Zeiss Batis 135mm f / 2.8 Lens Review

Usually high-quality telephoto lenses are always heavy and bulky, but the Zeiss Batis 135mm is different. Batis is the lens family name made exclusively by Zeiss for Sony E-mount (mirrorless) cameras. The Batis philosophy is that high-quality lenses do not have to be always large and heavy & must be practically used both indoors and outdoors.

Unlike the Zeiss lenses in general, the Zeiss Batis is the only family of Zeiss lenses that has an autofocus function and has a digital LED panel pointing the focal distance and sharp space. From the physical, the design of Batis lenses is more inclined to the futuristic style than the classic.

Compared to the trend of the past two or three years, most lens manufacturers have competed to make high-quality lenses with very large openings, between f / 2 and f / 1.8. Zeiss decided to make a maximum aperture of f / 2.8 for this 135mm Batis lens. The reason is related to the Batis concept which puts forward portability.

Compared to the 135mm fix lens for DSLR or mirrorless, the 135mm Batis feels lighter. Batis 135mm weight is 614 grams and a length of 12 cm without a hood. Although it's light, Batis is already weathersealed, so photographers don't have to worry about taking pictures in bad weather like rain.

Another uniqueness of Batis is that it has optical stabilization on the lens which is very helpful when shooting in low light conditions. With optical stabilization on the lens, I can shoot sharp subjects sharply at a shutter speed of 1/8 second consistently.

Zeiss Batis is fully compatible with Sony's autofocus system, including face & eye detection. In my test, this Batis autofocus was very good for both still and moving subjects.

The Batis image quality is very sharp at f / 2.8, and the depth of field is very thin, especially when the subject of the photo is relatively close. If we photograph the type of head & shoulder, sharp space is only about 3 cm. For example, we focus on the left eye, the right eye might not be sharp.

It's just that when we are photographing a single body model or from a distance, the background does not look as smooth as using a one-point open lens.

Like the Zeiss lenses in general, the Batis lens image results are very sharp and contrast, the blur is soft and there is no chromatic abberation due to the APO design making the image appear very clear / clear.

Although designed for Sony full frame sensor cameras such as the A7 and A9 series, Batis lenses can also be installed and used in APS-C sensor cameras like the A6000 series. When installed in the A6000 series, there is a 1.5X crop factor making the angle of view resemble 200mm, ideal for photos of shows, sports or wildlife.

135mm Bat provides sharp image results and contrast in various lighting conditions including backlit conditions. Its size is not too large as a telephoto lens does not attract too much attention when shooting in public spaces.

In portrait studio settings, Zeiss Batis also produces amazing photos, details are captured well and autofocus is very fast and accurate, the moment of expression can rarely be missed when shooting with this lens.

Excess 135mm Zeiss Batis

Fast autofocus performance
Optical Stabilization
Lighter than a 135mm fix lens in general
OLED panel
APO, there is no Chromatic abberation
Image quality is very good
Weathersealing

Weakness Zeiss Batis 135mm

Aperture f / 2.8, including small for fix lenses
The closest focus distance is only 87 cm, Zeiss 135mm f / 2 can be closer (80 cm)

Conclusions and recommendations

At a glance from the specifications, the 135mm Bat may be less attractive because there are lenses with focal distances similar to larger openings, but by limiting the openings to f / 2.8. Zeiss can make a lens with a relatively light physique, more suitable for traveling or outdoor photos. Thus the photographer can take pictures while traveling or outdoors without feeling objectionable and quickly tired.