Nikon Nikkor Z 135mm F1.8 S Plena Review

Nikon heightened expectations for the Nikkor Z 135mm F1.8 S Plena ($2,499.95) lens by giving it a name, something it had done only for the exotic Nikkor Z 58mm F0.95 S Noct ($7,999.95). But the Plena lives up to the hype. Its images show outstanding resolution and beautifully defocused backgrounds, while a weatherproof build protects it from inclement conditions. The lens occasionally loses track of moving subjects and costs more than 135mm primes for other systems, but it still manages to outperform the more expensive Nikkor Z 85mm F1.2 S ($2,799.95) overall. If you have an eye for bokeh or specialize in portraiture, you won’t find a more suitable lens for Nikon’s Z system, and that earns the Plena our Editors’ Choice award.

A Serious, Heavyweight Prime

The Nikkor Z 135mm is many things, but small is not one of them. The combination of a medium telephoto angle and bright aperture requires a complex 16-element/14-group optical formula, and all that glass adds up. It measures a sizable 5.5 by 3.9 inches (HD) and weighs a hefty 2.2 pounds. These dimensions are not out of line for this type of lens, however, and it’s still easier to carry than the Nikkor 85mm F1.2 S (5.6 by 4.0 inches, 2.6 pounds). If you want a similar lens that weighs (and costs) less, the Nikkor Z 85mm F1.8 S (3.9 by 3.0 inches, 1.0 pound) is a reliable midsize option.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The exterior materials are a mix of metal and polycarbonate, a typical arrangement for a premium S series lens. Nikon includes internal seals to prevent dust and splash ingress and finishes the front glass with smudge-resistant fluorine. The latter makes it easier to wipe fingerprints away with a simple microfiber cloth and causes water to bead right off without leaving a spot. In short, the Plena is suitable for outdoor photography, even under gray skies. A large, included hood adds more protection thanks to its 2.6-inch length. The lens supports 82mm front filters if you want to add a protective UV filter, or a creative ND or polarizer.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

As for other options in the Nikon Z system, there’s nothing quite like the Plena. The aforementioned 85mm F1.2 is the closest alternative. Its focal length is shorter, but it blurs backgrounds just as readily thanks to its brighter f/1.2 optics. Other short telephoto lenses for Z-mount target the budget and enthusiast market. They include the Meike 85mm F1.8 ($199.99) and 85mm F1.4 ($469.99), the Nikkor 85mm F1.8 ($799.95), the Viltrox 85mm F1.8 ($399), and the Yongnuo 85mm F1.8 ($379), all with autofocus.

The Plena stands alone at the 135mm focal length. This particular angle isn’t as popular as 85mm among third parties. Even Nikon neglected it in the SLR era; it kept the vintage 135mm F2 Defocusing Control prime around but never updated its design to support an internal focus motor like it did with many other ’90s-era lenses. The focal length has enjoyed a bit of a renaissance in the mirrorless era, however. Canon and Sony both have primes that cover it, for instance, the RF 135mm F1.8 L IS USM ($2,099) and FE 135mm F1.8 GM ($2,099.99). It’s a treat to use a 135mm prime since the angle of view is perfect for flattering headshots and background blur is readily achievable even if you’re not very close to your subject. Compared with a zoom like the Nikkor Z 70-200mm F2.8 VR S, the Plena gathers a bit more than twice as much light wide-open and better isolates subjects from the background.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

All the Expected Controls

Nikon keeps it pretty simple as far as the controls go. The Plena includes a manual focus ring that occupies the bulk of the barrel, a slim control ring, two copies of the L-Fn button, and an AF/MF toggle. Even though the Plena doesn’t have quite as many buttons and switches as other lenses, its controls are more than adequate for a lens that’s tuned for portrait work.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The manual focus ring is large and turns with just the right amount of dampened tension. The action isn’t too far off from the pleasing response of a mechanical focus prime, even though the Plena is a focus-by-wire optic. The electronic focus comes with a major advantage over mechanical lenses—you can easily switch between a nonlinear and linear response via the camera menu. In nonlinear mode, the response ramps based on how quickly you turn the ring. Move it slowly for precise adjustments or turn it quickly to rack between its extremes in an instant. In linear mode, the change in focus depends on the angle of rotation (it’s configurable here across a range of 90 to 720 degrees). I usually prefer nonlinear focus for photography. Linear focus is better for video capture, especially if you aim to repeat focus shifts between takes.

Focus breathing is a concern nearly unique to cinema use. The effect is visible when a lens’ angle of view shifts along with focus, something that detracts from the narrative impact of a rack focus shot. The Plena exhibits breathing but its extremely shallow depth of field can hide the effect for wide-aperture racks. I tried a few shots at f/1.8, f/4, and f/8 from a close to moderate distance, and noticed the blooming effect only at the f/8 setting. As such, I consider breathing a merely situational concern. Cinematographers can likely work around it, though it’s something to account for when you block a scene.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The barrel includes two copies of the L-Fn button at 90 degrees apart so they’re in the same relative position regardless of how you hold your camera. The buttons lock autofocus by default but are configurable via the camera menu to a few dozen functions. Be aware that both buttons always perform the same function. Some Nikkor lenses include L-Fn and L-Fn2 buttons that you can set independently, but that’s not the case here.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Nikon doesn’t include a discrete aperture ring on its lenses. Instead, the Plena has a configurable control ring that you can use to set the ISO, shutter speed, aperture, or EV compensation. The Plena avoids the pitfall of many early Nikkor Z optics, which have rings that turn far too readily. The control ring feels fairly tight and abuts the outward flaring portion of the barrel, so it’s not prone to accidental setting changes. Newer camera bodies even support Low or High sensitivity settings. You also have the option to disable the ring.

