Used Zeiss 135mm f/2.0 APO-Sonnar T ZE Lens, Canon Mount

2015-12-10T16:27:14

If you're one who jumps on every new DSLR body that comes along, this lens won't interest you. But if you're someone who appreciates the difference "real" glass can make, listen up. Firstly, if you're hung up on automatic focus, this will perplex you, but I was too until i got into a Voigtlander 58mm prime that's a manual focus. This lens is easier to attain focus than the Voigtlander. I'm shooting wide open and it's sharp, really sharp. Great bokeh, and built like a tank. It will give you all data, and even the focus lock indicator will work, you just have to work the focus ring...but oh is it smooth. I have the Nikkor: 85 1.4, 24-70 2.8, the 50 1.4, the 70-200 2.8...and this Zeiss is the bomb. I shoot mainly portraits and headshots and was using the 200 and the 85, but i'm not sure i'll ever pick the 85mm back up. really.

RICHARD R.

2014-03-17T21:00:00

Great image quality, rugged build, relatively compact size to fit a bag easily. However, somewhat expensive, heavy, and no autofocus. Not having autofocus (thanks to Nikon/Canon's lack of cooperation) makes this much slower to use. I end up with plenty of blurred images - which also happens to me on all Zeiss lenses I have. But image quality is better and special.

gregohb

2014-03-03T19:00:00

At a bit over ($) this manual focus lens is about twice the price of the Canon 135 F2 L, which is an AF lens. I have a number of L lenses from Canon. In general, they are quite competent, have fine resolution and color rendering. As I do not have the Canon 135, I cannot do a head to head comparison. But, with over 50 years of shooting under my belt, I can tell you that this lens is in a class by itself, just as the Leitz glass I used with the last film SLR I owned, the Leica R8. The build quality is German-like, the lens is made in Japan. It is a metal body with a perfect finish. The focus is silky smooth. This is a substantial lens. If you like the old school feel instead of the current polycarbonate hybrid shells of most Canon and Nikon lenses, you will love this lens before you mount it on your camera. This Zeiss 135MM F2 ZE for Canon is capable of exquisite images, the color rendering is almost film like, the resolution superb, enjoys creamy bokeh and there are no issues with CA. This is a manual focus lens, some folks may find that hard to deal with, especially in low contrast lighting environments. It will not be quick focus in most cases if you want to be spot on, but the Canon focus confirmation works well, and as this lens is chipped, EXIF data is available and the lens can be profiled in Lightroom 5. One more thing, for a 135 this lens has a fairly short minimum focus, about 24 inches, a nice added bonus. See the attached still life I shot with this lens by available light. Exposure was at F22 at 1/10th second with the camera on a tripod.

Aboud D.

2014-01-21T19:00:00

Near zero CA. Near zero flare. Very sharp wide open. Smooth, clean bokeh. Long, smooth focus. Very solid and heavy. Very nice metal hood. Maybe the second best lens ever, behind the Otus? Worth the money.

WALTER S.

2013-05-08T21:00:00

As are all the Zeiss for Canon lenses, it upgrades my Canon 5D MarkII to a higher grade platform. I sort of feel like I'm using my old Hasselblad again. The lens is heavy, but you would expect it to be as it really is solidly built. Very happy with this very sharp, easy to focus lens.

HOWARD L.