I have the 135GM and man are you so right. Love it, I was only shoting with it for two months just because I loved the images coming from this lens. Great work as always Dustin.
Best lens I’ve used thus far is the Sony 135 1.8. It’s just a beast. Shot an entire event with that lens and got nothing but praise for the end product. Plan on buying it soon for sure!
At this point the lens is irrelevant. Your reviews are amazing! Never have you ever let me or anyone down when it comes to reviewing! Keep up the work. Your definitely the first person I come to when I'm confused as to what lens or accessory I want to purchase. Thank you!
This is the future of mirrorless. Nailing wide Aputure portraits , live music ,sports , action and even wildlife with eye autofocus. Quickly and super accurate and great image quality across the frame . Photography is changing quickly because of mirrorless and Sony . Like I’ve said I don’t shoot Sony cameras but Nikon DSLRs. From the start of the mirrorless revolution I’ve seen it’s advantages at shooting wide open . I shoot this way all the time because of the low light situations I’m in with live music photography and videography. With DSLRs it’s a crap shoot and requires 5 to 6 times the amount of photos taken to get the infocus shots and correctly exposed for quickly changing stage lighting. If I had the money I’d change over now but can not. Thanks again for the great reviews.
Hi Dustin! Thanks a lot for your nice review, again it was a pleasure to watch. I cannot agree more your findings about this exceptional lens, in fact this chunky glass was the no.1 reason for me to switch to the Sony mirrorless system and I have never regret it ever since. You mentioned that you had captured the footage using this lens, so I am wondering what had happened at around 10:32 when the composition had changed, zooming closer to you.
Very informative review. Really appreciated. I just wonder, what would be an image quality difference between the 135mm prime lens and 100-400 GM? Where did you buy that nice jacket?
The 135mm is definitely sharper at 135mm...and at about three stops of light gathering better! Everyone loves the jacket! I actually got it off a site called Banggood. I took a chance on it...and loved it.
Very interesting review. I appreciate very much only two e-mount portrait lenses. The Sony FE 100mm F2.8 STF GM OSS and the Sony FE 135mm F1.8 GM. Both according to many reviews are the best in the market. For the a-mount Sony has an 135mm STF lens with great bokeh but for e-mount preferred to make an 100mm STF lens instead. What Sony lacks is a 200mm fast prime lens for portraits. Canon has the EF 200mm f/2L IS USM and the discontinued Canon EF 200mm f/1.8 L USM. Nikon has the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200mm f/2G ED VR II. Sony has an impressive variety of good full frame e-mount lens but a prime 200mm is a serious omission, not even a Sony a-mount 200mm prime lens with the LA-EA4 a-mount to e-mount adapter. There are some very old Minolta 200mm a-mount prime lenses though.
I tried the 100mm F2.8 STF GM OSS in a Sony shop once nearby, and holy smokes the portrait I got out of that camera on the A7III literally blew my mind out of the waters!
I can't wait for and 50mm GM & 35mm GM. the 55mm is sharp but really want to see how sony can beat that 55mm and having it at a 50mm GM F1.2 or 1.4 would be fantastic. and a 85mm GM mark II if sony can do that they will have nailed all the most use primes lens 24, 35, 50, 85 & 135. this are the most commonly used prime.
I am awaiting the delivery of a Sony 90mm 2.8 lens for my a7Riii. So, I won't be buying another lens for a while, but I wanted to watch this because I really like your style of presentation. You really know what you're talking about. I like it when Ferrari shows up too. Have you done a review on the Sony 90mm 2.8? Thanks for your work, keep 'em coming, I'm learning.
Not anymore. Most of these better lenses have a fluorine coating on the front element that really helps to do the same thing without the drawbacks. I also use the lens hood.
7:36 - while the GM 135 is sharper - it seems to lack the highlight & colour control the Zeiss has which you can see in the skintones / highlights , in addition the bokeh seems to render smoother on the Milvus.
There's some truth to that, though the counterpoint is that it is much, much harder to get those results reliably from the Milvus. I'm selling mine and will buy the Sony for the simple reason that I can get highly repeatable results in more situations with the Sony lens.
