Olympus Olympus 135mm f2.8 Heritage

Overview

The Olympus Zuiko 135mm f/2.8 is the classic fast short telephoto of the Olympus OM system. It was first introduced in 1972 as the 'E-Zuiko AUTO-T 135mm f/2.8' and refined in 1977 as the 'Zuiko AUTO-T 135mm f/2.8', the later version featuring improved multi-coating. As reviewers note, it is the most modern of the medium-tele test group yet still uses a classic simple design of just 5 elements in 5 groups. It sits above its slower, smaller and lighter 135mm f/3.5 'brother' in the OM lineup. Like almost all OM lenses it is notably more compact than competing telephotos from other brands, which is a major part of its appeal. Some copies exist as the 'OM-Labor Custom Edition' (also called 'Silberlinge'), rebuilt by Gordon Friedrich's OM-Labor in Frankfurt with the normally black-anodized parts polished to bare metal. No widely established nickname for the lens itself is evidenced in the reviews. Its cult following stems from Olympus's hallmark combination of tiny size, outstanding metal build, silky handling and strong optical performance at a modest price.

Verdict: The Olympus Zuiko 135mm f/2.8 is a compact, superbly built classic short telephoto that punches above its weight optically — sharp wide open, contrasty, with natural smooth bokeh and accurate color. It suits portrait, cityscape, landscape and adapted mirrorless shooters who want a lightweight, high-quality manual 135mm. The front-mounted aperture ring and coarse one-stop clicks are the main quirks to adapt to, but overall it is a rewarding, affordable OM-system gem.

Optical Character

Bokeh

Very natural and quite smooth wide open with no swirl, bubbles or artifacts.

Color

Colors described as spot on and accurate, with pleasing tonality and nice black-and-white rendering.

Sharpness wide open

Sharp from f/2.8 corner to corner with fine detail holding up on high-resolution full-frame sensors.

Flare resistance

Has an extendable telescope-style built-in hood that is a bit short, so hand-shading may be needed; overall flare behavior unknown.

Contrast

Excellent and very consistent global contrast with crisp shadow detail.

Vignetting

Around 1.1EV falloff at f/2.8, substantially reduced by f/4 and practically gone by f/5.6.

Community Insights

What people love

Compact, lightweight metal build that is smaller than competing 135mm telephotos, in typical Olympus fashion
Outstanding build quality with a silky-smooth, rubberized focus ring that makes manual focusing precise and a joy
Sharp results from wide open across the frame with excellent, consistent contrast
Very natural, smooth bokeh and accurate, spot-on colors
Practical built-in extendable telescope-style lens hood
Excellent handling and balance when adapted to Sony full-frame bodies

What people dislike

Aperture ring is located in front of the focus ring rather than near the mount, which takes getting used to and can lead to accidentally changing focus
Coarse aperture stepping at one full stop per click
Built-in hood is a bit too short, sometimes requiring hand-shading
Deteriorated rubber focus grips on some aging copies; some samples develop play in the aperture ring or a wobbly hood
Minor fringing at f/2.8 in extreme lighting

Pro Tips

Stop down to f/4 to substantially cut vignetting, and to f/5.6 to make it practically disappear
Use a magnified/focus-peaking view when adapting to mirrorless — the smooth, high-resistance focus ring rewards precise manual focus
Extend the built-in hood and add hand-shading in harsh backlight since the hood is a little short
Add extension tubes to gain quasi-macro capability, as one reviewer used it for close-up work
Take advantage of its excellent contrast for black-and-white/grayscale photography

Sources (1)

Web-grounded synthesissecondary

The Olympus Zuiko 135mm f/2.8 is the classic fast short telephoto of the Olympus OM system. It was first introduced in 1972 as the 'E-Zuiko AUTO-T 135mm f/2.8' and refined in 1977 as the 'Zuiko AUTO-T 135mm f/2.8', the later version featuring improved multi-coating. As reviewers note, it is the most modern of the medium-tele test group yet still uses a classic simple design of just 5 elements in 5 groups. It sits above its slower, smaller and lighter 135mm f/3.5 'brother' in the OM lineup. Like almost all OM lenses it is notably more compact than competing telephotos from other brands, which is a major part of its appeal. Some copies exist as the 'OM-Labor Custom Edition' (also called 'Silberlinge'), rebuilt by Gordon Friedrich's OM-Labor in Frankfurt with the normally black-anodized parts polished to bare metal. No widely established nickname for the lens itself is evidenced in the reviews. Its cult following stems from Olympus's hallmark combination of tiny size, outstanding metal build, silky handling and strong optical performance at a modest price.

https://opticallimits.com/vintage/vintage-lens-test-olympus-zuiko-mc-135mm-f-2-8/https://phillipreeve.net/blog/olympus-e-zuiko-135mm-f-3-5-a-review/https://www.nikolaus-burgard.de/objektivvorstellungen-lens-reviews/olympus/olympus-om-zuiko-135mm-f2-8/https://www.robertallenkautzphoto.com/olympuszuikoautot135mmf2-8