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Nikon 135mm f/2 DC
The King of Bokeh (1990-)
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Nikon 135mm f/2 DC
04.01.2010
http://kenrockwell.com/nikon/135mm
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© 2009 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved.
Intro Specs Performance Recommendations
Nikon AF DC-NIKKOR 135mm f/2 D (72mm filters, 28.9oz/818g, about $1,300).
enlarge. I'd get it new or used at at Adorama or B&H Photo Video, new at Amazon,
or used at eBay. The 135 DC is a limited-production lens, and therefore hard to find
in stock; you have to order it and wait. It helps me keep adding this site when you
get yours from these links, thanks! Ken.
December 2009 More Nikon Reviews
Introduction
Intro Specs Performance Recommendations
The Nikon AF 135mm f/2 DC is Nikon's, and arguably the world's,
greatest portrait lens. It has a very similar smaller brother, the
105mm f/2 DC.
The 135mm DC is also Nikon's sharpest 135mm lens, and an
extraordinarily great lens for nature and landscape photography. It
is worlds sharper and freer from spherical aberration than any of
the the old manual focus 135mm f/2 lenses.
The hood is the best built-in hood I've ever used. It is metal, and it
locks into position so it doesn't shrivel down like most other built-in
hoods.
top
You have to move a ring to get to manual focus mode, and once
you do, manual focus is fantastic.
Search Amazon:
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Defocus Control
,
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DC stands for Defocus Control. A lot got lost in the translation on
the way from Japan. The key word is control, not defocus. This is
not a soft-focus lens; it is a lens that has been specifically
designed and patented both for superior bokeh (the softness of
out-of-focus areas), and the ability to control this bokeh for
optimum results under all conditions.
I personally buy
from Adorama,
Amazon, Ritz, B&H
Calumet and J&R. I
can't vouch for ads
below.
Defocus Image Control. bigger.
How do you set this 135mm lens for optimum bokeh? Easy: set
this ring to the same aperture at which you're shooting. Press the
unlock button on the left in order to move it, otherwise it stays
locked. Set it to the R side to make backgrounds go soft and
disappear, or the F side if you want to optimize it for junk in the
foreground.
Hint: You should almost never have out-of-focus objects in front of
your subject or in the foreground. It looks unnatural and weird. Our
eyes naturally focus on the closest thing to us, so it's
uncomfortable when a photo has a soft foreground or other
distractions which our eyes can't bring into focus.
The effects of this defocus control are very subtle. You won't see it
through your viewfinder. When used properly, the 135 DC turns
backgrounds into the softest, smoothest washes of color you've
ever seen. Turn the ring in the wrong direction, and out-of-focus
backgrounds get harsher. These are subtle effects. Computer people may not see
these subtleties at all, but artists will.
Leave the Defocus Image Control ring at zero, and the 135 DC simply acts as the
sharpest 135mm lens you've ever used.
The defocus control only controls defocus, or the parts of the image that are not in
focus.
If you set the control beyond the aperture you're using, like set to f/5.6 when
shooiting at f/2, you can get a softer focus effect.
The in-focus part of the image is always ultra sharp. This is not a soft-focus lens. It's
only the unfocused parts of the image which are made softer. No one in the USA
understands this lost-in-translation subtlety, and mistakenly thinks this is a soft focus
lens. That's why this lens isn't popular in the USA.
The 135 DC has a control for all of this. This is why Nikon has the patent on it. You
can adjust the lens from normal to super bokeh to soft focus if you push it too far.
You'll notice that dedicated soft-focus lenses have no separate defocus control; they
are fixed one way and the only control you have is your shooting aperture.
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This lens is so unique that Nikon will probably discontinue it just around the time
to focus after you set the Defocus Image Control (DIC). That's why the ∞ mark has a
For use on most Nikons made since the 1980s where aperture is set or controlled on
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people start figuring out what it does, and then the used price will skyrocket to
$4,000, just like it did with the 28mm f/1.4, for exactly the same reason.
Focus
When you set the Defocus Image Control away from zero, the focus shifts. Be sure
white band slopping off to the left: with the DIC set to optimize defocus behind the
subject (R), infinity comes up along that bar. With the DIC set towards F, infinity
comes up closer on-scale distances. Don't sweat this; this is how the optics
recombobulate themselves for optimum performance. If your an engineer and aren't
getting this, leave the DIC at zero.
