A 135mm lens is an ultimate portrait lens, and the Nikon Nikkor 135mm f/1.8 S Plena is an ultimate 135mm prime lens! Perfectly balancing performance, portability, and value, this Nikkor is, if I am not mistaken, only the second lens in Nikon’s mirrorless lineup to receive its own unique name. You can call her Plena! In today’s Nikon 135mm f/1.8 Plena review, you’ll see just why I love this amazing portrait lens so much.
Now, let’s be clear, 135mm is not your everyday, average portrait lens. This is a unique, specialized tool. However, you’ll still be surprised at how versatile it is. Although the focal length 135mm is inherently less practical for certain things, compared to, say, a 35mm or 50mm prime, I would still consider 135mm to be an ESSENTIAL tool for quite a few different types of portrait photographers.
With that said, let’s dive into this review of an amazing prime lens that gives you a truly unique perspective on the world!
Nikon Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena | Specifications

- FOCAL LENGTH & ANGLE OF VIEW: 135mm, 18° 10′
- LENS MOUNT(S): Nikon Z-mount (FX full-frame)
- APERTURE & RANGE: f/1.8-f/16, 11 rounded blades
- STABILIZATION: No
- AUTOFOCUS: Multi-focus 2-drive (2 moving element groups) STM stepper motors
- MANUAL FOCUS: Yes, electronically controlled; dedicated MF ring
- CONTROL RING: Yes, no clicks, no markings
- OPTICAL CONSTRUCTION: 16 elements in 14 groups; ED, SR, Aspherical elements, ARNEO & Meso coatings
- MECHANICAL CONSTRUCTION: Metal, weather-sealed
- MAGNIFICATION & FOCUS DISTANCE: 2.7 in. (82 cm), maximum 0.2X magnification
- FILTER THREADS & HOOD: 82mm filter threads, locking hood w/ rubberized grip ring
- SIZE: 3.9 x 5.5 in. (98 x 139.5 mm)
- WEIGHT: 2.2 lb (995 g)
- PRICE: $2,496
(B&H | Adorama | Amazon)
Nikon Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena Review | Who Should Buy It?

A 135m f/1.8 prime lens is usually intended for one main thing: portraits. You’d be surprised, however, at the variety of what you can cover: Obviously, there is both photography and videography. Within each of these categories, the Nikkor Z 135mm f/1.8 Plena can be used for “portraits” of almost anything: not just humans, but also pets, other animals, and even inanimate objects!
Simply put, if you want to create an image of something that really highlights that main subject, isolating it from the background using both compression and bokeh, this Nikon prime lens is a perfect tool.
Portrait Photography

Within the broad category of portraits, both photo and video, there are a lot of genres that I’d like to highlight. Basically, any subject where you are focusing mainly on one subject:
- HS Seniors
- Fashion/Models
- Headshots / Corporate Portraits
- Maternity
- Newborns
- Pets
- Sports Athletes
- Theater, Stage, & Concert
There are probably many more, but these are just the ones that I have personal experience with, off the top of my head. Either way, the 135mm focal length offers a unique perspective that most other prime lenses cannot. Compared to “normal” focal lengths, 135mm creates an unmistakable look, using compression to simplify the background and fix a viewer’s attention on the subject.

Of course, what sets a 135mm prime apart from, say, a 70-200mm zoom is the f/1.8 aperture. Compared to f/2.8 or f/4, this fast aperture (the fastest available on modern 135mm primes) will further enhance the unique look of this lens.
Simply put, the bokeh coming out of this lens will make ANY type of portrait stand out. The “look” and the “character” that results from having 135mm and a wide-open aperture of f/1.8 is unlike anything else.
Wedding Photography
This Nikkor is an excellent bridal portrait lens, of course. Many wedding & event photographers will likely be tempted to opt for a more versatile 70-200mm f/2.8, but if your budget allows for it, and especially if you often find yourself working in extremely dark churches or venues lit by candlelight or other dim lighting, this is a perfect specialized tool that can take your imagery to the next level.
By the way, why did I mention bridal portraits, when there are also grooms, of course, and at least a dozen other VIPs at any given wedding? This is just personal creative preference, of course; plus some practical logistics: When I’m photographing a bunch of “random” people like parents, siblings, etc, I do tend to “settle” for a 70-200mm f/2.8 for portraits. Usually, it is only the bride who gets a whole portrait session dedicated to her. Grooms, or any masculine-dressed newlywed, also get their own portrait time, indeed, but I often find that the masculine wardrobes and poses tend to lend themselves better to a focal length such as 50mm. Again, this is just a creative choice that seems to work! I encourage everyone to change things up and do whatever feels natural and right for their creative style.
Pet & Wildlife Photography

