Thank you Julia for the review. One thing to notice in your video: When it comes to autofocus Sigma 135 with build in adapter is faster and more accurate than EF mount with MC-11 adapter.
Glad you liked it! I would have liked to try the in built one but unfortunately this was the only version they had available for loan. I also ended up using the lens on a few different days of shooting and tried out both the Sigma and Metabones adaptor, they both have very similar performance imo.
@@juliatrotti The place where I rent my gear used to have mainly Canon mounts and MC11 adapter. After a while they switched to Sony so I was able to use both versions. Nevertheless I still hope for a DG DN 135 :)
Much appreciated the tip of switching to viewing the video in 4k! I hadn't thought about it and wasn't sure why the video looked mushy. I wasa watching in 480p... Great content, as always. The Samyang sure is tempting at that price point. Cheers!
Chris Frosts review clearly shows the Samyang is a much better lens than the Sony GM...It's sharper at the edges of frame, it has more contrast, it has less CA, it has less distortion, it has much better close up performance, it has much better flare resistance and of course, it's much lighter. And lets not kid ourselves, that big difference in weight can be the difference between being bothered to carry a lens with you and actually being in a position to get those vital shots, or leaving it at home because you can't be bothered to lug that dead weight around with you, and missing them (and that especially applies to the ridiculously heavy Sigma!)...For all these reasons, the Samyang is clearly the one to get, and the fact it's between 2 to 2.5 times cheaper than the Sony just makes this even more obvious.
Yeah exactly. I own a Sony A7IV and always bought price to performance lenses. When you have to "Struggle" to notice differences between lenses of same F and focal length, best one to get would always be the cheapest one due to ratio and invest the rest of the money into something else. Unless you chase perfection in certain methodical / technical photography it's a bummer to choose most expensive lens when cheaper options have 99% of their performance.
Superb comparison. I especially love that you notice the differing lens tint. Few reviewers do that and while the tint is correctable, it slows down a work flow when the tint does not match ones style.
Great comparison video! Thank you so much for making it! The Samyang is super impressive and will be my future choice. I used to have the Sigma 135 and although the images were amazing it was terribly heavy for wedding photography and longer photoshoots, and it’s autofocus in lowlight isn’t very good. I was thinking about getting the GM for better performance but this Samyang lens is killer and so light weight that it’s a no brainer !
I'm using the GM for sports (soccer) actually :) Got well over 95% of my shots in focus (paired with an A7 IV). I wonder if the other two could keep up with it in hectic situations
I have the Sony 135mm 1.8 GM and I am very happy with it, VERY sharp, very good colors, very good contrast, very good overall rendering and bokeh, very easy to work with. I do a lot of manual focus, I also always use manual shutter, manual ISO and manual aperture, so I an happy that it has an aperture ring. I use it on Sony A7RIV/A7RIVA and you can make incredible crops of an image with the Sony 135mm 1.8 GM. BUT, I do wish that Sony will make a 1.4x GM tele converter for the Sony 135mm 1.8 GM !!!
Great review! I am not a full time professional but I do some work on the side (family, seniors, portraits). Do you think the autofocus on the Samyang (Eye AF) can handle a child at play or do I have save for the GM?
Just make sure to update it to the latest firmware! I found my copy of the samyang lens was draining my camera battery while the camera was powered off. This stopped when I updated it to v2.0 ✌☺
Have you used your focus limiter switch? I found that my lens causes my camera to reboot when focus limiter switch is in the middle position (0.69 - 2m) and I try to focus on a subject further away. When I do this, the lens tries to focus unsuccessfully and will either no longer focus or causes the camera to reboot. If the camera does not focus, I turn the camera off then on and get a black screen until I press the shutter button then the camera will reboots. I know this is wordy but can you try to see if you get the same results. Thanks
I ordered the lens dock shortly after and updated the firmware straight away. As for using the focus limiter switch, I have used it each time but haven't had any problems as you've mentioned. Have you updated the firmware?
I think about going for an 135/1.8 Lens, my favourite in the moment ist the Samyang because of its weight and price and comparable optical performance.
Thanks for reviewing the 135mm lenses. I have the Canon 135mm and there aren't many reviews on this focal length and it's nice that you've highlighted this lens. Thanks Julia.
Great review! Thanks a lot. I got all 3 lenses right. The difference is so minimal and i think there is no better, they are only a litle bit different.
Julia: This is by far the best review of these lenses that I've seen to date. You do excellent technical comparisons. I shoot with the 135 GM all the time. It's my favorite lens. I tried the Sigma 135 before I bought the GM, but it was far too heavy for me to use comfortably. All three lenses have excellent sharpness, the focus accuracy would be a major issue for me on the Sigma and Samyang. The yellow color cast was very obvious on the Samyang, and would also be a significant issue for what I shoot. I had noticed the color cast on photos from other reviewers as well - in some cases much more strongly than on your photos! One other question that I have concerns quality and sample variation. It's probably safe to assume that each company sends their best lenses to reviewers, so that they get a good review. But Samyang does not have the reputation that Sony (and to some extent, Sigma) does for quality control, consistency, and lack of sample variation. I'm wondering if a non-reviewer would be likely to have the same experiences that you have with these lenses, or if they would be likely to run into quality or performance issues, with their own, randomly purchased copy.
Remember the old saying, a bad workman always blames his tools...These days there really is no such thing as a colour cast...Especially if you post process your photos, as they can be easily made any colour you like with a single click of a mouse button and the right software. Julia always processes her photos to give the colour she likes, I do too, and so would any other self respecting photographer who values their work, or prefers a different look than the camera/lens combo initially provides.
@@alfoutdoors9660 or they can buy the tool that gets them as close to the look they are going for right out of camera and go from there. If he sees the GM better for his work then there’s nothing wrong with that.
Thanks for reviewing these lenses! I have the Zeiss 135 /1.8 for Sony A-mount and was wishing for something similar for my FE-mount cameras. Leaning towards the Samyang.
I nailed the lens question. The sharpness was the best on the Sony. The Samyang giveaway was in the color. The other one left was the Sigma. I love my Samyang 85 1.4 on my R and R5. It also has the warmer character. The price for a 1.4 85 is amazing! Winner for me.
