30Sep/10Off
Sony SAL-135F18Z 135mm f/1.8 Carl Zeiss Sonnar T Telephoto Lens for Sony Alpha Digital SLR Camera
- Carl Zeiss Sonnar T 135mm f1.8 telephoto with wide aperture for amazingly bright telephoto shots
- Superb sharpness with Sony Super SteadyShot system
- Close-up focusing capability (less than three feet)
- Internal Focusing to speed autofocus response
- 2 ED glass elements for sharp clear long shots
Product Description
Whether you re shooting a distant mountain peak or a beautiful orchid at arm s length, this superb telephoto lens provides amazing image quality. Its f/1.8 aperture makes it the brightest telephoto lens in its class -- and with 35mm-equivalent 202.5mm focal length plus the ability to focus tightly on objects closer than three feet away, it can cover an amazing range of photographic assignments.
Sony SAL-135F18Z 135mm f/1.8 Carl Zeiss Sonnar T Telephoto Lens for Sony Alpha Digital SLR Camera
September 30th, 2010 - 08:02
Over the past few years Sony and Zeiss have had a most successful series of collaborations, producing some of the finest digital still cameras currently available in the Sony CyberShot series. Now that collaboration has brought forth several high performance lenses for the new Sony Alpha Digital SLR Camera. I was fortunate to hand hold this autofocusing 135mm f1.8 Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* lens, using it with a Sony Alpha SLR camera in early November at the annual Photo Plus East photography and digital imaging show held here in New York City. I was most impressed with how fast this lens focused accurately, even under relatively low light conditions (Better yet, there is an excellent opportunity to use this lens at a slower shutter speed than normally possible due to Sony’s proprietary digital image stabilizing technology.). Optically this is a brand new design which owes nothing to previous manual and autofocus Zeiss telephoto lenses which were made for the late, lamented Contax SLR systems by both Zeiss and Kyocera (under strict Zeiss supervision). But I have no doubt that the images produced by this lens are absolutely stellar, judging from the superb performance I have seen from Zeiss lenses embedded with the most expensive Sony CyberShot model cameras (I have used Zeiss lenses for years and have always been impressed with the superb contrast and resolution of images made using them, due not only to Zeiss’s superb optical designs but also to its superior T* multicoating.). Those interested in close-up/macro photography will find the lens’ close focusing distance of approximately 3 feet quite useful. My only regret is that Zeiss hasn’t produced a manual focusing version of this lens for its Zeiss ZF Nikon F Mount series; hopefully one will be forthcoming.
Rating: 5 / 5
September 30th, 2010 - 10:17
It is all true, this lens performs with all the characteristics that you have already read about, now you have to see for yourself.
Rating: 5 / 5
September 30th, 2010 - 11:22
I have been shooting dual systems, which seems to have become the norm to some extent. I have had my eye on the Canon 135mm f2.0L for a while especially after buying and using the 200mm f2.8L II. My most frustrating focal range was the 24-70mm until I acquired the Sony/Zeiss variant. That got me hooked on the Zeiss lenses so I took the plunge and bought the 135mm f1.8 Sonnar T* for my A700. What an incredible lens!
The more I use this lens the more impressed I am with its ability to make magic. I look at recent portraits with this lens and straight away I see “Zeiss Eyes.” This lens produces images that are clear and crisp with excellent detail down to the eye lash yet has an abundant control of color and contrast.
The concept is: full-tilt nuance. You get sharpness, color and amazing contrast control. Most lenses give you two of the three (color, contrast or sharpness) few give you all three and even fewer make you stop in tracks in post thinking there is nothing to do but print it! This is the only lens that makes me think – just print it!
I like this lens and my only regret is now I want Sony & Zeiss to step up to some ZA wide angles! For what it is worth I highly recommend this lens.
Rating: 5 / 5
September 30th, 2010 - 13:41
Sony’s Zeiss Sonnar 135mm/1.8 lens is sharp and fast. It’s simply a beautiful lens. When paired with the built-in sensor stabilization in the Sony a900 and a700 cameras it’s perfect for hand-held low light photography. Not only is this lens faster than Canon and Nikon lenses in this focal length, it’s sharper and built like a Swiss-watch. It joins the Sony 85mm f1.4 lens Sony SAL-85F14Z 85mm f1.4 Carl Zeiss Planar T Coated Telephoto Lens for Sony Alpha Digital SLR Camera
Rating: 5 / 5
September 30th, 2010 - 15:01
This lens focuses incredibly fast, delivers sharp shots and accurate color. For me it’s a fast telephoto, as I’m using it on an Alpha 550, so the lens translates to 203mm, because the Alpha 550 is an APS-C DSLR. I can shoot sporting events at dusk and get superb shots. The f1.8 aperture, combined with the camera’s image stabilization and shooting at ISO 6400 allows me to get sharp shots in situations I never could have imagined.
The lens is heavy, a little over two pounds, but you know you’ve got a professional piece of equipment in your hands and it feels perfectly balanced. I’ve used this at concerts and couldn’t have been more pleased with the results. It’s a good lens to use at indoor events as well as it reached across a good sized room and gives you crisp images. If you can afford it and can deal with the weight, you won’t be disappointed with this incredible lens.
Rating: 5 / 5