p.29 #1 · Voigtlander 21mm f/3.5 Color Skopar Review
I’ve never used hyper focal and probably never will. I always focus be it on infinity or close up or mid distance and stop down as needed. Really this is getting to know what your lens can do at certain distances and certain F stops.
p.29 #2 · Voigtlander 21mm f/3.5 Color Skopar Review
httivals wrote:
My experience (others may differ) is that if you want infinity in focus, then you should focus at infinity not the hyperfocal distance and stop down as much as necessary to hold the foreground in focus. Based on my experience, if infinity (background) is not in sharp focus, we don't perceive the photo to be acceptably sharp (unless background is intentionally not wanted to be in focus).
I realize that by stopping down you face the issue of potential diffraction. My experience (others may disagree) is that until at least f11 and even as much as f16, diffraction issues are overstated. You can offset diffraction by sharpening routines and/or increasing clarity (structural clarity works great in Capture One) and by othersoftware (the Nik color plug ins work great for increasing local contrast). I'd much rather have some diffraction than for infinity to be perceived softer than the foreground due to using hyperfocal distance.
I agree, the gospel that anything lower than f11 is total garbage is pretty exaggerated. I've gotten good results at f16 when the scene calls for it. Like you said the diffraction can be mostly mitigated and isn't really noticeable unless you know what you're looking for.
p.29 #3 · Voigtlander 21mm f/3.5 Color Skopar Review
Guys, you are doing it wrong, sorry.
In fact this lens is super easy to handle regarding focus.
f8 totally suffices. Absolutely no need to go above that in 99% of cases.
The point where everything is in focus including infinity is somewhere in the range where the focus scale in the viewfinder says "5m". Try it out, use the EVF with magnification. Going more towards infinity does NOT improve infinity sharpness more.
If you have found this point, you can just leave it there and shoot away, the photos will be sharp,and nothing will make them sharper. Only for close-up focus you have to turn the focus ring at all.
If that isn't the case with your equipment, either you're doing something wrong or you have a defective lens.
p.29 #4 · Voigtlander 21mm f/3.5 Color Skopar Review
according to app on phone, hyperfocal of 21mm F8 on sony A7xxxx is 6' 1.17". so I tried to set lens there with notations on the lens and with the distance in the camera. this should get anything from 4" to infinity in focus.
I think maybe the info in camera may be slightly off and I missed the mark just a little. erroring on closer to infinity is better on normal shots so will try a few times more setting camera at 2 meters or more until get it.
thanks to hasenbein for suggestion to try 5 meters.
p.29 #5 · Voigtlander 21mm f/3.5 Color Skopar Review
On mine, infinity is at the infinity stop!!
Another way, set the lens at the aperture you want/need, roll to infinity stop, zoom in on the LCD on the infinity subject & then twist the focus ring back as far as it will go whilst keeping infinity sharp.
Typically, I usually focus on the main subject in my images. I've never been a hyperfocal fan either.
p.29 #6 · Voigtlander 21mm f/3.5 Color Skopar Review
What's classified as being "in focus" when using any kind of hyperfocal distance calculations has always been a bit nebulous, especially in the digital world and really is dependent on the end use image size and image viewing distances.
On my 21CV copy, best focus at any aperture at long distances is just a hair before the hard stop. If I'm being exacting I'll make the final adjustment. If I'm in a hurry I'll just hit the hard stop and it will be more than sharp enough unless I'm inspecting at 100% viewing. If my subject is not nearly at infinity and I want deep depth of field, then I'll set it at f/8 and focus on the subject, which for typical images works just fine.
I have a bunch of 21/3.5 CV images from my recent Slovenia trip that I'll be posting in the next couple of days.
p.29 #7 · Voigtlander 21mm f/3.5 Color Skopar Review
more testing today and yesterday. for me, my camera, my lens, my processes it seems that setting the focus at infinity (as recommended above, thanks again) or just short of infinity gives me far out subjects in focus and stuff from 4-12 feet away in focus.
looking closely at photos taken in sun and on cloudy day. there is a little difference on clarity at f8, but not much difference between f11 and f16. f22 definitely shows some degradation at distant smaller items like trees etc.
