1  How “Fun” is it ?

1.1 “Dreamy” at 2 meters

1.2 The “artistic conception” at 5m

1.3 Between the darkness and sunlight

1.4 Life photo show

2  What’s「 TooL 」？

2.1 Milestones 

2.2 Lens design

2.3 Autofocus performance test

2.4 Bokeh shape testing

2.5 Anti-glare test

2.6 Test summary

3  Conclusion

4 Purchasing advice

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Viltrox AF 135mm F1.8 LAB FE Review

By 李白兔子, Nov 8th, 2024   

The Viltrox AF 135mm F1.8 LAB FE is a lens I’ve been testing from April to October. From the early prototype with no packaging, to the later improved versions, and finally to the mass-production retail version, I’ve experienced the marathon-like adjustments this lens had undergone.
This has been a marathon-style lens testing experience like no other——covering a wide range of subjects, from portraits to animals, still life, and even street photography. If I had to choose one photo to represent this journey, it would be the portrait below:

 

a7RV, Viltrox AF 135mm F1.8 LAB FE F2.0, 1/400sec, ISO125  Porfoto A2 flashing, with OCF octagonal softbox.

Due to compression, the image may appear slightly blurry. So let’s take a look at a close-up, a really huge one:

 

F2.0, with the aperture nearly fully open, the image details are exceptional fully unleashing the power of the 61 megapixel sensor. Looking outward from the subject’s head, the overall atmosphere of the scene is soft and gentle, with branches transitioning smoothly from sharp focus to a soft blur. Combined with the bokeh created by the forest, a dreamy and artistic atmosphere is conveyed through the image.

 

Of course, a single photo can't fully represent what this lens is capable of. 
Typically, lens reviews focus on aspects like sharpness, bokeh, autofocus, chromatic aberration, and so on. But I don't like doing it this that way, because since I have six months to use this lens, I want to approach it from every angle and make it different in every way. 

How will it different? I believe the answer lies in "the work." All the images that demonstrate the lens's performance should also be works of art. This is the standard I've set for myself this time.

 

α7R IV，Viltrox AF 135mm F1.8 LAB FE F1.8，1/250sec，ISO100

Additionally, for this "TooLFun" review, I plan to reverse the usual article structure——first showcasing the work to illustrate the lens's performance, then discussing its specific features and presenting test results on autofocus, bokeh, and other aspects, and finally, reflecting on its significance for domestic lenses.
I believe this article can break the monotony of typical reviews and refresh readers with visually pleasing images.

-How “Fun” is it ?

Why choose the Viltrox AF 135mm F1.8 LAB FE for shooting?
Especially for a lens that, while not expensive in its class (899USD), weighs about 1200g, making it quite heavy.
Once this question is answered, you’ll have a good understanding of what this lens is really about.

I
“Dreamy” at 2 meters, extreme bokeh.

What does a dreamy scene look like? I think the photo below can serve as an example.

a7CR, Viltrox AF 135mm F1.8 LAB FE F2.2,1/2000sec, ISO100

A gentle breeze blows, and the seeds on the dandelion are carried away, while the grass in the background appears blurry, as if seen through frosted glass.

 

In another patch of grass, a butterfly quietly sips nectar from a flower.

 

a7R IV, Viltrox AF 135mm F1.8 LAB FE F1.8, 1/4000sec, ISO400

In a close-up of the photo,

you can even see the butterfly’s siphoning mouthparts drinking nectar and the veins in its wings.

These two photos were both taken with backlit and close-up shots, testing the lens’s ability to focus at short distances and its image quality optimization. The Viltrox AF 135mm F1.8 LAB FE is not a macro lens, so it can’t achieve 1:1 magnification. However, due to its longer focal length (compared to a 100mm macro lens) and larger aperture, it still produces a dreamy effect when shooting close-up.

There are many technical details worth mentioning, such as the self-developed VCM motor, dual-floating focus design, multiple ED elements, and a 0.72m minimum focusing distance. But I don’t want dive too much into the technical side, because I believe you can feel these technical aspects reflected directly in the images.