@@DustinAbbottTWI I don't detect much breathing when focussing with the Milvus 135mm f2 even when making huge focus pulls from one distance to another. Have you notice this?
UA-cam just pushed your channel to me. Saw 1st video. Beautifully done. Quick question if I may. I notice that you shoot your video using the A7iii and A9. I teach quite a bit overseas (church context) but have also done online Zooming for a while. Now that conferences can't be held, I'm getting requests from other countries to do online. May I ask if they both cost the same, do you prefer A7iii or A9 for streaming and videotaping and briefly why? Thanks in advance for any comments. Thanks. Excellent channel.
I like the a9 better as an overall camera, but the a7III might be the better pick for what you want. It has picture profiles (allowing you to use LOG if you want) and has better low light performance (in terms of picture quality).
@@DustinAbbottTWI Thank you Dustin. One more final 2 part question and I won't bother you anymore. Is the low light performance advantage of the A7iii: (a) subjectively substantial and noticeable online or subtle? (b) in both video and stills, or only in video? I'm impressed by A9's advantages such as focusing prowess, low rolling shutter effect (stills), 32K shutter speed etc. Thanks. ps: I've caught a number of your other videos now that I discovered your channel. Thanks.
I use the a9 in low light all the time, so I guess it depends on how extreme you are going. The advantages of the a7III will largely be seen at 12,800 and above. And yes, the electronic shutter does have some serious advantages. Rolling shutter in panning shots is definitely one of them, but also in tracking action. And, if you use large aperture lenses, the higher shutter speed is indeed useful. I also like the extra dials, the more robust build, and the better EVF. A lot of what I've just said is more useful for stills than video, however, and the a7III remains the better video rig overall if that is your priority.
@@DustinAbbottTWI , let me rephrase - if you were in the market now, and were looking for a 135mm - would you go for the Sigma, Zeiss or Sony? I've hired the sigma, and loved it, but man it's heavy!! I've hired the Sony - it was probably one of the best lenses I've used and not anywhere as heavy as the Sigma. I've not used the Zeiss.
It's a little hard to diagnose "rattles" over the internet, but lenses that employ some "floating elements" like the 135GM often have a bit of noise to them if you shake them
Thank you, Dustin. I love your products review. Rattles might not be the correct terminology, but I do feel the floating elements shifting when I pick up the lens and when the camera is off. The lens works great, but I want to make sure I don’t have a defected lens. Does your lens have same shifting feel to it?
@@DustinAbbottTWI Lol it sounds like a real joy of a lens. I'm wanting to boldly jump into E- mount bodies with the A7Riv. This is the most desired lens for me, and I hate that I'd have to plan to wait on this one. I have to pick and choose other pieces since I'm staring from scratch on the whole lineup. Do you have any reviews on the Sony/Zeiss 35 Distagon 1.4?
I was watching the reviews and saw a comparison of this lens vs. a Canon 135mm L USM F2 lens on a Metabones MK 5 EF to Sony E adaptor. The reviewer said the AF was faster on an A9 than on a Canon body. Comparing the lenses, both were very good, with the Canon being smaller and lighter. So I just bought a mint Canon lens on Ebay for $629 plus the Metabones adapter for $162. If I went with Sony G master it would have been $1700. I got my combo $900 cheaper. As a hobbiest I have Canon L lens which is IQ wise about as superlative as the Sony
I'm not sure what reviewer you referenced, but it is simply untrue that the Canon 135L is at the same level optically. I owned the Canon for years and am very familiar with its performance. www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/ISO-12233-Sample-Crops.aspx?Lens=108&Camera=979&Sample=0&FLI=0&API=0&LensComp=1421&CameraComp=0&FLIComp=0&APIComp=0
dustin, why is this video (which is an overview, standard review) unlisted, due to which it has only 44 views and 6 likes ? i was seeing your definitive review of this lens, and found this video later. It otherwise doesn't appear in youtube search or on your channel. May be i will find out once i finish watching both videos fully, i guess this is only the shortened version of that one, and there's nothing here which was left out of that other main comprehensive video. thanks
done watching both vids, this video is exclusive, not edited out from that longer version. but, the star attraction (highlight of the show) -- Ferrari doesn't feature in that vid.
