Sony FE 135mm 1.8 GM

The Sony FE 135mm f/1.8 FE delivers an almost impeccable performance. It is razor sharp at all relevant settings, and low lateral CAs help with the quality perception. Image distortions are basically irrelevant even without auto-correction. The latter does help a bit with taming the vignetting at large apertures. The quality of bokeh - and that's probably the main reason for purchasing this lens in the first place - is stunning. If we are nitpicky, there is one dark spot, though - axial CAs. They can be visible in certain scenes. The mechanical quality is superb, but then you expect no less from a GM lens. It feels sturdy, the controls are of high quality, and there's weather sealing. The AF is very snappy as well despite the heavy lens elements and the floating system. The Sony FE 135mm f/1.8 GM is an awesome, but pricey lens, and it easily deserves our "Highly Recommended" mark.

The Sony FE 135mm f/1.8 GM is a new mid telephoto prime lens for Sony full-frame E-mount mirrorless cameras. It features 13 elements in 10 groups including a recently developed, extremely precise XA (extreme aspherical) element that reduces aberration and increases resolution, as well as Super ED (extra-low dispersion) and ED elements. It has a near-circular 11 blade diaphragm, the most ever used in an Alpha lens, which creates a very attractive blur to the out-of-focus areas of the image, Sony's Nano AR Coating to reduce flare and ghosting, a fluorine coated front element, and it's also dust and moisture resistant.

A pricey but superb lens for full frame Sony mirrorless users.

The Sony FE 135mm f1.8 G Master is a telephoto prime lens designed for its Alpha series of full-frame mirrorless cameras, capturing a classic telephoto view that’s ideal for tighter portraits shot from a distance with minimal distortion. This longer focal length coupled with a fast f1.8 focal ratio also delivers very shallow depth-of-field effects, separating the subject from its surroundings with minimal distractions. As a G Master lens, the FE 135mm f1.8 successfully balances the challenging combination of delivering high resolution across the frame with attractive rendering of blurred areas, making it perfect for portraits but equally good for street, highly detailed landscape or urban views, and even reasonable close-up work with its 0.25x magnification. Videographers will also appreciate the linear manual focusing, de-clickable aperture ring and minimal focus breathing. Some portrait shooters prefer the flexibility and relative intimacy of a shorter 85mm or even 50mm lens, but for those who prefer to shoot at longer distances and really minimise background distractions, the FE 135mm f1.8 GM is one of the best examples of this focal length I’ve tested, albeit also one of the most expensive too. Sony’s modern optical design ensures that whatever you use it for, you’ll be enjoying excellent quality, pin sharp details and attractive blurring. As such it’s an easy lens to recommend if your budget can stretch and the focal length fits into your workflow.