Viltrox 135mm F1.8 LAB: a FF, AF Beast with a Screen!

[@ArthurR]

Get $135 OFF of this lens HERE: geni.us/3s2lQ (amazon affiliate) (15% OFF NOV 3-10) Direct from Viltrox here: bit.ly/ArthurR135LAB (Not yet on sale here)

[@greysuit17]

Congratulations on your growing family!

[@doraemon.1430]

Congratulations Arthur 🎉

[@EvanA.]

In my opinion, Viltrox should have targeted this lens to a segment of the market that was untapped (light and small). There are none of those lenses; we didn't need another gigantic 135mm lens that doesn't separate itself from the competitors. I bought the Rokinon 135 f/1.8 when it was on-sale for $599 US because there are no APS-C oriented lenses and it was the cheapest option that had excellent image quality.

[@yourtallness]

5:55 could this be because of the EFCS in the A7C?

[@ryan2641-f2e]

Third-party lenses are really giving photographers more creative options. Between Viltrox and TTArtisan, it’s hard to go wrong.

[@CreativeIsolation]

Congratulations!!

[@ashay99]

Congratulations, that was a really creative way of announcement ❤

[@Ramble_on_productions]

I’d like to know what it’s like on an a6700

[@SebasCelisOficial]

Congrats bro! 🎊 🎉🥳🥳🥳

[@greysuit17]

Side note at 4:40 ish I believe your Texas slipped out. 😂😂😂

[@gabriel-mckee]

Oh, new setup? Very nice.

[@Marlon5k]

I loved the 135mm and will consider it. And on the other hand: WHAAAT! A third child?! Congrats, Arthur and family. I've been following since the Japan days, a while before the kids.

[@apricanephoto]

I'm unsure if 135 is better than 85 for portrait, both definitely have their advantages, but even for this price there's no way I'd buy the Viltrox over the Samyang (which I currently own). And congrats btw ;)

[@ericp2364]

Are you having a third?! Congrats!

[@MrAquarius006]

When will be available for Fuji mount? 😊

[@I922sParkCir]

Congratulations! Did you switch from the A7C to the A7RV? Thank you for the review!

[@ArthurR]

No, still using the A7C, but using the lens for a corporate event on a rented A7RV.

[@neutrinostorm]

Much more important than the lens - you will become a 3x dad :-) Congratulations to you and your family! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that everything will go well!

[@DigiDriftZone]

The TTArtisan 75mm f/2 has become my favourite lens lately for how small and light it is, any FE options for a compact 135mm? - maybe an f/2.8 one or something? - This Viltrox is great, but it's so huge!

[@AVerkhovsky]

Samyang 135 1.8 is 500 g lighter and is a stellar lens for a bit less money

[@ernstvandijk6342]

How does this lens compare to the Samyang 135mm, which is about the same price?

[@KEHA14]

Congratulations 🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@the_rat_run]

I used to use a 135mm for portraits back in the 35mm film days, that one looks like a very nice lens, but, sadly, I am APS-C so can just admire it! Great video, Arthur.

[@marc_likes_marketing]

get the sony 85 1.8. it looks amazing on my a6100. i scored a used one for like $300.

[@AWAShowme]

Thanks for the content. 135 is an awesome focal length. I can take great event pictures in low light while maintaining distance from the subject. I love the Samyang. I would be nervous that the screen would stop working.

[@patrickmckeag3215]

Another great video. This looks like another winner from Viltrox. I have the Viltrox 85mm f1.8 FE and it's my go-to portrait lens. I think 135mm would work very well outdoors, but inside the house, 85mm is more useable.

[@rsat9526]

Well it is rare for a portraits prime lens to be used on a moving subject IHHO.

[@petrpohnan875]

Winner? Costs the same as Sigma 135/1.8 and seems to be notably worse (bokeh quality, AF performance).

[@patrickmckeag3215]

@@petrpohnan875 Good point. I stand corrected.

[@jliang70]

@@petrpohnan875 Is that a probably or definitely or seems to be ? or you are not sure.

[@Oliver46233]

The quality is there, but for this price, it feels close to what you’d pay for a used Sony GM lens. Would love to see TTArtisan offer a more budget-friendly tele lens.

[@mmills006]

Curious, does the screen on the lens draw power from the camera and cause the camera battery to drain faster?