Indeed, aside from a bride, a groom, or maybe their cute little dog that they wanted to include in their wedding ceremony, I think it’s safe to say that almost any living creature deserves a “portrait”.
When it comes to animals, however, there’s something even more special about having a 135mm prime: Animals are shy! With 135mm, you can keep your distance and leave pets or other animals undisturbed, while still getting “up close”…

Of course, any truly wild, let alone dangerous animal ought to be given a much wider berth; if you are going for that “in-your-face” portrait, you might need a 400mm, 500mm, or 600mm+ telephoto lens to really get the job done. Still, if your speciality is pets, I can virtually guarantee you that the Nikkor 135mm will pay for itself very quickly!
Action Sports & Athlete Portraits
This is another area where such a fast-aperture telephoto portrait lens can really come in handy: What if it’s not so much about the bokeh, or the shy subjects; what if you need to “freeze the action”? Once again, having f/1.8 at your disposal at such a long focal length is an incredible benefit!
Almost everything from gymnastics to racecars can sometimes require extremely fast shutter speeds, and/or “decent” shutter speeds in very dim lighting conditions. So, you can use the Nikkor Plena for both actual action sports, and also portraits of the athletes themselves.
Astrophotography & Nightscape Photography

Here is something very exciting and highly unique, where this lens will really shine! With almost flawless image quality wide-open at f/1.8, the Nikon 135mm f/1.8 S Plena makes an excellent astrophotography lens.

Whether you are using a tracking device to do deep-sky astrophotography stopped down at f/2.8, or you are doing time-lapse nightscape photography wide-open at f/1.8, you will not be disappointed by the Plena.
Nikon Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena Review | Pros & Cons
We really don’t have much else to talk about, now that we’ve described which types of imagery you’ll likely find the Nikon Z 135mm f/1.8 to be best-suited for. Is it sharp? Heck yes! Is everything else about the image quality downright stunning? Yup! Is the lens physically a beast, made durable yet decently portable? Indeed. That’s really all there is to it. Let’s quickly go over the specific details…
Image Quality
Sharpness
Simply put, I can’t find fault in this lens’ sharpness. With “only” 45 megapixels to test the resolving power, I can only assess that the Nikkor Z 135mm f/1.8 Plena is likely more than ready for much higher megapixel counts that are likely inevitable; it would probably take between 80 and 100 megapixels to begin to really see sharpness-related “flaws” in this optic.
In other words, even at 45 megapixels, you’re going to be seeing some of the most tack-sharp images you’ve ever captured. And, yes, even at f/1.8.
Bokeh


Honestly, this is even more important than the resolving power, or anything else about this lens: what is the character of the background blur? Unless you’re doing high-end work for a fashion clothing line and need maximum resolution and everything in focus, …bokeh matters to almost every portrait photographer out there.

Suffice it to say, of course, that you won’t be disappointed by the “buttery smooth” bokeh that the Plena delivers! The Nikkor optical engineers took great care to make sure that the character of the background blur is as soft and smooth as possible.
You’ll notice the beautiful results even in the subtle details such as the exact point of roll-off between the plane of focus and de-focused parts of the subject. You’ll also notice that the “bokeh dots” created by point lights are almost perfectly circular no matter where they are in the image frame, even in the extreme corners. (In other words, there isn’t the “cat’s eye” effect.)
Colors & Contrast

Exotic lenses with “lots of big glass” in them always seem to deliver very clear, contrasty, colorful images, indeed. Modern technology, from the glass itself to the high-tech coatings that are put on these lenses, is amazing.
Sunstars & Flare

Speaking of coatings, “flare dots” are another thing that can plague a portrait. The last thing you want covering the face of a portrait subject is an annoying dot of lens flare! Thankfully, the coatings on the Nikkor Z 135mm f/1.8 Plena are the best that Nikon has to offer, (ARNEO and Meso) …and flare dots are almost nonexistent.
The “good” kind of flare, that warm haze that washes over an image if you’re shooting almost directly into the sun, is beautifully rendered from the Plena, however.
Vignetting & Distortion
This is one area where virtually all modern mirrorless lenses are going to hide or mask some level of corrections for both distortion and vignetting.
What this can result in is a faint “plaid noise” pattern, when applying the distortion correction to extremely noisy, dark images or images with excessive shadow recovery. For some types of photography, such as nightscape time-lapse, this can be a huge issue. You must pay attention to how your lens behaves in these regards, and possibly turn off the in-camera corrections if they cause any issues.
Thankfully, for portrait photographers, neither issue is much of a concern, and you can likely just leave the in-camera corrections on, or, it won’t be a huge problem if you turn them off, either.
Color Fringing, Aberration, Coma & Astigmatism
These are the more subtle characteristics of a lens that many portrait photographers may not notice. With some fast-aperture lenses, there is the possibility of color fringing and color aberrations of various kinds, and this can mess up portraits if, for example, it creates a faint purple halo on the eyelashes of a subject!
Once again, of course, the Nikkor Plena delivers near-perfection. Also, the in-camera aberration removal, plus the Lightroom chromatic aberration removal tools, make quick work of any faint hints that you might see with this lens, or almost any other.
Macro & Close-Up Photography

