It’s not a technical perfect lens by any stretch. It has its flaws and it renders differently in many ways because of that. Now it’s cousin the CV 65 APO is technically just about perfect. So very different type lenses.this has some crazy looking bokeh sometimes. It’s not really your point and shoot type lens. It has its purpose and just need to understand where it may work best given subject, distance, light and aperture.
This is a cross post from the big FE images thread, but since these were taken with the 40/1.2, I figured I should post them here...
Went to a late Halloween Party tonight. Some people really go all out (overboard) decorating their homes for the occasion..... A small sampling of this insane couple's decorations. All shot with CV 40/1.2 Lens worked well. Not sure what I think of the decorations....
Just got myself both 40/1.2 AND 65/2 APO over the weekend. I don't really need the 65 (I have Nikon 60/2.8 micro, ZF 100/2, Mamiya 120/4) but I like its near perfect quality(yet a relatively inexpensive price). I brought them together and saved a tiny little bit.
I think I should consider to block FM in my router and in DNS settings.
The dealer (a long time major VC distributor here) said VC is seeking dealers opinions on wide angles and might resurrect some older APO-Lanthar designs.
ytwong wrote:
Just got myself both 40/1.2 AND 65/2 APO over the weekend. I don't really need the 65 (I have Nikon 60/2.8 micro, ZF 100/2, Mamiya 120/4) but I like its near perfect quality(yet a relatively inexpensive price). I brought them together and saved a tiny little bit.
I think I should consider to block FM in my router and in DNS settings.
The dealer (a long time major VC distributor here) said VC is seeking dealers opinions on wide angles and might resurrect some older APO-Lanthar designs.
Please resurrect the 180/4 and 125/2.5 APO Lanthars . . . .
and a modern updated optical design for the 35/1.7 (fix the field curvature).
jhinkey wrote:
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Please resurrect the 180/4 and 125/2.5 APO Lanthars . . . .
and a modern updated optical design for the 35/1.7 (fix the field curvature).
ytwong wrote:
Just got myself both 40/1.2 AND 65/2 APO over the weekend. I don't really need the 65 (I have Nikon 60/2.8 micro, ZF 100/2, Mamiya 120/4) but I like its near perfect quality(yet a relatively inexpensive price). I brought them together and saved a tiny little bit.
I think I should consider to block FM in my router and in DNS settings.
The dealer (a long time major VC distributor here) said VC is seeking dealers opinions on wide angles and might resurrect some older APO-Lanthar designs.
I hope that doesn't mean genuinely resurrect old designs as Meyer-Optic and Leica have started to do: trading on nostalgia for poorly performing historic lenses. Hopefully it means resurrect some old names with state of the art optics!
Please forgive what may be a naive technique question:
I assume that with such shallow dof at 1.2 that one cannot focus in the center and then recompose for an off-center composition. But it also seems like it would be very difficult to get critical focus without using magnification--and magnification can only be used off center to an approximate and estimated degree by turning the camera slightly to the side (toward what you want to be in focus) while at high magnification, then focusing, and then returning to the frame of the image as you wish to take it, while hoping that the off to the side focus target is sharp. Isn't this just another version of focus and recompose? What about field curvature?
A briefer version of my question is how do you handle focusing with this lens at 1.2 in an off-center composition?
chiron wrote:
Please forgive what may be a naive technique question:
I assume that with such shallow dof at 1.2 that one cannot focus in the center and then recompose for an off-center composition. But it also seems like it would be very difficult to get critical focus without using magnification--and magnification can only be used off center to an approximate and estimated degree by turning the camera slightly to the side (toward what you want to be in focus) while at high magnification, then focusing, and then returning to the frame of the image as you wish to take it, while hoping that the off to the side focus target is sharp. Isn't this just another version of focus and recompose? What about field curvature?
A briefer version of my question is how do you handle focusing with this lens at 1.2 in an off-center composition?
Thanks for any guidance on this demanding lens....Show more →
You can move the magnification box anywhere in the frame before going to magnified view if you are not using auto-magnification and there's no need to recompose (change the framing) after focusing that way.
With my A9 I don't use auto-magnification but I have configured the joystick press to bring up the magnification frame, which I then move to the desired position with the joystick and press the joystick again to go to magnified view at the selected area. Sometimes you can focus with peaking alone though, depends on subject.
Juha Kannisto wrote:
You can move the magnification box anywhere in the frame before going to magnified view if you are not using auto-magnification and there's no need to recompose (change the framing) after focusing that way.