[@HagaishiSama]

Awesome video as always! I love the 135mm focal length. I use my Sony FE 90mm F2.8 on my a6400/a6700 to get that same effect and it works so well

[@LS-dg8lh]

In Apsc will be a 200mm with F1.8, interesting for dark places.

[@BaldRavenHaired]

It's more like 200 f2.7 . Still damm good tho

[@arberdemiri]

​@@BaldRavenHairedDoesn't work that. It is still a 1.8 aperture.

[@bobdrawbaugh4207]

@@arberdemiriit will still be a 1.8 for light gathering. But, will have a depth of field that looks like a 2.7.

[@EvanA.]

@@bobdrawbaugh4207 You're correct. It's called "equivalence" and is a hotly debated topic in photography because many people cannot separate the concepts of light gathering and depth of field (as they relate to the aperture value).

[@aleksdeveloper698]

Which lens is equivalent and what weight?

[@nickscott8488]

It looks a fantastic lens but weight... 😢. Think it would gather dust in my cabinet.

[@nickdsnik]

That's a lot of weight to be hanging on your lens mount.

[@Kay-cy9vi]

Need a 400mm f2.8 from viltrox!

[@PatrickWithCamera]

Crazy optics there! But still, for me 75/1.2 is the most impressive lens that viltrox made.

[@tomirwinphoto]

In my experience the 135's bokeh & compression produce a more dramatic or impactful look than the 85 1.4. Having said that my 85 gets much more use due to its usability in more situations. Weight Matters- If it's just one lens on the camera I can deal with the weight but carrying three or more heavy lenses takes its toll on my body. I got rid of my Sigma Art 135 and picked up the Samyang for that reason. So, for me the weight of the Viltrox would be cause its disqualification. I really like the 135 because it can set your images apart. If you are in the market check the current sale price of the Samyang, great buy.

[@B4I34]

Congrats!

[@Cleverconveyence]

cant wait until this comes to Z mount next year and I have to pay 20-40% more because of tariffs! Hooray!

[@travellingwithmycamera8025]

Super video!🙂

[@marc_likes_marketing]

congrats man....on getting this lens! jk congrats on the growing family!

[@fanngedrop3094]

Why Vlitrox Only release for Sony Not thr nikon…?

[@jliang70]

I hope they do and this thing is selling about 1/3 of Plena maybe it is Nikon that is doing this to prevent more competition. There are many autofucs 135mm in native mount for Nikon.

[@yonglee5214]

It looks very good lens and kind of affordable compared to other options but 1.2k+ your camera body= reach 2.0k easy too heavy to carry

[@HR-wd6cw]

Hopefully this comes to the NIkon Z as well, as I could see it being a very good seller in that mount since the Z Plena is about $2500 (probably will since Viltrox does seem to release many lenses for Z mount, after doing the E mount versions). I mean even though I don't shoot that many portraits these days, if this was say $800 or $1000 I'd probably still pick one up (didn't bother with the Plena because I wouldn't use it enough to justify $2500).

[@tomblanar2592]

Thanks Arthur. What does the Bluetooth do for you in this lens?

[@ArthurR]

Firmware updates and customization of the screen startup/functions.

[@FBombBaggers]

Hmmmm tempting

[@quagmire321able]

Thank you for the review. Now I can be pretty sure that some of my assumptions are correct about this lens : AF is not great This is understandable... Looks like Viltrox made a trade-off due to lack of access to better materials or tech and cost control. They made a optically good lens but could only make it large and heavy. Being large and heavy also makes it slower to move the elements, so AF would suffer despite their best efforts. Also... Optically, there are still some nuances they could not manage like the slightly busy bokeh sometimes. While that only appears to show in specific situations, once it appears it would be a really bitch to fix. Well... It is cheaper so... Still might be worth it for some. For me, I am waiting for another 135 prime before buying one. Used 135 GMs aren't too expensive so it's always worth considering 😜

[@jliang70]

AF is fine as it is, I don't make assumptions here just from my own experience in using this lens. And having a heavy lens does not automatically equate to not being able to get better materials or tech and cost control. How can we explain thing like Milvus that weighs a kilogram without the auto focus motor. I have used manual focus Milvus it is in my opinion the best optics around and it is also heavy, that kind of remind me how people generally view Otus and Milvus and some of the Sigma lenses like 105mm/1.4 and 40mm/f1.4. Having used no less than 5 135mm I can see where Sigma and Sony and Viltrox compare to Milvus, my intention of getting this lens was the fact that I like to see how it stack up with GM and if this live up to the hype created by youtubers like Justin Abbot or Gerald Undone. And after using it for a few weeks and switching back and forth between this and GM I can see why this is optically the best under $1000 lens although I only paid $950 for manual focus Milvus of the same focal length.