Actually, if you look closer, the Sigma appears to be the sharpest of the three, with the Sony and Samyang being virtually identical in centre sharpness...However, the Samyang is sharper at the edges of frame than the Sony, as well as having less CA, better contrast, better flare resistance and much better close up performance, it's much lighter and for less than half the price the Samyang is the clear winner.
All images here came out beautifully. On the guess which lens it was I got the Samyang & the GM around the wrong way, I think the Samyang looked sharper so I assumed it would be the GM. I’m actually a Samyang ambassador and own the Samyang 135 and it really is a gorgeous lens, and like you mentioned the light weight of it makes it even better as it balances beautifully on my camera body (Sony a7iii) great comparison video overall.
Do you by any chance use the Samyang 135mm for events like weddings? How is the autofocus? Is it reliable enough? I was eyeing the Sigma before I knew of the existence of the Samyang
I've tried 13 (or 14?) 135mm lenses over the years - (so far) - including the newly released Samyang. Ignoring AutoFocus and other nonsense, looking only at overall image quality, the best 135mm lenses out of all the ones I tried were the 135mm f1.8 GM from Sony, the 135mm f3.4 Leica Apo Telyt and the 135mm f2.8 Zeiss Batis. These are by far the three best 135mm lenses ever made. Close second place to these three lenses would be the Nikon 135mm f2 DC! Many famous fashion photographers (e.g Yulia Gorbachenko, Peter Coulson, etc...) heavily praise the 135mm GM and the 135mm f3.4 Leica Apo Telyt! You just can't go wrong no matter which of these four 135mm lenses you buy!
There is a Minolta 135mm f2.8 lens that works with an adapter that is very nice. It's an old lens and its screw drive for auto focus. So good for portraits but use manual focus for weddings.
Regarding Samyang’s AF. I just purchased this lens and firmware 03 actually fixes the AF. Firmware 02 while fixing the battery drain made the AF unstable. When I used the Samyang with firmware 02, my 135GM seemed sharper. However, this is due to Samyang nit being able to reach critical focus. After firmware 03, the Samyang bested the GM ever so slightly. So your tests that show that the GM is sharper is only a function of AF, not optical quality of Sony or GM. I suggest retesting with firmware 03.
I own the Sigma 135, although the samyang is 360g lighter, is it really worth upgrading to it? I'll get the improved AF and a lighter package overall 🤔
thank you for sharing this, it is really great to know the choices one has, but more important, to see how a pro uses it and likes the most versatile one. would you do me a favor. how do you record and take pic of the session you are doing? thanks
I would like to ask a question. so I got the Sony A7III in the beginning of this year. my first lens I bought for it was the Sigma 24mm 1.4. I knew then I wanted a 50mm so I just bought (still waiting for it to arrive) the zeiss 55mm after your recommendation. Before I even got the A7III I watched your budget lenses for Sony video and you recommended a 35mm, the 55mm zeiss and the 85mm samyang 1.4. I am now debating on whether to get the samyang 85 or the 135 and I'm wondering if I really need both and if so which one to get next. would you recommend one over the other? I love your videos and I've watched basically all of them. I'm a quiet watcher but I'm here always.
Keep in mind that 85 1.4 is the first generation of Samyang lenses. They lack quality control so AF is not that great, some copies can be less sharp and they produce yellowish photos. Samyang 135 is like the second generation - much better. When it comes to choosing focal lenghts I had similar setup: 24+55+135. I always felt the huge gap between 55 and 135 so after testing and purchasing Sigma 85 1.4 I hardly use them anymore :D I don't know if it will help you or get you more confused but years ago I saw a post that quite nicely paves the way for kit planning (mostly for weddings): 2 lens combo: 24+50 or 35+85 3 lens combo: 24+50+100 4 lens combo: 16+35+85+200 Edit: Also if you can't decide between 85 and 135 - why not both? Tamron 70-180 f2.8 is a good budget alternative :)
@@geohoundTube actually you just said what I've been thinking exactly on point. I was unsure because I see it just Luke you that the 85 is like first generation and I have a feeling the 135 is ahead and has better quality. And also about the lens combo, I watched a video of a photographer saying the exact same thing about 24/50/135 compared to 35/85... and also I saw Julia's video on the tamron and I've considered it too, thank you for takiking your time to write so much helpfulness in one comment ♡ I appreciate it!
@@geohoundTube but also the 135 samyang and the tamron 70180 are relatively new and I would like to buy only used lens for my low budget 😅 I probably just have to wait a little longer
Lidija is foremost the makeup artist at our photoshoots, but she is also kind enough to take some behind the scenes photos for me while we are shooting! I use them mostly for my instagram stories, insta posts, making tiktok/reel videos and blog posts.
Nice video and really smooth shots! 😉I've tried 13 (or 14?) 135mm lenses over the years - (so far) - including the newly released Samyang. Ignoring AutoFocus and other nonsense, looking only at overall image quality, the best 135mm lenses out of all the ones I tried were the 135mm f1.8 GM from Sony, the 135mm f3.4 Leica Apo Telyt and the 135mm f2.8 Zeiss Batis. These are by far the three best 135mm lenses ever made. Close second place to these three lenses would be the Nikon 135mm f2 DC! Many famous fashion photographers (e.g Yulia Gorbachenko, Peter Coulson, etc...) heavily praise the 135mm GM and the 135mm f3.4 Leica Apo Telyt! You just can't go wrong no matter which of these four 135mm lenses you buy!
Guessing you're prioritizing optical acuity? The Batis certainly doesn't win in the boke department. The same can be said for the GM. And if we're talking about studio performance, all the lenses will be considerably sharp, stopping down, and should be equal in performance.
It usually depends on a few things, the main one depending what lens I’m using and for what reason. So with this video I knew I wanted a large location so I have space to shoot with a 135 and trees to capture bokeh. The outfits I decide to shoot with also help me come up with locations as I like to make them suite the theme ☺️
@@juliatrotti Thank you so much for your helpful answer! Preparation is everything 🤔. I see you put a lot of thought into the details before even shooting. Do you have a video in which you show the preparation for a shooting? I find the topic very exciting. It shows how much work you put into your photos.
