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New Apo-Sonnar 2/135 by Zeiss
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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 1:01 pm
Post subject: New Apo-Sonnar 2/135 by Zeiss
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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 1:01 pm
Post subject: New Apo-Sonnar 2/135 by Zeiss
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A dream lens!!

http://blogs.zeiss.com/photo/en/?p=2625
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFMhilBU7BU&feature=youtu.be

Apochromatic, floating element for best performance at all distances, 0,8 meters minimum focusing distance,
9 blades iris.
Price is high, but lower than what is usual for apochromatic lenses (1600 Euros, 2000 USD)


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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 1:25 pm
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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 1:25 pm
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sample photo from Stefan Czech? do they aim on my country with this lens? Laughing


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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 1:33 pm
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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 1:33 pm
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berraneck wrote:
sample photo from Stefan Czech? do they aim on my country with this lens? Laughing


Laughing


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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 1:36 pm
Post subject: Re: New Apo-Sonnar 2/135 by Zeiss
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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 1:36 pm
Post subject: Re: New Apo-Sonnar 2/135 by Zeiss
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Orio wrote:
A dream lens!!


Indeed.
I would have expected an higher price - not that I can afford one, it was just to say.


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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 1:43 pm
Post subject: Re: New Apo-Sonnar 2/135 by Zeiss
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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 1:43 pm
Post subject: Re: New Apo-Sonnar 2/135 by Zeiss
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Aanything wrote:

I would have expected an higher price - not that I can afford one, it was just to say.


Yes, exactly - I can't buy it, but the price will make it attractive for many more potential buyers than I would
have expected.


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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 2:38 pm
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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 2:38 pm
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Finally something to compete with Apo Lanthar Cool

Edit: Nevermind, see that it only goes to 1:4


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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 4:37 pm
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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 4:37 pm
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*Drool*

That's a frekkin' sweet looking lens, not "too" expensive either. Just expensive enough to make you wonder if you sold your kidney(s), your potted plants and the dogs you might get a chance to be disappointed with it because your not good enough to handle such a beast.


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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 7:42 pm
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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 7:42 pm
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Very interesting lens.

Do you think its rendering will be better than the old Planar 2/135 Contax?
According to the MTF it has much better contrast/sharpness.



BTW, Canon makes a very good double-element close-up filter (500D), which
would be a perfect companion to this lens for macro work around 1:2 magnification.


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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 6:39 am
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 6:39 am
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Nikos wrote:
Very interesting lens.
Do you think its rendering will be better than the old Planar 2/135 Contax?
According to the MTF it has much better contrast/sharpness.


Well, after almost 40 years, it'd better be, otherwise Zeiss would have a serious problem in their engineering dept. Wink
I foresee at least two areas in which it will be visibly better: the flare resistance, due to the advancements in the T* coatings
technology and to the Sonnar design, and (obviously, being the old Planar non-Apo) the control of CA, which however
was very well controlled in the old Planar (although not completely absent).
But the Planar 2/135 is one of the best lenses ever designed. It will be bettered by the new Apo-Sonnar, but it won't be wiped out.
Like the Contax Distagon 2.8/21, the Planar 2/135 also used special types of glasses that are not allowed by today's laws.
It would be especially interesting to compare the Apo-Sonnar with the elusive 60 years version of the 2/135 Planar, which,
according to my friend Marco Cavina, was redesigned optically in order to comply with the new laws.


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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 9:36 am
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 9:36 am
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Orio wrote:

It would be especially interesting to compare the Apo-Sonnar with the elusive 60 years version of the 2/135 Planar, which,
according to my friend Marco Cavina, was redesigned optically in order to comply with the new laws.

You mean an anniversary edition for Contax 60 years?

The tehnical data imply performance similar to the 2/100 Makro Planar (ZE/ZF), but without any CA.
This is simply spectacular.
(The 2/100 shows some CA in rare cases. In real world scenes it almost never happens, at least for my eyes)


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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 10:05 am
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 10:05 am
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Nikos wrote:

You mean an anniversary edition for Contax 60 years?


Yes. It is almost impossible to find. Very few were made.
EDIT: I just found one for sale right now in Austria, for very rich people only: Click here to see on Ebay


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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 4:55 pm
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 4:55 pm
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I wonder if this is Cosina as well?


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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 6:33 pm
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 6:33 pm
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rawhead wrote:
I wonder if this is Cosina as well?

Most probably, it is.
All the Zeiss lenses I have bought new, three from the ZE series and two ZM, are "made in Japan".
This includes the 2/100 Makro Planar, which is very similar to the new Sonnar.


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Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 8:20 am
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Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 8:20 am
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Yes, definitely on my list of stuff to buy. Would make a perfect studio portrait lens that will replace 2 other lenses in use at the moment (Nikkor 135/3.5, Nikkor-Q 135/2.8 ).

Last edited by Esox lucius on Tue Sep 11, 2012 10:32 am; edited 1 time in total


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Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 9:35 am
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Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 9:35 am
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Esox lucius wrote:
Yes, definitely on my list of stuff to buy. Would make a perfect studio portrait lens that will replace 2 other lenses in use at the moment (Nikkor 135/3.5, Nikkor-Q 135/2.Cool.


