The Viltrox AF 135mm f/1.8 LAB lens stands out because it combines speed, sharpness, and price in a way that challenges far more expensive options. At this focal length, you’re looking at a tool made for striking subject isolation, making it particularly valuable when you want portraits or detail shots with impact.
Coming to you from Adrian Alford Photography, this detailed video explores what the Viltrox AF 135mm f/1.8 LAB lens can really do. The first thing you notice is its build: solid, heavy, with clear signs of premium design. You get features like dual customizable function buttons, a digital display for focus distance and aperture, and even a USB-C port for firmware updates. The lens has an aperture range from f/1.8 to f/16, an 11-blade diaphragm, and a minimum focus distance of 0.72 meters.
Sharpness is where it surprises most. Wide open at f/1.8, it delivers definition across the frame, not just in the center. Alford shows tests that highlight how clean the corners look and how reliable the focus is on Nikon’s Z7. At $899, this is significant, because Nikon’s own comparable Z-mount primes run more than twice the price. That difference means you can have a serious portrait lens without doubling your budget, and the performance makes it worth considering even if you already own other fast primes.
Key Specs
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Focal Length: 135mm
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Maximum Aperture: f/1.8
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Minimum Aperture: f/16
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Lens Mount: Nikon Z, Sony E
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Format Coverage: Full frame
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Minimum Focus Distance: 2.36' / 0.72 m
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Magnification: 0.25x (1:4 ratio)
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Optical Design: 14 elements in 9 groups
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Aperture Blades: 11
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Autofocus: Yes
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Image Stabilization: No
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Filter Size: 82mm
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Dimensions: 3.7 x 5.8 in / 93 x 147.6 mm
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Weight: 2.8 lbs / 1,265 g
Alford’s field tests drive home what these specs mean in practice. Shooting portraits wide open, the lens produces strong separation and smooth bokeh, the kind of rendering that gives portraits a clean, polished look. He demonstrates its speed with subjects moving toward the camera, showing that autofocus locks on accurately. The long focal length also compresses backgrounds in a way that makes environments look cinematic. What’s also interesting is how this lens behaves on crop-sensor Nikon Z bodies. Mounted on something like a Z50, it becomes a 200 mm equivalent, which suddenly makes it useful for wildlife, indoor sports, or events where reach matters as much as speed. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Alford.