The reason I’m starting with these photos is because they’re the easiest to demonstrate the effect of background blur, which is a shortcut to making photos look more beautiful. And background blur is precisely one of the strengths of the 135mm F1.8 lens.


Of course, bokeh isn’t just for photography flowers and butterflies; it also creates stunning results when shooting glass objects:

 

A7R V, Viltrox 135mm F1.8 LAB FE F1.8, 1/160sec, ISO2000

A7R V, Viltrox AF 135mm F1.8 LAB FE F1.8, 1/160sec, ISO160

A7R V, Viltrox AF 135mm F1.8 LAB FE F1.8, 1/160, ISO1000

Whether it’s day or night, you can capture the dreamy effect of a glass cup even at the lens’s minimum focusing distance. At the same time, there’s no noticeable blurriness, chromatic aberration, or close-up spherical aberration.
Now, let’s move the focus distance slightly further, from the closets 0.72m to about 1.5-2m. This is the typical distance for portrait close-ups, and also a key range that tests the quality of a 135mm lens.
On a summer night, I met up with a friend to do a photo shoot:

 

A7R V, Viltrox AF 135mm F1.8 LAB FE F1.8, 1/160sec, ISO3200

Under the faint glow of the lights, the atmosphere of the summer night is conveyed through the soft bokeh and the beautiful, large light spots in the background. Of course, if you want to see the details, the focus area is packed with them as well:

 

But more importantly, scenes like this test the shape of the bokeh in the background. In simple terms, it tests whether the light spots exhibit any exaggerated distortion.

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A7R V, Viltrox AF 135mm F1.8 LAB FE F1.8, 1/160sec, ISO2500

Among all the lenses I’ve used, the Viltrox AF 135mm F1.8 LAB FE is one of the few that doesn’t exhibit serve bokeh distortion at wide open apertures. Its edge bokeh deformation is relatively milder than its own AF 75mm F1.2 Pro, and significantly less than lenses like the 70-200, 70-180, or the older 50mm F1.2.

 

A7R V, Viltrox     AF 135mm F1.8 LAB FE F1.8, 1/160sec, ISO4000

In fact, a distance of around 2m is a common distance for portrait photography with 135mm lens.

“The level of background blur, the smoothness of the bokeh, the shape of the light spots (including whether there’s any swirl, and the sharpness of the focus at the thirds--all of these are extremely important. In these aspects, I think Viltrox has done a great job.”

 

A7R V, Viltrox AF 135mm F1.8 LAB FE F1.8, 1/160sec, ISO4000

From the hair strands and eyelashes, you can see that the lens's resolving power at the thirds is quite impressive.

As I’ve said before, in this article, I mainly want to focus on discussing this lens. If you’re really interested in a comparison, I might borrow a Sony 135GM and Nikon's 135 Plena to compare in the future, but honestly, it seems like it would be quite a hassle…
On a late summer day, I also tried shooting portraits in the metasequoia glyptostroboides wood at the botanical garden, again at a half-length distance；

 

A7R V, Viltrox AF 135mm F1.8 LAB FEF2.0, 1/160sec, ISO320

The metasequoia glyptostroboides wood at the end of summer was beautiful and much cooler. Shooting there allowed me to experience another characteristic of the 135LAB, one that the model also felt after seeing the photos.
That is, “artistic conception”

Note: The following images were mostly shot wide open at F1.8, so I won’t be listing the shooting parameter (honestly, I’m just being lazy).

 

II

 

The “artistic conception” at 5m, the quantity and quality of bokeh.

Portrait close-ups are a specialty of the 135mm lens, but doesn’t mean it’s limited to just close-ups.
In fact, after the shoot in the metasequoia glyptostroboides wood that day, I realized that the 135mm F1.8 lens truly excels at shooting distance beyond 5m——essentially, full-body portrait distances.