With my A9 I don't use auto-magnification but I have configured the joystick press to bring up the magnification frame, which I then move to the desired position with the joystick and press the joystick again to go to magnified view at the selected area. Sometimes you can focus with peaking alone though, depends on subject.
Thank you very much, Juha, for such a quick and helpful response. I have never used a manual lens with auto-magnification turned off, so that will be my first step. I am using the a7rii, but i assume some version of what you have done with the joystick on the a9 will also be possible on my camera.
chiron wrote:
Thank you very much, Juha, for such a quick and helpful response. I have never used a manual lens with auto-magnification turned off, so that will be my first step. I am using the a7rii, but i assume some version of what you have done with the joystick on the a9 will also be possible on my camera.
Thanks! Yes, it should be possible to move the magnification frame with the control wheel in A7rII, and I did the same with my A7II before I had the A9. The joystick just makes it even more convenient.
I still rely on peaking alone a lot too when not shooting portraits as with many objects the focusing point can be seen very clearly with peaking in normal view. Then it's also nice not to have the auto-magnification pop up every time as one can choose when exactly to go to magnified view.
I have auto magnification turned on and set live view on a button. When I push the live-view-button while focusing it does not magnify. Therefore I have both worlds just a button away.
I often prefocus with the button pressed and release it then for the final sharpening.
edit: with the 40/1.2 never re-compose (because of the field curve) and never focus at fastest aperture and stop it down afterwards (because of the focus shift)! you have to choose aperture and frame first. then focus.
Juha Kannisto WROTE: You can move the magnification box anywhere in the frame before going to magnified view if you are not using auto-magnification and there's no need to recompose (change the framing) after focusing that way.
With my A9 I don't use auto-magnification but I have configured the joystick press to bring up the magnification frame, which I then move to the desired position with the joystick and press the joystick again to go to magnified view at the selected area. Sometimes you can focus with peaking alone though, depends on subject.
Thank you Juha! you answered my question from several pages back about magnified view implementation on the A9 & A7RIII. The joy stick seems like a huge benefit for this type of shooting. On my A7RII I have C2 programed to bring up magnification and the control wheel moves the point around. This setup works but is pretty slow and requires a shift away from a normal grip to operate the control wheel. Two questions: how do you re-center the point when configured as you have it? On A7RII you push the Trash (C4) button, which is hard to find by feel. And does your setup change the function of the joystick when using auto-focu?
I might add that you can move the point while in magnified view. A little box pops up in the corner that shows the location of the focus point within the frame, and it can be moved while in this mode, but it is very hard to navigate your way around when things are magnified.
No it’s a terrible feature. The problem is if your out of focus to begin with to take the next shot let’s say. You hit the focusing it goes into auto mag and you have no idea where in the frame you are or your composition. I rather engage it once I get close to focus and I have my framing.
Now having said all that . I got a better idea with the joystick. Not sure why I did not do this on my A9. But instead of C1 being my magnify function. I’m going to move magnify to the press of the joystick. So I can move the joystick to the area I want hit the magnify by pushing down. This way with the new A7rIII. I can have my AF options all in C1/C2. So C1 for focus area, like Zone, Spot and such. Use C2 for focus mode AFC/AF-S and such. Than use C3 for Shutter control. Mechanical/ Electronic. Than C4 trash can for Aps-C mode. Now I’ll take the remaining Shutter dial I lost in the A9 left side and put that in the Fn 1st spot.
I do have a hard time taking this lens of my mind, especially now that I started looking at what the alternatives would be.
I want an 'all-purpose' prime lens for the A7 - with a preference for manual focus, and it has to be native and compact. Out of the high apertures options, I count only 3 with these requirements, the Loxia 35, Loxia 50 and Voigtländer 40 1.2.
Now the thing is - I do not like the bokeh of the Loxias, and they are not my preferred focal length (too wide or too narrow). However they help me look at the Voigtländer under a different light: What if I look at it as an ideal FL for me (40mm), good performance at f2.0 and the extra bonus of going at 1.2 when I feel like it.
A couple of questions that would possibly help me in my decision:
- Regarding purple fringing, how much cleaner does it get on the Voigtländer starting from f2.0? How does it compare to the Loxias?
- At f1.4 - how does it compare (again, in terms of fringing) to the ZA 35 1.4?
I am no pixel fanatic, so the sharpness bonus of the Loxia would not sell me over a 40mm with the possibility to get a dreamy bokeh. I am just curious on how the fringing compares between these lenses at f2.0 for a fair comparison.