Interesting, you use the 135s for studio portraits? What kind of working distance does this give you? Using full frame or APS-C camera?

I still haven't found my ideal portrait lens, didn't occur to me to try a 135mm, I was looking at lenses in the 75-105mm range and was going to buy a Ai-s Nikkor 2.5/105 to try next but you get me thinking now.


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Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 10:20 am
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Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 10:20 am
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iangreenhalgh1 wrote:
Interesting, you use the 135s for studio portraits? What kind of working distance does this give you? Using full frame or APS-C camera?


I use full frame.

At 135mm, shoulder/face crops with room for lens vignetting are achieved at about 1.8-2.0m focusing distance. Face crops I reach at 135mm with about 1.5m focusing distance, plenty as 135mm primes usually have min. focus at 1.2-1.5m

I don't have "one" studio lens because I do a lot of different work. A typical studio shoot uses one or more of these: 85/1.4 (if I want to achieve very shallow depth of field or if I'm shooting half-body frames), 105/2.5 for the in-between, 135mm for CV portraits and the 180/4 if the light works better with a flattened perspective.

The Nikkor 70-200/2.8G AF-S fills all those needs and is superb wide open, but I rather handle a lightweight manual focus lens when working in the studio. That of course changes if the subject is an untrained dog or active little child (which is when I pick the superfast focusing zoom).


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Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2013 5:11 pm
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Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2013 5:11 pm
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samples in large size: http://www.flickr.com/photos/silver2silicon/sets/72157631453059672/detail/

Going to put myself on the B&H pre-order list - this lens looks like the perfect portrait tele for studio use and would likely replace/complement the Nikkor 135/2D AF DC (defocus) lens I now use.

Last edited by Esox lucius on Wed Jan 09, 2013 7:18 pm; edited 1 time in total


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Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2013 5:17 pm
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Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2013 5:17 pm
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Looks nice, but I don't see that "sparkle" that I see in my 2/135 Contax Planar photos. Maybe it's because of the bad photographer.
I think that with the excellent CA removal that both Lightroom 4 and Capture One Pro 7 feature, the need for an APO lens for a digital photographer
is much less stringent than it used to be until last year. A good non-APO lens can now do the same work for half the cost.


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Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2013 7:17 pm
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Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2013 7:17 pm
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Orio wrote:
I think that with the excellent CA removal that both Lightroom 4 and Capture One Pro 7 feature, the need for an APO lens for a digital photographer is much less stringent than it used to be until last year. A good non-APO lens can now do the same work for half the cost.


Very true, also I believe ACR7 is reason why suddenly so many APO lenses flood eBay.

I agree, (to an amateur) a good non-APO lens and pp will achieve almost the same for half the cost. It's aficionados and those who need out of camera results (less post-processing hours --> better profit margin or lower total price to charge client) who will buy this lens.


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Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2013 8:50 pm
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Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2013 8:50 pm
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Esox lucius wrote:

I agree, (to an amateur) a good non-APO lens and pp will achieve almost the same for half the cost. It's aficionados and those who need out of camera results (less post-processing hours --> better profit margin or lower total price to charge client) who will buy this lens.


Actually, since batch process is possible on both applications (even during import), I'd say that the processing time factor is also zeroed (usually one setting will cure all instances from one lens).
I think that the buyers of the lens will mostly be those who like manual lenses of "noble origin" but don't like to deal with adapters and prefer to work with a native mount lens.
That will be especially true for Nikon users because of the register distance, but also many Canon users will appreciate being able to use automated aperture (which you can not do with adapted lenses).


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Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2013 10:31 pm
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Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2013 10:31 pm
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Orio wrote:
but also many Canon users will appreciate being able to use automated aperture (which you can not do with adapted lenses).

Im not sure I understand what you mean here Orio, why would I not be upset with losing control of my aperture to my camera's computer?
Thanks


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Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2013 1:23 pm
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Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2013 1:23 pm
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Bruce wrote:
Orio wrote:
but also many Canon users will appreciate being able to use automated aperture (which you can not do with adapted lenses).

Im not sure I understand what you mean here Orio, why would I not be upset with losing control of my aperture to my camera's computer?
Thanks


An example is when you need to do some critical focusing and shooting at the same time. With automated aperture control you can focus the lens wide open and the shutter is closed to (say) f/8 the moment you shoot.
That would be a very common situation in fashion shooting, to name one occasion.


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Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2016 6:25 pm
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Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2016 6:25 pm
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I bought it on ebay
uk seller.
I have the track id
DPD (dynamic parcel distribution)

Orio...if you want to test my Apo-Sonnar with your Planar 135 f/2... under my surveillance Very Happy


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Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2016 1:22 pm
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Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2016 1:22 pm
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Congrats, a fantastic lens my friend told me (who has that and all teh other new APO ones...)


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Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2021 3:15 am
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Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2021 3:15 am
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wide open
Carl Zeiss Apo-Sonnar T* 135 f/2 [ZE]

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