Nikon 135mm DC Focus Controls. bigger.
To switch between auto and manual focus, press the unlocking button on the left,
and rotate the AF Mode selector between M or A.
the camera, be sure to set the aperture ring to 16, otherwise you'll see a blinking "
fEE" message. There's a sliding lock to keep it set at 16, just above the 2 in the
photo above.
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Nikon 135/2 DC. bigger.
camera made since 1977. If you have a coupling prong added to the diaphragm ring,
, but if you focus manually, everything else works great. These
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Compatibility
This 135 DC lens works incredibly well on FX, film and DX Nikons like the D700,
D3X, D300s and F6. It works fantastically on manual-focus cameras like the F2AS,
F3, FE and FA, since it has a real manual-focus ring that works exactly as it should.
The 135mm f/2 DC AF works perfectly with almost every film and digital Nikon
it's perfect with every Nikon back to the original Nikon F of 1959.
The only incompatibility is that it will not autofocus with the cheapest D40, D40x,
D60, D3000 or D5000
cameras have in-finder focus confirmation dots to help you.
See Nikon Lens Compatibility for details on your camera. Read down the "AF, AF-D
(screw)" column for this lens.
Production and History
1990: This AF 135mm DC was introduced as an AF lens.
1995: It was updated to "D," meaning that focus distance is coupled to 3D Matrix
meters, especially helpful for flash exposures.
Nikon made about 15,000 of the first non-D version from 1990-1995, and has made
about 15,000 of the current D version so far.
back to intro back to top
back to intro back to top
Specifications
Intro Specs Performance Recommendations
top
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Name
on Nov. 24, 1998 for the defocus
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Nikon calls this the Nikon AF DC-Nikkor 135mm f/2 D.
The earlier non-D version (1990-1995) skipped the D, and was called the Nikon AF
DC-Nikkor 135mm f/2.
Focal Length
135mm.
Used on a DX camera it gives angles of view similar to what a 200mm lens would
give on an FX or 35mm film camera. See also Crop Factor.
Optics
7 elements in 6 groups.
Multicoated.
Newer D models have an extra rear optical flat to protect against dust.
Rear Focusing.
Haruo Sato of Nikon received US Patent 5,841,590
control design.
When an optical designer friend ran simulations and analyses on the design, he
discovered another clever trick: Nikon designed the red end of the spectrum to focus
in a slightly different plane to make skin look even better.
Look ma, no lens! When the 135/2 opens up, it sucks in light. The entire front of the
lens is glass, so this is what a photon sees as it head on in.
Front view, Nikon 135mm f/2 DC at f/2.
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Diaphragm
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Nikon 135/2 DC at f/4. bigger.
9 curved blades.
Stops down to f/16.
The diaphragm is an "outie," meaning the tail ends of each blade go in front of the
diaphragm.
Filter Thread
72mm, metal.
AF DC-Nikkor 135mm f/2D at f/16.
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Does not rotate.
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Close Focus
3.6 feet (1.1 m).
Maximum Reproduction Ratio
1:7.1.
Focus Distance Scale
Yes.
Depth-of Field Scale
Almost; marked only at f/16.
Infra-Red Focus Index
Yes, white dot on depth-of-field scale.
Size
4.7" (120mm) extension from flange x 3.1" (79mm) diameter.
Weight
28.850 oz. (817.8 g), measured, current D version.
Nikon specifies 30.7 oz. (870g) for the original 1990-1995 model, and 28.6 oz/810g
for today's D version.
Teleconverters
Nikon suggests only the TC-14B. More at teleconverters.
Case
CL-38.
Hood
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Nikon 135/2 DC with hood extended and locked.
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Built-in telescoping, locking metal hood.
When you pull it out, rotate it to lock it into position.
Nikon Product Number
1935.
Announced
1990.
Price
2009 December: $1,300, USA.
Performance
Intro Specs Performance Recommendations
Overall
top
This lens does it all. It's fast, super-sharp, and designed for the best portraits you've
ever taken.
Bokeh
Bokeh is extraordinary. It's the whole point of this lens.
Defocus is Nikon's sloppy English translation of the Japanese word bokeh.
Nikon really means that this is a lens with variable bokeh, or "bokeh control," thus
the garbled English name "defocus control."
Get the happy feeling.
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wouldn't even notice it at f/2 except by comparison to the same shot made at smaller
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Distortion
The 135 DC has no distortion.