One thing I really liked about reviewing the Nikkor 135mm f/1.8 S Plena was that it did not diminish its image quality at all when focusing quite close. And with a 0.2x magnification rating, it can create “portraits” of some pretty small subjects, indeed!
At the absolute minimum focus distance, where your autofocus might not even work because it’s “bumping up against the edge”, you might want to stop down to f/2.8 to achieve optimal sharpness. However, when you’re focusing that close, you usually want that stopped-down depth-of-field anyways!
Design & Durability

Nikon took the design and build quality of this lens very seriously, indeed. It’s got metal in all the right places, and the overall operation of the lens is very professional.
However, there is one thing I wish to often complain about with Nikon’s larger lenses, when they have an AF/MF switch on the lens itself. Personally, I much prefer AF/MF switches compared to having to hit a button on the camera and turn a dial at the same time. I was “raised on” DSLR cameras, and having an AF/MF switch was just the norm for every Nikkor lens.

With that being said, I find the positioning of the AF/MF switch on the 135mm to be a bit problematic to operate. It almost feels “buried” near the mount of the lens, compared to if Nikon had put the AF/MF switch in the same area of the lens barrel where the lens’ Fn buttons are. This would have made it infinitely easier to use, at least for me.
Ergonomics & Portability

In terms of how the lens feels both in-hand, and simply being lugged around all day, I will say this: It’s worth it, but it definitely takes up enough space in your camera bag that it’s going to be a centerpiece of your kit, indeed.
The balance when using it on a larger, heftier camera such as the Nikon Z8 or Z9 is just about perfect. Yeah, it’s a bit of weight to hoist, but the professional look and feel is usually what you’re going for if you’re investing in this lens.
Autofocus Performance

Nikon’s autofocus technology has always been towards the cutting edge, and this lens is a shining example of their absolute best. The Nikkor 135mm Plena showcases two independent stepper motors, which separately move two different groups of glass, allowing focus to be extremely fast and precise. (This optical system also likely contributes to such amazing image quality, too!)
Due to the extra shallow DOF and the impressive minimum focusing distance, “racking” focus can be a bit of a chore for this lens, and you might think twice about making it your main action sports optic, of course. However, focusing is definitely some of the best we’ve seen from Nikon mirrorless so far.
Manual Focus Performance
For those who need to focus on stars at night, or other such uses, the manual focusing on this lens is excellent, as well. The physical focus ring is very smooth; it almost feels like a fully mechanical, manual focus ring of yesteryear! The electronic control is more than precise and smooth enough for even the toughest tasks such as stars at infinity, or close-ups of tiny subjects..
Features & Customizations

The Nikon 135mm f/1.8 Plena balances a clean, somewhat minimalist design, and a few key features. There’s the main focus ring, first, and there’s also the customizable “command ring” which can be set to control a few settings such as exposure/ISO, and EV comp. It does not have any clicks, but it also does not have a locking switch, so if you tend to bump it a lot, you’ll want to just go into the menu and set its function to “None”.
Speaking of custom functions, there are two L-Fn buttons on the lens. They can be programmed to do a few neat things such as start or stop autofocus, or “recall” a specific focus position. (This is incredibly useful for folks who are doing things like watching a wildlife nest/den etc, but maybe not exact enough to use for something like stars. It’s worth a try, though!)
Other than that, I really like this style of hood, to. Nikon included a rubberized grip at the front edge, and a spring-loaded locking mechanism to keep the hood locked in place. (If only more petal-shaped hoods would have this lock, then they wouldn’t keep messing up my images when they get bumped off-kilter!)
Value

At well over $2K, the Nikon Nikkor Plena is quite an investment. As I’ve mentioned throughout this review, you really have to be doing serious portrait work in order to justify this expense. Also, not only that, but your focus ought to be on telephoto imagery, too.
Otherwise, dollar-for-dollar, there are just too many other excellent lenses that you can buy with that same money! A more “everyday” portrait photographer could kit themselves with a 28/35mm, 40/50mm, and 85mm prime, and still have quite a bit of money left over, depending on which ones you get.
So, we can only conclude that this lens’ value is “lost” on anyone who isn’t going to make it a centerpiece of their creative style.
Nikon Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena Review | Compared To The Competition

