I’ve wondered how this lens would do with frogs and the like. Would love to hear from people who have tried. Or see some sample photos.
Nikon releases the NIKKOR Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena
- Thread starter BlackRockArt
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Only frog image I have,
but the detail in the Black Eared Kite will give you and idea that it's a fun wildlife lens if the subjects are within the reach of the lens.
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The frog is real?!
A friend of mine has been using his Plena to photograph blue jays in flight. The images are stunning! So much for genre restrictions..... LOL!
I dunno. I think it was on IG, likely; as I follow him there.
Good day. New to the forum and my first post. I'm Karen's friend and I use the Plena a lot for shooting Jays and Pileated woodpeckers in flight. Here's a couple of BlueJays the other day , on a rainy day
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Bohdan, those are awesome shots of the Jay in flight. Great example of what Plena can do for wildlife.
For the two photos, did you need to significantly crop, or were you able to get that close to the birds?
Well done, thank you for posting these!
For the two photos, did you need to significantly crop, or were you able to get that close to the birds?
Well done, thank you for posting these!
Thanks for your kind words. For these the birds were between 25 and 30 feet away so some cropping done
The Plena also does a good job on Pileated Woodpeckers in flight. These were shot through my not so clean window in January 2024 and the birds are just over 25 ft away, and I'm about 3-4 ft from the window inside
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Nice to be able to photography these from the comfort of my family room, cause it gets really really cold in Thunder Bay Ontario Canada in the winter and I'm in my 76th year
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Nice to be able to photography these from the comfort of my family room, cause it gets really really cold in Thunder Bay Ontario Canada in the winter and I'm in my 76th year
Welcome, Bob! Thanks for joining us here on BCG!
Great photos showing the use of the Plena for BIFs.
I'm looking forward to more posts from your extensive galleries and your on-going shooting efforts!
Great photos showing the use of the Plena for BIFs.
I'm looking forward to more posts from your extensive galleries and your on-going shooting efforts!
Thank you Karen for steering me here. Looks like a great place to learn as well as appreciate the talented photographers here.Welcome, Bob! Thanks for joining us here on BCG!
Great photos showing the use of the Plena for BIFs.
I'm looking forward to more posts from your extensive galleries and your on-going shooting efforts!
The Plena also is a great tool for creating moody early morning images
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TheObserver
Member
I bought the plena explicitly for a recent iceland trip. It has done exact as expected for puffin portraits and amazingly well for landscapes. Getting this just for portraits would be a shame.
www.observer.photos
Iceland 2024 – Observer
www.observer.photos
Nice! How did you get t close? Or are these cropped?
TheObserver
Member
There is a place in the very east of iceland where the puffins are really close . U could catch one and take it home with you. so. No cropping required.
Oh, the limit's we place upon ourselves...
Muffins right. Take a muffin home.
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fcotterill
Well-known member
Recent review
www.slrlounge.com
Nikon Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena Review | Portrait Perfection?
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...
www.slrlounge.com
Calson
Well-known member
A 105mm and the 70-200mm zoom lens provide far more capabilities. 135mm is too long a focal length in most indoor situations and outdoors the 70-200mm provides more image compression. The 105mm field of view and image compression is more like what our mind's eye perceives in a scene. So many images have clutter around the main subject with the use of the 50mm lens. The adage about getting closer to subjects to have stronger images speaks to this problem of what to leave out of the frame.
When Nikon was selling the two remarkable DC (defocus control) lenses in 105mm and 135mm focal lengths the 105mm outsold the 135mm by 2 to 1. The problems with using a 135mm focal length lens indoors was a key factor.
A faster lens was very important with film were color chrome was limited to IS 160 and Black & White to ISO 400. Since at least 2008 that has not been an issue with ISO 3200 sensors producing great images. Even with the D3 a f/2.8 lens was all that was needed for effective autofocus.
When Nikon was selling the two remarkable DC (defocus control) lenses in 105mm and 135mm focal lengths the 105mm outsold the 135mm by 2 to 1. The problems with using a 135mm focal length lens indoors was a key factor.
A faster lens was very important with film were color chrome was limited to IS 160 and Black & White to ISO 400. Since at least 2008 that has not been an issue with ISO 3200 sensors producing great images. Even with the D3 a f/2.8 lens was all that was needed for effective autofocus.
I have only used the Plena for a few times now. A relative kindly lends me her precious Plena sometimes. I love the look through the viewfinder. In fact I love it enough that I have started to think again about the my lens line up. I no longer own a F mount 70-200 F 2.8. The only focal lengths missing between 14 and 600 could be filled by the Z mount 70-200 F 2.8. I have the Z 85 F 1.8 and the Z 105 F 2.8. I could buy the 70-200 or I could buy the Plena and the gap would cease to be relevant. They are around the same price.
I am in no hurry to buy a new lens but the Plena is a lens that actually fires up my photographic imagination every time I use it. Guess which one I am planning to buy one day!
I took my Plena on a Z8 to Paris in November (along with the Z 24-70 f2.8 on a second Z8) for some urban and street photography. I mostly do wildlife and landscape photography and thought it would be fun to expand my horizons a bit.
I really liked the Plena for street photography. I mostly shot it wide open. Beautifully sharp on the subjects, great bokeh, and nice transitions from in focus to out of focus.
I took the Plena with me to the Great Bear Rainforest in September hoping to use it for environmental shots of spirit bears. The bears were missing. But we had great encounters with coastal gray wolves, including pups. For the wolves, the Plena was too short, so I used my Z 400 mm TC for (including at times with an external TC).
I really liked the Plena for street photography. I mostly shot it wide open. Beautifully sharp on the subjects, great bokeh, and nice transitions from in focus to out of focus.
I took the Plena with me to the Great Bear Rainforest in September hoping to use it for environmental shots of spirit bears. The bears were missing. But we had great encounters with coastal gray wolves, including pups. For the wolves, the Plena was too short, so I used my Z 400 mm TC for (including at times with an external TC).