Falloff
For real pictures, it's got just a tiny bit of falloff at full aperture. It's gone by f/2.8. I
apertures.
I've gone out of my way to exaggerate this below. With real pictures, this is invisible.
(dark corners)
Nikon AF DC 135mm f/2 falloff on FX and film at infinity.
f/2 f/2.8
f/4 f/5.6
© 2009 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved.
Flare and Ghosts
If you point it ito the sun and look in the shadows, you can get a couple of soft
ghosts.
Focus
AF is fast. One full turn of the AF screw pulls it from infinity to 20 feet.
One light fingertip is all that's required to focus manually, and the manual focus ring
is a huge, solid, rubberized ring.
Manual focus is the best of any AF lens. It's even better than most manual-focus
Nikon lenses, especially the original 135mm f/2 manual focus lens. This is because
the 135 DC uses internal focus, so most of the lens stays put as it's focused. Since
not much is moving inside the lens, the 135 DC requires very little effort to focus
manually.
Autofocus accuracy is perfect on my D3. Every f/2 shot is dead-on.
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Use with Filters
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The metal 72mm filter thread doesn't rotate.
Use all the filters you want; you're not going to get any vignetting.
Lateral Color Fringes
None, on a D3.
Mechanics and Construction
Rear, Nikon 135 DC. bigger.
The 135mm f/2 DC is made like it should be.
It almost feels like a piece of American military equipment, except that it's not
weather sealed.
It's not textured plastic like most of the toy-store trash coming out of the Orient
today. Everything you see in crinkle-coat is solid metal.
Filter Threads: Metal.
Retraceable Hood: Metal, internally flocked, screw-thread locking.
Barrel: Metal.
Focus Ring: Metal, rubber covered.
Aperture Ring: Plastic.
Finish: Black crinkle-coat.
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Mount: Chromed brass.
is also a good choice, but not as good for portraits or
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-f2-
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Internals: Metal.
Markings: Paint.
Serial Number: Laser-engraved on bottom of aperture ring.
USA Models: Designated by US prefix in serial number.
Noises when Shaken: Assorted clunking from all the moving elements.
Sharpness
Sharpness is extraordinary.
On a 12MP D700 or D3, it's super sharp edge-to-edge at f/2, and doesn't get any
softer even in the farthest corners.
It's also super-sharp on the 24MP D3X. At this high resolution, it almost gets a tad
softer at f/2.8 and f/2 compared to f/4 and f/5.6, but not enough to notice except in
carefully controlled tests at infinity. It's sharp!
Have no fear, I shoot this puppy at f/2 and get super-sharp, and perfectly in-focus
images, edge-to-edge.
Spherochromatism
Like most fast long lenses, there is a little spherochromatism.
This means that out-of-focus highlights may have slight green tinges behind the
subject, and slight magenta tinges when in front of the subject.
Recommendations
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Intro Specs Performance Recommendations
Nikon's 135 DC is the best 135mm lens I've ever used.
If you want an ultra-sharp 135mm lens, this is it. Canon users tell me that Canon's
135mm f/2 L is super-sharp, but I've not used it, and it has no bokeh control.
If you want a superb portrait lens, optimized to let you control the look of your
backgrounds, this is it.
Get one while you still can.
Nikon's 28mm f/1.4D came out at about the same time. It performed to the same
extreme level, offered unique optics never seen before and was built to the same
ultrahigh mechanical standard as the 135 DC. When Nikon discontinued the 28/1.4
in 2006, its used price quickly rose to over twice what the new price used to be.
The same thing could happening with this 135 DC.
The very similar 105mm f/2 DC
for softening backgrounds because of its shorter focal length.
Help me help you
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I support my growing family through this website, as crazy as it might seem.
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If you find this as helpful as a book you might have had to buy or a workshop you
may have had to take, feel free to help me continue helping everyone.
If you've gotten your gear through one of my links or helped otherwise, you're family.
It's great people like you who allow me to keep adding to this site full-time. Thanks!
If you haven't helped yet, please do, and consider helping me with a gift of $5.00.
The biggest help is to use these links to Adorama, Amazon, Calumet, Ritz, J&R and
eBay when you get your goodies. It costs you nothing and is a huge help to me.
eBay is always a gamble, but all the other places have the best prices and service,
which is why I've used them since before this website existed. I recommend them all
personally.
Thanks for reading!
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