mm f/1.2 lens. They're great in low-light and provide impressive subject isolation (shallow depth of field), but they tend to be big heavy and expensive. Recent advancements in engineering have enabled manufacturers to perform some miracles in those regards and Samyang have been fantastic at this trifecta! Their AF 135mm f/1.8 FE perhaps being one the most impressive! Weighing only 772g (1.7 lbs), its lighter than the Sony's 85GM, while far out-performing it on image quality, subject isolation and cost.
* about as big as they get before focal length, size, weight and cost skyrocket
Sony A1 - f/2.0 | iso 200
AF 135mm f/2.0 History
Nikon's novelty 'Defocus Control' (1995) 135mm was the first f/2.0 lens, but only a year later Canon's 135mm f/2.0 L USM showed them how sharp these fast lenses could be and they held the crown for over 20 years. Since they were late to the auto focus lens catalogue neither got a redesign and likely never will on DSLR, but other manufacturers were about to shake things up...
135mm f/1.8
In 2007 Zeiss built the first f/1.8 135mm (for the Sony Alpha DSLRs). With Sony's first full frame DSLR (A900) a year later, the combo was impressive, but it weighed a hefty 1,950g (4.3 lbs). The optical performance was still not fantastic, but damn did it look pretty! For another decade nobody else tried to make a fast 135mm lens. Could this have been just too fast to perform well?...
In 2017 Sigma proved that theory wrong. They set a new standard for optical performance with their 135mm f/1.8 DG Art (DSLR lens) and right from the widest aperture. It was still heavy, but most people agreed that the quality was simply worth it.
Then in 2019 Sony would make the first mirrorless design, with the 135GM. Keeping the performance, but dropping the weight to under one kilogram (2.2 lbs). Within the last two years, three more companies have joined the party, with more planned (Viltrox)... Fast 135mm lenses were a rare thing, but they're now everywhere on mirrorless.
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2007 - Zeiss A - 1,210g (2.67 lbs)
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2017 - Sigma - 1,255g (2.65 lbs)
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2019 - Sony FE - 950g (2.09 lbs)
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2022 - Samyang FE - 772g (1.7 lbs)
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2023 - Canon RF - 935g (2.06 lbs)
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2024 - Nikon Z - 995g (2.19 lbs)
I was extremely impressed by the Sigma 135mm f/1.8 Art, but its weight 1,933g (4.26 lbs) with the Sony A9 meant I often took other lenses out instead. A few years later I upgraded to the Sony 135GM lens, which took the weight down to a more manageable and much better balanced 1,623g (3.58 lbs). However, in 2022 Samyang brought out a version that would drop the weight down to 1,445g (3.19 lbs). Now that this lens is almost as light (or lighter) than an 85mm f/1.4 I often choose the 135mm instead. For me, shooting friendly wildlife, this is a much more versatile focal length, especially considering the shorter minimum focus distance than an 85mm. At less than half the price of the Sony 135GM; Could this lens actually be any good though?...
Sony A1 - f/2.5 | iso 800
Image Quality
After reviewing the first few photos taken from the Samyang, I was blown away. Image quality is razor sharp from wide open and right into the corners (just like the Sony 135GM). Another similarity to the Sony lens is the minimum focus distance (69cm / 27 inches). This close focus combined with the extremely high image quality makes it a great option for wildlife, products and even moderate macros (as well as portraits and landscapes). Small animals like mice can pretty much fill the frame and its fast enough to capture them with limited forest floor lighting too.
I think many will consider a fast 135mm lens and choose something like the Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM II instead because of versatility. However I see it the other way around. The Samyang is significantly lighter still, a tiny fraction of the cost (£2,500) and over a stop faster. If you crop to 23mp on the A1 it will give you a 200mm f/2.7 equivalent. At 135mm it's an obvious choice, but if you're prepared to stitch just nine images together from the Samyang you can get a 70mm f/0.93 result (see Bokeh Pano section below). In my opinion the Samyang is a no brainer.
Sony A1 - f/2.2 | iso 800
What's The Catch?
Honestly, not much, but there are a couple areas where the Samyang doesn't quite keep up with the Sony lens... The weight savings manifest in a slight reduction in build quality and a less impressive STM focus motor. Focusing is slower to move and doesn't lock or track quite as confidently. That said, the AF performance was still great on both the A9 and A1. Maybe around 20-30% less effective than the Sony 135GM, but it's worth noting that can't keep up with squirrels in motion either. Since the Samyang is a third-party lens the burst speed of the camera maxes out at 15fps (instead of 30fps for the A1). There is no aperture ring or AF switch here, but I never used those anyway so that doesn't bother me. The Samyang hood and front cap are a bit chonkier than the Sony ones, so the actual weight savings over that are actually closer to 165g (5.8 oz).
None of those things are deal-breakers for me however and certainly not for its price. I like the design and finish and the build quality does not feel bad at all. The manual focus ring has a nice feel to it (focus by wire of course). It is weather sealed and the hood is a nice length too. I actually prefer these twist-click type hoods over the ones with buttons (Sony 135GM), since, for some reason, they're easier to locate and especially to screw on backwards (for me).
Bokeh Panos
This focal length can feel a bit restrictive, so if you want a winder angle with the dreamy shalllow depth of field you can use the bokeh panoramas technique (A.K.A. "Brenizer Method"). Just shoot a bunch of images with locked settings and stitch them together. I have been shooting these for 15 years now, they're much easier to shoot on mirrorless cameras, with lighter lenses like this.
