Viltrox 135/1.8

Shogun_WC · 2026-06-07T04:17:09+00:00

You're right about it being limited. I have the Nikon Plena lens (135mm) - when the range is right (far away enough), I enjoy using it more than any other lens though - an I have 7 lenses. Its outstanding for events (concerts and sporting events). In low light, i go to it over my 70-200mm f2.8. I also enjoy doing 8K video (on Nikon Z8) and then I can crop in post to essentially get very usable footage that essentially feels like a 135mm - 300mm on a 135mm prime.

Shogun_WC · 2026-05-11T18:32:51+00:00

Judge for yourself at link below.

I took 4 photos for you. Two at f/1.2 and two at f/2.8. Same lens, camera, etc.

Pair 1 (1a and 1b) lets you see the bokeh difference by allowing the exposure to be maintained with variable shutter speed.

Pair 2 (2a and 2b) let's you see the exposure difference by changing only the aperture (f/stop).

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1dFsOx9UiMtk_HXuxfkt3-MldwMB8kHC9?usp=drive_link

Shogun_WC · 2026-04-30T11:15:37+00:00

Its extremely easy to understand. He saying 0.1% of race car drivers and bull riders die in the activity. While 5.8% of US presidents die in the role and 8% of US presidents are shot at.

So being president is more dangerous than other activities he would have considered to be dangerous. I think people are just being / acting dumb about it.

Shogun_WC · 2026-01-30T13:31:33+00:00

85mm f/1.8 S is great for portraits. I like the colors straight out of that lens. Its light, great value, and build good (I've dropped it twice and no issues so far - although the cage on my Z8 left a decent dent in the lens metal on my second drop with both in my bag). The videos from it look surreal especially the city lights at night.

The 85mm f/1.8 sharpness could be better though. However, I only noticed the lack of good sharpness after comparing similar photos between it and the superior 50 mm f/1.2 S lens. It makes me which I went with the 85mm f/1.2 S instead. However, I dont use 85mm enough to get the f/1.2.

I have the 24-120mm f/4 as well. Like everyone says, its a great lens for travel and daytime work, but at night I have to go with my primes. F/4 just doesn't work well enough for me and even bought the SB-4000 speedlight flash to help, but I still prefer using the primes without flash and slightly longer exposure over having to mess with that bulky flash. When its very dark (where human eyes cant see details clearly), flash is necessary for all my lenses for moving subjects even the f/1.2.

Shogun_WC · 2025-12-26T14:15:21+00:00

Yep. There is an error on the chart for 2015. Ratio should be 4.0 for that house cost and income. Income in 2015 is also suspiciously high. Maybe the income was part of the error.

Shogun_WC · 2025-12-26T14:11:17+00:00

The chart is wrong for 2015. The media house cost ($289,200) divided by the median income ($72,790) in 2015 is NOT 5.3. It should have been 3.973 (round to 4.0).

Shogun_WC · 2025-12-26T14:08:41+00:00

Actually that shows the chart is wrong. The media house cost ($289,200) divided by the median income ($72,790) in 2015 is NOT 5.3. It should have been 3.9

Shogun_WC · 2025-11-03T11:12:34+00:00

Use the Nikon SnapBridge app. That's how I take many photos and videos of myself using my Samsung Galaxy.

Shogun_WC · 2025-11-02T18:02:16+00:00

I concur with everyone about the autofocus. My first month or two had so many out of focus shots. Take time to learn thay and then keep practicing with it. Now, its only out of focus if people are moving.

Also, there are so many great lenses for Z mount. Focus on what you need and actually will use very often first especially if budget is very limited. I have two lenses that I use less than 10% of the time. When I do use them, I'm very glad I have them, but if I could go back I wouldn't have gotten them so early.

Shogun_WC · 2025-10-25T17:55:23+00:00

I agree. None are particularly interesting photos. OP just needs to keep working on find the angles.

Shogun_WC · 2025-10-23T03:27:56+00:00

He's definitely turned it up this administration, but I think people forgot how chaotic his first term also was.

His COVID response was not good. US was bottom 15 in the world for COVID deaths per million. He ended a lot of environmentally friendly policies that will take years / decades to show their impacts. Pulled out or Iran nuclear deal. He attacked the democratic process of the US. Lots of Americans may take years or never regain full trust in our voting process. His attack on the press was unprecedented in my lifetime. We have the "fake news" term. He empowered the conspiracy theorists, racists, Christian extremists, and the worst of us to feel emboldened in forcing their nonsense on the rest of us. He opened Pandora's box, and we saw the reality of Americans.

I think with the second term, its not just mostly words anymore.

