Viltrox 135mm f/1.8 LAB: Design
Premium design and construct high quality Very heavy Distinctive customizable LCD display is a enjoyable contact
It is clear that the Viltrox 135mm is constructed for professionals. The construct high quality is top-drawer, from the weather-resistant steel barrel, entrance lens ingredient and rear mount to the reassuringly safe connection to the digital camera – you will want some muscle to click on the lens into place – and the premium controls dotted across the exterior.
There is a easy focus ring, a second ring that may be set to easy or clicked and which by default is ready to manage aperture, plus customized buttons and a customizable prime LCD.
It is attainable to customise the welcome display of the highest LCD (severely), which is a pleasant contact, even when I am unable to see myself creating my very own welcome display… but. It is also attainable to use firmware updates simply by means of the USB-C port constructed into the rear mount.
Focus distances are marked exactly on the LCD, all the way down to the centimeter, which is one thing you do not get with different lenses. There’s additionally a AF / MF swap plus a focus-range limiter. These exterior controls cowl all of the bases for the situations by which I see myself utilizing the lens.
Autofocus is easy and basically silent. Viltrox says focus speeds are “150% quicker”, though I am unsure what that is compared to, and I would not say that is the fastest-focusing lens I’ve used, even whether it is easy. I am going to contact on why I believe so in a bit.
Within the field is a decent-sized lens hood and a mushy lens pouch for packing the lens away safely. So, all in all, the Viltrox 135mm F1.8 sounds nice, proper? And it’s, however for one factor.
Picture 1 of 7
(Picture credit score: Tim Coleman)
(Picture credit score: Tim Coleman)
(Picture credit score: Tim Coleman)
(Picture credit score: Tim Coleman)
(Picture credit score: Tim Coleman)
(Picture credit score: Tim Coleman)
(Picture credit score: Tim Coleman)
As I discussed in my verdict firstly of this overview, this lens is heavy – very heavy. It is the very first thing you discover as you are taking it out of the field. How heavy? 43.6oz / 1,235g, with out the lens hood. Ouch.
To be clear, high quality 135mm f/1.8 lenses like this are heavy, however the Viltrox is one other degree; it is about 25% heavier than the Sony and Nikon lenses I’ve talked about.
I want the Viltrox was lighter, at the least for utilizing it with my Z6 II. The steadiness is so front-heavy that it is a lens that is greatest utilized in quick bursts, which is a disgrace as a result of I might see myself utilizing a lens like this for occasion pictures, and people jobs are lengthy hours.
If you happen to shoot with a bigger digital camera such because the Nikon Z8, or extra so the Nikon Z9, the steadiness of the Viltrox lens shall be a lot better.
Nonetheless, there’s additionally an excellent purpose why this lens is so heavy – its supreme optical high quality.
Viltrox 135mm f/1.8 LAB: Efficiency
135mm focal size ultimate for isolating topics Nearly flawless optical high quality Exact and easy autofocus, however not the quickest
The optical high quality of the Viltrox 135mm f/1.8 LAB lens is just about flawless, very like the Nikon Plena lens, and the MTF charts shared by Viltrox again this up.
Element is sharp from heart to edges, even when utilizing the utmost f/1.8 aperture. There’s not an enormous quantity of vignetting both – it is hardly noticeable in case you cease the aperture all the way down to f/2.8, whereas at f/1.8 it is simply corrected if you don’t need these darker corners that assist your topic stand out all of the extra.
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A portrait taken with the aperture set to f/1.8 (Picture credit score: Tim Coleman)
The identical portrait, however at f/2.8 (Picture credit score: Tim Coleman)
With aperture set to f/1.8, bokeh is easy, huge and spherical (Picture credit score: Tim Coleman)
Even at f/2.8, bokeh high quality is beautiful. (Picture credit score: Tim Coleman)
I attempted my hardest to induce lens flare, and even then the standard of photographs is prime drawer (Picture credit score: Tim Coleman)
One other lens flare try (Picture credit score: Tim Coleman)
135mm is a wonderful focal size for isolating topics, and focus fall-off at f/1.8 is easy. (Picture credit score: Tim Coleman)
I purposefully pushed the lens in tough situations, similar to backlit portraits at golden hour, and it dealt with flare admirably. It additionally targeted exactly, no imply feat when its VCM motors are working laborious to shift these weighty lens parts, of which there are 14 in 9 teams, though focusing is barely snappier with Sony’s and Nikon’s lenses in my expertise.
Most photographers splashing the money on a lens like this accomplish that for its capacity to supply enticing bokeh, and the Viltrox lens impresses on this entrance, particularly for the value.
The 11-blade round aperture delivers buttery easy and round bokeh in out-of-focus areas of dappled gentle, as you’ll be able to see within the pattern photographs. This type of bokeh high quality is the holy grail for professional portrait photographers, and it is now out there in a lens that prices a fraction of the value of Nikon and Sony’s personal lenses.
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f/1.8 (Picture credit score: Tim Coleman)
f/2.8 (Picture credit score: Tim Coleman)
The highest-drawer optical high quality, particularly for the aggressive value, can’t be overstated, and Viltrox has actually given me one thing to consider. Would I purchase this lens? Completely. I am going to simply hit the gymnasium first, or improve my gear with the chunkier Z8 for higher steadiness, or – extra cost-effectively – the Z6 II battery grip.
Its weight and barely sluggish autofocus are the one drawbacks to an in any other case flawless lens.
Do you have to purchase the Viltrox 135mm f/1.8 LAB? Purchase it if…
Do not buy it if…
How I examined the Viltrox 135mm f/1.8 LAB
Examined intermittently for a number of weeks Paired with a Nikon Z6 II Utilized in a spread of situations and at completely different occasions of day
I acquired the Viltrox 135mm f/1.8 LAB lens for Nikon Z-mount a number of weeks forward of its official unveiling on March 19, 2025. It is already out there for Sony E-mount.
I’ve paired the lens with a Nikon Z6 II physique, and used it in a spread of difficult situations to check its optical high quality. These conditions included backlit portraits throughout golden hours, with the sunshine dancing across the solar included in some pictures.
I have never but had the chance to check the lens throughout inclement climate but, so I am unable to touch upon its weather-resistance credentials.
First reviewed March 2025
