NIKKOR Z 135MM F/1.8 S PLENA | NIKON Z 8 | Portraiture Photography
This video starts off behind the scenes on a family portraiture photo shoot with the new NIKKOR Z 135MM F/1.8 S PLENA and the Nikon Z 8. Unfortunately the shoot was cut very short by heavy rainfall, which means we were trapped in a dark narrow shelter but we still managed to get some good images from the outstanding lens.
I’m blown away by the performance of the Z 135mm S Plena lens. The lens has no trouble catching the toddler’s little steps with autofocus that’s speedy and accurate. As expected of a lens of this focal length and aperture, backgrounds and bokeh areas are melted into a beautiful blur that’s extremely pleasing.
ISO1600, F2.2, 1/160s
Whatever the subject is, even if it’s a feisty toddler or a tiny insect, the lens is clinically sharp. Images cropped in to 100% are perfectly usable and retain their acuity. I’ve found this performance on par or possibly better than the venerable NIKKOR Z 85MM F/1.2, which is no easy feat.
ISO160, F3.2, 1/1000s
100% crop and the image still looks incredibly sharp.
Shooting with a lens of this caliber, it’s almost too easy to get breathtaking images. While I had some doubts on how useful a prime lens at such a long focal length might be for my line of work, those doubts were quickly diminished due to the Plena’s 82cm (2.69ft) minimum focusing distance. This means that even in tight quarters, the lens remains a viable option. On this day especially when it started raining and we had to take cover in a small narrow shelter, we were still able to get some awesome images within those close quarters.
We had to take shelter because it was raining, but the lens still proved capable in tight quarters.
I also had the pleasure of shooting with the NIKKOR Z 135MM F/1.8 S PLENA in a place with many lights, and as far as I can see, the out-of-focus lights form stunningly perfect circles with minimum “cat eye” effects.
ISO2000, F1.8, 1/320s
One thing to take note with a lens like this, it’s tempting to shoot wide open but if you do so, the background often melts into nothingness and the photo suffers from lack of context. Use F1.8 with caution. ;)
ISO125, F2, 1/500s
Size and weight wise, the Plena is a big lens, but for someone used to shooting with large lenses like the Z 70-200mm F2.8 S, I find its size manageable. It balances well coupled with Nikon Z 8.
In summary, the NIKKOR Z 135MM F/1.8 S PLENA is the lens to get. This lens has shot to the top of my wish list and I’ve no doubt it’ll be an indispensable part of my arsenal, once I get my hands on my own copy. Nikon Singapore currently lists the price at $3,999 SGD.
The unit I had for this shoot was a loan from the kind folks at Nikon Singapore for review.
