Zeiss Sonnar *T is every bit as good as you can expect

Perhaps this is the best Thanks Giving gift I bought for myself.

HUGE, thick, heavy.

Solid construction, totally dwarfs 135mm STF.

IMHO, A100 is a total mismatch.

An odd thing is On my Maxxum 9, it displays f/1.7.

Hm, I want to buy one nice potrait lens but will wait until the price settle down first.

I had the opportunity to shot with the Zeiss 135mm 1.8 Sonnar T* lens at a local Photo show in Oct. and it also indicated an f1.7 max aperture on my Maxxum 7D. The Sony representative was also surprised at the incorrect aperture (both at the back LCD display and in the exif data.)
The lens is simply outstanding, sharp wide open and a beautiful bokeh.

The problem is I had no interest in this lens before using it and now is on my list. Just noticed a local camera chain Henrys advertising the lens in their pdf flyer for $1650 can.
Enjoy the lens!
Richard

I noticed in some peoples sample images posted the aperture was listed at 1.7. Strange.

I have to ask everyone, since I have yet to find one in person. How is the manual focus feel too it?

I think it's a waste on A-100.

The solid-build comes with a price: too too big for A-100.

This lens would be best used on a FULL FRAME body.

Hence it's securely attached to my Maxxum 9

PhotoTraveler said:

I noticed in some peoples sample images posted the aperture was
listed at 1.7. Strange.

I have to ask everyone, since I have yet to find one in person. How
is the manual focus feel too it?

Click to expand...

The aperture 1.7 is normal for Minolta and Sony systems. Canon and Nikon show both 1.8 for this step between 1.4 and 2. From a mathematical point of view, the value is sqrt(2) sqrt(sqrt(2)) = 1.68179 = 1.7, but for some reason, some write 1.8 for this step...

I already own the AF 85/1.4G (D) and STF 135/2.8 (T4.5) lenses, so I speculate to buy me the Sonnar T* 135/1,8 as a christmas gift. But since I heared that the Planar T* 85/1,4 blows away both the Minolta and the Canon lens (both are already excellent), I'm not too sure.

Regards, Josef.

Josef "josefnemecek" said:

From a mathematical point of view, the value is sqrt(2) sqrt(sqrt(2))
= 1.68179 = 1.7, but for some reason, some write 1.8 for this step ...

Click to expand...

Huh? If manufacturers say 1.8 then they mean 1.8 and not 1.7. 1.8 is approximately 1/6 of an f-stop less than 1.7. '1.7' is the name of the step half-way between f/1.4 and f/2 (and its actual value is 1.6818, as you said). '1.8' is the name of the step 1/3 of an f-stop above f/2, or 2/3 below f/1.4; its actual value is 1.7818.

To complicate matters even more, there's always some tolerance in the nominal speed values; the actual values usually are a few tenths of an f-stop slower than the nominal values suggest. So a lens marked 1:1.7 usually is not actually 1.7---and much less 1.68---but more like 1.74 or so. And a lens marked 1:1.8 usually is neither 1.8 nor 1.78 but something like 1.83 or so. And by the way, most 1:1.4 lenses really are around 1.46.

To complicated matter still more, the electronic displays of modern cameras can show only so many steps. Most can, for example, not distinguish between 3.4 and 3.6; they show both values as '3.5'. Same with 4.5 and 4.8, typically both displayed as '4.5'. Canon and Nikon cameras traditionally can display 1.8 but not 1.7; Minolta and Pentax cameras can display 1.7 but not 1.8.

So if a Minolta or a Sony Alpha camera, with a 1:1.8 lens attached, displays the lens speed as '1.7', don't let this discrepancy keep you from sleeping well at night. Just ignore it. The writing on the lens' front rim sure is more accurate than what the camera shows in the display or in the EXIF data. Think of the displayed aperture figures as names rather than accurate numeral values.

Regards,
Olaf
--
Olaf Ulrich, Germany

1.7 is a half stop, 1.8 is a third stop. Nothing to do with manufactures rounding.

One quirk that could be going on is maybe something about the MAF mount requires some pre-loaded info. And as it is in it's current state it never had a 1.8 lens factored in. So it jumps to 1.7. Or maybe it's a flat out bug. Or maybe it's faster then Zeiss thinks it is

PhotoTraveler said:

1.7 is a half stop, 1.8 is a third stop. Nothing to do with
manufactures rounding.

One quirk that could be going on is maybe something about the MAF
mount requires some pre-loaded info. And as it is in it's current
state it never had a 1.8 lens factored in. So it jumps to 1.7. Or
maybe it's a flat out bug. Or maybe it's faster then Zeiss thinks
it is

Click to expand...

Hey, I take 1.7 any day! half stop free bonus !

Not sure if anybody else has tried 1.8/135, my Maxxum had been re-chipped to accept 70-200mm SSM.

Went out to try some night shots, boy was I impressed. If you love low light indoor, you will LOVE this lens.