We need to talk about one of the prettiest lenses for wedding filmmaking that you are probably not using. This is the Sony 135mm f/1.8 GM, and you are probably thinking, dang Matt, that is a pretty tight lens. I would argue that there is something truly magical about this focal length, and it is because this lens is so tight that it is so good.
To be clear, this is not paid or sponsored by Sony. They do not even know I am making it. I bought this lens two years ago with my own money, and before that I was using the older A-mount version of it, which I also bought. That is a lot of 135. My goodness.
And one more thing before we start. I love the 135mm focal length so much, and I think it is so underappreciated, that regardless of which camera system you use, I am going to say you need to at least try one. I have used Canon’s 135 and it is fantastic. I have heard good things about Sigma’s.
So this review is as much about the 135mm focal length as a whole as it is about this specific Sony lens.
Why I Love The 135mm Focal Length
It comes down to three things: the tightness, the aperture, and the size.
The tightness
Before you use it, you might think 135 is too tight. If the tightest prime you have used up to now is an 85mm, then yes, 135 is dramatically tighter, and you may worry it will be hard to get a good shot with everything that much closer.
That is not something you need to worry about. 135mm is a magical point where it is tight, but not too tight.
Once you use it you will find this focal length is almost perfect for head and shoulder shots of people. Stand anywhere from six to ten feet away and you get a beautifully composed shot of the upper half of somebody, filling the frame with them and everything they are feeling. It is just fantastic.
The wedding day reason nobody tells you
Here is a benefit that is specific to filming weddings, and it is a big one.
You have all of five minutes after the ceremony to get portrait shots of the couple. You are trying to get something that looks good while the photographer is simultaneously trying to get their shots, and you are both constantly stepping into each other’s frames, jockeying for position. This is a big pain.
With a 135 that whole moment gets dramatically simpler, because your lens is so much tighter that it is far easier to get the shot without the photographer walking into it.
It is to the point that when I film weddings with my wife Rachel, she is typically on a 135 for a significant portion of the day, and she will go out of her way to tell the photographer that it is fine if they walk in front of her or block her position. Which usually surprises the photographer. But they do not realize her lens is so tight that she only needs a very small window. Unless they are standing directly in front of her, she can still shoot over their shoulder. And even if she is fully blocked, she moves a foot or two and she is back in business.
The aperture
This Sony 135 has a maximum aperture of f/1.8, which is very wide, especially for a lens this tight. Other 135s I have used come close and land at f/2. I have even heard rumors of a Canon 135 hitting f/1.4, which would be incredible. Typically with tighter lenses the widest you can hope for is f/2.8, which is what makes f/1.8 here so special.
Combine that tightness with f/1.8 and you get this magical thing where the depth of field is so shallow that everything else just drops away into creamy bokeh goodness. It looks amazing.
GM Lens Perks
Because this is the GM version, you get everything that comes with Sony’s GM line, including an adjustable aperture ring on the barrel with a de-click switch, which is fantastic for filmmaking.
And because it is a prime, it is much sharper than a zoom, even at f/1.8. You do not have to be afraid of shooting wide open and getting a soft image. You can just crank it wide open and get razor sharp footage that looks ridiculously good.
That said, you had better hope your focus is right, because at f/1.8 the plane of focus is tiny. If you are careless you can end up with someone’s eyelash in focus and their eye not. That is how precise and shallow it gets.
AF Performance
Thankfully the autofocus on this thing is spectacular. This was one of Sony’s first lenses to include dual autofocus motors to move the glass back and forth, and it needed them, because even though the lens is not enormous there is a lot of glass inside that has to move very fast to hold focus. Those motors do a great job.
Why Not Just Use A 70-200mm?
This is the biggest question you probably have, because I definitely had it before I used a 135. A 70-200 is so versatile, so why would you want something less versatile?
Let me answer that as someone who used a 70-200 for a long time and still uses two of them for wedding ceremonies.
If you want to go deeper, I’ve also got Final Boss Of Portrait Lenses – Sigma 135mm F1.4 Review.
Whenever I used a 70-200 as a portrait lens on a couple, I found myself sitting at 70mm most of the time, because 200mm is really too tight for portraits in most situations. Do not get me wrong, 200 is fantastic for a ceremony where you cannot get close. But when you are filming people from nearby, 200 feels too tight.
So in practice I was using a 70-200 at 70mm, which is not a very dramatic focal length. Enter 135.
And here is the part that sounds backwards: what is great about this lens is that you cannot adjust the focal length. You are forced to shoot at 135. I personally love that limitation, because to zoom you have to move your feet, which you should be doing constantly at a wedding anyway. Instead of camping in one spot zooming in and out, you are moving around finding new angles.
Then there is size. Put the 135 next to a 70-200 and you can see how much more compact it is. The 70-200 has a tripod collar you are supposed to attach your quick release plate to, so all that weight is not hanging off your lens mount. The 135 is short and light enough that you do not need a collar at all, which means one less thing to think about. You just put it on the camera like a regular lens and start filming.
Stack all of that up, the extra sharpness of a prime and that f/1.8 aperture, and you can see why I reach for this over the 70-200, which will not be as sharp because it is a zoom, and will not be as bokeh-licious either because it stops at f/2.8.
Should You Buy A 135mm Lens?
Here is my honest answer, and it is going to sound strange after everything above.
If you film weddings and you do not already own a 70-200, buy the 70-200 first. That lens is very good and very versatile for filming ceremonies, and ceremonies are guaranteed to happen at every single wedding you shoot. I really want to make sure you are getting amazing footage of them.
Once you have that 70-200, and you are looking to take your portrait shots to the next level, that is when I would pick up the 135 and fall in love with it the way I have.
If you want it, here is the Sony 135mm GM at Amazon, B&H, Adorama, and Best Buy.
Do You Film Weddings And Use YouTube?
If you film weddings and use YouTube like I do, I would love to help you out more. I made a free guide with the biggest and most important tips it took me years to learn about running a YouTube channel as a wedding filmmaker, and it is going to make a real difference in the views, likes and bookings you get. You can download it for free right here.
A couple of other things:
- My Sony 70-200mm f/4 G review, which is the lens I am telling you to buy first, and where I also tell you to come back for this one.
- My color presets, which is what all of this footage was graded with.
- My full gear list, and my filmmaking courses.
Thanks so much for reading, and have a great day!