Sony Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 135mm F1.8 ZA (SAL135F18Z) vs Minolta AF 35mm f/1.4 G

Side-by-side comparison from our catalogue data. Better values are highlighted only where a clear difference exists.

Sony

Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 135mm F1.8 ZA (SAL135F18Z)

Minolta

AF 35mm f/1.4 G

Verdict at a glance

Minolta AF 35mm f/1.4 G is faster by 0.7 stops (f/1.4 vs f/1.8), letting in more light.
Minolta AF 35mm f/1.4 G is lighter by 560g.
Minolta AF 35mm f/1.4 G goes wider (35mm vs 135mm).
Sony Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 135mm F1.8 ZA (SAL135F18Z) reaches further (135mm vs 35mm).
Sony Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 135mm F1.8 ZA (SAL135F18Z) is the newer design (2006 vs 1998).

Specification comparison
Spec	Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 135mm F1.8 ZA (SAL135F18Z)	AF 35mm f/1.4 G
Brand	Sony	Minolta
Mount	Sony A	Sony A
Type	Prime	Prime
Focal length	135mm	35mm (wider)
Max aperture	f/1.8	f/1.4 (faster)
Released	2006	1998
Blades	9	9
Format	full-frame	full-frame
Groups	9	8
Af motor	screw-drive	screw-drive
Elements	11	10
Weight g	1050	490 (lighter)
Filter mm	77	55
Length mm	115.0	76.0
Min focus m	0.72	0.3 (closer focusing)
Max magnification	0.25	0.2

Sony Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 135mm F1.8 ZA (SAL135F18Z)

A Zeiss 135mm f/1.8 telephoto for A-mount, widely admired for portrait rendering. It uses body-driven screw-drive autofocus and is built heavy at about 1,050 g.

Pros

Bright f/1.8 aperture at 135mm
Famous for smooth, natural rendering
Min focus 0.72 m
Full-frame coverage

Cons

Heavy at about 1,050 g
Screw-drive AF is not as fast as SSM
Slow to refocus in low light

Minolta AF 35mm f/1.4 G

A bright 35mm G-series lens from Minolta. It weighs about 490 g and takes 55mm filters.

Pros

f/1.4
G-series build
Close focus 0.3 m
55mm filters

Cons

Screw-drive AF
No weather sealing

More comparisons for Sony Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 135mm F1.8 ZA (SAL135F18Z)

Compare other lenses or browse our best-of guides.