Great comparison... simply couldn't tell which was which in the little game. All three lenses seem to deliver great IQ, though I tended to like (based on model poses) the GM and Sigma photos better overall, though that has more to do with the flow of the photoshoot than the lens that was being used at any point in time...
I would say an 85mm would be good for that. With a 135mm, even though you'll also get some nice depth of field, you have to get too far back to capture a full body shot. An 85mm is more manageable!
The Sony GM is the clear winner, it captures more color tonalities, and it has a balanced contrast level. One day I'll probably go back to Sony, they are creating great lenses! Thanks for the video Julia 👌
Sony GM always is a great choice- I do own the 24/70 and the 85mm GM and they are both outstanding- I compared with Sigma, Zeiss and so on but I (personally only my opinion) really love and prefer the look of the GM photos more! Sometimes I can not even say why because in some cases in terms of sharpness a different lense is better! :-) I believe it is quality!
I easily identified the samyang in the test and was wrong about the Sigma vs Sony. I thought the best looking one would be the Sony but it was the Sigma. Compared to the Sony and Sigma the way the Samyang renders faces is less pleasing. The skintones have less micro contrast (less gradation) and appear flatter (less 3dimensional). And that's my subjective opinion! :P
Different pose/LIGHT/distance (micro). All changing how you see the picture. I can say that I don't see any difference in sharpness in the center of the lens. From first set I pick up gm and samyang, on second just sigma as a best to me...
@@Jan-eh7nf Look at the pictures again. It's not about sharpness. It's about 3d depth, subtle gradation in the skintones. The Samyang looks like what you'd get from an iPhone. Digital and ugly
No, I cannot share my raw files from portrait photoshoots. Make sure you watch the video in 4K, you will be able to see all the details when I show the 1:1 view of the photos!
you should consider that the sigma lens is still part of their old line up of lenses the "dg hsm" line... many focal lengths have been replaced by their new line up of lenses called "dg dn" which are mostly smaller and also better in af performance .. maybe they‘ll soon have a 135 mm DG DN lens available who knows
6:46 I got all three right! I was able to tell the GM apart from the others based on the smoother transition between the in-focus and out-of-focus parts of the model's eyebrow. Then for the other two it was a matter of the color tint mentioned before. I am on the fence about getting the 135 GM or the new 70-200 GM as my telephoto lens. I really appreciate Julia's focus on the practical matters of her gear comparisons, so I'd like to know her opinion about the usability of large aperture telephoto primes vs. telephoto zooms.
Nice! Yeah the colours were a little bit of a giveaway for that comparison, but I thought that set of photos looked more similar than any of the others. Which lens you go for would really depend on your usage. I personally went with the 135 as I use longer lenses mostly for weddings and wedding receptions where I need as much light as possible. It also doubles up as a portrait lens, I like the dreamy look of fast lenses for portraits. If it wasn't for low light and ~bokeh~, I would say the 70-200 is much more versatile!
The only question I have is; Prior to the actual photo shoot, who chooses which outfits to wear? Thank you very much as I do enjoy your work a great deal. Goodonya, Julia. :) Tony
I didn't get the game right 😅. even though in the images before i could clearly see, that the gm is the sharpest, I actually thought in the game that number 2 was the gm, 1 would be the samyang (correct here) and 3 was the adapted Sigma, lol, it shows it totally depends on the photo, the location and the scenario.
My guess was same as yours 😂 but that just goes to show how close these 3 lenses perform to each other... Now I'm not a professional photographer so I'm not about to but the pro lenses (GM) due to their costs but I did end up buying the Samyang and I have updated it to the latest firmware.. And my copy of the lens works like the reviewers I have seen so far. It's just a great lens imo
I don't own all 3 but I have 135 GM, 85mm Sigma DG DN and 105 Sigma Art. If weight is not s consideration then 105mm Sigma Art is in my opinion better than the other 2 . 1.6kg in weight and huge 105mm front element is the reason most people leaving this lens at home and it is such a monster lens to carry. I don't know why Sony and Samyang are not making 105mm f1.4s .
I currently have the Sigma 105 on loan and I can't wait to take it out to a proper portrait session! So far I have just been taking some photos for myself here and there. But will def make a video once I have the chance to shoot with it :D
@@juliatrotti I like 105 but it is rarely in my bag anyway, the weight and size make it a bit impractical but I can't fault the lens for its optical quality. 85mm was such a compact lens, a snappy lens to use in auto focus. I was able to snatch 135GM and 105 Sigma from a friend at the pricing point of the Samsung 135 when he was getting rid of his Sony gears moving into a Canon R5.
I love Sigma colors the best sooc, but GM colors edited Also, on the test I got the Sigma one right instantly 😁 because of the colors. But I wasn't sure about the other two Btw, could you explain what you meant that Sigma's AF performance has to do sth with being adapted from Canon?
She means it wasn't specifically designed to be used on more up to date mirrorless cameras, like the other two are...So it's AF system is slower and less accurate than the other two.
That's because You did not compare your GM 85 with the handling(!) and image rendering(!) of the smaller, & much cheaper Sigma DG DN f1.4 85mm. .. :-) ( Admittedly ; The GM 85mm is old. Sony could easily match the DG DN in a new f1.4 GM, ..but still far more expensive I guess.) (I LOVE the GM 50mm and DG DN f1.2 35mm)
@@Strassefotos Perhaps the difference is only at f1.4/ f1.8 where I checket, or perhaps you dont exploit those appertures as much as I need to. Maybe I had a somewhat below top copy of the gm and a sub-bar DN : In my case it was really obvious (crisp vs soft). With two surprise bonus I did not expect, handling and price (got money "left" after selling the gm). (It has horrendous distortion. Though I enable lens-correction in camera for composing that does not affect my (only) raw shooting, and my variable distortion control in Lightroom still does not deteriorate the image to equal the gm. And I really trust its build and do like it's handling much better. The handling etc of the gm 50 is outstanding (mean9ng it really sticks to me, vs the effective handling of Sony Planar was. The handking of my dn 35 f/1.2 is not pleasant (as the gm f/1.4 'must' be ) but I can't miss it's rendering wide open.
