Personally, I can't stand these circles, and I see them as VERY distracting.Lots of fads come and go, and this is just another one of these fads that some photographers are obsessed with. This lens provides all of these requirements. I thought I had to sell my 100/F2.8 macro L but thanks for letting me know I can keep it. There's just nothing there. They seem to be really good for NB work. "That is why when SLRs came along the 200mm became the big seller and the 135 was largely forgotten"Did you notice that this 135mm F2 lens on an APS-C camera is more or less equivalent to a 200mm F2.8 lens on an FF camera ?So this lens can be seen as the 200mm F2.8 lens for APS-C camera users. Theres no image stabilization on the Rokinon 135mm F/2 either, but thats a non-issue for amateur astrophotographers. Jordan has a simple fix camera manufacturers could implement to improve their video autofocus. f/2! I typically shoot with Canon lenses, but the potential for low light photography (whether thats astrophotography or the ability to film at dusk) caught my interest. I just love the lightning fast & accurate focus of this lens. Contrasty, saturated, nice colours. Exposure uniformity (vignetting) is also really excellent, reaching a maximum of 1/4 EV (on a camera with an APS-C size sensor) at f/2, and dropping to well under 1/10 EV at f/2.8 and above. When attached to a DSLR camera with a full frame sensor, the lens offers a massive 15.5 x 10.6 field of view, or 18.8 across the diagonal. I've been using a vintage FD 135/3.5 on my A7R IV as a compact tele option, often alongside a tiny Samyang 75/1.8. Then you should have tried the 180mm nikkor ED, the old one, which is the favorite tool of a lot of astrophotographers. for sample photos and video tour, This is simply the best Canon prime lens that I have tested. The duck and cat are really the only good shots. I agree to some extent with many of the critics of the article and disagree with much of its content, but I also have respect for the the author's right to express those opinions. And now important part: This lens can be stopped down if desired effect is not required and no, with 85/1.8 you will never get this effect. Hate these presumptuous kinds of articles and headlines. The Rokinon 135mm F2.0 is considered to be a full-frame lens because it can accommodate a full-frame image sensor with its 18.8-degree angle of view. What's the best camera for shooting sports and action? This thing is a beast in comparison. http://johncarnessali.com/camera-lens-tests/5109, After reading too many long, and arduous threads pertaining to the new Zeiss 135, I felt compelled to share my perspective on the wonderful Canon 135. 30-35% diameter reduction is usually necessary on "good" lenses. I had one question that i cant seem to find an answer to.. Prime lenses are typically lighter as they do not need the additional glass and mechanics required to zoom at varying magnifications. AF ring feels loose compared to my other L lenses. CP+ 2023: Sigma has announced it is bringing its trio of DC DN APS-C prime lenses to Nikon's Z mount: its first lenses for Nikon's mirrorless system. Explore the sky, try frame some targets and see what works well with your DSLR and lens combination. I have a vintage Nikon135mm f/2.8 AI-s which produces virtually the same bokeh and weighs a quarter of this or any other 135mm AF lens. I understand the optical design is quite old. But do some experimenting before you decide. For example, the legendary Canon 85mm F1.2L weighs in at 1025g, and the Sigma 85mm F1.4 Art isn't too light either at 1130g. In my test, nikon have the same color correction than Canon and same sharpness. I use it for everything, landscapes, townscapes, interesting detail, portraits. And it's not the one problem from my L lenses very sad =(, My favourite lens, hands down. Of the 150 images I considered fit to publish, only 4 were made with the 135. Super sharp and renders beautiful creamy bokeh. Its a no brainer if you use this focal length. Dear Trevor, It seems lazy to me. They are by nature designed to compromise by magnification and distance, and are therefore not optically optimized at any single setting. Really, just an amazing lens, easily worth the $800-900 it commands on the street. The Heart and Soul Nebulae captured using a DSLR and the Rokinon 135mm lens. We case our eye over the options costing more than $2500 but less than $4000, to find the best all-rounder. Sure, if you scroll through his page there are quite a few lens tests on starshttps://www.flickr.chotos/ytoropin/, Community Forum Software by IP.BoardLicensed to: Cloudy Nights, Article: The Best Telephoto Lenses for Astrophotography, This is not recommended for shared computers, Review of Explore Scientific First Light 8, COUNTING SUNSPOTS WITH A $10 OPTICAL TUBE ASSEMBLY, Hubble Optics 14 inch Dobsonian - Part 2: The SiTech GoTo system, iStar Opticals Phantom FCL 140-6.5 review. But even better BOKEH is the SAL-135F2.8F4.5 STF (Smooth Trans Focus ) which has even better BOKEH, albeit a manual focus lens. The shot of the cat could certainly be improved through cropping, though. Today I want to talk about another such lens design: The 135mm F2 lens. Flip on through what we found, and see how the lens performs in the real world in our sample gallery. The Image Sensor Frame tool lets you enter in the size of your camera sensor, and focal length of your lens (or telescope) to display a frame over the star map. I should mention that I have only tested this full-frame lens using my astrophotography DSLRs, all of which are crop-sensor camera bodies. A promising start, no doubt, but not a master yet! In excellent condition, this lens retails for around $200. It's gross, all is a matter of balance and the perfect one, given you want sharp and fuzzy elements in your picture, is in the blend, and the way details seems to disappear gracefully (while keeping a level of readability). That's a cheap, fun date for AP. The Rokinon 135mm F/2.0 includes a lens hood, lens pouch, front and rear lens caps, and a 1-year Rokinon manufacturer warranty. The RedCat is deeper at 250mm, and after that, youre into 300-400mm territory which pulls galaxies and nebulae even closer. (purchased for $1,000), reviewed February 4th, 2010 Now i have the f2.8 version, and while the resolution is better it s under no circumstance as good as the f/4 one. That is the story.#7: Leaves.That doesn't work. I purchased this lens for the purposes of wide-field deep-sky astrophotography from my light-polluted backyard (shown below), and when traveling to a dark sky site. AF is accurate and very fast. I liked the extra versatility of the zoom and the ability to shoot at 200mm. Even if the background is very close to your subject, somehow the optical construction in the 135mm lens will still manage to separate the background beautifully. Selecting between it and the 200mm Takumar was not an easy choice but, in the end, I chose the Takumar because it seemed to have slightly better contrast. My questions, for deep sky pics, should I get the 135mm lens or the RedCat 51 APO 250mm f/4.9 which you mentioned here as well? I am not really looking at buying anything else, though. I'm thinking a modern (but expensive) Nikon 200mm f/2.0, 300mm f/4 or f/2.8 or a Borg telephoto/telescope would all be very good. In this buying guide we've rounded-up several great cameras for shooting sports and action, and recommended the best. The lens came in a handsome box, with core specifications and a lens construction diagram printed on the side. Seems to me that Michael is pretty new to using long telephoto lenses, he writes that the Samyang is the first he has owned. I cant seem to find this documented anywhere. Because it manage to do so. It turns out that this. (purchased for $860), reviewed March 9th, 2017 Will this ever get old? I have done a review comparing the sharpness and quality of bokeh to the Canon 70-200 2.8. Just place your subject against a distant background, and half of the job is done. Whereas quality apochromats can be corrected with broad band filters, such as the Astronomik UV/IR cut filter or the CLS-CCD filter, telephoto lenses can not. The 135mm f/2.0 ED UMC Lens from Samyang is a manual focus telephoto prime lens useful for portraiture and most telephoto applications. As it is it is earns a 9. I find neither the cat nor the duck particularly good. My Nikon focus and aperture rings are a thing of highly finessed engineering beauty! Stick to Andromeda, and skip the Whirlpool. Stage photography is another good use for the 135 L. One very popular lens for bokeh fiends is the Canon 85mm F1.2it can produce extremely creamy out of focus backgrounds. This way the focus will favor the red light which is more objectionable within a star image than a bit of blue. Now we have to read this kind of ignorant misinformation on DPR articles. Stuff I used to take the photos in this video:- The Canon 135mm f2 lens: https://amzn.to/346Paz7- Sony A7III Camera: https://amzn.to/2xM776q- Sony Grip exten. You can also find him as @mwroll on Instagram and 500px. (Actually if I can live with the DoF I prefer it to my 85/1.2 too, as there is much less bonus colour.) Yes, each can produce different results (And that's why I keep and use several different lenses), but my point is that sharpness or bokeh are not the only factors for portraits -- sometimes it just comes down to convenience or price! Already wide open this lens produce some high quality photos. Sme of the wide field are. No telephoto lens I tested, nor my TSAPO65Q, was suitable for use with a DSLR "clear glass" modified to include deep red and IR. There was no reason to test any other because, when stopped down to 49mm, F6.1, this lens is simply perfect, comparable to any APO on the market. Image quality, weight and value for money. I will say that at F/4 this lens is extremely sharp corner to corner when used on my 60Da. Unfortunately it is not manufactured in a multicoated version, and produces prominent internal reflection artifacts on very bright stars. The extent of this influence lies mainly in photographer's perception and creativity.As all arts photography may serve given needs due to numerous reasons with the resulting integrity of the work not necessarily suggesting art.The photographic gear (from lens cleaning tissues up to s/w) is just the tool(s) of a photographer in order to produce its work. 135mm and 200mm lenses are suitable for wide angle star-field views, and comet and asteroid hunting, while 300mm lenses serve very well for the Andromeda galaxy, large emission nebulae, open clusters, and even larger globular clusters. Voting ends March 8, 2023. The 135mm F2 lens design is truly special, and in this article (and the video I made), I want to try to convince you as well. If you are a Nikon user, of course have a look at the Nikon AF Nikkor 135mm f/2D DC and compare it to the other lenses mentioned in this article. You are entitled to your opinions, and I respect that! When I was teaching photography in 70's at a junior college, I critiqued students photos, but I never did so harshly. Thanks.. or.. Clear Skies! The 135 f/2 is not perfect. I just wish this lens had IS for low light and portraits with flash. If you want to preview the image field you can expect with a particular camera sensor and lens combination, Stellarium features a useful tool. The presentation and hands-on look and feel of the 135mm F/2 lens is impressive considering the reasonable price of this lens. What I see is a photographer who should maybe instead stick to the kit lens, and learn composition first. Finally, although we don't explicitly test for it, we have to note that this lens' bokeh (rendering of out-of-focus objects) is really excellent as well. Test Notes However, I am convinced that its large aperture and fast F ratio would perform exceptionally well in three color or narrow band H-alpha and OIII photography. As you'd expect though, distortion and light falloff are both higher with a full-frame image circle, but perhaps not as much as you'd normally expect. Bottom line, this is just an outstanding lens by any measure, one that makes clear why you'd want to pay the freight for expensive prime glass. (For Nikon users there's the new 105mm too.). While some people LOVE the bokeh circles (first photo), others hate them and consider them a distraction.The 50mm f/1.8 is hardly a lens to talk about. Just like the above samples, most are just bad. Sometimes though, we stumble upon a great lens design which is strong in all three. Yes, there is some sharpness added when stopping down to f4 or f5.6 but after that it doesn't get better. I would only recommend this lens for casual photographers where missed shot means nothing. Everyone assumes their definition is the "true" one. From the moment I reviewed the first sub-exposure on the display screen of my camera, I feel in love with the mid-range magnification of a 135mm lens. Bye Now, I have to admit that up to this point, it sounds a little too good to be true. Geometric distortion is lower than one would expect, at 0.15% pincushion maximum, with an average of 0.07%. Focus throw. It is sharp but somehow not that analytic way as a macro lens. If you have the 1.8 version, way to go. If the telescope mount is precisely aligned to the celestial north pole, unguided exposures of one to two minutes are possible. It is harder work than using a zoom lens, and some shots I just cannot get at all (cannot get close enough, or far enough way) but the shots I do get are so much nicer looking than I get with any other lens that for me and my goals it is a fair trade off. I also find the other photos not very good. Include the Carl Zeiss in your research though, it might be an interesting lens for you, even if it is a bit pricey for what you get. Zeiss Jena or Oberkochen? KevinS, in my experience stopping down dramatically improves image quality in terms of chromatic aberration, coma and astigmatism. Several functions may not work. It always happens to me with Samyang, it makes good glasses, fast and sharp, I want to have them, but they are not comfortable to use, not in Sony E, their focus is not precise, and they are not "so" cheap. The closest Ive been to the 135mm range is 105mm on my Canon 24-105 zoom. The lens hood is removable (and reversible), which makes packing the Rokinon 135mm away into the included lens pouch possible. Fast focus, Super sharp, Well built, Awesome for low light. If you want autofocus and great value for money, buy the Canon 135mm, as it has almost the image quality of the Samyang, and you can get it for under $1,000 new. I think prime users get too used to the idea of bokeh as the only answer. Large hood. The next 200mm lens of excellent quality is the 200mm F4 Nikkor F which requires the Nikon F to EOS adapter. The first example is good to show that you can take photos of persons in front of an ugly background without completely ruining the shot (important for people shooting events), the last one is the only one I really like (because of the color) but you could shoot this with any lens with short MFD. Family moments are precious and sometimes you want to capture that time spent with loved ones or friends in better quality than your phone can manage. At under 900USD, it's a steal. parts of your main subject extend beyond the DOF range it will never look flat. You're sour grapes man, you wish it were you who wrote the article. As I posted on the Petapixel variant of this article, cropping a 85/1.4 shot to a 135mm-equivalent FoV gives you approx. We revisit a classic DPReviewTV episode in which Chris Niccolls and Jordan Drake shoot a few rolls of Fujifilm's Acros 100 II, and a few frames on the X-T3 in Acros film simulation, to find out. That whole rig comes to about $1200, minus the mount. Nice image, andysea. Besides, adding IS would mean adding extra elements and that would very likely reduce the image quality. Exterem apertures are extrems (wether it's full open or closed) that should be reserved for extrem cases. Rokinon 135mm F2.0 ED Lens. Lagoon and Trifid wide field IC1396 nebula in Cepheus - wide field image. Now I have only the Nikon but I can try to take a photo of the same subject fully open I'm enjoying the Sigma Art 135mm - it's notably sharper than the Canon (which I owned at the same time), and it's f/1.8 instead of f/2. One of Canon's best lenses for a reasonable price. Without the blurb I would have taken it as a 24 hour news studio shot with back projection or a cut and paste layer.The other stuff is really nice though. Let's the games begin! Will I be able to capture the heart nebula with the lens youre talking about or would I need to modify my camera as well? But in the rush to make hybrids why are aren't we giving video shooters the tools they need? OM System's latest lens is a whopper of a macro, featuring optical stabilization, full weather sealing, up to 2x magnification and a whole lot more.