Meet the Portraitist

Raj Lalwani tests the Zeiss Milvus 135mm f/2 to see whether it is able to maintain the lofty standards that its predecessor had. Here’s what he found out.

The 135mm f/2 Milvus is not an entirely brand new lens, it is more of a redesign of the Zeiss APO Sonar 135mm f/2 lens, with added features that come with the Milvus treatment. So while the optical construction doesn’t get a major overhaul, the Milvus 135mm boasts of features such as anti-reflective coating, standardised colour characteristics, a declicking function (for the Nikkor mount version that we tested on the D750 and D810) to optimise aperture control during video, and weathersealing.

Features

In addition to its proprietary anti-reflective coating, the lens’ edges are coated with a pitch black lacquer using a complex, manual process, to minimise reflections. While this does not entirely eliminate lens flare in the 135mm lens, the characteristics that the flare acquires almost make this apparent aberration into a desired quality. The fact that the lens doesn’t reinvent the wheel when it comes to the optical construction is okay, come to think of it, as even the previous version of the lens, was the best in its class when it had released.

Handling

The weathersealing in the Milvus 135mm f/2 is far more rigourous than the weathersealing that one tends to see with most other manufacturers. In addition to the standard rear gasket, the lens also has a series of internal seals to help prevent the intrusion of dust and moisture. This makes it the best built amongst all 135mm lenses that are available today.