Samyang AF 135mm F/1.8 FE

Samyang introduced this 135mm prime in 2022, and it remains in production. It fills a short telephoto role on Sony E full-frame cameras.

That focal length suits portrait sessions, indoor events, and stage photography. You can work from across a room and still fill the frame with one person. The main trade-off is the single focal length: you frame by moving yourself, not by turning a zoom ring.

Anyone shooting varied subjects at close range will do better with a standard zoom. This lens suits photographers who already know they want the 135mm view.

The lens weighs 1 lb 11.2 oz (772 g) and runs 5.1 in (129.6 mm) long. It measures 3.68 in (93.4 mm) across. The front takes 82mm screw-in filters, and any attached filter must match that thread size. A polariser or ND filter for outdoor portraits screws straight on.

At 135mm, the lens makes the subject large while you keep your distance. A head-and-shoulders portrait leaves several feet between camera and sitter, so your subject stays comfortable. Perspective at that distance keeps faces in natural proportion. You can also step back for three-quarter and full-length framing.

At events, the same reach lets you photograph a speaker from the back rows or isolate one musician on a crowded stage. You can follow one person through a whole set without changing position.

The f/1.8 maximum aperture is the other half of the appeal. It gathers light in dim reception halls and theatre lighting, so you keep shooting where a slower lens would force flash or a tripod. It also throws a busy background out of focus, which separates a face from the scene behind it.

Closest focus sits at 2.3 ft (69 cm), close enough for a tight head shot. At f/1.8 the plane of sharp focus is thin, so portraits need precise focus on the near eye. Stop down to f/2.8 when you want more of the face sharp. Our optics score for this lens is 88/100.

Weather sealing is built in. That helps when a portrait session moves outdoors or an event day passes through dust and damp.

There is no image stabilization. For handheld work in dim rooms, the f/1.8 aperture and steady technique do the work. A camera body with stabilization can take on that job instead. A monopod or similar support steadies the camera through a long stage set.

The front glass carries no fluorine coating. Dust and fingerprints need ordinary cleaning care, since the surface has no extra repellent layer. Our features score for this lens is 52/100.

The optical design uses aspherical elements. Their specially shaped surfaces help correct distortion and spherical aberration. Distortion can make straight edges appear curved.

Low-dispersion glass helps reduce chromatic aberration, where colours focus at different points and leave fringes along high-contrast edges. Backlit performers against stage lights are the kind of scene where fringes show up.