@@AR-vf7vg Well still your opinion and when you compare you might see it different than I do but don't worry I accept your opinion just you won't be able to change mine- no worries! :-) I'm happy with my Sony GM!
I got the closeups wrong. Sigma would just need to equal the performance of their EX DG art dslr lens with their new DN model to compete with any new model.
I love the bokeh test at the end and also I failed to test when guessing what number was what lens 😂😂 I am however a hobby photographer and sometimes find myself shooting friends, neighbors etc. Weddings... I am however not a videographer so shooting video is not for me... But with this said... I ended up buying the samyang on release and has since then updated it to the latest firmware (I found out v1.0 will make the lens eats powers from batteries even when the camera is turned off)... I could not motivate myself of buying the Sony GM version because it did cost soooo much and the sigma seemed a bit bulky and heavy. The Samyang however do what I want it to do and perform like the reviewers copies of the lens (from those I have seen so far)... I would like to nominate the Samyang 135mm f1.8 to biggest bang for bucks among prime lenses 2022!!
Been waiting for ever for sigma to release the 135mm 1.8 dg dn version. They announced the patents on June 2021. Samyang didn’t announce anything and just dropped it like it was hot. Good for Samyang.
Samyang is very good on paper, however what i saw was that both samyang and the sony produced quite “flat” images. The sigma made its pictures actually pop consistently. The GM in my eyes is the worst perfomer (excluding AF speed). It produced rather flat images and i know the samyang is actually an APO lens with almost no vignetting and no distortion. It actually is “perfect” on paper.
Hello, what were you viewing this video on? I'm not noticing any 3D pop on any of the lenses. They all actually look the same when we're looking at the subject. I did notice, however, that the boke appears to be smoother on the Sigma.
Oviousally (!!!) not enough attention and emphasis to distinguish Bokkeh differences (bokkeh balls has not been forgotten in this video) has been done. For that, other and different procedures would probably reveal clear distinctions. Here I suspect the Sigma to blur/swell/pop.. most of the 3. (So for my extreemly rare ("very still") images with 135 I would probably want to confirm to envisage a second hand of this Sigma, since that would be a real easy to find bargain with probably best bokkeh. But handling and AF is perhaps a pain.)
Thank you Julia for the review.
One thing to notice in your video: When it comes to autofocus Sigma 135 with build in adapter is faster and more accurate than EF mount with MC-11 adapter.
Glad you liked it! I would have liked to try the in built one but unfortunately this was the only version they had available for loan. I also ended up using the lens on a few different days of shooting and tried out both the Sigma and Metabones adaptor, they both have very similar performance imo.
@@juliatrotti The place where I rent my gear used to have mainly Canon mounts and MC11 adapter. After a while they switched to Sony so I was able to use both versions. Nevertheless I still hope for a DG DN 135 :)
Much appreciated the tip of switching to viewing the video in 4k! I hadn't thought about it and wasn't sure why the video looked mushy. I wasa watching in 480p... Great content, as always. The Samyang sure is tempting at that price point. Cheers!
Chris Frosts review clearly shows the Samyang is a much better lens than the Sony GM...It's sharper at the edges of frame, it has more contrast, it has less CA, it has less distortion, it has much better close up performance, it has much better flare resistance and of course, it's much lighter. And lets not kid ourselves, that big difference in weight can be the difference between being bothered to carry a lens with you and actually being in a position to get those vital shots, or leaving it at home because you can't be bothered to lug that dead weight around with you, and missing them (and that especially applies to the ridiculously heavy Sigma!)...For all these reasons, the Samyang is clearly the one to get, and the fact it's between 2 to 2.5 times cheaper than the Sony just makes this even more obvious.
Yeah exactly. I own a Sony A7IV and always bought price to performance lenses. When you have to "Struggle" to notice differences between lenses of same F and focal length, best one to get would always be the cheapest one due to ratio and invest the rest of the money into something else.
Unless you chase perfection in certain methodical / technical photography it's a bummer to choose most expensive lens when cheaper options have 99% of their performance.
Would you recommend the samyang for Weddings?
The model for this shoot is beautiful!!😍
100% AGREE & great video ~ BEWDIFUL !!!
Superb comparison. I especially love that you notice the differing lens tint. Few reviewers do that and while the tint is correctable, it slows down a work flow when the tint does not match ones style.
Great comparison video! Thank you so much for making it! The Samyang is super impressive and will be my future choice. I used to have the Sigma 135 and although the images were amazing it was terribly heavy for wedding photography and longer photoshoots, and it’s autofocus in lowlight isn’t very good.
I was thinking about getting the GM for better performance but this Samyang lens is killer and so light weight that it’s a no brainer !
Thanks for letting us know. I love sigma lens and the 135mm lens can be a great item to have.
I'm using the GM for sports (soccer) actually :) Got well over 95% of my shots in focus (paired with an A7 IV). I wonder if the other two could keep up with it in hectic situations
I have the Sony 135mm 1.8 GM and I am very happy with it, VERY sharp, very good colors, very good contrast, very good overall rendering and bokeh, very easy to work with. I do a lot of manual focus, I also always use manual shutter, manual ISO and manual aperture, so I an happy that it has an aperture ring. I use it on Sony A7RIV/A7RIVA and you can make incredible crops of an image with the Sony 135mm 1.8 GM. BUT, I do wish that Sony will make a 1.4x GM tele converter for the Sony 135mm 1.8 GM !!!
Great review! I am not a full time professional but I do some work on the side (family, seniors, portraits). Do you think the autofocus on the Samyang (Eye AF) can handle a child at play or do I have save for the GM?