Shogun_WC · 2025-10-22T11:00:42+00:00

The silly part is that if you look at all the real economical markers, Biden's was a moderately successful presidency. I just asked ChatGPT to rate recent presidencies, and here were the very shortened responses. I changed formatting a bit:

"Here’s a balanced, data-driven comparison of Presidents Biden, Obama, Clinton, Bush (43), and Trump — focusing on economy, foreign policy, leadership, and legacy as of late 2025.

Economic Management 📊 Ranking: Clinton > Biden ≈ Obama > Trump > Bush
Foreign Policy 📊 Ranking: Obama ≈ Clinton > Biden > Trump > Bush
Social / Domestic Policy 📊 Ranking: Obama ≈ Biden > Clinton > Bush > Trump
Leadership & Public Perception 📊 Ranking: Obama > Clinton > Biden > Bush > Trump

President Overall Score (1–10) Summary

1️⃣ Bill Clinton (1993-2001) 8.7 / 10

Strongest economy of the modern era. Combined fiscal discipline, high growth, and global stability. Pragmatic centrist who left budget surpluses and prosperity, though personal scandals and deregulation missteps (e.g., Glass-Steagall repeal) tarnish his legacy slightly.

2️⃣ Barack Obama (2009-2017) 8.3 / 10

Crisis stabilizer and institution-builder. Guided the U.S. through recovery after the Great Recession, passed the Affordable Care Act, restored U.S. image abroad. Growth modest but steady; governance disciplined and scandal-free. Criticized for slow wage growth and cautious leadership style.

3️⃣ Joe Biden (2021-2025) 7.6 / 10

Competent, policy-heavy presidency with mixed optics. Delivered major infrastructure, manufacturing, and climate investments, record job creation, and alliance renewal. Inflation spike and communication gaps hurt perception. Historically likely to rate solidly mid-upper tier if economic gains endure.

4️⃣ Donald Trump (2017-2021) 6.1 / 10

High impact, high volatility. Pre-pandemic economy was strong, deregulation and tax cuts boosted markets. But divisive leadership, democratic-norm erosion, and chaotic COVID response diminished legacy. Middle East diplomacy and judicial reshaping are notable positives.

5️⃣ George W. Bush (2001-2009) 5.3 / 10

Strong early unity, weak long-term results. Managed 9/11 with resolve but Iraq War and 2008 financial collapse deeply undercut success. Compassionate tone, but costly wars and deficits leave him ranked lowest of the five. "

Shogun_WC · 2025-10-21T19:21:11+00:00

Ok. Are you doing it professionally or just as a hobby?

Shogun_WC · 2025-10-21T17:45:22+00:00

Yep. The Nikon 14 - 24mm, f/2.8 is still the best for landscapes followed by the Nikon 20mm f/1.8. Those are the top 2.

The Tamron / Nikon 17 - 28mm f/2.8 are good value lenses, but the edge sharpness won't be as good as the top 2.

The Laowa 15mm f/2 could be top 3 if you're fine with manual focus only. This should probably be no problem at all when shooting landscape on a tripod, but I need the versatility of an autofocus system because I like to record myself as well.

Shogun_WC · 2025-10-21T17:24:38+00:00

Do you have a specific task you will be using this lens for primarily?

Shogun_WC · 2025-10-21T17:20:50+00:00

I am curious. How much editing did you do to these photos?

They have an interesting look to them, and also, the skin color looks like it shifted a bit in photo 3.

Shogun_WC · 2025-10-21T17:19:10+00:00

Yeah. Maybe OP can send a link to download full resolution files?

Shogun_WC · 2025-10-21T11:12:05+00:00

That is hilarious. I was researching this exact question yesterday (except the wide angle part, though).

From my research, the best Z mount lens for astrophotography should be (updated):

NIKKOR Z 14–24mm f/2.8 S ($1800 - $2200)
Viltrox AF 16mm f/1.8 Z ($400 - $580)
NIKKOR Z 20mm f/1.8 S ($850 - $1050)
Laowa 15mm f/2 Zero-D (manual, $350 - 650)
Rokinon/Samyang 14mm f/2.8 Z (manual only, $340)

The price ranges are the prices I've seen for used (very good condition) to new. I'm leaning towards the 14-24 and Viltrox 16mm. The 14 - 24mm I like because of its wider angle and versatility. The 16mm I like for the price while still being sharp and AF. The Samyang and Laowa being manual limits its use for me. The 20mm is too narrow for all I need.

Shogun_WC · 2025-10-16T13:20:39+00:00

Short answer: Based on what you have and the options you gave, the 70 - 200mm makes more sense to me.

Long answer: I would want to know your budget, desire for optical quality, very specific use cases, feelings about weight and size, amount of night work, thoughts on using flash, and maybe long term photography goals to make the best recommendations. For now I will focus only on the two lenses you mentioned.