 

When shooting full-body portraits, the Viltrox AF 135mm F1.8 LAB’s background blur is so soft that it creates a painterly “artistic conception”.

“The subject naturally separates from the background, without the excessive compression seen in super-telephoto lenses, yet with a stronger sense of bokeh than what you’d get with a 50mm or 85mm lens.”

After all, if we calculate the depth of field equivalence, the 135mm F1.8 is effectively like an F1.1 lens when compared to an 85mm. The amount of bokeh is enough, but the quality of the bokeh is equally important.

This is based on the standards used by websites like phillipreeve.net when evaluating large aperture lenses. For example, lenses like the EF 50mm F1.2 L USM and EF 85mm F1.2 L USM II from the DSLR era have enough bokeh, but the quality is often lacking——meaning it’s not as soft, and the “onion ring” bokeh in the out-of-focus areas.
In this regard, the Viltrox AF 135mm F1.8 LAB clearly performs well. In the top right corner of the image, you can see the light spots in translucent trees. The light isn’t very strong, so the bokeh appears relatively rounded and soft.

 

A close-up of the top right corner reveals the bokeh effect on the natural light source and how the light spots distortion.

The bokeh in the corner do show some distortion, but it’s not too pronounced, so there’s no noticeable swirly bokeh, and the overall image looks much more natural.
In the bottom left corner of the image, it’s a more challenging area to test the transition from in-focus to out-of-focus. The rocks here have many textures and gradual changes in light and shadow. Some less optimized large aperture lenses might not render the blur as smoothly in this transition zone as they do in the distant background.

 

You can see the smoothness of the bokeh in the transition zone.

The Viltrox AF 135mm F1.8 LAB handles this area quite well, with the blurred rocks appearing relatively soft. Among the lens tests I’ve seen, the only lenses that perform better in this regard are those specially designed for soft focus.
What happens if the distance is even further?
In the metasequoia glyptostroboides wood scene, I ended up standing on a stone in the creek and shot the model from a distance to capture the reflection:

 

As the distance increases, the images still looks great, with a soft, dreamy quality that remains intact. This is again due to the smooth bokeh. In the top right corner of the frame, there’s also some bokeh coming from the foreground.


Now, let’s take a look at a few photos of the red panda I shot at the zoo. There were taken from a similar distance, but through glass, which presents its own challenges for image quality and autofocus.

 

 

I don’t want to use terms like "air cutter" because that’s anything but romantic. What I really mean to say is that at the zoo, I was glad to have the Viltrox AF 135mm F1.8 LAB in my hands, because it offers both a sufficiently long focal length and a large enough aperture.  

"This ability to filter out distracting elements, especially minimizing the impact of dirty, scratched glass, is something only top-tier large aperture lenses can truly achieve."

In front of the flamingo exhibit, the nearby glass, trees, distant birds, and buildings all received a beautifully soft blur, while the flamingos in focus remained sharp and clear.

 

 

A photo that looks like a painting will make you forget the glass in front of you, allowing you to focus and become immersed in the elegant "model."  
This reminds me of another photo—one that people usually wouldn’t take with a 135mm lens: a nighttime street scene.

III  

Between the darkness and sunlight

In the alleys of Shanghai, there are children playing even at night.

 

 

This is a photo I took in September when I was strolling with a friend in Shanghai. That area of buildings is situated in a modern city, yet still retains the appearance of past architecture.  


As we walked through, time seemed to slow down. The distant buildings blurred out of focus, while the people in the foreground remained sharp and vivid. This was a completely different experience compared to when I usually shoot street scenes with a 50mm lens.

 

At certain corners, the 135mm close-up perspective and large aperture made the scene feel softer, gathering natural light into the camera and freezing the dynamic moments in time.

 

Notice that when facing light sources at the corners of the frame, the lens doesn't produce noticeable flare.  

The performance of this lens on the dark streets is something I never anticipated. Its high resolution allows me to shoot wide open with confidence, without worrying about any blurriness, even at the edges of the frame.