This video is unlisted ... means it's not available for public ... this is why it has low number of views ... Dustin, you should make the video public ... it has great review
I tell my wife to blame you when I buy this lens 😂
Mine too :)
I have the 135GM and man are you so right. Love it, I was only shoting with it for two months just because I loved the images coming from this lens. Great work as always Dustin.
Completely understand. This is a special one.
Best lens I’ve used thus far is the Sony 135 1.8. It’s just a beast. Shot an entire event with that lens and got nothing but praise for the end product. Plan on buying it soon for sure!
For sure. It's a fab lens.
Hope you hit 100k subscribers soon. Well deserved.
I hope so too! I'm really looking forward to that as a milestone.
At this point the lens is irrelevant. Your reviews are amazing! Never have you ever let me or anyone down when it comes to reviewing! Keep up the work. Your definitely the first person I come to when I'm confused as to what lens or accessory I want to purchase. Thank you!
That's a very, very kind bit of feedback!
The portraits of your family are beautiful and really sell the qualities of the lens
Thank you. That's special to me because they are special to me.
@@DustinAbbottTWI you're very welcome
Sir you are looking awesome with your costumne attire and the sitting chair was so bright. Weather is also looking so bright.
Thank you for the nice feedback.
Wow, a very glowing review. It must be an amazing lens!
It really is! One of the best that I've used.
This is the future of mirrorless. Nailing wide Aputure portraits , live music ,sports , action and even wildlife with eye autofocus. Quickly and super accurate and great image quality across the frame . Photography is changing quickly because of mirrorless and Sony . Like I’ve said I don’t shoot Sony cameras but Nikon DSLRs. From the start of the mirrorless revolution I’ve seen it’s advantages at shooting wide open . I shoot this way all the time because of the low light situations I’m in with live music photography and videography. With DSLRs it’s a crap shoot and requires 5 to 6 times the amount of photos taken to get the infocus shots and correctly exposed for quickly changing stage lighting. If I had the money I’d change over now but can not. Thanks again for the great reviews.
Exactly. It is this (not reduced size and weight) that is the killer app of mirrorless.
Hi Dustin! Thanks a lot for your nice review, again it was a pleasure to watch. I cannot agree more your findings about this exceptional lens, in fact this chunky glass was the no.1 reason for me to switch to the Sony mirrorless system and I have never regret it ever since. You mentioned that you had captured the footage using this lens, so I am wondering what had happened at around 10:32 when the composition had changed, zooming closer to you.
That's just a software zoom to tighter framing.
Very informative review. Really appreciated. I just wonder, what would be an image quality difference between the 135mm prime lens and 100-400 GM?
Where did you buy that nice jacket?
The 135mm is definitely sharper at 135mm...and at about three stops of light gathering better! Everyone loves the jacket! I actually got it off a site called Banggood. I took a chance on it...and loved it.
Just ordered this lens! 😭❤️
You'll love it.
Good review and useful comparison! Keep going!
Thanks, will do!
Best review i saw it on internet god bless you just continue
Thank you! Will do!
Very interesting review.
I appreciate very much only two e-mount portrait lenses. The Sony FE 100mm F2.8 STF GM OSS and the Sony FE 135mm F1.8 GM. Both according to many reviews are the best in the market. For the a-mount Sony has an 135mm STF lens with great bokeh but for e-mount preferred to make an 100mm STF lens instead.
What Sony lacks is a 200mm fast prime lens for portraits. Canon has the EF 200mm f/2L IS USM and the discontinued Canon EF 200mm f/1.8 L USM. Nikon has the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200mm f/2G ED VR II.
Sony has an impressive variety of good full frame e-mount lens but a prime 200mm is a serious omission, not even a Sony a-mount 200mm prime lens with the LA-EA4 a-mount to e-mount adapter. There are some very old Minolta 200mm a-mount prime lenses though.
Something to look forward to...though Sony will probably charge $7000 for it.
