Review Carl Zeiss Sonnar 2.8 / 135 T * (C / Y)

For provided by lens Carl Zeiss Sonnar 2.8 / 135 T * (C / Y) huge thanks to Bogdan.

Review Carl Zeiss Sonnar 2.8 / 135 T * (C / Y)

The Carl Zeiss Sonnar 2.8/135 T* is currently one of the best 135/2.8 lenses available. I reviewed the AEJ version . You can find versions of the Carl Zeiss 135/2.8-3.5 lenses here.

To take the pictures I used Carl Zeiss Sonnar 2.8/135 T* on Canon EOS cameras using a C/Y-EOS adapter.

Carl Zeiss Sonnar 2.8 / 135 T * with extended built-in telescopic hood when focusing on MDF

Sonnar 2.8 / 135 T * made in Japan, weighs almost 600 grams, almost all of metal, very pleasant to the touch. Has a built-in metal telescopic hood. In the installed position, the hood holds normally and does not sink back.

I noticed that several lenses have unblackened chamfers ( see image ), which should result in a decrease in contrast. For a lens of this class, this is a bit odd.

Carl Zeiss Sonnar 2.8 / 135 T *

The Sonnar 2.8/135 uses a special T* coating on its lenses , allowing the lens to handle strong light sources comfortably. The filter thread diameter is 55 mm.

Carl Zeiss Sonnar 2.8 / 135 T *

The focusing ring is very wide, rubberized, and rotates 180 degrees. Focusing is easy and pleasant. It's just a shame that the minimum focusing distance is a whopping 1.6 meters, and the maximum magnification is about 1:12. For example, the Carl Zeiss Jena DDR Sonnar 3,5/135 with an Exakta mount and the MC Sonnar 3,5/135 Carl Zeiss Jena DDR have a maximum focusing distance of only 1 meter.

View Carl Zeiss Sonnar 2.8 / 135 T *

The aperture consists of only 6 blades (this is not like the Pentacon 2.8/135 with 15 blades), and at f/4 and f/5.6 the blades form serrated edges (resembling a circular saw). At f/16 and f/22, the blades form an uneven hexagon :(. Cameras with a Contax/Yashica bayonet mount have automatic aperture control (a 'blinking' or 'jumping' aperture device). The aperture control ring is rubberized—a small, but nice touch . There's also a depth-of-field scale and an infrared shift mark.

The notches in the bokeh that appear on the F 4 and 5.6 apertures

The lens produces good image quality, with pleasant bokeh (only at f/2.8), contrast, and color rendition. Distortion, chromatic aberration , and vignetting are minor concerns. I can't say there's anything unique about the image; the Carl Zeiss Sonnar 2.8/135 T* (C/Y) simply does its job well.

Here's a link to the archive with the originals —555 MB, 46 photos in RAW format from a full-frame Canon 5D camera.

The Carl Zeiss Sonnar 2.8 / 135 T * has 5 elements in 4 groups in its optical design, usually referred to as 'Ernostar', it differs from the 'Sonnar' design used in Soviet long-focal Jupiter lenses (4 elements in 4 groups).

Carl Zeiss Sonnar 2.8 / 135 T * on the CZK

A comparison of the Carl Zeiss Sonnar 2.8/135 T* (C/Y) with the MC Jupiter-37A 3,5/135 can be found here . You can also check out reviews of its older siblings – the Carl Zeiss Jena DDR Sonnar 3,5/135 with its native Exakta bayonet mount and the Carl Zeiss Jena DDR MC Sonnar 3,5/135 in a black body with an M42 thread. It's a shame there aren't any affordable autofocus 135-m lenses with apertures around 2,8-3,5 anymore.

Catalog of modern Carl Zeiss lenses can look at this link.

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Carl Zeiss Sonnar 2.8 / 135 T * (C / Y) is a good 'working' lens :)

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