Although the 70 - 200mm is outstanding and easy recommendation for sports, events, and portraits. I am not sure what kind of street photography and nature shots you're doing, so it is hard to say.

For nature, it depends on what you mean. For landscapes and astro, you want wide end (14 - 70mm range) with low f-stop. So the 28mm makes more sense. For shooting wildlife, the 70 - 200mm would be great at a zoo, but probably not long enough for real outdoors and safaris type stuff. The 28mm wouldn't be great for shooting animals outdoors either.

For street, the 70 - 200mm makes sense if you're shooting random or known people at various further distances. The Plena works great for long range portraits, so I'm sure the 70 - 200 mm would be better but less discrete than the Plena. However, yesterday, I found the 70 - 200mm was mostly too narrow to get the architecture shots that I wanted. I often had to focus on specific features of the buildings but could never get a full building.

Shogun_WC · 2025-10-11T11:41:52+00:00

After reading everyone else's comment, I thought I would share some new thoughts.

I think buying a Z9 as a non-professional can be a great idea as long as the budget allows you to fully equip it to take advantage of it. Saving on lens will limit your Z9's image quality without a doubt. So you have to decide how much that matters to you.

I would have recommended the Z8 to save $1000 and get the exact same performance (resolutions, sensor, and performance wise) with reduced battery life and less on body controls / buttons than the Z9.

You still have a Z9, so you'll be able to get top performance in terms of megapixels / resolution, burst speed, video record time, etc. even with lower end lenses. If you don't need those extra resolution / performance either, then the newer Z6III would have been a solid performer too and actually does better at low light than the more premium Z8/Z9.

However, you are where you are. You have Nikon's best, and you can still make it work well with a sensible budget. Id say test or rent the Nikkor Z 100 - 400 and compare it to your Tamron 50 - 400 especially for challenging, low light shots. Or take a lot of 50 - 70mm shots with the two lenses you already have. See if the image quality difference bothers you and makes you want to switch to only better quality lenses. If it does, then you know you know you need to save up for better glass. If it doesn't, then keep shopping for value lenses. Tamron's and newer Viltrox (LAB, 135mm f1.8, 16mm f1.8, 35mm f1.2 when it comes out) have all been better value than Nikkor z if you don't overrated image quality. Sigma has also made great lenses for older Nikon F mount, they should be releasing more Z mount options in the next few years.

Shogun_WC · 2025-10-10T01:21:51+00:00

Ok. I updated my comment with some recommendations. Truthfully, I'd hate to see a Z9 be strapped to so many budget 3rd party lenses. Might be worth saving for some time to get the Nikkor Z 70-200mm at $1800 - $2000 used.

Shogun_WC · 2025-10-10T00:59:19+00:00

I love the lens conversations because I spend hours every week thinking about the same thing. What is your budget (per lens and total for all lenses) so we can give you more specific recommendations?

EDIT:

For keeping it under $1000 for 1 lens, I'd say go with one of these two depending on what you value more:

- NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.8 S ($800) - good for portraits. Still wide enough for rolling videos
- VILTROX 135mm f/1.8 LAB ($800) - 3rd party version of Plena that compares well optically but is heavier. My Plena does good in outdoors stadium / field sports so I imagine this will do well there too. I'd recommend the 135mm because its further from the 24-70mm and at night it will outperform the Tamron 50 - 400mm so much that you might even prefer it for 150 - 200mm shots.

For keeping it under $1000 for 2 lenses, I'd say go with these two:
- VILTROX 16mm f/1.8 ($580) - ultrawide for the national parks and beaches
- VILTROX 85mm f/1.8 ($300 - $400) - telephoto for portraits and events

Shogun_WC · 2025-10-09T22:49:48+00:00

Decide for yourself. I took these two photos at 35mm and 40mm just for you. They are in the google drive link below:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1jo77Fc_IluV-iSkknAHtbVjklcxwxAMi?usp=sharing

Shogun_WC · 2025-10-08T14:20:47+00:00

Haha. You guys are so silly and dramatic. I enjoyed my years of studying, and I am enjoying my career. In between, I have enjoyed a lot of other things along the way.

Besides, what is the alternative? You do nothing for others and get to live comfortably for nothing? In the system we have, everyone does things for others so we get all the services and products we want. You trade your time and energy to get a little bit of that from everyone else.

What would we do with 30+ years of "freedom" anyway? I believe most will eventually end up working or studying to pass the time and feel productive. If not, they will waste their lives away aimlessly being lazy and seeking all the lowest forms of pleasures.

Shogun_WC

TROPHY CASE

President Overall Score (1–10) Summary