I tried the 100mm F2.8 STF GM OSS in a Sony shop once nearby, and holy smokes the portrait I got out of that camera on the A7III literally blew my mind out of the waters!
I can't wait for and 50mm GM & 35mm GM. the 55mm is sharp but really want to see how sony can beat that 55mm and having it at a 50mm GM F1.2 or 1.4 would be fantastic. and a 85mm GM mark II if sony can do that they will have nailed all the most use primes lens 24, 35, 50, 85 & 135. this are the most commonly used prime.
For sure. I would definitely love to see an F1.2 lens at both those apertures, but not if it means dramatically increasing the size.
I am awaiting the delivery of a Sony 90mm 2.8 lens for my a7Riii. So, I won't be buying another lens for a while, but I wanted to watch this because I really like your style of presentation. You really know what you're talking about. I like it when Ferrari shows up too. Have you done a review on the Sony 90mm 2.8? Thanks for your work, keep 'em coming, I'm learning.
I actually haven't gotten to the 90mm yet. I came to Sony late and have a lot of catching up to do.
Cat enters the scene. Dustin disappears.
LOL - pretty much.
Forgive my lack of camera smarts , but would this make a good landscape lens ?
Certainly. I like longer focal lengths in the right situation for landscape purposes, and this is an incredibly sharp lens.
Hey Dustin, with these high-resolution lenses, do you ever use a "protective" clear filter?
Not anymore. Most of these better lenses have a fluorine coating on the front element that really helps to do the same thing without the drawbacks. I also use the lens hood.
I must admit, I always use a lens hood and it seems to improve contrast, and it seems to protect the lens. Thank you. Stay blessed.
I request more appearances by the furry sidekick
I'm sure he will be happy to provide.
7:36 - while the GM 135 is sharper - it seems to lack the highlight & colour control the Zeiss has which you can see in the skintones / highlights , in addition the bokeh seems to render smoother on the Milvus.
There's some truth to that, though the counterpoint is that it is much, much harder to get those results reliably from the Milvus. I'm selling mine and will buy the Sony for the simple reason that I can get highly repeatable results in more situations with the Sony lens.
Have you tested the focus breathing? Want to know how suitable it would be fpr videography.
There is some breathing, though not dramatic...particularly if your focus pulls aren't huge.
@@DustinAbbottTWI I don't detect much breathing when focussing with the Milvus 135mm f2 even when making huge focus pulls from one distance to another. Have you notice this?
I wonder how is it compared to the sigma 135mm art
much more superior. Sharpness and focus speed is immaculate.
Sharper, faster focusing, lighter...
I think these takes are accurate. It's not dramatically better optically, but the whole package is dramatically better.
UA-cam just pushed your channel to me. Saw 1st video. Beautifully done. Quick question if I may. I notice that you shoot your video using the A7iii and A9. I teach quite a bit overseas (church context) but have also done online Zooming for a while. Now that conferences can't be held, I'm getting requests from other countries to do online. May I ask if they both cost the same, do you prefer A7iii or A9 for streaming and videotaping and briefly why? Thanks in advance for any comments. Thanks. Excellent channel.
I like the a9 better as an overall camera, but the a7III might be the better pick for what you want. It has picture profiles (allowing you to use LOG if you want) and has better low light performance (in terms of picture quality).
@@DustinAbbottTWI Thank you Dustin. One more final 2 part question and I won't bother you anymore. Is the low light performance advantage of the A7iii: (a) subjectively substantial and noticeable online or subtle? (b) in both video and stills, or only in video? I'm impressed by A9's advantages such as focusing prowess, low rolling shutter effect (stills), 32K shutter speed etc. Thanks. ps: I've caught a number of your other videos now that I discovered your channel. Thanks.
I use the a9 in low light all the time, so I guess it depends on how extreme you are going. The advantages of the a7III will largely be seen at 12,800 and above. And yes, the electronic shutter does have some serious advantages. Rolling shutter in panning shots is definitely one of them, but also in tracking action. And, if you use large aperture lenses, the higher shutter speed is indeed useful. I also like the extra dials, the more robust build, and the better EVF. A lot of what I've just said is more useful for stills than video, however, and the a7III remains the better video rig overall if that is your priority.
