I own the 135 mm, and I will tell you, this lens is surgical. The linear autofocus motor is super quick. I own a fair amount of Sony lenses, including GMs, but this lens is my favorite for event photography. This is one of the few Sony GM lenses that I almost purchased a second one as a backup because of how much I use it.
nice review. It is what i do with a7rv and Sony 50mm F/1.2. what do you think about sony 85mm F/1.8 and 35mm F/1.8 ? They use recent technology like 135mm and are much cheaper, isn't it ?
The background compression only depends on your distance from the subject, and to the background. So (as you can see in these photos), when you take photo from the same spot using 85mm and crop to 135mm, you're going to get exactly the same compression
I have the Sony 135mm and I love it. One advantage when comparing them is that the FF image down sampled to 26mpx will be sharper than a 26mpx crop. I've noticed it on the dpreview comparison pictures. I have the a7r3 and a7r5 and like you I plan on saving most of my a7r5 FF pictures in medium. I also shoot in apsc crop mode when I want more reach. I even have several apsc lenses for when I want to travel light. That's the great thing about these R cameras, they're two cameras in one body.
This is actually a really good idea! Can I ask you how the low light noise levels are when shooting in Medium RAW and APS-C (which renders 26 megapixels)? Is it similar to A7IV’s 33 megapixel? One of the reasons I’ve hesitated to go for the high resolution ‘R’ versions is their noise handling compared to the standard 33 megapixel sensor.
Magic. Is it possible to have 2 raw files to try Sony ARV before buy it? Liké you explain i'm very intersting avoir Raw medium AT 26Mpix and crop Raw AT 26mpix but i'm not sure is possible to use them with my workflow and DXO software. Regards
Thanks for sharing. It is good to hear someone speaking on this topic. I have been using my primes in this way for a while. I recently purchased the Samyang 135mm and it is incredible. If the 85gm was up to the standard of Sony's other GM lenses I would have probably gone for the 85 with a view to alternating in crop mode simply because I can see myself getting more use out of the lens that way. That being said, I can do the same with the 50mm. Also, the 135 in crop is going to be a lot of fun.
Great video! Hey I’m pretty sure when you shoot medium RAW and go into crop mode, it still shoots the 26mp from the full RAW. Sony is on their game lol
Finally! Next is the 135 1.8 vs the 70-200 GM II right? 😉 I feel like a better technological comparison would've been the Sigma 85 1.4 DG DN. It's far superior to the GM; sharper, faster...
One of the main reasons i still prefer the 85 GM is the color science. Color grading video is more precise with video shot by this lens. Not to mention the minimal distortion and better focusing. Its not that great but it's a little more accurate than the Sigma.
i get it all the possibilities about the aps-c mode but! optically is not the same ,shooting with a 50 and then cropping in aps-c mode and becoming an 85mm or 75 doesn't matter ,is just in words that became so, because the compression is different and the reach too compare to a real 85mm .Tell me if I'm wrong I'm open to debate.
As i´m shooting the A9II, i guess i will go for the 135 for the ultimate creamy, background blur. Super helpful video, thanks Magic. Btw, what is that program/webpage you use to compare the focal ranges and apertures?
when sony brings out a 85mm 1.2, this is exactly what I'm gonna do. hopefully with a a7siv or fx3 II, that has a apsc crop mode. could be extremly usefull for wedding videography. :)
85mm 1.4 in APSC format is equivalent to 127.5mm 2.1, I will choose my Sony A7RIV and my Sony 135mm 1.8 GM EVERY time ! The Sony 135mm 1.8 GM are VERY sharp and with tons of resolution to match the 61 megapixels of the Sony A7RIV, that said, if Sony makes a new APSC Camera with 40 megapixels and there will come new and better 85mm Lenses, it will be very nice to experience. I do some times crop to APSC mode from the Sony 24mm 1.4 GM (36mm equivalent), the Sony Zeiss Sonnar 55mm 1.8 (82.5mm equivalent) , the Voigtländer Macro APO-Lanthar 65mm 2.0 Aspherical (97.5mm equivalent) and Sony 135mm 1.8 GM (202.5mm equivalent).
@@stefanotarroni8471 but for example you are 1m from your subject and do a portrait with 35 and then with 50, the face will look different. I do not really get what you mean.
@@flol3266 try it. You will see that once you crop the picture with the 35 to have the face the same size of the 50, they will look the same. And if you use the 35 at F2 and the 50 at F2.8 you will also get the same subject separation
@@stefanotarroni8471 ok then I should try it. But then it would also mean when I print the picture and view it from farther away it should have different proportions as when I look at it closely?
@@flol3266 no, because the distortion comes from the fact that a face is a 3D object. So with a 24mm on FF (16 on crop), when taking a face portrait, the distance between the nose and sensor is around half than the distance between the chicks and the sensor. Hence the nose appears relatively bigger. When you step back, the distance is now much more similar. For the nose is 1 meter, for the chicks is 1.1 meters. When you step back even more, say 5 meters, the difference is negligible. If you get very close to a person, like before kissing someone and look at them it will look like you are using fisheye lenses ahah.