I was waiting for this video YES 💪 thank you
Purchased the Samyang recently after watching your review on that lens. So far loving the results it's producing
Just make sure to update it to the latest firmware! I found my copy of the samyang lens was draining my camera battery while the camera was powered off. This stopped when I updated it to v2.0 ✌☺
Have you used your focus limiter switch? I found that my lens causes my camera to reboot when focus limiter switch is in the middle position (0.69 - 2m) and I try to focus on a subject further away. When I do this, the lens tries to focus unsuccessfully and will either no longer focus or causes the camera to reboot. If the camera does not focus, I turn the camera off then on and get a black screen until I press the shutter button then the camera will reboots. I know this is wordy but can you try to see if you get the same results. Thanks
I ordered the lens dock shortly after and updated the firmware straight away.
As for using the focus limiter switch, I have used it each time but haven't had any problems as you've mentioned. Have you updated the firmware?
@@BennyMcKinnon Yes, as soon as I got the lens in.
@@maxrogers9639 that sounds odd then, I'm not sure if anyone else has experienced it. Maybe you have a defective copy?
I think about going for an 135/1.8 Lens, my favourite in the moment ist the Samyang because of its weight and price and comparable optical performance.
What do you think samyang af performance for indoor stage photography ?
Please!!!! Samyang 135mm 1.8 for Canon Rf
Thanks for reviewing the 135mm lenses. I have the Canon 135mm and there aren't many reviews on this focal length and it's nice that you've highlighted this lens. Thanks Julia.
Would it be possible to do a similar comparison for the Canon 135mm F2 vs the Sigma 135mm F1.8? That would be so awesome!
Great review! Thanks a lot.
I got all 3 lenses right.
The difference is so minimal and i think there is no better, they are only a litle bit different.
Julia: This is by far the best review of these lenses that I've seen to date. You do excellent technical comparisons. I shoot with the 135 GM all the time. It's my favorite lens. I tried the Sigma 135 before I bought the GM, but it was far too heavy for me to use comfortably. All three lenses have excellent sharpness, the focus accuracy would be a major issue for me on the Sigma and Samyang. The yellow color cast was very obvious on the Samyang, and would also be a significant issue for what I shoot. I had noticed the color cast on photos from other reviewers as well - in some cases much more strongly than on your photos! One other question that I have concerns quality and sample variation. It's probably safe to assume that each company sends their best lenses to reviewers, so that they get a good review. But Samyang does not have the reputation that Sony (and to some extent, Sigma) does for quality control, consistency, and lack of sample variation. I'm wondering if a non-reviewer would be likely to have the same experiences that you have with these lenses, or if they would be likely to run into quality or performance issues, with their own, randomly purchased copy.
Remember the old saying, a bad workman always blames his tools...These days there really is no such thing as a colour cast...Especially if you post process your photos, as they can be easily made any colour you like with a single click of a mouse button and the right software. Julia always processes her photos to give the colour she likes, I do too, and so would any other self respecting photographer who values their work, or prefers a different look than the camera/lens combo initially provides.
@@alfoutdoors9660 or they can buy the tool that gets them as close to the look they are going for right out of camera and go from there. If he sees the GM better for his work then there’s nothing wrong with that.
Got the gm rite but all look super nice will get the Samyang soon.thank
Was eyeing the samyang but might just go for the f2 manual version. It's so cheap and it's perfection. Not sure why they didn't designate it APO.
Thanks for reviewing these lenses! I have the Zeiss 135 /1.8 for Sony A-mount and was wishing for something similar for my FE-mount cameras. Leaning towards the Samyang.
Man save some money and get the LA-EA5 ADAPTER as far as image quality its right there and has that Zeiss look.
I have that sony-zeiss A-mount lens and it's perfect stopped to f2.8, just a bit of chromatic aberration otherwise.
Thank you so much Julia, very helpful and informative! Good luck!
I nailed the lens question. The sharpness was the best on the Sony. The Samyang giveaway was in the color. The other one left was the Sigma. I love my Samyang 85 1.4 on my R and R5. It also has the warmer character. The price for a 1.4 85 is amazing! Winner for me.
Actually, if you look closer, the Sigma appears to be the sharpest of the three, with the Sony and Samyang being virtually identical in centre sharpness...However, the Samyang is sharper at the edges of frame than the Sony, as well as having less CA, better contrast, better flare resistance and much better close up performance, it's much lighter and for less than half the price the Samyang is the clear winner.
All images here came out beautifully. On the guess which lens it was I got the Samyang & the GM around the wrong way, I think the Samyang looked sharper so I assumed it would be the GM. I’m actually a Samyang ambassador and own the Samyang 135 and it really is a gorgeous lens, and like you mentioned the light weight of it makes it even better as it balances beautifully on my camera body (Sony a7iii) great comparison video overall.
Do you by any chance use the Samyang 135mm for events like weddings? How is the autofocus? Is it reliable enough? I was eyeing the Sigma before I knew of the existence of the Samyang
any chances we getting samyang for fuji?
I've tried 13 (or 14?) 135mm lenses over the years - (so far) - including the newly released Samyang. Ignoring AutoFocus and other nonsense, looking only at overall image quality, the best 135mm lenses out of all the ones I tried were the 135mm f1.8 GM from Sony, the 135mm f3.4 Leica Apo Telyt and the 135mm f2.8 Zeiss Batis. These are by far the three best 135mm lenses ever made. Close second place to these three lenses would be the Nikon 135mm f2 DC! Many famous fashion photographers (e.g Yulia Gorbachenko, Peter Coulson, etc...) heavily praise the 135mm GM and the 135mm f3.4 Leica Apo Telyt! You just can't go wrong no matter which of these four 135mm lenses you buy!
@@nogerboher5266 What is your opinion on Sigma 135mm f1.8 DG HSM Art
Hi, Julia: when will you upload the comparison between the Sony 35mm f/1.4 GM versus the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 Art DG DN? Thank you.
Hey Julia sis you make Great videos and it helps me learn much more about camera work 👍🏻
my reference in portrait photography 😊
💯
Like you I've got all bits crossed that Sigma announces an updated DG DN version real soon
can you compare one of these to the Fujifilm XF 90mm F2 please?
What a lovely video as usual! And the images are great.
Thanks so much!
Hi Julia...I think we've talked before about my love for the 135gm. It is my favorite lens...Really enjoyed this video...
It's not hard to see why it's your favourite, it's a beautiful lens! And thank you :)
Which one suggest for overall best portrait soot
With close up shots i see that Sigma bokhe is smoother then other 2 lenses.