[@studiovitta]

Two things One it’s a pity that is not linear the manual focus which is .. critical for video use Second Bluetooth is for what use ? Of course excellent review as always

[@jliang70]

Bluetooth is used for firmware update and lens settings.

[@acenapbuild8282]

L mount please

[@ElReySupr3me]

What’s crazy is if you been watching Arthur for a long time you see his family growing along the years. This is what cameras are for in the family. Congratulations on the third!!

[@marendradika]

135mm f1.8 Full Frame for about 700-800 USD$ is hard to ignore...

[@martonhegedus]

5:58 Try using fully mechanical shutter mode (not silent mode and not electronic first curtain), otherwise the bottom half of bokeh balls fade out on Sony's above 1/1000s shutter speed.

[@GaryJahman]

From tech maffia to tech familia!

[@umnbvcxzify]

Sigma 105mm f1.4 art + aps-c x1.5 = 157mm f2 very beautiful .. test 🙏🏼

[@yourtallness]

3:55 rofl

[@holgerokorn3164]

Sorry to heavy, i stay with Samyang

[@foodscience2]

This is a great lens, but unfortunately doesn't sit in a vacuum - Samyang 135mm 1.8 is on par with Sony GM on all aspects except AF and is 500g(!) lighter than this Viltrox.

[@jliang70]

I can tell you if Samsung is par with Sony which I doubt it is. I have both Sony and Viltrox, if the burst rate is not something that will bother you then Viltrox is better not just on par with Sony.

[@bloodswarms]

It's a great lens. I wouldn't call it an AF beast. I've seen a whole lot of videos where the AF looked extremely slow.

[@jliang70]

It is not slow and I used it against the Sony in dimmed light conditions. It is a lens with better light transmission than Sony GM 135mm, in real world condition it can shoot at lower ISO than Sony. The overall rendering produce better skin tones than Sony, it is also sharper and more contrasty than Sony.

[@dpentgroup876]

Love Jamaica

[@W_1_3_7]

Arthur Full Frame - last name name of the channel0

[@aleksdeveloper698]

Not worth it, compared to Samyang this is way heavier and why would you need a screen on a lens?

[@jliang70]

I used Samyang as well as GM, Sigma, Milvus and Viltrox. Viltrox will be the closest in term of image quality compare to Mlvus. I don't need a screen on the lens but Viltrox is not the only one putting a screen on the lens.

[@peterringier]

steel is not magnesium.

[@KurtG879]

It’s a beast but a no from me on the weight alone

[@victorcolney2121]

Congrats sir… by the way you like similar with Arsenal FC Left Back Zinchenkov ukraine player 😊🎉🎉❤❤

[@cameraprepper7938]

It is much too big and heavy !

[@petrpohnan875]

As a long time user of Sigma 105/1.4 on both FF and MF cameras I see the following on images in the video: - harsh bokeh. This really is not the level of creamy blur the 105/1.4 or Canon RF 85/1.2 are providing and for what we all are buying those crazy lenses - no 3D pop at all. It is closely connected with the way lens renders the transition to out of focus and also how it renders the blur. And for me personally the 3D pop is the main outcome of fast primes I look for and I like in my pics. - the AF-C performance is really poor, can't even keep up with slow walking kid. How would that behave with any fast moving subject...? The answer is obvious. According to what I found, this Viltrox is about the same price as the also excellent Sigma 135/1.8, so no reason to bother with Viltrox, I'd say.

[@jliang70]

I own two version of 105/1.4 both Canon EF mount and Sony E mount, I also used and own at least 4 different 135mm F1.8 that include Sony GM, Sigma, Viltox and Milvus. It has pretty good bokeh compare to most of 135mm I used, And Bokeh is not the only measure for image quality. I will be keen to see how does this $764 lens compare to the RF 135mm F1.8. For me this lens has the rendering that is far closer to Milvus than GM and Sigma. On the Sony body I will be using this lens unless I am in a situation that require to shoot 30 frames on an A1.

[@D.MD02]

China.