If you buy a Zeiss lens, you are generally in for super-sharp photos with smooth bokeh and a lack of aberrations, all put together in a solid, durable package. This great video review takes a look at one such lens, the Zeiss Milvus 135mm f/2.
Coming to you from Dustin Abbott, this excellent video review takes a look at the Zeiss Milvus 135mm f/2 lens. Zeiss lenses are a different experience from most others. They are mostly manual focus only, though the experience is much different than on other lenses, as Zeiss designs them with large focus throws that make it far easier to dial in exact focus than with a normal autofocus lens. If you can commit to the manual only routine, in return, you will get top-notch optical quality, even wide open, including a lack of distortion and aberrations, ultra-smooth bokeh, and great contrast, along with excellent weather resistance and a durable build. Though many people are leery of using a manual focus only lens, a lot of photographers I know who shoot with Zeiss lenses swear they will never go back. Check out the video above for Abbott's full thoughts on the lens.
AF lenses. Period.
I have the Zeiss 135 2.0 ZE version. It's the sharpest lens I've ever used. There is just a certain magic to their lenses. They make every camera better, better, and better.
I began shooting this lens on a Nikon D810, and later on the Nikon Z6ii. It is so sharp that small focus errors readily show up in the results when viewed on a large computer screen. For this reason, it is somewhat difficult to get the most out of this lens on a DSLR, unless one uses a rear digital viewfinder and zooms in to nail focus. However, on a ML camera with focus peaking augmented by digital zoom through the eyepiece, it is easy to nail focus, and becomes highly practical, even for moving subjects.
There is a possibility of getting autofocus with this lens, if one deploys an external focus motor/lidar system like those used for pro video. I haven't tried it yet, since it works so well on a ML body that I don't feel a need. Still, it may be fun to try it out some time on a DJI Ronin or similar rig.