Great comparison. Thank you so much.
By smoother, do you mean softer? If so, then that is no compliment for the Sigma...
There is a Minolta 135mm f2.8 lens that works with an adapter that is very nice. It's an old lens and its screw drive for auto focus. So good for portraits but use manual focus for weddings.
Regarding Samyang’s AF. I just purchased this lens and firmware 03 actually fixes the AF. Firmware 02 while fixing the battery drain made the AF unstable.
When I used the Samyang with firmware 02, my 135GM seemed sharper. However, this is due to Samyang nit being able to reach critical focus.
After firmware 03, the Samyang bested the GM ever so slightly.
So your tests that show that the GM is sharper is only a function of AF, not optical quality of Sony or GM.
I suggest retesting with firmware 03.
Do you need the base to update the lens?
@@holdmyown32 yes
That is what I suspected too, as Chris Frosts review of the Samyang shows it to be sharper than the GM, right across the frame, with better contrast.
Great review as always
I own the Sigma 135, although the samyang is 360g lighter, is it really worth upgrading to it? I'll get the improved AF and a lighter package overall 🤔
Actually the Sigma is a massive 428g heavier than the Samyang! (772g vs 1200g)
@@alfoutdoors9660 I know, but i don't shoot with it all the time and probably I'll lose some money in the process of "upgrading" 😅
thank you for sharing this, it is really great to know the choices one has, but more important, to see how a pro uses it and likes the most versatile one. would you do me a favor. how do you record and take pic of the session you are doing? thanks
I can't believe Sigma still hasn't released a DG GN version of this lens. It's way long overdue.
Great review and comparison that ive been curious all the time! Do you use lights (flash) when u shoot by the way?
Thank you! I don’t use flash outdoors, only in the studio and for wedding receptions (on camera flash for weddings)
Thank you for the review, how do you show the view finder / screen when you're shooting?
I would like to ask a question. so I got the Sony A7III in the beginning of this year. my first lens I bought for it was the Sigma 24mm 1.4. I knew then I wanted a 50mm so I just bought (still waiting for it to arrive) the zeiss 55mm after your recommendation. Before I even got the A7III I watched your budget lenses for Sony video and you recommended a 35mm, the 55mm zeiss and the 85mm samyang 1.4. I am now debating on whether to get the samyang 85 or the 135 and I'm wondering if I really need both and if so which one to get next. would you recommend one over the other? I love your videos and I've watched basically all of them. I'm a quiet watcher but I'm here always.
I love the 135 and 85 as well! I’m totally torn. I hope she’ll answer 💚
@@terilocklear2043 💯
Keep in mind that 85 1.4 is the first generation of Samyang lenses. They lack quality control so AF is not that great, some copies can be less sharp and they produce yellowish photos. Samyang 135 is like the second generation - much better.
When it comes to choosing focal lenghts I had similar setup: 24+55+135. I always felt the huge gap between 55 and 135 so after testing and purchasing Sigma 85 1.4 I hardly use them anymore :D I don't know if it will help you or get you more confused but years ago I saw a post that quite nicely paves the way for kit planning (mostly for weddings):
2 lens combo: 24+50 or 35+85
3 lens combo: 24+50+100
4 lens combo: 16+35+85+200
Edit:
Also if you can't decide between 85 and 135 - why not both? Tamron 70-180 f2.8 is a good budget alternative :)
@@geohoundTube actually you just said what I've been thinking exactly on point. I was unsure because I see it just Luke you that the 85 is like first generation and I have a feeling the 135 is ahead and has better quality. And also about the lens combo, I watched a video of a photographer saying the exact same thing about 24/50/135 compared to 35/85... and also I saw Julia's video on the tamron and I've considered it too, thank you for takiking your time to write so much helpfulness in one comment ♡ I appreciate it!
@@geohoundTube but also the 135 samyang and the tamron 70180 are relatively new and I would like to buy only used lens for my low budget 😅 I probably just have to wait a little longer
Hello, how do you record the camera screen while taking photos?
Samyang is kicking ass! Love the sharpness!
No chance to tell them apart. Price and weight leads towards Samyang.
Is the Sony worth double the price of the Samyang if you use it to shoot catwalks ?????
No . I have both. Samyang is so so good
Hello Julia! Why does your assistant take photos with the mobile phone? How do you use that after?
Lidija is foremost the makeup artist at our photoshoots, but she is also kind enough to take some behind the scenes photos for me while we are shooting! I use them mostly for my instagram stories, insta posts, making tiktok/reel videos and blog posts.
A great work ❤️👍
Hello! What is the name of your bag?
I wish the Samyang was shipping in the USA. Ordered it late January at B&H on the morning ordering started.
Update: it arrived May 20. (Needing a firmware update)
Nice video and really smooth shots! 😉I've tried 13 (or 14?) 135mm lenses over the years - (so far) - including the newly released Samyang. Ignoring AutoFocus and other nonsense, looking only at overall image quality, the best 135mm lenses out of all the ones I tried were the 135mm f1.8 GM from Sony, the 135mm f3.4 Leica Apo Telyt and the 135mm f2.8 Zeiss Batis. These are by far the three best 135mm lenses ever made. Close second place to these three lenses would be the Nikon 135mm f2 DC! Many famous fashion photographers (e.g Yulia Gorbachenko, Peter Coulson, etc...) heavily praise the 135mm GM and the 135mm f3.4 Leica Apo Telyt! You just can't go wrong no matter which of these four 135mm lenses you buy!
Guessing you're prioritizing optical acuity? The Batis certainly doesn't win in the boke department. The same can be said for the GM. And if we're talking about studio performance, all the lenses will be considerably sharp, stopping down, and should be equal in performance.
Julia, according to which criteria do you choose the location of the photo shoot?
It usually depends on a few things, the main one depending what lens I’m using and for what reason. So with this video I knew I wanted a large location so I have space to shoot with a 135 and trees to capture bokeh. The outfits I decide to shoot with also help me come up with locations as I like to make them suite the theme ☺️
@@juliatrotti Thank you so much for your helpful answer! Preparation is everything 🤔. I see you put a lot of thought into the details before even shooting. Do you have a video in which you show the preparation for a shooting? I find the topic very exciting. It shows how much work you put into your photos.
