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Nikon Plena 135mm f/1.8 S Lens: A Comprehensive Review
This is Our Favorite Lens
The Nikon Plena 135mm f/1.8 S lens has rapidly become a topic of interest among photography enthusiasts and professionals alike. Designed specifically for full-frame cameras, this prime lens is celebrated for its exceptional optical performance and suitability for portrait photography. Its focal length of 135mm and wide maximum aperture of f/1.8 make it an ideal choice for capturing stunning portraits with exquisite background blur, often referred to as bokeh.
The impressive image quality offered by the Nikon Plena 135mm f/1.8 S lens is a result of Nikon's advanced optical engineering. This lens promises not only sharpness and clarity but also a distinctive aesthetic quality that separates subjects from their backgrounds in a pleasing and professional manner. Such features are invaluable for portrait photographers who strive to produce images with striking visual impact.
Moreover, the versatility of the Nikon Plena 135mm f/1.8 S lens extends beyond portrait photography. Its capability to perform admirably in various lighting conditions, including low light, makes it a reliable tool for different scenarios such as weddings, events, and even landscape photography. The wide aperture allows photographers to shoot at faster shutter speeds, reducing the risk of motion blur and enhancing the overall sharpness of the images.
Given these attributes, it is not surprising that the Nikon Plena 135mm f/1.8 S lens has garnered significant attention in the photography community. For those who prioritize high image quality and the ability to create visually compelling photographs, this lens represents a powerful addition to their equipment arsenal. As we delve deeper into the features and performance of this lens, it becomes evident why it is held in such high regard.
Optical Quality
The Nikon Plena 135mm f/1.8 S lens is widely celebrated for its exceptional optical quality, making it a standout option among Z-mount lenses. From the outset, the lens demonstrates an impressive level of sharpness, a characteristic that has earned it accolades from professional photographers and hobbyists alike. Even when used at wide apertures, the Plena delivers remarkable detail and clarity.
At its maximum aperture of f/1.8, the lens showcases an unparalleled ability to render images with exquisite sharpness. This feature is particularly beneficial for portrait photography, as it allows for a stunning level of detail while producing a beautifully blurred background. This lens does not just perform well at its widest aperture; it excels. The sharpness at this setting is noteworthy, producing incredibly clear and defined images, elevating the quality of any photographic project.
As the aperture is stopped down, the sharpness enhances further. From f/2.8 onwards, the Plena lens exhibits consistently high levels of sharpness across the entire frame. This progressive improvement is evident, asserting the lens's dominance in delivering precise and detailed images. The corner-to-corner clarity is especially remarkable, a testament to Nikon's commitment to optical excellence.
Overall, the Nikon Plena 135mm f/1.8 S lens sets a high bar in terms of optical quality. Whether you are shooting wide open at f/1.8 or stopping down to f/2.8 and beyond, this lens provides outstanding sharpness that is hard to match. Its ability to maintain such superior performance across various apertures makes it a versatile and indispensable tool for photographers seeking exceptional image quality.
Bokeh Performance
The Nikon Plena 135mm f/1.8 S lens exhibits exemplary bokeh performance, an essential characteristic for any high-quality portrait lens. This lens is specifically designed to deliver smooth and large bokeh, enhancing the overall aesthetic appeal of portraits. The circular aperture and advanced optical design ensure that out-of-focus elements are rendered softly, with a dreamy quality that separates subjects from backgrounds in an elegant manner.
A significant advantage of the Nikon Plena 135mm f/1.8 S is its ability to minimize common bokeh issues such as fringing and onion-ring effects. Bokeh fringing, often noted by colored edges around out-of-focus highlights, is effectively controlled in this lens. This results in cleaner and more natural-looking transitions from the sharp focus areas to the defocused regions. Additionally, the lens's sophisticated optical elements reduce the onion-ring effect, a common drawback seen in many fast lenses where out-of-focus highlights exhibit concentric ring patterns. By addressing these issues, the lens ensures consistent bokeh quality across various lighting conditions and shooting scenarios.
What truly distinguishes the Nikon Plena 135mm f/1.8 S as an ideal choice for portrait photography is its ability to render subjects with a sense of depth and dimensionality. The soft, defocused backgrounds significantly elevate the subject, directing the viewer's attention precisely. This is particularly useful for portrait photographers who aim to achieve a professional and refined look. The lens's ability to produce such high-quality bokeh without any distracting artifacts makes it an invaluable tool for creating visually stunning portraits that resonate with artistic finesse.
