Samyang Rokinon AF 135mm f/1.8 FE Lens for Sony E Review

So you're looking at the Samyang Rokinon AF 135mm f/1.8 FE lens. It's a prime portrait lens for Sony full-frame cameras that's all about that beautiful, blurry background. With a fast f/1.8 aperture and a 135mm focal length, it's built to make your subject pop. It's not a cheap lens, but it sits in a very interesting spot price-wise, usually found between $550 and $570. If you're a portrait shooter wondering if you need a dedicated lens like this, the short answer is maybe, and we'll get into why.

Let's talk about what this lens does best. The bokeh, or background blur, is in the 89th percentile. That's exceptional. The f/1.8 aperture at 135mm gives you a razor-thin depth of field, perfect for isolating a face. Optically, it scores in the 81st percentile, meaning images are sharp and colors are good, especially when you stop down a bit from f/1.8. The autofocus, however, lands in the 47th percentile. It's fine for posed portraits where your subject isn't moving much, but it's not the snappiest for fast action or erratic movement. There's no image stabilization either, so you'll need good light or a steady hand.

At around $560, this lens asks a fair question: do you shoot enough portraits to justify it? It's significantly cheaper than Sony's own 135mm f/1.8 GM lens, but you're giving up some autofocus speed, build quality, and that top-tier GM sharpness. For a hobbyist or a portrait specialist on a budget, the trade-off can be worth it. The value is in getting 90% of the look for maybe 50% of the price of the flagship option.

The most direct competitor is the Sony FE 135mm f/1.8 GM. The Sony is better in almost every way—faster AF, sharper wide open, weather-sealed—but it costs over twice as much. The Samyang makes sense if your budget is firm. Compared to more versatile lenses like the Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 or the Sony 85mm f/1.8, the Samyang 135mm gives you more compression and background separation, but it's harder to use in tight spaces. Those 85mm lenses are also generally cheaper and faster to focus. Don't compare it to the listed 35mm lenses; that's a completely different focal length for different jobs.

Should you buy this? If you're a portrait photographer who loves the 135mm look and you're working with a budget, this lens is a fantastic deal. The image quality you get for the price is hard to beat. But, if you need reliable autofocus for kids or events, or if you want one lens to do everything, look elsewhere. This is a tool for a specific job, and it does that job very well for the money.