Great comparison... simply couldn't tell which was which in the little game. All three lenses seem to deliver great IQ, though I tended to like (based on model poses) the GM and Sigma photos better overall, though that has more to do with the flow of the photoshoot than the lens that was being used at any point in time...
What you think this the best focal length for full body shoots with blurry background ?
I would say an 85mm would be good for that. With a 135mm, even though you'll also get some nice depth of field, you have to get too far back to capture a full body shot. An 85mm is more manageable!
@@juliatrotti thank you 🙏 happy new year
love videos like this!
Incredible shots.
What's the best lens for bokeh video?
Great video, the Samyang looks great and is way cheaper 🙂👍
I think sigma lens is for better portrait photography.
The Sony GM is the clear winner, it captures more color tonalities, and it has a balanced contrast level. One day I'll probably go back to Sony, they are creating great lenses!
Thanks for the video Julia 👌
Sony GM always is a great choice- I do own the 24/70 and the 85mm GM and they are both outstanding- I compared with Sigma, Zeiss and so on but I (personally only my opinion) really love and prefer the look of the GM photos more! Sometimes I can not even say why because in some cases in terms of sharpness a different lense is better! :-) I believe it is quality!
I easily identified the samyang in the test and was wrong about the Sigma vs Sony. I thought the best looking one would be the Sony but it was the Sigma. Compared to the Sony and Sigma the way the Samyang renders faces is less pleasing. The skintones have less micro contrast (less gradation) and appear flatter (less 3dimensional). And that's my subjective opinion! :P
exactly!
Different pose/LIGHT/distance (micro). All changing how you see the picture. I can say that I don't see any difference in sharpness in the center of the lens. From first set I pick up gm and samyang, on second just sigma as a best to me...
@@Jan-eh7nf Look at the pictures again. It's not about sharpness. It's about 3d depth, subtle gradation in the skintones. The Samyang looks like what you'd get from an iPhone. Digital and ugly
@@Whaever_1981 🤣
@@Jan-eh7nf Ad hominem 🤣
would it be possible to make the raw files available for analysis?
No, I cannot share my raw files from portrait photoshoots. Make sure you watch the video in 4K, you will be able to see all the details when I show the 1:1 view of the photos!
you should consider that the sigma lens is still part of their old line up of lenses the "dg hsm" line... many focal lengths have been replaced by their new line up of lenses called "dg dn" which are mostly smaller and also better in af performance .. maybe they‘ll soon have a 135 mm DG DN lens available who knows
oh you just said it yourself 😂😅 my bad
Please do a review on Sony Xperia 5 III
6:46 I got all three right! I was able to tell the GM apart from the others based on the smoother transition between the in-focus and out-of-focus parts of the model's eyebrow. Then for the other two it was a matter of the color tint mentioned before. I am on the fence about getting the 135 GM or the new 70-200 GM as my telephoto lens. I really appreciate Julia's focus on the practical matters of her gear comparisons, so I'd like to know her opinion about the usability of large aperture telephoto primes vs. telephoto zooms.
Nice! Yeah the colours were a little bit of a giveaway for that comparison, but I thought that set of photos looked more similar than any of the others. Which lens you go for would really depend on your usage. I personally went with the 135 as I use longer lenses mostly for weddings and wedding receptions where I need as much light as possible. It also doubles up as a portrait lens, I like the dreamy look of fast lenses for portraits. If it wasn't for low light and ~bokeh~, I would say the 70-200 is much more versatile!
@@juliatrotti Thanks so much for the reply! I'll definitely keep this in mind when making my decision!
I only get the gm right because it clearly looks cooler. However, sigma and samyang both has warmer colors and I got them mixed up.
GM is overrated glass and this intentional limit in high frames for Samyang clearly shows it.
hey julia, how do you find your models?😍
I go through modelling agencies!
@@juliatrotti ah okay, thanks for answering!❤️
@@juliatrotti How much do you have to pay to hire a model from an agency?
The only question I have is; Prior to the actual photo shoot, who chooses which outfits to wear? Thank you very much as I do enjoy your work a great deal. Goodonya, Julia. :) Tony
I bring some outfits and the model brings some as well. Then we decide on the day what to wear :)
Gorgeous girl.. Oh... and nice lenses.. especially that Samyang 😇
pity none of these lense are available for Canon RF mount natively...
I didn't get the game right 😅. even though in the images before i could clearly see, that the gm is the sharpest, I actually thought in the game that number 2 was the gm, 1 would be the samyang (correct here) and 3 was the adapted Sigma, lol, it shows it totally depends on the photo, the location and the scenario.
My guess was same as yours 😂 but that just goes to show how close these 3 lenses perform to each other... Now I'm not a professional photographer so I'm not about to but the pro lenses (GM) due to their costs but I did end up buying the Samyang and I have updated it to the latest firmware.. And my copy of the lens works like the reviewers I have seen so far. It's just a great lens imo
I don't own all 3 but I have 135 GM, 85mm Sigma DG DN and 105 Sigma Art. If weight is not s consideration then 105mm Sigma Art is in my opinion better than the other 2 . 1.6kg in weight and huge 105mm front element is the reason most people leaving this lens at home and it is such a monster lens to carry. I don't know why Sony and Samyang are not making 105mm f1.4s .
I currently have the Sigma 105 on loan and I can't wait to take it out to a proper portrait session! So far I have just been taking some photos for myself here and there. But will def make a video once I have the chance to shoot with it :D
@@juliatrotti I like 105 but it is rarely in my bag anyway, the weight and size make it a bit impractical but I can't fault the lens for its optical quality. 85mm was such a compact lens, a snappy lens to use in auto focus. I was able to snatch 135GM and 105 Sigma from a friend at the pricing point of the Samsung 135 when he was getting rid of his Sony gears moving into a Canon R5.
@@jliang70 Samsung 135? Don't you mean Samyang 135?
@@alfoutdoors9660 NO, I have the Sony GM 135.
