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)
Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Brian Smith photographs portraits of Hollywood A-List and Fortune's 500 for magazines, corporations and advertising. He's a Sony Artisan of Imagery, Profoto Legend of Light, Adobe Influencer and X-Rite Master Coloratti.
Comments
Pingback: Zeiss officially announces the new Batis 135mm f/2.8 APO Sonnar FE lens - sonyalpharumors sonyalpharumors April 5, 2017
[…] (says “It’s fantastic in so many ways“). Hands-on by Adorama. First Look by Brian Smith. German test by […]
Hi Brian,
How would you compare this to the Samyang 135/2? It seems like a lot of money just for AF and IS? Plus it’s slightly slower (light and smaller too). Not sure if 6 x the price is worth it?
Zeiss Batis 135 is AF and OSS. Samyang does not. Zeiss also has better optics and the classic Zeiss 3D-pop to the images. It depends on your budget. Samyang 135mm f/2.0 ED UMC Lens is still a great bargain for what it is…
I would like to see this Zeiss ‘pop’ in a comparo between it snd the Samyang 135…
That’s something that really gets lost in lens tests. The “look” is really important to portraits and it’s sadly overlooked in lens testing.
Pingback: Sony Zeiss Batis 135mm f/2.8 APO Sonnar Roundup | Sony Addict April 6, 2017
[…] Brian Smith – First Look […]
Pingback: First Zeiss Batis 135mm f/2.8 lens tests and reviews - Daily Camera News April 11, 2017
[…] look article and they found the initial results good. A first look about the lens published by Brian Smith, Amateur Photographer and The […]