Not the Quickest to Focus

Although Nikon puts dual stepping motors (STM) inside the Plena, the autofocus speed isn’t quite stellar. I don’t think it’s a real-world issue for most applications since the lens keeps up for portraits. But if you’re using the lens for candids, event coverage, sports, or wildlife, you should rely on continuous drive focus.

Nikon Z 8, f/1.8, 1/1,000-second, ISO 64 (Credit: Jim Fisher)

The Nikkor Z 70-200mm F2.8 performs better here. It also uses a dual STM system, but it focuses faster in practice, likely because of its narrower aperture and lighter internal elements. In testing, I didn’t notice many instances in which the Plena missed. But I did end up with a good number of images that were just slightly out of focus when I tried the Plena along with the Z 8‘s Auto Capture mode for backyard bird and squirrel photos.

Nikon Z 8, f/1.8, 1/200-second, ISO 64 (Credit: Jim Fisher)

Auto Capture takes pictures all by itself whenever it recognizes a subject in front of the lens and can be an effective way to use a camera closer to wildlife. The Plena got plenty of perfectly in-focus shots when birds were perched or chowing down at the feeder thanks in part to the Z 8’s 20fps burst rate, but tended to just miss critical focus for instances in which the subject was moving during an exposure.

Although it’s not available for Nikon cameras, the Sony FE 135mm F1.8 GM is a better choice if you’re interested in this type of lens for sports work—its linear focus drive had zero problems keeping up with basketball and mixed martial arts action when I tried it with the a9 III. To be fair though, Sony doesn’t include an Auto Capture mode in its cameras.

Nikon Z 8, f/1.8, 1/160-second, ISO 220 (Credit: Jim Fisher)

The Plena focuses on subjects as close as 2.7 feet from the camera sensor, which translates to 1:5 macro magnification at best. It’s a good fit for photos of flowers and similarly small, detailed subjects, but shouldn’t be your first choice for images of insects or jewelry. If those types of subjects are a priority, consider the Nikkor Z MC 105mm F2.8 VR S, which focuses to 11.4 inches for 1:1 reproduction.

Nikon Z 8, f/16, 1/2-second, ISO 64 (Credit: Jim Fisher)

The MC 105mm includes optical stabilization too, a feature missing from the Plena. Instead, the 135mm F1.8 relies entirely on sensor-shift stabilization to keep longer handheld exposures sharp. This is a standard feature on full-frame Z cameras, however. I can manage consistently crisp handheld photos with the Plena and Z 8 at 1/15-second and stretch the exposure to as long as a 1/2-second with hit-or-miss results. Beyond that, it’s difficult to keep photos free of blur.

Nikkor S Plena: In the Lab

Like most mid-telephoto primes, the 135mm F1.8 is quite sharp. I ran it through the paces with our SFRplus test chart and Imatest software. It achieved outstanding resolution figures from f/1.8-2 (4,800 lines) and scored higher than any other lens I’ve tested with a 45MP sensor at f/2.8-4 (5,500 lines). I observe a drop-off starting at f5.6 (5,100 lines), but resolution is still fantastic from f/8-11 (4,600 lines). Even the weakest numbers (4,100 lines at f/16) are in the excellent range. The aperture doesn’t close down smaller than f/16 in this instance.

Nikon Z 8, f/2.8, 1/500-second, ISO 64 (Credit: Jim Fisher)

I’ll admit, I took most of my sample images with the Plena at wide apertures. After all, the lens’ extra-bright f-stop is one of the reasons to choose it over the 70-200mm F2.8 VR S. You can get sunstars in photos at f/16, however, so don’t count it out for landscapes that incorporate the sun or scenes with bright highlights. The Plena’s 11-blade aperture renders impressive 22-point starbursts in those situations. The lens does a decent job for scenes with a strong backlight, though I did notice some soft green false color in a couple of instances. At smaller apertures (f/11-16), expect some ghosts from internal reflections. I recommend using the included hood on bright days.

Nikon Z 8, f/1.8, 1/32,000-second, ISO 64 (Credit: Jim Fisher)

I didn’t measure any barrel or pincushion distortion in photos, nor did I notice any optical vignetting. Nikon says the Plena’s vignette characteristics improve the look of background blur. Because most lenses are a bit dimmer toward the periphery, they show cat’s eye shapes in bokeh highlights at their maximum apertures. The Plena’s even illumination makes for rounded highlights behind your subject, even at f/1.8. These highlights remain circular as you stop down too, a benefit of the round 11-blade aperture. The Nikkor Z 85mm F1.2 shows some cat’s eye bokeh at the periphery wide-open, as do the Sony FE 135mm and Canon RF 135mm F1.8.

Nikon Z 8, f/1.8, 1/1,600-second, ISO 64 (Credit: Jim Fisher)

The Plena’s soft backgrounds are gorgeous overall. The lens shows no signs of false color (LoCA) in focus transitions or bright specular highlights. The background highlights also have a soft character with feathered edges and no evidence of false texture within. If you have an eye for smooth, buttery bokeh, the Plena is one of the best lenses you can get.

Nikon Z 8, f/1.8, 1/160-second, ISO 640 (Credit: Jim Fisher)

A Standout for Bokeh and Smooth Backgrounds

The Nikkor Z 135mm F1.8 S Plena matches fantastic detail with some of the softest backgrounds we’ve seen from any lens, and it works well at narrower apertures, too. Those attributes, along with its quality construction, more than make up for an autofocus system that occasionally struggles with quickly moving subjects and situational focus breathing. Because the Plena renders more pleasing bokeh and shows less false color than the pricier Nikkor Z 85mm F1.2 S, it’s an Editors’ Choice winner for Nikon Z photographers who want a background-blurring portrait lens.