@@juliatrotti have you finally found a time to compare the 105 to the samyang and Sony 135?. Am really interested in this test.
The GM is probably going to be my first GM lens.
I love Sigma colors the best sooc, but GM colors edited
Also, on the test I got the Sigma one right instantly 😁 because of the colors. But I wasn't sure about the other two
Btw, could you explain what you meant that Sigma's AF performance has to do sth with being adapted from Canon?
She means it wasn't specifically designed to be used on more up to date mirrorless cameras, like the other two are...So it's AF system is slower and less accurate than the other two.
I buy a Samyang 135 1.8 It’s great lens.
I just love the GM- I love my GM 85mm and considering to buy the 135mm Sony G-Master!
That's because You did not compare your GM 85 with the handling(!) and image rendering(!) of the
smaller,
& much cheaper
Sigma DG DN f1.4 85mm.
.. :-)
( Admittedly ;
The GM 85mm is old.
Sony could easily match the DG DN in a new f1.4 GM,
..but still far more expensive I guess.)
(I LOVE the GM 50mm
and DG DN f1.2 35mm)
@@AR-vf7vg so you shoot with the Sigma I prefer to use the GM! :-) That's totally fine. :-)
@@AR-vf7vg By the way- I tried the Sigma too but I did not like it as much as the GM
@@Strassefotos Perhaps the difference is only at f1.4/ f1.8 where I checket, or perhaps you dont exploit those appertures as much as I need to. Maybe I had a somewhat below top copy of the gm and a sub-bar DN : In my case it was really obvious (crisp vs soft). With two surprise bonus I did not expect, handling and price (got money "left" after selling the gm).
(It has horrendous distortion. Though I enable lens-correction in camera for composing that does not affect my (only) raw shooting, and my variable distortion control in Lightroom still does not deteriorate the image to equal the gm. And I really trust its build and do like it's handling much better. The handling etc of the gm 50 is outstanding (mean9ng it really sticks to me, vs the effective handling of Sony Planar was. The handking of my dn 35 f/1.2 is not pleasant (as the gm f/1.4 'must' be ) but I can't miss it's rendering wide open.
@@AR-vf7vg Well still your opinion and when you compare you might see it different than I do but don't worry I accept your opinion just you won't be able to change mine- no worries! :-)
I'm happy with my Sony GM!
I got the closeups wrong. Sigma would just need to equal the performance of their EX DG art dslr lens with their new DN model to compete with any new model.
I love the bokeh test at the end and also I failed to test when guessing what number was what lens 😂😂 I am however a hobby photographer and sometimes find myself shooting friends, neighbors etc. Weddings... I am however not a videographer so shooting video is not for me... But with this said... I ended up buying the samyang on release and has since then updated it to the latest firmware (I found out v1.0 will make the lens eats powers from batteries even when the camera is turned off)... I could not motivate myself of buying the Sony GM version because it did cost soooo much and the sigma seemed a bit bulky and heavy. The Samyang however do what I want it to do and perform like the reviewers copies of the lens (from those I have seen so far)... I would like to nominate the Samyang 135mm f1.8 to biggest bang for bucks among prime lenses 2022!!
Thank you! And yes I agree with you, this Samyang is really good value for money.
regarding power issue: there was firmware update, so it fixed already...
does the new firmware improve the autofocus performance?
@@alemp1987 the firmware update (to v2.0) does not improve AF as far as I could tell
@@dudeiusmannigast1543 thanks! 🙌🏼🙌🏼
Have the Samyang. The Sigma here is stunning
Been waiting for ever for sigma to release the 135mm 1.8 dg dn version. They announced the patents on June 2021. Samyang didn’t announce anything and just dropped it like it was hot. Good for Samyang.
I can't wait for that Sigma lens too!
Did the model delete her Instagram? I can't find her
J’aimerai bien un test de ces 3 Objectifs en basse lumière, ou astrophotographie.
Very nice post !
Great video. But I think sigma is clearly sharper than Samyang.
Samyang is very good on paper, however what i saw was that both samyang and the sony produced quite “flat” images. The sigma made its pictures actually pop consistently. The GM in my eyes is the worst perfomer (excluding AF speed). It produced rather flat images and i know the samyang is actually an APO lens with almost no vignetting and no distortion. It actually is “perfect” on paper.
Hello, what were you viewing this video on? I'm not noticing any 3D pop on any of the lenses. They all actually look the same when we're looking at the subject. I did notice, however, that the boke appears to be smoother on the Sigma.
@@princeharbinger
after checking it out again, excuse my earlier comment. I was probably drunk. I would put it in this order: Sigma/GM>Samyang.
better sigma and economical price👍
I like the colours of Sigma ....If it was a bit cheaper I definitely would go for it!
Sony is sharpest at wide open noticeably. look at her hair and face skin detail.
im getting a samyang NOW !
so theres no need for 70-200
Thanks
Julia Trotti
GM for the win! You get what u pay for.
Clearly you don't because the Samyang is obviously the best for the price...
I seen the sanyang on sale for $649 new on Amazon today. Makes it very tempting
@@alfoutdoors9660 if you have a reliable warranty and you don’t need the best AF, than probably yes.
@@alfoutdoors9660 ...not how money works.
If $ is the only consideration, used Rokiyang 135f2s are available for a third of the f1.8AFs.
Ps: I got all 3 correct at first glance. Then I thought about it too analytically …. Hmmm.
SIGMA Looks the best.
samyang for me .. 😎
Oviousally (!!!) not enough attention and emphasis to distinguish Bokkeh differences (bokkeh balls has not been forgotten in this video) has been done. For that, other and different procedures would probably reveal clear distinctions. Here I suspect the Sigma to blur/swell/pop.. most of the 3.
(So for my extreemly rare ("very still") images with 135 I would probably want to confirm to envisage a second hand of this Sigma, since that would be a real easy to find bargain with probably best bokkeh. But handling and AF is perhaps a pain.)
great sharing 😍😍
Hmmm. I guess I’ll go with the GM.
Sigma is my pick from this.
Side note: switching the video to 4k really did make a big difference
What difference did you see?