Sony A9 - 48 images | 35mm f/0.47
Sony A1 - 42 images | 39mm f/0.51
Holding this lens up (with the Sony A1) and shooting 30-100 images (without a tripod) really made me appreciate the lower weight. I remember shooting the technique with the Sigma version a few years ago and my arms would really start to hurt towards the end of longer batches. 400g (14oz) might not sound like a huge weight saving, but here I get no pain at all. Even compared to the Sony lens the weight savings are more modest, but still noticeable. By the end of a day I had noticeably less shoulder strain from the bag too.
Compared
The length, shape and size of these two Sony FE mount lenses is very close. I initially wondered whether the Samyang might be a clone of Sony's optical design too, but diving through the specs online suggests this is not the case.
Total Weight
Mirrorless cameras can be quite a bit lighter than DSLR's, but that advantage can disappear once you add a lens. This is especially true with fast and very high quality optics, but some are managing to make lighter lenses while retaining very high image quality. Here are some total weights for these 135mm f/1.8 lenses including a full frame camera:
Nikon FF camera + Nikon Z 135mm f/1.8:
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Low - Nikon Z5 - 1,670g (3.68 lbs)
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Mid - Nikon Z6II - 1,700g (3.74 lbs)
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High - Nikon Z8 - 1,905g (4.2 lbs)
Nikon didn't really get the memo that mirrorless cameras can be light. It wouldn't be so bad if their battery life didn't suck so badly, but they make up for it somewhat with decent features. This is especially true of their Z8 model. Which is a great camera, but it's heavier than most DLSRs and it's not even their pro sized body... ouch!!
Canon FF camera + Canon RF 135mm f/1.8 L IS USM:
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Low - Canon R8 - 1,396g (3.07 lbs)
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Mid - Canon R6II - 1,605g (3.53 lbs)
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High - Canon R5 - 1,673g (3.69 lbs)
Canon now have some nice and light mirrorless cameras. Although their lightest full frame one doesn't have stabilization, the lens does, so it scrapes through the minimum requirements here. On the high-end there is no stacked high resolution option yet, but the R5 is still a great pro mirrorless option. It's as light Nikon's lowest end camera with 135mm lens, which is really impressive.
Sony FF camera + Samyang FE 135mm f/1.8:
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Vid - Sony ZV-E1 - 1,255g (2.77 lbs)
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Low - Sony A7C - 1,281g (2.82 lbs)
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Mid - Sony A7IV - 1,431g (3.15 lbs)
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High - Sony A1 - 1,509g (3.33 lbs)
Panasonic don't have a mirrorless 135mm f/1.8 option. Although there is a L mount version of the Sigma DSLR lens, that lens would weigh: 1,940g (4.28 lbs) so wouldn't be a great option for its weight.
If this sea of numbers is overwhelming to you too, perhaps you'll appreciate it in graph form, with some DSLR comparisons...
Sony mirrorless cameras are pretty light for what they are, but the main advantage they have on this comparison chart comes from the Samyang lens rather than the cameras themselves. The ZV-E1 may be really close in weight to the Canon R8, while not having a viewfinder and only a 12mp resolution, but... It's essentially a lightweight A7S III with an AI chip for half the price! Unlike the Canon it does have IBIS and its battery life is considerably better.
Sony options are often cheaper than Nikon and Canon equivalents (apart from the A1), but the price and weight dynamic goes into overdrive with this Samyang lens. Sony have an abundant selection of light, full frame camera bodies with great battery life and IBIS (at various budgets), but given they also have the biggest selection of 1st and 3rd party lenses by far there's a lot to like.
Sony A1 - f/5 | iso 2000
Cost
If you thought the weight section was impressive, buckle up for this one because the Samyang's value is off the charts... well, kinda firmly inside it, but hopefully you get the idea. It's worth pointing out that the Samyang is on offer here, although it's not even two years old, so I'm not sure why. Perhaps the focal length is not so versatile for most people, or perhaps the low price is making people wonder what's wrong with it.
The Samyang is cheaper than even their own 85mm f/1.4 lens, yes the new mkII one! Of course it's cheaper than everyone elses 85mm f/1.4 lenses too. To me that's crazy because the entrance pupil on the 135mm f/1.8 is noticeably bigger than an 85mm f/1.2, while providing far better image quality too. This is hands down the best lens for the price that I have ever seen!
Sony A1 - f/2.5 | iso 800
Unfortunately for other mirrorless platforms the Samsung AF 135mm f/1.8 lens is currently only made in the Sony FE mount. This may change though and Viltrox may soon get a similar option, so if you're on Canon or Nikon and looking for a budget and/or lightweight option keep your fingers crossed...
Being able to buy FOUR Samyang 135mm f/1.8 lenses and several official Sony batteries for the price of ONE Nikon lens just sounds obscure, so think about it this way... For the price of either the Nikon or Canon version you can get the Samyang lens and a Sony A7C II camera (new). One of the lightest full frame setups and still feature packed too (33mp sensor, 7 stops of IBIS, AI subject recognition, 4k 60fps 10bit video, 10fps, 7k oversampling, human & animal eye-AF in stills and video, 530 shot battery life). That's just insane!!
Another interesting comparison is if you look at the Canon RF 135mm lens on the R5 body. That combo is very close in cost compared to the Samyang and Sony A1. Personally I feel like the A1 is rather over priced right now, but it would provide an even faster experience (especially with birds, see below) with a stacked sensor. It would also weigh less (164g / 5.8oz), thanks to the lens, and have nearly double the battery life.
