Nikkor Z 135mm F1.8 S Plena Gallery

This is a very important review for me. Not because the Nikkor Z 135mm F1.8 S Plena is a new and hot review (it was actually released in October of 2023, several months before I started to do Nikon reviews and 18 months before this review), but because it represents a very important new connection for me. Since adding my Z8 in spring of 2024 I have been seeking partnerships to get a supply of Nikon loaners here in Canada, but I was largely unsuccessful in my first year. That meant that I have largely reviewed third party Z mount lenses (Tamron, Viltrox, etc…) but only a few first party Nikkor lenses. But on a trip to Japan I developed a friendship with Evelyn Drake of The Camera Store TV on YouTube (a truly lovely person!), and she connected me with Chris at Nikon Canada.

Chris was kind enough to get me a loaner of the Plena, and its my hope that my connection to him will enable me to do a more thorough job of covering Nikon products moving ahead. So far he has been great, so thank you to both Chris and Evelyn!

The Plena 135mm is one of Nikon’s top tier premium prime lenses, engineered to produce as beautiful of bokeh as possible. It’s a lens that I’ve been wanting to test for a while, as I’ve had an opportunity to review (and own) a lot of other premium 135mm lenses over the years and have been very interested in Nikon’s offering. There’s also the factor that Viltrox has now released their 135mm F1.8 LAB lens in Nikon Z mount, (my review here), so for the first time the Plena 135mm has some real competition. There’s no question the LAB is a great lens, but having spent time with the two lenses side by side, there are definitely some areas where the extra polish and sophistication of the Plena shine through. The big question, however, is whether or not that difference is worth a $1600 USD premium, as the Plena costs a whopping $2500. The answer, as usual, is complicated, and really depends on your set of priorities. We’ll explore all those details in either the video review, in the text review, or just enjoy the photos in the galleries below.

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Thanks to Chris at Nikon Canada for sending me a review copy of this lens. As always, this is a completely independent review. All opinions and conclusions are my own. *The tests and most of the photos that I share as a part of my review cycle have been done with the 45MP Nikon Z8, which I reviewed here. You can find the product listing page for the Nikkor Z 135mm F1.8 S Plena here.

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There are sharp lenses and there are lenses with beautiful soft rendering…that creamy bokeh that we all love. Lenses that have both qualities are very rare, as it takes masterful engineering to accomplish this. Nikon’s engineers prioritized the rendering in the Plena, working to engineer right out to the edges of the frame. They wanted round specular highlights across the frame, low vignette so that it wouldn’t interfere with that rendering, and as generally pleasing bokeh as possible. One of the first banners on the listing page says, “Beauty that reaches every corner.” It’s that attention to detail that sets the Plena 135mm apart…as I dive into in either the text or video reviews.

Images of the Nikkor 135mm F1.8 S Plena

Images taken with the Nikkor Z 135mm F1.8 S Plena

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GEAR USED:

Purchase the Viltrox AF 135mm F1.8 LAB @ Viltrox (use code DUSTINABBOTT for 5% off) | B&H | Adorama | Amazon | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany

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Purchase the Nikon Z8 @ B&H Photo | Adorama | Amazon | Camera Canada | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany

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