 

 

In these scenes, there's actually an implicit test of the lens's anti-flare performance. You can see that nighttime is different from daytime; on one hand, the lighting is more complex, with light sources potentially entering the lens from any part of the frame; on the other hand, many parts of the image are relatively dark, so even the slightest flare or ghosting is easier to notice than during the day.  

"But the result is great. The Viltrox AF 135mm F1.8 LAB didn't show any flare issues during this nighttime adventure, which I’m really satisfied with."

Compared to the darkness, the moments with sunlight are always more uplifting, especially when you come across some adorable creatures.

When I was photographing these water lilies, I didn't notice at first, but it turns out that one of the flowers had a hover fly hovering above it:

 

It was only when reviewing the photos that I realized—it's a bit of an unexpected surprise. And despite the slight overexposure, there were no purple fringing on the petals, which made me quite happy with the result.  
Speaking of animals that make me happy, cats are definitely one of them:

 

And just like before, the sharp focus and soft bokeh make the image incredibly beautiful.

 

The close-up shows sharpness, no purple fringing, smooth bokeh, and no swirl.

So sometimes, I feel that reviews, while quantifiable in a laboratory, can also be more meaningfully done in real-world settings. It takes more time and effort to visit more locations, but it’s also more enjoyable, and the rewards are greater.


Besides, with this lens, I have all the time in the world.

IV  

The ability to make life more beautiful  

— More photos i love  

 

If this weren’t an article focused on showcasing the performance of a new lens, I would have probably shared a lot more images with you in a more casual way. Because the 135mm F1.8 focal length itself goes beyond what the human eye can perceive, it has the ability to turn overlooked details in life into something beautiful, making things that are already beautiful even more elegant.  


For example, colorful lanterns:

Action figures in a toy store:

The splashes of a waterfall:

The rippling waters of a lotus pond:

Mountain cherry under the moonlight:

The alien shape rising in flames:

The young man dancing with fire:

A vibrant lizard on a tree:

And the detailed models at the exhibition:

There are many more, in fact. These unforgettable photos highlight just how versatile the Viltrox AF 135mm F1.8 LAB lens really is—it’s not just for portrait photography.  
Now, with the artwork portion concluded, the next section will be more technical, the kind of details I usually discuss at the beginning of the article.

- What’s「 TooL 」？

(including tests on autofocus, bokeh, and flare)

I. Milestones 

The 135mm F1.8 focal length has essentially been dominated by Japanese brands. Even renowned brands like Zeiss only launched a 135mm F1.8 for DSLR and mirrorless systems after collaborating with Sony. In their classic ZE/ZF product line, they only offer a manual focus (MF) Milvus 135mm F2, while their autofocus mirrorless Batis series features just a 135mm F2.8.

 

Among the "big three" Japanese brands, the 135mm F1.8 is undoubtedly one of the top prime lenses in each of their lineups. Aside from Sony's 135GM, even renowned brands like Canon and Nikon only recently released their mirrorless 135 lens—Canon’s RF 135L (released in November 2022) and Nikon's Z 135 Plena (released in September 2023).

 

Among third-party brands, Sigma had previously released the 135mm F1.8 DG HSM Art series during the DSLR era, which is one of the only two Sigma lenses I’ve kept—aside from being heavy, its quality is excellent. In the mirrorless lens, only the Korean brand Samyang launched a 135mm F1.8, claiming it was lighter and more affordable, with image quality comparable to Sony's GM. However, after asking some friends, I heard that its quality control was inconsistent—when it’s good, it’s really on par with the GM, but when it’s bad, it’s a disaster...  

 

As for domestic lenses, Zhong Yi Optics released a large and impressive 135mm F1.4, which I saw at an exhibition, but I felt it was not very practical. Other domestic brands have rarely ventured into this focal length.  


