Zeiss Batis 135mm F2.8 E-mount lens ($1,699) is the fourth member of the Batis lens family. This nicely fills another gap in the Fullframe E-mount lens line-up.

While many of you were hoping for a faster aperture 135mm prime, the new Batis 135mm F2.8, like the other Zeiss Batis lenses, was designed to provide the best possible combination of performance and handling. In order to keep the size and weight in proportion to Sony a7 series of cameras, Zeiss chose to use an f/2.8 aperture vs the f/2.0 version in the Zeiss Milvus 135mm F2 lens. As a result, Zeiss Batis 135mm F2.8 lens balances nicely to the small size and light weight of Sony mirrorless cameras.

Sony a7RII | Zeiss Batis 135mm F2.8 | 1/60 sec | F5.0 | ISO 100 | (Click to View Larger)
LIGHTING: Profoto B1 500 AirTTL Battery Powered Flash | Profoto Air Remote TTL-S for Sony

Sony a7RII | Zeiss Batis 135mm F2.8 | 1/40 sec | F5.6 | ISO 100 | (Click to View Larger)
LIGHTING: Profoto B1 500 AirTTL Battery Powered Flash | Profoto Air Remote TTL-S for Sony

Sony a7RII | Zeiss Batis 135mm F2.8 | 1/40 sec | F5.6 | ISO 100 | (Click to View Larger)
LIGHTING: Profoto B1 500 AirTTL Battery Powered Flash | Profoto Air Remote TTL-S for Sony

Sony a7RII | Zeiss Batis 135mm F2.8 | 1/80 sec | F8 | ISO 100 | (Click to View Larger)

The Batis 135mm f2.8 is a good choice for wedding, portrait, travel and outdoor photography thanks to the advanced optical design Zeiss is known for along with built-in OSS image stabilization. The size and weight offer great balance on Sony E-mount cameras. Sony mirrorless users who don’t own IBIS image-stabilized Sony a7 Mark II Series or a6500 will certainly appreciate its OSS.

If I were to nitpick one thing other than aperture speed – it’s the lack of a Focus Hold button found on most native FE telephoto lenses. I program ‘Eye AF’ to the Focus Hold Button as that’s much easier to access on Sony mirrorless cameras than the Custom Buttons on the back.

The first shipments to dealers is expected on May 5, 2017.

Zeiss Batis 135mm F2.8 E-mount lens (Pre-Order for $1,999)

Tale of the Tape:

Focal Length: 135mm
Maximum Aperture: f/2.8
Minimum Aperture: f/22
Camera Mount: Sony E
Format Compatibility: Full-Frame
Angle of View: 18°
Minimum Focus Distance: 2.85′ (87 cm)
Maximum Reproduction Ratio: 1:5.3
Elements/Groups: 14/11
Image Stabilization: Yes
Autofocus: Yes
Filter Thread: 67 mm
Dimensions (DxL): Approx. 3.19 x 4.72″ (81 x 120 mm)
Weight: 1.35 lb (614 g)