SAMYANG 135 mm F2 : Sensational optical quality and fantastic value

January 05, 2020

SAMYANG 135 mm F2 : Sensational optical quality and fantastic value

A sharp lens with a superb bokeh. The minimal focusing distance of only 0. 8m is a benediction for proxi-photo. The long throw of the focusing ring is delightful. Super mechanical construction, great optics. A zeiss-like at a discount price .

Very good quality, well made lens. Used with a ccd camera for astrophotography with impressive wide field results. Very pleased and highly recommended.

Decent build quality and sensational optical quality right from f/2 make this lens a stunning bargain. Manual focus only, of course, but rangefinder focussing on my nikon d810 works perfectly and is just fine so long as you don’t need to track a moving subject. Even at f/2 the lens is bitingly sharp at the plane of focus, with beautiful background blur. Minimal distortion and chromatic aberrations reinforce the impression of image quality that is right out of the top drawer. The ae version i bought works perfectly with my nikon, but you do need to change your custom settings to adjust the aperture using the aperture ring. With this kind of quality at this price point i honestly don’t see how you can go wrong with this lens.

Amazing, super happy with my choice.

I bought the lens primarily for astrophotography, and must confess that i haven’t yet used it for anything else. It’s beautifully sharp in the central region. There’s a little distortion and fuzziness around the corners, but in all honesty for astro work, they’re the first bits to be cropped out anyway. As a versatile lens for astrophotography with a dslr, it’s hard to beat. It *is* heavy for its focal length, but then so is the rest of the kit; no big deal. Unlike my other samyang lens (14mm f 2. 8) – which is also a great lens, but has a rather hand-made feel about it – this looks, and feels robust, and good quality.

Happy with this lens, sharp and excellent for portraits. 4 before so already accustomed to the build and manual nature of the lens, the 135mm is similarly sharp, the focus ring very smooth and not as damp as the 85mm (the 85mm was overly damped when focusing). I was after a portrait lens and had earlier purchased the sigma 105mm macro f2. 8, but sold that in favour of this samyang which i much prefer (manual lenses are so much more fun), of course if you need auto focus this lens is not for you. I can shoot at handheld at 1/140 and attain precisely focused shots (nikon confirmation dot), although after hand holding for about 2hrs it does become very heavy with the slr. Image quality, contrast and colour rendition is very good, even shooting in sunlight it is well controlled. Bad points: lens cap and hood.

Sharpest lens ever made( except 135mm zeiss). Nice macro, even better if you add cheapo extension tubes.

Incredibly sharp lens, also not too bulky and fantastic value for money if you can do without autofocus.

Sensational optical quality and fantastic value
Super mechanical construction
Well made high quality lens.

Samyang 135 mm F2.0 Manual Focus Lens for Nikon AE

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Fast f/2.0 maximum aperture for effective low light shooting and shallow depth of field
Circular aperture with 9 blades
UMC lens coating allows even light transmission and minimises ghosting and flare
Extra low dispersion lens(ED)
Special chip allows the use of camera’s focus confirm, auto exposure, auto metering, auto white balance