Sony FE 135mm f1.8 GM review

The Sony FE 135mm f1.8 GM is a prime candidate for close-up portraits

5 Star Rating
Sony FE 135mm f1.8 GM
(Image: © Sony)

Digital Camera World Verdict

The upsized sibling to the Sony FE 85mm f/1.4 G Master, this 135mm lens delivers similarly superb all-round performance and gorgeous bokeh. Build quality is rock-solid and handling is sublime, although it’s a weighty proposition at just under a kilogram. The tough decision is which focal length you find more appealing, the 135mm working better for tight head-and-shoulders portraiture.

Pros

  • +

    Sharp but with smooth bokeh

  • +

    High-end handling

  • +

    Top-class build quality

Cons

  • -

    Heavy at 950g

  • -

    Weighty price tag

  • -

    No optical stabilization

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The Sony FE 135mm f1.8 GM is typical of Sony’s G Master lenses, which have earned a solid reputation for overall performance and image quality in general, and for beautiful bokeh in particular. While the FE 85mm f/1.4 G Master will be seen as the most ideal portrait lens by many, the 135mm gets you closer while maintaining a natural shooting distance, thus working really well for close-up portraits, and any other shooting scenario that calls for impeccable image quality at this focal length.

Specifications

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Matthew Richards

Matthew Richards is a photographer and journalist who has spent years using and reviewing all manner of photo gear. He is Digital Camera World's principal lens reviewer – and has tested more primes and zooms than most people have had hot dinners! 

His expertise with equipment doesn’t end there, though. He is also an encyclopedia  when it comes to all manner of cameras, camera holsters and bags, flashguns, tripods and heads, printers, papers and inks, and just about anything imaging-related. 

In an earlier life he was a broadcast engineer at the BBC, as well as a former editor of PC Guide.