I have had this lens for several months. It lives on my D800 and like anything we do it takes practise to focus quickly and accurately. 80% if my photos are in focus. I mostly rely on my eyes for focusing and only confirm if there is time with the focus indicator. I am also realistic about shooting moving objects and stopping down.
It is by far my favorite lens, my 200/2 has been sitting on the shelf since I bought the 135.
Then there is always the AF version, at f/1.8 it is tad faster but not an APO lens and it is of older design. In addition to that, it is a Sony alpha mount but less expensive....
I have had the 135mm ZE for a couple of months now on my 5D3.
Technically it is the best lens I have ever owned. I find it easier to focus than my 100MP ZE, probably because it is higher contrast and better corrected wide open.
I still use my Canon 70-200mm as first choice for most of my paid work for this focal length as getting the shot pays the bills. The Zeiss would be sharper wide open than the 70-200mm stopped down.
wiseguy010 wrote:
If it had 1:1 macro capabilities I would have bought it. But for now I don't see much use for it in my situation.
That's how I felt when it came out. Even 1:2 would have been tempting. But I ended up with a Leica-r 100 apo instead, sold my 100 Planar, and haven't looked back since.
AhamB wrote:
Oh, the lens can nail the focus on anything, but can you?
Two statements that summarizes my month long experience with this lens. At this point of life, IŽd say that I prefer this marvel of a lens that produce pixel perfect images if I do my part, than blurry images caused by inadequate AF. Unless, of course, you need to blame someone else for you failures.
I found the 135/2 ZF to be easier to focus using the focus confirmation dot in my D800 than just about any other lens - I think due to the high contrast and sharpness wide open.
It is, however, much harder to nail the focus at large distances without going into live view (which is a pain). It was actually easy to focus when mounted on my m43 GX7 (talk about a front heavy setup!), but the images were still superb at 100% viewing on my GX7.
At infinity nailing focus is especially difficult due to the high sensitivity of the focus ring. A very slight movement or even pointing the lens downwards and back up again after getting the focus spot on will result in it being not quite in focus - this bit me a couple of times.
If your subject isnt moving then focusing isn't too much of a problem. My 135mm is probably easier to focus through the viewfinder than my other Zeiss lenses. Way easier than the 100MP. This is because it is very well corrected at f2.
"Hello, I am interested in buying the Zeiss 135mm F2 APO. I have read nothing but great reviews of this lens. I photograph wildlife. While the reach is not totally there, the sharpness and bokeh appear to be very good. This is important to me. I am trying to find a lens that will give me similar qualities in sharpness and bokeh as Nikon's 200mm F2. The camera bodies I use are the D750 and D7000. From the lens reviews I break it down to the choice between the Nikon 135 mm F2 DC and the Zeiss 135 F2, APO. I also shoot with the 70-200mm F4, which provides very good results. I will continue to use this lens for "longer" reach. I am also considering Nikkor 300mm PF in lieu of the Zeiss APO. The 300 mm F2.8 is another option, however it is a heavy lens (for me). My questions are: Does the Zeiss provide similar results as the 200mm F2? The other question: in the lens reviews of the Zeiss, camera bodies used were Nikon's 800E, 810. Would using the D750 and possibly the D7000 result in "lesser than" results, for any reason - MPs, etc I will be renting the Zeiss before I purchase. Thank you for your time and suggestions/information. Sermet"
Sermet A wrote:
"Hello, I am interested in buying the Zeiss 135mm F2 APO. I have read nothing but great reviews of this lens. I photograph wildlife. While the reach is not totally there, the sharpness and bokeh appear to be very good. This is important to me. I am trying to find a lens that will give me similar qualities in sharpness and bokeh as Nikon's 200mm F2. The camera bodies I use are the D750 and D7000. From the lens reviews I break it down to the choice between the Nikon 135 mm F2 DC and the Zeiss 135 F2, APO. I also shoot with the 70-200mm F4, which provides very good results. I will continue to use this lens for "longer" reach. I am also considering Nikkor 300mm PF in lieu of the Zeiss APO. The 300 mm F2.8 is another option, however it is a heavy lens (for me). My questions are: Does the Zeiss provide similar results as the 200mm F2? The other question: in the lens reviews of the Zeiss, camera bodies used were Nikon's 800E, 810. Would using the D750 and possibly the D7000 result in "lesser than" results, for any reason - MPs, etc I will be renting the Zeiss before I purchase. Thank you for your time and suggestions/information. Sermet"...Show more →
If you're comparing shots taken with the lens between the D800E and your 750, yes, the 800 will show a resolution advantage, but a stellar lens on a lower resolution camera is still a stellar lens. I've used mine on the a7RII (42MP FF), a7II (24MP FF) and NEX-7 (24MP APSC- I think it's either the same sensor or a close relative to the one in your D7000) and it performs beautifully on all of them. The color pallet of the Zeiss varies a bit from what you'll get OOC with the Nikon 200/2, but it's nothing you can't easily normalize in post. Otherwise, it's very difficult to compare a 135 and 200.
Zeiss is no longer the best corrected 135/2 available. That crown now belongs to the Samyang 135/2, but I think there are still appreciable reasons to go after the Zeiss, bokeh being one. Still, if you haven't considered the Samyang, you might want to take a look. They make them for the Nikon F mount, though I don't know if it's chipped.
@freaklikeme Actually, I think the Rok has superior bokeh as well. That leaves build quality as the sole reason to go CZ (CZ fan speaking). Sermet, since you own the quite excellent Nikkor 70-200/4, my Rok review may be of particular interest. Note that the Nikkor 135 DC is an old design, and fully eclipsed by Samyang unless you want an impressionistic rendering. The Rok 135 is an extremely technical performer.
At this point of life, IŽd say that I prefer this marvel of a lens that produce pixel perfect images if I do my part, than blurry images caused by inadequate AF. Unless, of course, you need to blame someone else for you failures.