A Comparison of Four Premium 135mm Lenses

While 85mm lenses are generally the classic choice of focal length for portraiture, 135mm lenses are a popular second choice that offer a different look and a bit more compression than their shorter cousins. If you are looking for one of your own, check out this fantastic video comparison that looks at four options: the Samyang AF 135mm f/1.8 FE, Sony FE 135mm f/1.8 GM, Sigma 135mm f/1.8 DG HSM Art, and Zeiss Batis 135mm f/2.8. 

Coming to you from Tom Calton, this excellent video reviews compares the Samyang AF 135mm f/1.8 FESony FE 135mm f/1.8 GM, Sigma 135mm f/1.8 DG HSM Art, and Zeiss Batis 135mm f/2.8 lenses. All four of these lenses offer impressive performance and image quality, but with quite different footprints, maximum apertures, and prices (ranging from $999 to $2,099), it is well worth considering which is right for you. The other thing to consider with 135mm lenses is the working distance. If you are working outside, this is not much of an issue, but if you mostly work in the studio, be sure you have enough distance to handle that extra bit of focal length. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Calton on each lens. 

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

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2 Comments

I know that Canon 135 is long in the tooth and an update is coming for the RF mount, but I still haven't seen anything to make me just get rid of mine for something new.

Same here. There was some rumours about Canon RF 85-135/2.0, but I think it was only someones wish more than a lens at least patented