In summary, the Nikon Plena 135mm f/1.8 S lens excels in bokeh performance, making it a top tier lens for portrait photography. Its capability to produce smooth, artifact-free bokeh enhances the visual appeal of images, ensuring that portrait subjects stand out with clarity and elegance.
Build and Handling
The Nikon Plena 135mm f/1.8 S lens exemplifies superior craftsmanship, showcasing a robust build quality that is immediately apparent to any user. The lens features a solid metal mount, ensuring a secure and stable attachment to the camera body, effectively minimizing potential wear and tear over extended use. This mounting mechanism reflects the premium standards set by Nikon, ensuring durability and reliability during intense shooting sessions.
One of the standout elements of the Nikon Plena 135mm f/1.8 S lens is the inclusion of a customizable control ring. This ring provides photographers with the flexibility to assign various functions, ranging from aperture adjustments to focus control. Such customization enhances the user experience, allowing for seamless adjustments without necessitating a direct interaction with the camera body. Consequently, this aspect of the lens significantly improves shooting efficiency, especially in dynamic environments.
Adding to the lens’s versatility, Nikon has included custom buttons (l-fn), further enhancing its adaptability for a multitude of shooting scenarios. These buttons can be programmed to execute various functions at the photographer’s discretion, such as activating focus modes or controlling exposure settings. The strategic placement of these customizable buttons ensures that essential controls are within easy reach, thereby maximizing operational convenience and responsiveness.
The build and handling features of the Nikon Plena 135mm f/1.8 S lens collectively contribute to its status as a versatile tool for both professional and serious hobbyist photographers. The solid construction, metal mount, customizable control ring, and custom buttons (l-fn) provide a user-friendly interface that is tailored to meet the diverse demands of different shooting conditions. Such thoughtful design elements underscore Nikon’s commitment to delivering high-performance lenses that excel in both functionality and user experience.
Autofocus Capabilities
The Nikon Plena 135mm f/1.8 S lens is equipped with advanced autofocus capabilities, making it a formidable choice for both still photography and video recording. Central to its impressive autofocus system are the dual STM (Stepping Motor) technology engines. These motors enable the lens to achieve swift and virtually silent autofocus performance, a critical feature for capturing decisive moments and ensuring minimal disruption during video shoots.
The integration of dual STM stepping motors ensures that the Nikon Plena 135mm f/1.8 S lens can swiftly lock onto subjects with remarkable precision. This is particularly advantageous for portrait photography, where achieving sharp focus on the subject's eyes is imperative. Additionally, the quiet operation of the stepping motors makes the lens an excellent choice for recording video, where even slight noise can detract from the overall quality of the footage.
In various lighting conditions, the autofocus system demonstrates a high level of reliability. During low-light scenarios, the lens continues to perform admirably, maintaining focus accuracy with minimal hunting. This makes it suitable for outdoor night photography and indoor events where lighting can often be a challenge. The lens's autofocus does an exceptional job of tracking moving subjects, which is beneficial for sports and wildlife photography.
However, it's worth noting that while the autofocus system of the Nikon Plena 135mm f/1.8 S lens is robust, there may be occasional focus breathing. This phenomenon, which is more noticeable during video recording, involves slight changes in the composition as the lens adjusts focus. Nonetheless, this limitation is relatively minor and can be managed effectively with steady hands or additional post-production techniques.
Overall, the dual STM stepping motors contribute significantly to the lens’s versatility and performance across a variety of shooting scenarios. Whether for capturing fleeting moments in still photography or recording seamless video footage, this lens excels in delivering clear, focused results with reliability and efficiency.
Focal Length and Its Limitations
The Nikon Plena 135mm f/1.8 S lens boasts a specific focal length of 135mm, which naturally makes it a specialized tool in the realm of photography. At 135mm, this lens is particularly well-suited for head-and-shoulders portraits. The longer focal length allows photographers to maintain a comfortable distance from their subject while still achieving a pleasing compression effect, which is highly sought after in portrait photography. This compression effect contributes to a flattering perspective that emphasizes facial features and smooths out any unflattering distortions.