So, with all of this in mind, you can probably understand how excited I was when I received the Viltrox AF 135mm F1.8 LAB FE in the mail. For domestic lenses, the combination of 135mm, F1.8, and AF is a first!

II. Lens design 

As mentioned earlier, the Viltrox AF 135mm F1.8 LAB FE is not a lightweight lens. It weighs about 1.2kg, and its filter thread diameter is 82mm.

 

 

I don’t want to say that weight is an advantage, or that heavier always means better. But there is a reason for its weight, and the size does reflect the lens's performance. As mentioned earlier, the minimal optical distortion in the out-of-focus bokeh benefits from the large-diameter lens elements—something that smaller, compact lenses can't achieve.

 

Since this lens cannot rely on in-body correction from E or Z-series cameras, it has to rely entirely on optical design to correct various aberrations. For current domestic lenses, trading weight and size for image quality may remain a reality that needs to be faced for quite some time in the future.

 

 

However, in areas where it’s possible to make improvements, Viltrox didn’t hold back, which aligns with the LAB product line's positioning of "extreme pursuit, exploration, and creation."

 

For example, the lens includes an AF/MF switch, a click switch, a three-position focus limit switch, and two custom Fn buttons. It’s safe to say it’s well-equipped with all the necessary features.

 

It’s worth mentioning that the tactile feel of the aperture ring when set to "click" mode is quite nice, with a distinct, crisp "click" sound as you rotate it.

 

Like the previous Viltrox AF 16mm F1.8, this lens also features an LCD screen. What’s even better this time is that it supports Bluetooth connectivity to the Viltrox Lens App on your phone, allowing you to customize the display on the screen as well as the Fn function buttons on the lens itself.

 

This Bluetooth connectivity method is even superior to what some Japanese brands offer—rarely this convenient—and it highlights the more flexible thinking of domestic brands. By the way, Viltrox even added a somewhat "naughty" feature, allowing you to define a startup animation. This means you can display text or graphics on the lens's screen when it powers on.

 

 

So, if you ever see a lens display “Li Bai Tu Zi” on startup, that would be me!  

It’s also worth mentioning that, while Bluetooth OTA upgrades are supported, the lens still retains a USB-C port at the metal mount for direct firmware updates.

 

 

The lens also features a dust- and splash-resistant design, along with a protective coating on the front lens element to prevent smudges. There’s a sealing ring at the mount (the red circle in the image above). Even the front edge of the flocked lens hood is rubberized, making it safer to place the lens on the ground.  


So, even though it may lag behind Japanese brands in terms of weight control and optical performance, Viltrox has put a lot of effort into the build quality and durability of this lens, showing genuine commitment.  

III. Autofocus performance test (key focus)

As mentioned earlier, the Viltrox AF 135mm F1.8 LAB FE is the first domestic 135mm F1.8 lens with autofocus. But it’s actually the first to feature Viltrox's self-developed "HyperVCM" voice coil motor for focusing (which was patented earlier than their 28Chip), and it’s also the first domestic lens to use a self-developed voice coil motor for aperture control.

 

HyperVCM motor diagram

When I mentioned the 28Chip earlier, I highlighted that the biggest advantage of the VCM motor is its ability to provide significant thrust, which is essential for driving large lens elements. This is particularly important for lenses like the 135mm F1.8, which have a more complex internal structure and larger lens elements.

 

To demonstrate the autofocus performance of the lens, which can't be easily appreciated through static photography alone, I’ve prepared four sets of tests, progressing from easy to difficult, to showcase the autofocus capabilities of this domestic lens.

Autofocus Test 1:  

Switching focus between subjects at medium to close range.

 

 

At this point, the camera is the Sony α7R V, with the autofocus mode set to AF-C.  


As you can see, not only is the focus speed fast, but it also successfully recognized the eyes of the rabbit sculpture. In fact, from pets to insects, this lens performs well with the camera's AI subject recognition, supporting various types of subjects effectively.

The shot of the dragonfly was achieved by relying on the subject recognition autofocus.  

