First shots with Sony’s new 135mm portrait lens that’s built for bokeh

Our initial thoughts on Sony’s fast portrait and sports lens.

By Jeanette D. Moses | Published Feb 27, 2019 3:15 AM EST

Gear

Sony FE 135mm F1.8 GM lens — Jeanette D. Moses

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A new G-master lens is on its way from Sony. The FE 135mm F1.8 GM lens for E-mount cameras (like the a7 series) is a full-frame, fast aperture, telephoto prime that offers impressive bokeh. It’s a versatile lens length for indoor-sports, weddings, and of course, portraits. Here is a top level look at the technical aspects of this lens.

13 elements in 10 groups
XA (extreme aspherical) element and a Super ED glass to minimize aberrations common with telephoto lenses and onion-ring bokeh
Four XD linear motors in the front and back make AF that is fast, precise and quiet
Floating focus mechanism
11 blade circular aperture
Maximum magnification of 0.25x
Minimum focusing distance of 2.3ft.
magnesium alloy construction
Fluorine coating minimizes smudges on the front element
Dust and moisture resistant design
5 inches high, 3.5 inches wide
Weighs 33.5 oz
Two customizable Focus hold buttons on the lens barrel
Focus range limiter
Linear response MF
Aperture ring with a click on/off switch
Available late April for $1900

We had the chance to spend some time shooting with this lens prior to its release with a Sony a9 that equipped with a stripped down version of the firmware that will be coming to the camera this summer.

The AF capabilities of this lens, coupled with the circular bokeh were really impressive. These two aspects are going to make this a coveted lens for portrait shooters. The lens performed fairly well when shooting faster moving subjects like basketball players, although to get the most out of Sony’s subject tracking you will need to stop down the lens from F1.8. No one who knows anything about lens design expects a 135mm prime to be lightweight with a low profile, Sony did a good job keeping this one as small as possible. The lens balanced the a9 body and during our time shooting with it we didn’t notice any wrist or shoulder fatigue.

Ultimately though, it’s the image quality that matters and we are very happy with how those turned out. Portraits were consistently sharp with beautiful focus fall-off when shooting wide open. This lens does an amazing job of separating subjects from the background to emphasize expressions in a flattering way. Check out more of our sample images in the gallery below.

model in white against flower wall — The Sony FE 135mm F1.8 GM lens does an excellent job at separating subjects from their background for a dreamy look. *Jeanette D. Moses*

model with flower crown — The model in this picture remains crisp while the focus on the background falls away. *Jeanette D. Moses*

bright red and yellow flowers — The lens can be used for macro shots as well. *Jeanette D. Moses*

wedding ring among flowers — A lens that can be used for portraits and details like this ring shot is a great option for wedding shooters. *Jeanette D. Moses*

man and woman reading the paper — Even at F/4 the lens does an excellent job separating subjects from their backgrounds. *Jeanette D. Moses*

model with long hair in the snow — Captured at 1/800 sec, f/1.8 and ISO 320. *Jeanette D. Moses*

basketball player throwing ball — If you are using the lens to photograph sports you will want to reduce the size of your aperture, especially for subject tracking. This was shot at 1/250 sec, F/2.2, and ISO 640. *Jeanette D. Moses*

basketball players — If you are shooting sports at F/1.8 you will need a fast shutter speed. This frame was captured at 1/500 sec and ISO 1000. *Jeanette D. Moses*

basketball playing dunking ball — Captured at 1/800 sec, F/2.8, and ISO 1600 with the Sony FE 135mm F1.8 GM lens. *Jeanette D. Moses*

model in red fur — The Sony FE 135mm F1.8 GM lens really shines as a portrait lens. *Jeanette D. Moses*

model in red coat — Captured at 1/250 sec, F/2.8 and ISO 4000. *Jeanette D. Moses*

model on blue couch — Captured at 1/500 sec, F/3.5, and ISO 3200. *Jeanette D. Moses*

model sitting on the table — We love the effect this lens has on the background of this image at F/1.8. *Jeanette D. Moses*

model in blue vintage car — Captures at 1/800 sec, F/1.8, and ISO 2000. *Jeanette D. Moses*

man and woman posing in blue vintage car — The Sony FE 135mm F1.8 GM lens does an excellent job at defocusing objects in the foreground as well. This was shot at 1/800 sec, F/2.8, and ISO 6400. *Jeanette D. Moses*

model on payphone — Shot at 1/800 sec, F/2.0, and ISO 5000. *Jeanette D. Moses*

Photography

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