Zeiss Sonnar 135mm f/2.8

TelephotoMount: Contax/Yashica135mmf/2.8 – f/22
Introduced: 1975
Zeiss Sonnar 135mm f/2.8
Image: Alexey Goral — CC BY-SA 3.0

Carl Zeiss Sonnar T 135mm f/2.8 C/Y* is the standard telephoto for the Contax/Yashica mount — for 35mm SLR bodies including the Contax RTS, RTS II, RTS III, 139 Quartz, Aria, and Yashica FR / FX-3. The Sonnar 135/2.8 is the classical portrait + isolation lens of the C/Y system, balancing reach with handheld practicality.

Key features

  • Contax/Yashica bayonet mount
  • 5-element/4-group Sonnar formula with T* multi-coating
  • 55mm filter thread — same as the Planar 50/1.4 and Distagon 28/2.8 for shared filter use
  • Manual aperture + manual focus — fully mechanical
  • West German manufacture (early) or Japanese-made by Kyocera (later)
  • Built-in retractable lens hood

Use case + rendering

The Sonnar 135/2.8 is the portrait + sports + isolated-subject lens of the C/Y system. The Sonnar formula gives smooth out-of-focus rendering — characteristic creamy bokeh that distinguishes it from sharper but harsher 135mm lenses. Sharp wide-open by f/2.8 standards, exceptional by f/4-f/5.6.

A frequent third lens after the 50 Planar and 28 Distagon — these three constitute the classic three-lens C/Y kit covering wide / normal / portrait-telephoto.

Compatible bodies

Related lenses