By the way, the Viltrox 135mm F1.8 LAB’s close-up image quality is excellent, which is also attributed to its dual-floating focus design. This complex focusing mechanism was previously only used in high-end lenses from Japanese brands (such as the Nikon Z 105mm F2.8 Macro, Z 85mm F1.2, and the Z 135mm F1.8). Its use in domestic large-aperture lenses should be a first.

 

Autofocus Test 2:  


Switching to very close focus from a defocused state.
Next, to increase the difficulty, I reduced the shooting distance, putting the lens in a very blurred defocus state before it focused. This test simulates the scenario where you switch from photographing distant subjects to close-up shots, such as focusing on a person’s eye or a very close object.

 

 

The autofocus is still very fast. The camera body is still the Sony α7R V, with the autofocus mode set to AF-C .

 

Autofocus Test 3:  


Walking Speed Tracking Test  


To further increase the difficulty, I captured a scene where the subject walked towards the camera from a distance. This test simulates dynamic portrait or fashion runway scenarios, where the subject is in motion and the lens needs to continuously track and focus on the subject.

 

 

You can see that the camera's green autofocus frame continues to track the subject's eyes steadily, even as the child moves from side to side or when I press the shutter mid-motion. The autofocus remains unaffected, demonstrating good tracking performance.

 

Autofocus Test 4:

  
Running Speed Tracking Test  
Now, for the toughest challenge—having the child run erratically towards the camera, similar to what you might encounter in an unpredictable soccer match. In fact, I feel that this test exceeds the typical use case for a 135mm F1.8 lens, but the main purpose of this test is simply my curiosity to see if it can handle such a scenario.

 

A bit regretfully, my little child’s erratic running caused the lens to lose focus a few times in the middle of the test. Below are the screenshots showing when the focus was lost:

 

The screenshots of the out of focus frame clearly show the focus green box disappearing. 

Honestly, this test is still quite challenging for domestic lenses. In my experience, even with original lenses mounted on adapted systems (such as EF lenses on an R body), AF-C performance in tracking focus isn’t always ideal. 

"However, I still believe it's essential to push domestic lenses with more stringent tests, or to determine the lens's limitations—this is what a review should aim for."

Of course, if you're asking how the Viltrox 135LAB compares to the Sony 135GM in terms of autofocus, I haven’t been able to do a direct comparison yet since I don't have the GM lens. If you're really curious, let me know in the comments below. 

(Note: The autofocus performance here is also affected by the camera body. The Sony α7R V, which I used for most of the tests, has better tracking and AI focus performance. The α1 and α9 series, theoretically, should perform even better, but I haven't had access to those bodies for testing.)

IV. Bokeh shape testing (key)  

I did some bokeh shape tests outdoors using streetlights as the background at different distances. Due to the large bokeh at closer distances, the results aren’t as meaningful, so I’ve chosen to focus on the bokeh at around 2 meters with different apertures (I also tested other distances, but the results were similar, so I won’t show them here to save space).

 

 

From the images above, we can deduce the following points:


Firstly, the Viltrox AF 135mm F1.8 LAB shows a strong bokeh effect at wide open aperture (F1.8) when shooting at 1.5 meters, and the bokeh is relatively round. Even in the corners of the image, there isn’t significant distortion of the bokeh.

 

"Due to the 11-blade aperture, the roundness of the bokeh remains quite good at F2.2, and still decent at F2.5. However, F2.8 marks a turning point. Beyond F2.8, you begin to notice a slight polygonal shape to the bokeh."

 

This effect becomes even more noticeable when the focus distance is closer and the bokeh itself becomes larger.

However, I don't think many people would intentionally stop down to F2.8 when using this lens, especially with its ultra-high resolution wide open at F1.8. After all, in scenes where you can achieve such beautiful, large bokeh.
By the way, just to mention, even if you have your subject stand 5 meters away from the camera in this scene, you can still achieve an extremely strong bokeh effect, like the one shown below: