Priced very competitively. Like the Viltrox, it won’t be… let’s say, as perfected/good as the Plena. Whether that price difference justifies it, that’s subjective. Personally, I’d never trust a 3rd party lens AF for professional use, as some from the Sony side and YT reviews complained with their Viltrox 135mm having focusing issues.
Too heavy. The Samyang/Rokinon AF 135mm f/1.8 is still the lightest autofocus 135mm f/1.8 at just 772g.
Samyang (Korean) confirmed back in March that they are still waiting for Nikon licensing before they can release Z-mount AF lenses. How long is Nikon going to take?
It increasingly feels like Nikon is strategically controlling competition. Sigma has only been allowed to release APS-C lenses for Z mount so far, despite already having a huge lineup of full-frame DG lenses ready.
No wonder Chinese manufacturers don’t even seem interested in Z mount licensing.
Images from this lens look very promising
Too much ED glass for me though. Very complex optical design.
The samy 135/2 is still my reference for this 135mm FOV with its 1 ED element & 4 HRI.
Hmmm, I have the Sigma Art 135mm f/1.8 with FTZ adapter on my Z7 and so far I don't have the feeling that the 3rd party 135mm lenses (Viltrox, 7Artisans...) are substantially better.
Ok, the FTZ is needed for the Sigma but then I have a tripod mount 😁
The Plena would be nice but it's too expensive for my needs.
Superscroll wrote:
Well that video pushes it up a notch on my list.
Be careful, he never says a bad word about even the worst lenses. His videos should be simply viewed as a good look at the externals with some decently taken samples. His word is useless when it comes to any flaws a lens may have.
PixiPhotography wrote:
Priced very competitively. Like the Viltrox, it won’t be… let’s say, as perfected/good as the Plena. Whether that price difference justifies it, that’s subjective. Personally, I’d never trust a 3rd party lens AF for professional use, as some from the Sony side and YT reviews complained with their Viltrox 135mm having focusing issues.
IQ is impressive with lovely rendering and given the 7Artsians is about $1K where I live vs $4K+ for the Plena, I couldn't care less if the Plena is better, it's priced itself out of the game for what is a niche FL IMO.
I agree about focus though and it's best to wait for fw updates on the Chinese lenses. Viltrox usually improves things quickly, not sure about 7Artisans. Also the 135mm was Viltrox's their first LAB and I think they already improved things with the 35mm.
Since I shoot Sony and Nikon I'd just get a second hand 135 GM for same price as a new LAB, it so cheap now.
The Sigma Art is a phenomenal lens, so no I wouldn’t expect most any lens to be appreciably better. This is cheaper than a used Sigma Art, though, at least via retail channels, and about 300g lighter once you include the adapter.
Zmounter wrote:
Hmmm, I have the Sigma Art 135mm f/1.8 with FTZ adapter on my Z7 and so far I don't have the feeling that the 3rd party 135mm lenses (Viltrox, 7Artisans...) are substantially better.
Ok, the FTZ is needed for the Sigma but then I have a tripod mount 😁
The Plena would be nice but it's too expensive for my needs.
Pixel Perfect wrote:
IQ is impressive with lovely rendering and given the 7Artsians is about $1K where I live vs $4K+ for the Plena, I couldn't care less if the Plena is better, it's priced itself out of the game for what is a niche FL IMO.
I agree about focus though and it's best to wait for fw updates on the Chinese lenses. Viltrox usually improves things quickly, not sure about 7Artisans. Also the 135mm was Viltrox's their first LAB and I think they already improved things with the 35mm.
Since I shoot Sony and Nikon I'd just get a second hand 135 GM for same price as a new LAB, it so cheap now....Show more →
For casual shooting, agreed, but for professional use, the quality, dependability of the Plena still warrants the price. It's the best 135mm out there.
PixiPhotography wrote:
For casual shooting, agreed, but for professional use, the quality, dependability of the Plena still warrants the price. It's the best 135mm out there.
Well I'm a rank amateur I think a Viltyorx LAB or Pro lens would hold up very well long term, not sure about 7Artisans. But sure If I'm get a tax write-off on my gear for work I'm probably getting first party lenses. H0wever in Australia Nikon's lenses prices are extortionate in general. 34-x higher than the third party. I could buy 2 copies of say the Viltrox LAB lenses and still save a fortune.
Make a friend in the US, start having them buy some refurbished lenses during the sales, take a trip over and still save money 🫠
Pixel Perfect wrote:
Well I'm a rank amateur I think a Viltyorx LAB or Pro lens would hold up very well long term, not sure about 7Artisans. But sure If I'm get a tax write-off on my gear for work I'm probably getting first party lenses. H0wever in Australia Nikon's lenses prices are extortionate in general. 34-x higher than the third party. I could buy 2 copies of say the Viltrox LAB lenses and still save a fortune.
It’s just generally too early to tell. They have only made a few AF lenses so far. I haven’t heard of any major issues with reliability with them, but the sample size is small.
Superscroll wrote:
Does 7artisans not have a great reputation for reliability?
but it's too expensive for my needs.