I am still glad I bought this lens.
p.29 #8 · Voigtlander 21mm f/3.5 Color Skopar Review
As I said: Don't use "marks" or "hard stops", use the EVF magnification (the largest) and see for yourself when maximum infinity sharpness and/or maximum DOF is reached.
If your lens is not defective, you will find that a) f8 is more than enough for all purposes and b) that the sharpest point is NOT at the hard stop but a bit before that (as it SHOULD be - a manual lens that sharpens up until the hard stop should make one suspicious, because one never knows whether infinity is REALLY already reached).
p.29 #10 · Voigtlander 21mm f/3.5 Color Skopar Review
Just pulled the trigger on this lens. Can't wait.
I wanted to wait for the 21mm f/1.4 Nokton, but couldn't resist anymore. I just need some good wide-angle for the summer (something much wider than my 40mm Nokton) and tried the Samyang 24mm f/2.8 since it's so cheap. But I guess it was too cheap for my taste. Flared so horribly and build quality felt terrible, compared to my Voigtländers. So I returned it and ordered the Color-Skopar.
p.29 #11 · Voigtlander 21mm f/3.5 Color Skopar Review
Tonzah78 wrote:
Just pulled the trigger on this lens. Can't wait.
I wanted to wait for the 21mm f/1.4 Nokton, but couldn't resist anymore. I just need some good wide-angle for the summer (something much wider than my 40mm Nokton) and tried the Samyang 24mm f/2.8 since it's so cheap. But I guess it was too cheap for my taste. Flared so horribly and build quality felt terrible, compared to my Voigtländers. So I returned it and ordered the Color-Skopar.
I think you'll be happy with the Color-Skopar It's a very enjoyable lens in use and nicely small.
p.29 #12 · Voigtlander 21mm f/3.5 Color Skopar Review
Tonzah78 wrote:
Just pulled the trigger on this lens. Can't wait.
I wanted to wait for the 21mm f/1.4 Nokton, but couldn't resist anymore. I just need some good wide-angle for the summer (something much wider than my 40mm Nokton) and tried the Samyang 24mm f/2.8 since it's so cheap. But I guess it was too cheap for my taste. Flared so horribly and build quality felt terrible, compared to my Voigtländers. So I returned it and ordered the Color-Skopar.
Yup. It's just a great lens in a compact form factor that still has a heftiness and handling to it that feels "bigger" than it is, not to mention great IQ. I like the tiny Samyang 35/2.8 for its portability and literal throw-in-the-bag potential (with decent AF if shooting kids), but I've taken to having the 21 Color-Skopar and FE 55 as my two lens go-anywhere combo.
p.29 #13 · Voigtlander 21mm f/3.5 Color Skopar Review
I typically shoot cars at 85mm - Not that I've done it at all for a long time. I checked my Flickr - 50 weeks!!!
This is only the second time my weekend car has been out since it's MOT in September. This was obviously the CV21 but I also used the CV40/1.2E & the FE85. The Voigtlander's certainly beat the 85mm SOOC.
p.29 #18 · Voigtlander 21mm f/3.5 Color Skopar Review
Finally got this lens. So far I'm thrilled. Not just it's an awesome landscape lens (love the sharpness and signature Voigtländer sunstars), but also a fun lens to play around with different perspectives.
p.29 #19 · Voigtlander 21mm f/3.5 Color Skopar Review
virtualrain wrote:
Wow impressive sunstar in the first photo, but it's almost overwhelming the photo... is there a way to tone it down?
I agree, it's a bit large for my tastes in that image as well, but still looks pretty nice.
Sunstar size is going to relate to the relative brightness of the light source. The sun in full view makes a pretty large sunstar in the frame on most lenses. Obscuring it behind an object (like the mountains/clouds on the horizon in the image above) is one way to make it smaller, but you don't really have much control over this relative to framing so it all comes down to timing your shutter click to get the sun in the right place. A foreground object like a tree or structure makes it easier to position the camera on the edge of the shadow to get a smaller sunstar.
p.29 #20 · Voigtlander 21mm f/3.5 Color Skopar Review
Here's a few of my favourites I took with the CV21 on our trip to Barcelona. For many landscapes I used the CV40/1.2 instead and took several images that I stiched together. Gotta love these two lenses as a really versatile, lightweight and fun combo for trips. All of the following shots are with the magnificient 21mm Color-Skopar.
It's a very enjoyable lens in use and nicely small.
