Viltrox 135mm f/1.8

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dabhand16 said:
All third party lenses will initially be for Sony E mount as it is the is the world's most common/most used mount. Most if not all of Viltrox's recent lenses have started with E mount then have been available in other mounts.
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The availability of lenses for a particular mount is often influenced more by the manufacturer's willingness to grant access than by the mount's popularity.
 
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MrFotoFool said:
We may have to stay tuned for a long time:
nikonrumors.com

Viltrox currently has no plans to make the 135mm f/1.8 LAB lens for Nikon Z-mount - Nikon Rumors

A reader contacted Viltrox to find out when the new 135mm f/1.8 LAB lens would be available for Nikon Z mount. The response was that Viltrox currently does not have plans for a 135mm f/1.8 LAB lens for the Nikon Z-mount: I find this strange becuase initially, the lens was rumored to be released...
nikonrumors.com nikonrumors.com
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I should have known better than to trust a rumor site. After recently posting (link above) that Viltrox has no plans to release it in Z mount, today they posted that Viltrox will release it in Z mount!
nikonrumors.com

Viltrox AF 135mm f/1.8 LAB and 35mm f/1.7 lenses coming to Nikon Z-mount - Nikon Rumors

The information from Viltrox on what I based my previous post was not correct, and the new 135mm f/1.8 LAB lens will be available for Nikon Z mount as initially reported – this is the info I got from Viltrox directly: “Fuji X mount? I haven’t heard anything about Fujifilm X mount, but Nikon Z […]
nikonrumors.com nikonrumors.com
 
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MrFotoFool said:
I should have known better than to trust a rumor site. After recently posting (link above) that Viltrox has no plans to release it in Z mount, today they posted that Viltrox will release it in Z mount!
nikonrumors.com

Viltrox AF 135mm f/1.8 LAB and 35mm f/1.7 lenses coming to Nikon Z-mount - Nikon Rumors

The information from Viltrox on what I based my previous post was not correct, and the new 135mm f/1.8 LAB lens will be available for Nikon Z mount as initially reported – this is the info I got from Viltrox directly: “Fuji X mount? I haven’t heard anything about Fujifilm X mount, but Nikon Z […]
nikonrumors.com nikonrumors.com
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Don't hold your breath. They promised to release the Epic in a Z mount two years ago.
 
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Matt Irwin’s first impressions: “…an exciting alternative for Z mount users who are interested in a 135mm f/1.8 lens, but want something cheaper [less expensive] than a Plena.”

He says once he has a production unit, he’ll post an image quality comparison between Nikon’s Plena, Sony’s FE 135 f/1.8 GM, and this Viltrox lens. In popular focal lengths, there are lots of lens choices these days.

 
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I did not watch the video, however I saw another article stating that the Viltrox is substantially heavier than the Nikon Plena and the Sony GM. This would be a potential dealbreaker for me, though the price is certainly desirable.
 
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MrFotoFool said:
I did not watch the video, however I saw another article stating that the Viltrox is substantially heavier than the Nikon Plena and the Sony GM. This would be a potential dealbreaker for me, though the price is certainly desirable.
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It's about a half pound heavier than the Plena.
 
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A bit off topic, but I got a Viltrox 56mm f1.4 for my Fuji system and I was that impressed with the build quality and the results it gave I bought a Viltrox Z mount 85mm f1.8 mkii before I even got my Z6ii!!

I saw several YT reviews by respectable people and the consensus was that it was 95% as good as the Nikon Z 85mm f1.8. Back then in the UK the Nikon 85mm f1.8 was about £700 but my Viltrox Z 85mm f1.8 came in and just £296 delivered.
 
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I have many Viltrox lenses in my collection.
Full format and also APC as there is no alternative from nikon.
All are well made and have a good update strategy
and very good image quality for their price.
The only thing that has always bothered me about all the old lenses is the low maximum reproduction ratio of 0.1

Fortunately, this has changed with the new LAB lenses.
The 135mm here has 0.25
 
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The Nikon Plena seems to be the one lens they never offer an instant rebate on. I wonder if this new competition from Viltrox will finally force Nikon to discount it in the next round of rebates?
 
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MrFotoFool said:
The Nikon Plena seems to be the one lens they never offer an instant rebate on. I wonder if this new competition from Viltrox will finally force Nikon to discount it in the next round of rebates?
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There are different selling tactics in different markets.
The Plena is normally available at between 85% and 80% of the launch price in the UK, i.e. around £2000 including 20% sales tax rather than the launch price of £2599.
The Viltrox seems to be launched in the UK at about 40% of the Nikon UK street price.

To what extent Viltrox are trying to make a name for themselves by introducing competition to higher price lenses at a distinctly lower price point is not known to us.
I anticipate the Plena will be about 10% "better" than the Viltox.

Individual new buyers will need to to decide between the big price difference and likely moderate performance difference.
I do not have to make the decision as I bought the Plena 18 months ago – and there is no question it is a very fine lens.

EDIT - in the UK the street price of the 70–200 Z is currently lower than the Plena :confused:
 
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I received the Viltrox 135mm today. I am barely beyond the unboxing stage, but I did mount it on my Z9 to make sure that it is operational. One interesting thing I noticed, which is different from what was described in all the YouTube reviews I watched, is that the "aperture" ring did not change the aperture. Instead, the aperture is set by the camera in the usual way. What the ring actually does is to follow my camera's setting for a control ring, namely to set ISO, and that is exactly what the ring changes. I am guessing that this was accomplished by a firmware upgrade, and I am grateful that I did not have to wait for it.
 
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For USA photographers, it is currently 15 per cent off at Amazon ("sold by Viltrox official store" so I assume it's safe). Surpisingly, it is not on sale at B&H, even though they list all other Viltrox lenses at 15 per cent off.
EDIT - I just rechecked and only the Sony mount is on sale at Amazon; the Nikon mount is full price.
 
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ctemkin said:
One interesting thing I noticed, which is different from what was described in all the YouTube reviews I watched, is that the "aperture" ring did not change the aperture. Instead, the aperture is set by the camera in the usual way. What the ring actually does is to follow my camera's setting for a control ring, namely to set ISO, and that is exactly what the ring changes.
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I have a suspicion that many of the YouTube videos are performed with prototypes, and not the final version released for sale. Also, I think the Nikon prototypes are a bit closer in design to the Fuji or Sony versions. I recently purchased an import lens, and the aperture ring which was displayed in the video reviews of the Sony/Fuji lens (which was released for sale before the Nikon version) had been replaced by a Control ring. Currently, I am awaiting delivery of the Viltrox 75mm f/1.2 Pro lens, and I am a bit curious about whether it will arrive with an aperture ring or a Control ring.
Edit: That said, the photo of the lens on the B&H website does show an aperture ring.
 
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