To think that cropping a photo of a 85 mm lens can compensate for a 135 mm lens is an illusion, because the perspectiv and compression of the images of these two lenses are different.
14mp is not enough :)) come on, you are a wedding photographer, i know people who makes beauty photography with 12mp and macro lens, and you won't tell the difference
And even 12 mp is enough to print A3 photo, and most people do not print larger than A4, and social media uses I think 1-2 mpx, so it’s funny to hear that
Sorry, but in my opinion the only reason to use APS-C mode is if you use an APS-C lens on a full frame body … that’s what this mode is made for 😅. Using it with a full frame lens doesn’t make sense. Stating that you get more reach is wrong. An 85mm lens stays an 85mm lens and the image, as the mode suggests, is cropped. More reach means bigger subject at the same pixel size. Also when downsizing a 61MP image to 26MP manually you’ll get a much sharper result than when using crop mode with a full frame lens and waste half your sensor for nothing.
@@MagicWeddingPhotographeras entertaining and informative as always - but not good for my GAS 😂 I'm also halfway through your flash course. These tips are pure gold, thank you for that masterpiece ❤
that 85 F1.2 GM needs to happen asap
we've been PATIENT, right?!
Yes!!!!!!
Im with you guys in this regard!..please at least by the end of the year!.🤞
@@MagicWeddingPhotographer particulary when seeing the nikon plena imagery ;)
meanwhile, in 2024: 85 1.4 II
I own the 135 mm, and I will tell you, this lens is surgical. The linear autofocus motor is super quick.
I own a fair amount of Sony lenses, including GMs, but this lens is my favorite for event photography.
This is one of the few Sony GM lenses that I almost purchased a second one as a backup because of how much I use it.
nice review. It is what i do with a7rv and Sony 50mm F/1.2. what do you think about sony 85mm F/1.8 and 35mm F/1.8 ? They use recent technology like 135mm and are much cheaper, isn't it ?
How about the background compression? Isn’t the background compression on the 135mm more compressed?
The background compression only depends on your distance from the subject, and to the background. So (as you can see in these photos), when you take photo from the same spot using 85mm and crop to 135mm, you're going to get exactly the same compression
Hi Magic - Love your channel. One quick question, if I may. Can you change, to and from, APSC crop mode whilst the A7RV is buffering? thanks, Neil
I have the Sony 135mm and I love it.
One advantage when comparing them is that the FF image down sampled to 26mpx will be sharper than a 26mpx crop. I've noticed it on the dpreview comparison pictures.
I have the a7r3 and a7r5 and like you I plan on saving most of my a7r5 FF pictures in medium. I also shoot in apsc crop mode when I want more reach. I even have several apsc lenses for when I want to travel light. That's the great thing about these R cameras, they're two cameras in one body.
This is actually a really good idea!
Can I ask you how the low light noise levels are when shooting in Medium RAW and APS-C (which renders 26 megapixels)? Is it similar to A7IV’s 33 megapixel?
One of the reasons I’ve hesitated to go for the high resolution ‘R’ versions is their noise handling compared to the standard 33 megapixel sensor.
How edit your pictures? I really like the collors.
Magic. Is it possible to have 2 raw files to try Sony ARV before buy it? Liké you explain i'm very intersting avoir Raw medium AT 26Mpix and crop Raw AT 26mpix but i'm not sure is possible to use them with my workflow and DXO software. Regards
Thanks for sharing. It is good to hear someone speaking on this topic. I have been using my primes in this way for a while. I recently purchased the Samyang 135mm and it is incredible. If the 85gm was up to the standard of Sony's other GM lenses I would have probably gone for the 85 with a view to alternating in crop mode simply because I can see myself getting more use out of the lens that way. That being said, I can do the same with the 50mm. Also, the 135 in crop is going to be a lot of fun.
Great video! Hey I’m pretty sure when you shoot medium RAW and go into crop mode, it still shoots the 26mp from the full RAW. Sony is on their game lol
:O YOU ARE RIGHT! My brain - small, your brain - BIG!
@@MagicWeddingPhotographer oh gosh lol yeah I just know because I thought the same thing but Taylor Jackson mentioned it in a video lol. Thanks dude!
I use Nikon 85mm 1.2 and I have no need of the 135 plena . If I crop to spec mode it gives me 127.5 f1.8 equivalent,so no need of the 135 .
Finally! Next is the 135 1.8 vs the 70-200 GM II right? 😉
I feel like a better technological comparison would've been the Sigma 85 1.4 DG DN. It's far superior to the GM; sharper, faster...
No way, those ugly warm sigma colors are not worth it.
