You can now preorder the new Venus Laowa 105mm f/2.0 Full Frame E-mount lens for $699 at BHphoto (Click here). There is a review of the lens just posted by 3Dkraft (Click here). His conclusion is
- Since 1999, the Minolta / Sony 135mm f/2.8 (T4.5) is the classic STF telephoto lens implementation available only for A-mount and providing an unbeatable smooth bokeh together with outstanding sharpness. It is quite sensitive against flares and contrast reduction when shooting against bright light and with 135mm it is already quite long for a portrait lens. With a transmission of T4.5 it is no low light lens, so you should be careful to have enough light when shooting with short shutter times.
- The Zeiss Batis 1.8/85 is my favourite portrait lens due to its good overall performance. It provides AF (including the most helpful eye-AF) and optical stabilization and for that performance it is quite compact and lightweight. Bokeh is sometimes a little bit harsh and nervous and CAs are less good controlled compared to the STF lenses. Flare resistence and contrast are significantly higher when shooting against bright light due to ZEISS’s well known T* coating.
- The Laowa 105 STF delivers a bokeh as smooth and pleasing as the Sony STF together with very good sharpness right from open aperture but with 105 mm focal length it is more flexible than the longer Sony STF. It is also quite sensitive when shooting against the light. With a transmission of T3.2 it provides about one stop more light than the Sony STF helping to keep ISO lower when shooting with short exposure.
Check out the image samples at 3Dkraft. And if you like the lens place your order at BHphoto.