Sony 135mm f/1.8 G Master Gets A Gear Of The Year Award From DPReview

Sony 135mm f/1.8 G Master lens has been chosen as the ‘Gear Of The Year for 2019’ by Rishi Sanyal, a photographer, journalist, and Ph.D. holder in biophysics. A distinctive and exceptional choice, the telephoto 135mm f/1.8 G Master has been able to win over his attention.

"Perhaps it's just that I needed something different," writes Rishi, "Spice up my life, venture beyond 35mm, you know, my favourite 'telephoto' lens. Or, maybe Sony just made an amazing lens in the 135mm GM. Perhaps it's a bit of both."

DPReview's Rishi Sanyal enlightens Photo enthusiasts with his 2019 Gear of The Year pick

Rishi is well known for his deep knowledge of the subjects of camera and lens technology, attention to detail and his fondness for wide-angle photography. On his assessment of the 135 mm G Master, he mentions how this superb lens is the sharpest lens ever tested. One of the reasons for its sharpness is the XA (extreme aspherical) element designed to minimize spherical aberration. The testing has been done by Roger Cicala at LensRentals.

The lens doesn’t compromise with performance. Along with optical quality, Rishi mentions how the focus performance of the lens is industry-leading, especially for candid portraiture. The four XD (‘extreme dynamic’) linear induction motors help with its focal speed. Adding on to the same he writes, “These motors are far faster than the previous piezoelectric design of Sony’s ‘Direct Drive SSM’ system, and are capable of moving larger, heavier elements.”

The Sony 135 mm f/1.8 G Master has been designed from the ground up for the Sony mirrorless system. A much-needed tool in real-life situations comments Rishi, including photographing erratic running toddlers. This is because the focus is fast enough to capture movement even with the aperture wide open at F1.8. He further elaborates that pairing it up with an excellent autofocus system of some of Sony’s recent cameras such as the Alpha 7R IV would work excellently for good quality photographs.

See the full review Dpreview.com