Zeiss reveals E-Mount Batis 135mm lens
Zeiss has added a new 135mm f/2.8 lens to its Batis family of full-frame autofocus optics for Sony E mount. There’s built-in optical image stablisation and an OLED display in a metal housing which is weather resistant. The lens will be available in May for £1749.99/ $1999. Zeiss’ official information says:
Fans of Sony’s mirrorless full-frame cameras have a reason to smile: ZEISS has added a further telephoto lens to its ZEISS Batis lens family. The new ZEISS Batis 2.8/135 is the first 135mm AF focal length for Sony’s Alpha 7 system with E-mount. Like all lenses from the ZEISS Batis range, this new addition is equipped with fast and precise autofocus. To avoid shaking, which can occur very easily with tele lenses, an optical image stabiliser has also been incorporated into the design. The ZEISS Batis 2.8/135 proves its worth particularly in portrait photography: “The tele focal length means the subject can stand out nicely against the blurred background”, says Product Manager Michael Pollmann from ZEISS. “The bokeh works very well indeed, and the optical design – an Apo Sonnar – ensures outstanding images time and again.” The new ZEISS Batis could also be a great option for event and wedding photography.
“Compact, lightweight, top quality”
“The advantage of Sony’s mirrorless full-frame system is that, despite its compact size, it delivers exceptional image quality,” says Pollmann. ZEISS has continued to bring the design of the ZEISS Batis 2.8/135 into line with the needs of Sony photographers. “It was important to build a comparably handy lens – in spite of the rather long focal length. We made a conscious decision to strike a balance between compactness, weight and light intensity.”
OLED display visualises depth of focus
Like all ZEISS Batis lenses, this latest addition features an OLED display that enables precise visualisation of the depth of field. This allows you to be sure that the image is in focus where it matters. The metal housing gives the lens its robust and durable character. Furthermore, the dust and dirt shield means photo shoots in poor weather are no longer an issue.
The image quality leaves nothing to be desired: “We have put a lot of effort into the optical design and into correcting our lenses,” says Pollmann. “For example, we are experimenting with special types of glass in order to rule out as many kinds of image errors as possible. We have thus been able to ensure corrected chromatic aberration in the ZEISS Batis 2.8/135 so that we have virtually no image errors.” 14 lenses have been built into 11 groups in the camera lens.
Price and availability
The ZEISS Batis 2.8/135 will be available from specialist dealers starting May 2017 and will retail at £1749.99/ $1999.
