Dale Matson
Click On Photographs To Enlarge
I begin this with the usual caveat
that this is not a professional review. The article is about some thoughts and
photographs I have taken. I primarily photograph wildlife and landscape. Thus
far, I find this lens most useful in landscape venues and not long enough for
wildlife. I included some photos to demonstrate this. I would guess that most
photographers who buy this lens use it for portraits.
I’ve heard plenty of criticism
about the “slow” 2.8 but as a landscape lens, compared to a 1.4 or 1.8, it is
more portable, smaller and fast enough for me. I resisted buying this lens
because of the price but when Zeiss offered the lens for $500.00 less, my resistance
was broken.
While I already own the Zeiss Batis
85mm 1.8, I find the photographs of landscapes sometimes rendered smaller than
I would like. This is especially true of individual mountains. Additionally, while
very sharp, the 85mm color seems muted to me for a Zeiss lens.
This 135mm is still a lens, when
mounted on my A7R3, that easily fits in a belt holster. This is important for
me since when I am on mountain trails, I usually am also using trekking poles
for the steep up and down parts and need both hands free for the poles.
The lens is image stabilized and
combined with the internal camera stabilization, I have not noticed any
problems shooting without a tripod. A tripod is an item that is not practical
for me because of the weight. I am an ounce counter especially when out on a
multiday backpack trip. Most of the photos in this article I took with the lens,
were convenient and did not require a long hike.
Frankly, I haven’t used the 135mm
lens in manual focus mode nor have I had a need to do so. For wildlife I use my
100-400 GM lens in manual mode more than autofocus mode because of obstacles in
front of the animals (mostly birds) that cause it to front focus in autofocus
mode.
The autofocus is trustworthy and
fast. The color is excellent and I have included some photos of subjects with
some color. This time of year, the mountains have more character because of the
snow but less color because of the snow. I must say that the mountains near Big
Pine (CA) and Bishop are some of my favorite shots. I wasn’t disappointed even
taking shots mid-day and, in the afternoon, which are not optimal. The early
morning light on Mt. Humphreys and Mt. Basin near Bishop gave me some of my
most pleasing shots of those particular mountains. I also got some shots of the
Sierra from the canyons to the east.
This is my mountain ‘long lens’. If
I shoot cropped, I have about 200mm. this means I don’t have to buy the big and
heavy 70-200mm GM lens. When I include the 55mm 1.8 lens, combined they are
smaller, lighter, cover about the same range and have excellent I Q. Each
mountain is a ‘new’ mountain when photographed with this lens.
Bald Eagle In Tree 135mm
Same Eagle 560mm
Mt. Whitney Morning Light-Poor Sky-Alabama Hills Foreground
Mt. Williamson 2nd Highest Sierra Nevada Mountain
Many Many Mule Deer 135mm
Same Group 560mm
Birch Mountain With Red Cone In Foreground
Mt. Tinnemaha With Split Mountain To Right
Near Birch Lake Trailhead-Not Easy To Find/Get There
Overcast Mt. Humphreys and Mt. Basin
Sunrise Mt. Humphreys
Mt. Basin
Mt. Tom
My Very Mundane Backyard Photo
Millerton Lake Foggy Sunrise
Millerton Lake Approaching Storm
Mt Tom From Black Canyon
Red Rock Canyon
Split Mountain My Favorite 14er
Mt. Whitney About 3pm
This is a 6 month followup to this article. I still like the 135 2.8 and used it extensively this year backpacking and hiking. Many of the articles I posted in the last 6 months have included shots with this lens. When I carry this lens, the 55 1.8 and a wide angle/ultra wide lens, for landscape, I feel like I have most situations covered.
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