@@JoshWilliams-mf9fc if only there was a way to adjust the colors of an image after taking it in order to get the look one subjectively prefers...
One of the main reasons i still prefer the 85 GM is the color science. Color grading video is more precise with video shot by this lens. Not to mention the minimal distortion and better focusing. Its not that great but it's a little more accurate than the Sigma.
i get it all the possibilities about the aps-c mode but! optically is not the same ,shooting with a 50 and then cropping in aps-c mode and becoming an 85mm or 75 doesn't matter ,is just in words that became so, because the compression is different and the reach too compare to a real 85mm .Tell me if I'm wrong I'm open to debate.
Watch this and let me know your thoughts: ua-cam.com/video/_TTXY1Se0eg/v-deo.html
As i´m shooting the A9II, i guess i will go for the 135 for the ultimate creamy, background blur. Super helpful video, thanks Magic.
Btw, what is that program/webpage you use to compare the focal ranges and apertures?
when sony brings out a 85mm 1.2, this is exactly what I'm gonna do. hopefully with a a7siv or fx3 II, that has a apsc crop mode. could be extremly usefull for wedding videography. :)
85mm 1.4 in APSC format is equivalent to 127.5mm 2.1, I will choose my Sony A7RIV and my Sony 135mm 1.8 GM EVERY time ! The Sony 135mm 1.8 GM are VERY sharp and with tons of resolution to match the 61 megapixels of the Sony A7RIV, that said, if Sony makes a new APSC Camera with 40 megapixels and there will come new and better 85mm Lenses, it will be very nice to experience. I do some times crop to APSC mode from the Sony 24mm 1.4 GM (36mm equivalent), the Sony Zeiss Sonnar 55mm 1.8 (82.5mm equivalent) , the Voigtländer Macro APO-Lanthar 65mm 2.0 Aspherical (97.5mm equivalent) and Sony 135mm 1.8 GM (202.5mm equivalent).
What about the distortion of the different focal lengths which is also a big reason to choose for example between 50 and 85mm
This thing does not exist. The "distortion" comes from the distance you put between you and your subject. Way to many people don't get that.
@@stefanotarroni8471 but for example you are 1m from your subject and do a portrait with 35 and then with 50, the face will look different. I do not really get what you mean.
@@flol3266 try it. You will see that once you crop the picture with the 35 to have the face the same size of the 50, they will look the same. And if you use the 35 at F2 and the 50 at F2.8 you will also get the same subject separation
@@stefanotarroni8471 ok then I should try it. But then it would also mean when I print the picture and view it from farther away it should have different proportions as when I look at it closely?
@@flol3266 no, because the distortion comes from the fact that a face is a 3D object. So with a 24mm on FF (16 on crop), when taking a face portrait, the distance between the nose and sensor is around half than the distance between the chicks and the sensor. Hence the nose appears relatively bigger. When you step back, the distance is now much more similar. For the nose is 1 meter, for the chicks is 1.1 meters. When you step back even more, say 5 meters, the difference is negligible. If you get very close to a person, like before kissing someone and look at them it will look like you are using fisheye lenses ahah.
To think that cropping a photo of a 85 mm lens can compensate for a 135 mm lens is an illusion, because the perspectiv and compression of the images of these two lenses are different.
@@terjepedersen4080 Nope. You’re incorrect
My early headshot portfolio was 85 1.8 on my a6000 and a6100
Yeah you get the reach, and even the bokeh to match pretty closely, but not the compression.
14mp is not enough :)) come on, you are a wedding photographer, i know people who makes beauty photography with 12mp and macro lens, and you won't tell the difference
And even 12 mp is enough to print A3 photo, and most people do not print larger than A4, and social media uses I think 1-2 mpx, so it’s funny to hear that
@@photobatya i was sarcastic
… it‘s funny to discuss the amount of MP - nowadays while the a9 III with 24 MP is not enough for some of is. 😏
Sorry, but in my opinion the only reason to use APS-C mode is if you use an APS-C lens on a full frame body … that’s what this mode is made for 😅. Using it with a full frame lens doesn’t make sense. Stating that you get more reach is wrong. An 85mm lens stays an 85mm lens and the image, as the mode suggests, is cropped. More reach means bigger subject at the same pixel size. Also when downsizing a 61MP image to 26MP manually you’ll get a much sharper result than when using crop mode with a full frame lens and waste half your sensor for nothing.
i needed this
Sigma 85mm 1.4 is amazing
Smart idea!!!! 👍👍👍👍👍
sorry but why not just crop in post?
YES - not seen the video yet, but very excited :)
Thanks for support my friend! Let me know your thoughts!
@@MagicWeddingPhotographeras entertaining and informative as always - but not good for my GAS 😂
I'm also halfway through your flash course. These tips are pure gold, thank you for that masterpiece ❤
Sir I m a new photographer will you like to give away the lens so I can use in m Sony A6000
Pic - Time, too bad no German is offered. :(