The latest full frame Z lens from Nikon is certainly a thing of beauty, and Nikon have been moved to add to its description the name of Plena, in recognition of their aspiration for the highest quality. Naming lens designs has been around since the 1890s and traditionalists will perhaps feel a certain wistful echo in the actual choice of the new name.

 

Such thoughts aside though, the actual lens itself is an all-metal construction, heavy, bulky for a 135mm, and expectations will be high. So let’s see if those expectations are met, coupling up the new lens with the excellent 45.7MP Nikon Z7 II.

 

Nikon Nikkor Z 135mm f/1.8S Plena Handling and Features

The lens is quite a beast, weighing in at a solid 995g and measuring a not insubstantial 98mm x 1395mm. For all of this though, it handles well enough and balances well on the Z7 II. It should feel equally at home when coupled with the larger Z8 and Z9 bodies. There is a provided large round bayonet fit lenshood and this clicks easily and firmly into place. A retaining catch makes sure it stays there.

 

 

The hood is plastic, and this is probably an advantage as it will resist transmitting impact shock better than a metal one would. Within the bayonet fit for the hood is a standard 82mm filter thread. That is one huge front element, duly protected by a Fluorine coating to help repel dust, dirt, grease and moisture. The lens as a whole has dust, dirt and moisture sealing.

The large focusing ring is nicely damped and very usable should we wish to use MF. However, the AF is so slick and accurate that there may not be that many occasions when we might feel the need to change to manual focus. Focusing is down to 0.82m, or 2.69 feet, for a maximum magnification of 0.2x. We could always wish for closer focusing, but this is very reasonable for a 135mm lens.

 

 

There are two L-Fn buttons around the barrel, by default locking the AF. In the camera menu there is the option to change the function to any from a long list of options. The lens control ring can also be customised, in this case between aperture control, which is the default, exposure compensation and ISO value. The final control is the A/M switch, which switches between AF and MF. There is no VR (Vibration Reduction), this being the purview of the camera body.

Optical construction is 16 elements in 14 groups, including 4 ED (Extra Low Dispersion), 1 Aspherical and 1 SR (Super High Refractive Index). ARNEO and Meso-amorphous coatings are applied. The diaphragm comprises 11 blades, boding well for smooth bokeh.

With few controls, this is a very straightforward lens to use, and despite its size and weight very easy to handle. It could of course also be used on a crop sensor camera, resulting in a “35mm equivalent” field of view of 202.5mm. This would be quite an unwieldy combination though, and handling could well be compromised. Certainly the costs would also be out of proportion.

 

 

135mm is a traditional focal length, originally arising because it is the longest length that can be used successfully on a rangefinder camera such as the Leica. After 135mm, reflex viewfinders are more accurate.

Of course, with current AF systems this is a moot point, but the tradition persists. There is no denying it is a useful focal length, from portraiture to landscape and even some closer range sports. The lens snaps virtually silently into focus, spot on every time, and the limited depth of field at f/1.8 has enormous potential.

In summary, an excellent handling experience that melds perfectly with the camera body.

 

Nikon Nikkor Z 135mm f/1.8S Performance

Looking for something exceptional, this is soon realised when we look at the sharpness results. Central sharpness is outstanding at f/1.8 right the way through to f/8 and is still excellent at f/11 and f/16. The edges are excellent from f/1.8 to f/2.8, outstanding at f/4 and f/5.6 and excellent from f/8 to f/16.

Nikon Nikkor Z 135mm f/1.8S Plena MTF Charts

 

CA (Chromatic Aberration) is effectively banished, actually measuring down to zero at some points in the range.

Distortion is also on the banished list, measuring a miniscule +0.01% of barrel distortion. This is a rectilinear lens that outclasses most macro lenses in this regard.

 

Nikon Nikkor Z 135mm f/1.8S Plena Chromatic Aberration Charts

 

Bokeh lives up to its promise very nicely, and portraits, flower studies and many other subjects will benefit from the smooth out of focus backgrounds. It is unusual to find this combination of beautiful bokeh and high resolution working together so well.

Flare control is excellent, and we have to work very hard to induce any signs of artefacts. In all normal photography flare is highly unlikely to be seen.

Vignetting is minimal, the actual figures being:

Aperture
f/1.8	-0.6 stops
f/2	-0.5
f/2.8	-0.5
f/4	-0.5
f/5.6	-0.5
f/8	-0.4
f/11	-0.4
f/16	-0.4

 

An impeccable technical performance, and indeed one that lives up to our expectations.

Nikon Nikkor Z 135mm f/1.8S Plena Sample Photos

 

Nikon Nikkor Z 135mm f/1.8S Plena Aperture range

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Value For Money

The Nikkor Z 135mm f/1.8S Plena is priced at £2699.

To put this in perspective, we can compare it with the prices other marques are asking for their premium 135mm lenses, for example:

• [AMUK]Canon RF 135mm f/1.8L IS USM|Canon+lens[/AMUK], £2599
• [AMUK]Leica 135mm f/3.4 APO-Telyt-M Asph|Leica+lens[/AMUK], £3620
• [AMUK]Samyang AF 135mm f/1.8|Samyang+lens[/AMUK], £798
• [AMUK]Sigma 135mm f/1.8 DG HSM Art|Sigma+lens[/AMUK], £1149
• [AMUK]Sony FE 135mm f/1.8 GM|Sony+lens[/AMUK], £1599
• [AMUK]Zeiss 135mm f/2 Milvus|Zeiss+lens[/AMUK], £2075

The price tag is a high one, but one that can be justified with the outstanding performance delivered.

 

 

Nikon Nikkor Z 135mm f/1.8S Plena Verdict

The lens is billed at the outset as being something special, and it proves to be exactly that. With absolutely incredible technical standards and excellent handling this performance standard is maintained across the field and results in a lens that is right at the pinnacle

There’s a high price tag attached, inevitably, but we certainly get something that justifies that cost – a brilliant lens that offers outstanding sharpness, but also beautifully smooth bokeh, a rare combination of optical delights.

Definitely worthy of an Editor’s Choice award.

[REVIEW_FOOTER]R_features=4.5|R_handling=5|R_performance=5|R_value=4.5|R_overall=5|A_level=5|A_text=Editor’s Choice – A truly outstanding 135mm f/1.8 lens with gorgeous bokeh |E_id=8027[/REVIEW_FOOTER]