Okay, we have at least two main ways of comparing the Nikkor 135mm f/1.8 Plena against the alternatives you might also be considering: Other focal lengths, and other 135mm primes.
I am going to assume that, for you, money is no object, or at least, almost. Each of the other 135mm’s on the market are still around $2,000, and the alternatives in the 85mm or 105mm range are also similarly priced, or even more expensive!
With that said, first things first: maybe you’re trying to decide between this Nikkor and the Nikkor 85mm f/1.2 S. With the faster aperture, and the equally buttery-smooth bokeh, you’re going to get about the same shallow depth of field, at least some of the time, depending on your subject distances. The real deciding factor, of course, is going to be the significantly different focal length.
Simply put, 85mm is definitely more versatile. It’s a lot easier to fit more people into an 85mm frame, so if the portrait work you do mostly involves more than one or two subjects, then an 85mm might be the best choice.
To play devil’s advocate here, though, I could say this: What if you find yourself doing a lot of both? That is, rather large group portraits of 5-10+, or, just individual headshots or other portraits of just 1-2 subjects?
In this case, I might actually recommend the 135mm Plena as a complement to a Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 S, instead! Also, keep in mind that whichever focal lengths you use the least, you can seamlessly fill the gaps with another lens in Nikon’s lineup. For example, if 50mm is the focal length you use the least, but you’re a portrait photographer and you still want to cover that range, Nikon’s offerings fully cover the entire spectrum of value:
- Nikkor 40m f/2 ($296)
- Nikkor 50m f/1.4 ($496)
- Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 S ($626)
- Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 S ($2096)
Now, with that out of the way, let’s talk about the competition at the exact same focal length. Both Canon and Sony have flagship-grade 135mm f/1.8 prime lenses, and they’re both in the $2K price range. Honestly? All three of these lenses are nearly perfect, and I would be foolish to suggest choosing (let alone switching) systems purely for this one prime focal length.
They are all just under 1kg, which is right around 2 lbs. They are all about the same size. However, the Nikkor Plena does weigh in as the heaviest and biggest, by a very slim margin, just like how it is price slightly higher.
What will it really come down to? I think it will likely come down to the autofocus, actually. This is a factor of both the lens and the camera you mount it on, so it’s going to get complicated: The Nikkor Z 135mm f/1.8 Plena has powerful, silent AF motors, and they offer incredible speed and precision, especially when mounted on a flagship pro body such as the Nikon Z8 or Z9. However, Sony’s flagship autofocus does seem to pull ahead by just a hair in this regard, and the autofocus of the Sony FE 135mm f/1.8 GM is also fast, silent, and precise. The Canon RF 135mm f/1.8 L IS USM does offer similarly powerful autofocus, and does an excellent job especially when paired on a flagship body. However, it should be noted that the Canon RF also offers IS, (Image Stabilization) …and yet somehow manages to be the most affordable of the bunch, at a currently discounted price of $1,899.
All in all, I will say this: Canon is known for being a top choice of photographers who purely focus on portraits, and if you have the excessive funds in your bank to afford multiple high-dollar lenses in the $2K range, then it is a rewarding investment. However, I do prefer Nikon’s approach, which is, they cover the entire range of value much more evenly than any other brand. This makes it significantly easier to transition from beginner to full-time professional, and do things like “cover the bases” with more affordable options that still deliver highly professional results in extremely portable packages. With this in mind, for me, Nikon is the winning choice.
Nikon Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena Review | Conclusion

My last paragraph above just about sums up my whole review: Nikon does the best job of covering the whole range from affordable, entry-level options, to high-end, luxury, flagship pro options.
The Nikon Nikkor Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena is a perfect example of just how exotic Nikkor glass can get. It’s not just about having its own name, of course, it’s about the images. The results from this lens are gorgeous, consistently tack-sharp, and everything I look for in a portrait lens for just 1-2 subjects.
It also doubles as an excellent astrophotography lens, too, among other subjects!
All in all, if you’re considering this lens, it should be a centerpiece of your creative style. At well over $2,000, the 135mm focal length is a tough sell for some types of photographers, even portrait photographers who might focus on larger groups or more candid, environmental imagery.
If you do wield it creatively as a cornerstone of your craft, however, the results will truly set your imagery apart from the crowd!
Check Pricing & Availability
The Nikon Nikkor Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena is available for $2,496, and throughout the year it regularly can be found for $200 or $300 “instant savings”, if I am not mistaken.
(B&H | Adorama | Amazon)