Dustin, would you go for this or the Zeiss batis 135 2.8, right now?
I've got the GM ordered, so it's not theoretical for me.
@@DustinAbbottTWI , let me rephrase - if you were in the market now, and were looking for a 135mm - would you go for the Sigma, Zeiss or Sony?
I've hired the sigma, and loved it, but man it's heavy!! I've hired the Sony - it was probably one of the best lenses I've used and not anywhere as heavy as the Sigma.
I've not used the Zeiss.
My answer is the same, Lionel. I've used all three extensively, and I chose to purchase the GM.
@@DustinAbbottTWI , thank you. Blessings
Is it normal to hear or feel some glass moving inside the Sony 135mm F1.8 when tilting up and down?
It's a little hard to diagnose "rattles" over the internet, but lenses that employ some "floating elements" like the 135GM often have a bit of noise to them if you shake them
Thank you, Dustin. I love your products review. Rattles might not be the correct terminology, but I do feel the floating elements shifting when I pick up the lens and when the camera is off. The lens works great, but I want to make sure I don’t have a defected lens. Does your lens have same shifting feel to it?
Here we go, I was trying to justify if I really needed that lens or not and your video was the final touch, just bought it...Thanks (not), Dustin!
LOL - if it is any consolation, I went through the same thing and sunk a boatload of money into one myself!
I have it and I have the Otus 28, 55 and 85. As the GM is really good, I think it does not match Otus’s IQ
The GM is sharper, but the Otus has nicer color and bokeh in some ways.
Yes that's all well and good, but what I'm really wondering is, do you like it?..
😁
Hmmm, obviously I didn't communicate that very well. :)
@@DustinAbbottTWI
Lol it sounds like a real joy of a lens. I'm wanting to boldly jump into E- mount bodies with the A7Riv. This is the most desired lens for me, and I hate that I'd have to plan to wait on this one. I have to pick and choose other pieces since I'm staring from scratch on the whole lineup. Do you have any reviews on the Sony/Zeiss 35 Distagon 1.4?
I never covered the Distagon. I came late to Sony and missed some of the earlier lenses.
Awesowe video, keep it up. Sty cnnted :)
Thank you, I will
Gotta love Ferrari ! :)
He's a lot of fun. Probably the most social, sweetest nature cat we've had.
I was watching the reviews and saw a comparison of this lens vs. a Canon
135mm L USM F2 lens on a Metabones MK 5 EF to Sony E adaptor.
The reviewer said the AF was faster on an A9 than on a Canon body.
Comparing the lenses, both were very good, with the Canon being smaller
and lighter. So I just bought a mint Canon lens on Ebay for $629 plus
the Metabones adapter for $162. If I went with Sony G master it would
have been $1700. I got my combo $900 cheaper. As a hobbiest I have
Canon L lens which is IQ wise about as superlative as the Sony
I'm not sure what reviewer you referenced, but it is simply untrue that the Canon 135L is at the same level optically. I owned the Canon for years and am very familiar with its performance. www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/ISO-12233-Sample-Crops.aspx?Lens=108&Camera=979&Sample=0&FLI=0&API=0&LensComp=1421&CameraComp=0&FLIComp=0&APIComp=0
My besttyyyyyy
I completely get why.
Dustin Abbott I love its sharpness thanks
dustin, why is this video (which is an overview, standard review) unlisted, due to which it has only 44 views and 6 likes ? i was seeing your definitive review of this lens, and found this video later. It otherwise doesn't appear in youtube search or on your channel. May be i will find out once i finish watching both videos fully, i guess this is only the shortened version of that one, and there's nothing here which was left out of that other main comprehensive video.
thanks
done watching both vids, this video is exclusive, not edited out from that longer version.
but, the star attraction (highlight of the show) -- Ferrari doesn't feature in that vid.
I share the videos early to my Patrons before they are available to the public.
I definitely do each video exclusively.
This video is unlisted ... means it's not available for public ... this is why it has low number of views ... Dustin, you should make the video public ... it has great review
It isn't supposed to be public until Friday. That's the way I do it.