However, the same 135mm focal length that makes this lens exceptional for portraits can become somewhat restrictive for other types of photography. For instance, it is less practical for landscapes, street photography, or any scenario where a wider field of view is advantageous. Photographers who dabble in multiple genres might find themselves switching lenses more often if they rely solely on the 135mm focal length.
Additionally, the minimum focus distance of the Nikon Plena 135mm f/1.8 S lens, which is roughly 0.82 meters (2.7 feet), adds another layer of limitation. This focus distance adequately supports standard portrait work but can be a barrier when it comes to close-up or macro photography. Photographers aiming to capture fine details or smaller subjects will find this lens less accommodating, necessitating either a different lens or additional equipment like extension tubes to decrease the closest focusing distance.
Understanding these limitations is crucial for maximizing the utility of the Nikon Plena 135mm f/1.8 S lens. While it excels in portraiture with its flattering focal length and beautiful bokeh, users need to be mindful of its constraints when operating outside of this specific niche.
Use Cases: Ideal Scenarios for the Plena Lens
The Nikon Plena 135mm f/1.8 S lens, with its remarkable optical quality and professional-grade construction, has distinct use cases where it truly excels. One of the primary scenarios where the Plena lens shines is in studio portrait photography. Its focal length and wide aperture allow photographers to capture sharp, detailed images with beautifully blurred backgrounds, making the subject stand out prominently. This bokeh effect is highly sought after in high-end portraiture, providing a creamy and dream-like quality to the shots.
Headshots are another domain where the Plena lens performs exceptionally. The lens's ability to render fine details, such as skin texture and eye sharpness, ensures that every feature is captured with finesse. The narrow depth of field achievable at f/1.8 also helps in emphasizing the subject's face, creating a dramatic separation from the background, which is often desirable in professional headshots.
Wedding photography is a field that benefits immensely from the capabilities of the Nikon Plena 135mm f/1.8 S lens. Its fast aperture allows for shooting in low-light conditions often encountered in indoor ceremonies and receptions. Additionally, the lens’s ability to create stunningly blurred backgrounds can add a romantic touch to wedding portraits, capturing the emotions and essence of the moment with stunning clarity and artistic flair.
However, the specialized nature of the Plena lens does mean that it’s not the best choice for every scenario. Its fixed focal length makes it less flexible for situations requiring a range of perspectives, such as landscape or travel photography. Moreover, the weight and size of the lens might be cumbersome for photographers who need to move quickly and discreetly. For these reasons, while the Nikon Plena 135mm f/1.8 S lens is unparalleled for specific professional uses, it may not be the go-to option for more versatile or on-the-go photography needs.
Conclusion
The Nikon Plena 135mm f/1.8 S lens emerges as an exceptional choice for discerning portrait photographers. Its optical quality is nothing short of remarkable, rendering images with stunning clarity and precision. The fast f/1.8 aperture ensures excellent performance in low-light conditions, while delivering breathtaking bokeh that separates subjects from backgrounds with a smooth, creamy effect.
Build quality is another strong point of the Nikon Plena 135mm f/1.8 S. Constructed with robust materials, the lens feels both solid and reliable, harmonizing well with Nikon's Z-series mirrorless cameras. Weather sealing adds further confidence, enabling photographers to shoot in diverse environmental conditions without worry.
While the lens excels in numerous areas, it's not without its limitations. The weight may pose a challenge during extended handheld shooting sessions. Additionally, the price point of the Nikon Plena 135mm f/1.8 S positions it as an investment primarily for professional photographers or enthusiasts committed to high-quality portraiture.
In summary, the Nikon Plena 135mm f/1.8 S lens stands out with its unparalleled optical performance and superior build quality. It delivers exquisite, high-resolution images adorned with beautiful background blur, making it an invaluable tool for portrait photography. Despite its minor drawbacks, its exceptional features cement its status as a worthy addition to any serious photographer's arsenal.
Official Nikon Website: Check Nikon’s official site for any new releases or updates regarding the Plena series.
Photography News Websites: Sites like DPReview, PetaPixel, and Fstoppers often cover new camera gear and lenses.
Photography Forums: Forums like Reddit’s r/photography or specialized sites like Photo.net can provide user reviews and discussions.
Retailers: Major camera retailers often have the latest product listings and reviews.
