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Nikon NIKKOR Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena vs. Nikon AF DC 135mm f/2D

Pick the 135mm f/1.8 if you want about 11% more background blur, pick the 135mm f/2 if you want less background blur. Compare both side by side.

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Portrait At-a-Glance Comparison (Upper Body Framing)

Optical & Portrait Metric Nikon NIKKOR Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena Nikon AF DC 135mm f/2D What It Means in Practice
Upper-Body Working Distance 5.40 m 5.40 m Identical working distance—both frame an upper-body portrait from the exact same spot.
Background Field of View (Compression) 16° 16° Identical 16° horizontal background view behind the subject.
Entrance Pupil Diameter 75.0 mm (f/1.8) 67.5 mm (f/2) Distant background blur discs are 11% larger on the Nikon NIKKOR Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena.
Corner Bokeh Roundness (90% Field) 100% (0.0 EV) 81% (-0.3 EV) Nikon NIKKOR Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena keeps significantly rounder bokeh balls into the corners wide open (100% vs. 81% roundness).
Effective Focal Length (Breathing) 130.2 mm (-3.6%) 131.0 mm (-3.0%) At 5.4 m, Nikon NIKKOR Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena frames like a 130.2 mm lens while Nikon AF DC 135mm f/2D frames like a 131.0 mm lens.
Depth of Field (Sharp Zone) 25 cm (5.28 m – 5.53 m) 28 cm (5.27 m – 5.55 m) The Nikon NIKKOR Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena has a 10% thinner focus zone (25 cm vs. 28 cm)—requiring more precise eye focus.
Minimum Focus Distance 0.82 m 1.1 m Nikon NIKKOR Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena focuses 28 cm closer (0.82 m vs. 1.1 m) for tighter close-ups.

Questions

Which blurs the background more, Nikon NIKKOR Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena or Nikon AF DC 135mm f/2D?

At the same subject framing, distant background blur scales with the entrance pupil diameter (focal length ÷ f-number). Nikon NIKKOR Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena at f/1.8 has a 75.0 mm entrance pupil, while Nikon AF DC 135mm f/2D at f/2 has a 67.5 mm entrance pupil.

How does working distance differ between Nikon NIKKOR Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena and Nikon AF DC 135mm f/2D?

For an upper-body portrait, Nikon NIKKOR Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena stands 5.40 m from the subject (sharp zone 25 cm, from 5.28 m to 5.53 m), whereas Nikon AF DC 135mm f/2D stands 5.40 m away (sharp zone 28 cm, from 5.27 m to 5.55 m).

How do the optical designs of Nikon NIKKOR Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena and Nikon AF DC 135mm f/2D compare?

Nikon NIKKOR Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena uses 16 elements in 14 groups (WO2024147268A1, effective focal length 130.2 mm at portrait distance). Nikon AF DC 135mm f/2D uses 7 elements in 6 groups (US4908639A, effective focal length 131.0 mm).

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Also see: depth of field, bokeh, crop factor, lens compression.