this is a question for Fred but others are welcome to join in with their answers,
Fred you have reviewed and owned just about all the e-mount Voitglander lenses and given that we now have choices of lenses that are close in FL, can you tell us what your choices would be if you had to put together a Voitglander only kit for MF lenses, if you have the time it would be interesting to know why you would pick one lens over another,
If I could only choose Voigtlander lenses, my kit would be:
CV 10/5.6: There is nothing like it in terms of color rendition, sunstar and flare resistance at 10mm. The only downside is lower resolution off-axis. I use it mostly for landscapes stopped down to f/11.
CV 15/4.5: The best Voigtlander ultra wide. Higher resolution across the field compared to the CV 12 f/5.6.
CV 21/1.4: Higher resolution across the field compared to the smaller and slower CV 21/3.5. Works great for environment portraits, landscapes and nightscapes.
CV 40/1.2: Ideal walk-around lens for any light condition. Great center resolution at mid-distance even at f/1.2. Lovely lens even for landscapes stopped down.
CV 50/2 APO: Very close in focal length to the 40mm but I would have it as a complement whenever higher IQ across the entire image field is needed. It's my normal landscape lens.
CV 110/2.5 APO Macro: Versatile lens for portraits, landscape and life-size macro. Outstanding IQ for the price.
Many photographers would not need the CV 10/4.5 or both 40mm + 50mm lenses. So, there are options for a smaller kit.
Personally I have a mix of brands but still own the CV 10/5.6, CV 40/1.2 and CV 50/2 APO lenses.
I am somewhat a Voigtlander fanboy. I know the 40mm f/2.8 Classic Heliar is not popular due to its requirement of a close focus adapter for focusing. But I like it. Why? Well, I do not recall when I last actually used the distance scale on a focusing ring, so missing one does not bother me. And its extremely small size has more than once been the reason it is on my camera while traveling. And it can be used either manual focus or auto focus (with the TAP). And it is reasonably priced. The photos on my wall come from the 40mm Heliar or the 65mm APO-Lanthar.
I have the 40mm Heliar, the 50mm APO, and the 65mm APO in E mount. I also have several others in M mount or Nikon S mount.
I think Fred's list is excellent advice for most folks, given the restriction to only Voigtlander lenses. And I recommend the manual focus experience.
CV 21/3.5 - very small/light for instant grab shots in tight spots, fabulous colour and 3D. Light weight 'pays' for the 110mm to come along. A fine infinity f8 P&S lens.
CV 40/1.2 - ultra versatile character lens; the extra DOF over a 50mm wins out over the 50/1.2. Bokeh star performer, extraordinary presence.
CV 50/2 APO - 50mm is my major FL for open country, doubles for near-focus (FLE) and walk around and short portraits, high contrast work; light and almost perfect, handles all you throw at it.
CV 110/2.5 APO - wonderful colour separation for long field and mountain lens, croppable to all I need (135mm or so), doubles for macro/close. With low frontal area (58mm filter thread) will do extra duty for portraits.
Open slots for Cosina in future E lenses: 18/3.5, 28/f1.4<->2.8 and 75-90mm at f1.5<->f2.
Mar 26, 2020 at 09:16 PM
Steve Spencer Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
CV 15 f/4.5 - A very nice and small ultra wide. I don't need wider, but if I weren't restricted to Voigtlander this would not be my choice.
CV 21 f/1.4 - I have this lens and it is stellar even if a little larger than I would like
CV 40 f/1.2 - I have had this lens and I like it very much. I plan to get it again if they don't make the new M mount version 35 f/1.2 in E mount, but if they do I will evaluate it versus the 35 f/1.2 to see which I like better.
CV 50 f/2 APO - I don't have this yet, but it looks fabulous. Perhaps the best Voigtlander yet.
CV 65 f/2 APO - I have this lens and love it as an all-around and especially as a macro.
CV 110 f/2.5 APO - I have this lens and it is among my favorites ever.
I love shooting with manual lenses (more so than AF lenses) but usually combine them based on my needs.
For portraits I am quite happy only owning two lenses: Loxia 85/2.4 and FE 135/1.8 GM.
For landscapes, I usually carry a mix of AF and MF lenses: CV 10/5.6, Sigma 14-24/2.8, Loxia 21/2.8, CV 50/2 APO, Loxia 85/2.4 and 100-400 GM.
My favorite walk-around + travel lens is the CV 40/1.2 or RX1R II Sonnar 35/2
My dedicated macro lens is the Laowa 100/2.8 2X Macro. (a remarkable lens even at infinity)
So I own Zeiss, Voigtlander, Sony, Sigma and Laowa.
Only two bodies: A7R4 and RX1RII.
Mar 26, 2020 at 10:08 PM
Steve Spencer Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
philip_pj wrote:
CV 21/3.5 - very small/light for instant grab shots in tight spots, fabulous colour and 3D. Light weight 'pays' for the 110mm to come along. A fine infinity f8 P&S lens.
CV 40/1.2 - ultra versatile character lens; the extra DOF over a 50mm wins out over the 50/1.2. Bokeh star performer, extraordinary presence.
CV 50/2 APO - 50mm is my major FL for open country, doubles for near-focus (FLE) and walk around and short portraits, high contrast work; light and almost perfect, handles all you throw at it.
CV 110/2.5 APO - wonderful colour separation for long field and mountain lens, croppable to all I need (135mm or so), doubles for macro/close. With low frontal area (58mm filter thread) will do extra duty for portraits.
Open slots for Cosina in future E lenses: 18/3.5, 28/f1.4<->2.8 and 75-90mm at f1.5<->f2. ...Show more →
I agree with those open slots. I hope we get those three lenses soon. I also would love Cosina to do a revision of the 180 f/4 APO. I also really hope they make the new M mount 35 f/1.2 III in E mount.
I still have the 15/3.5, 21/3.5, 40/1.4, 65/2, 110,2.5
The 65 was on my sell list but I can’t bring myself to do it,
Down the line I would add the 21/1.4 but this would need to be in addition to my 21/3.5 because I love the size of this lens, and I fancy the 50apo again this would be because of its size and performance,
But before those I hope to see a small 70-90 f2ish
I'm planning on selling the 65 as well, I didn't use it as much before buying the 50....and now I think the only time I used it since was to post a comparison with the 50.
I’ve always admired the 65/2 and planned to get it at some point. Paired with a high MP body, dare I say it because it’s a bit over said at times, it reminds me of MF rendering. But, from this thread I looked up the 50/2 and wow. I see why people are using it instead of the 65
I am with Uncle Chip at this time. Based upon expected use, I should sell the 65mm APO_Lanthar, but it holds a special place in my photographic journey and I cannot bring myself to move toward selling it. I do not do macro work today, but I might in the future... I think I will no longer carry it around, though.
Well as for me I really like (and need) large aperture, my combo would be when I can the 21mm 1.4 with my nokton 50mm 1.2 which I love, and hopefylly someday a 75mm 1.5 for E mount...
My real hope is that Cosina makes a nice Voigtlander 28 f/2 that weighs less than 350g, and a 90 f/2 APO that weighs less than 500g. That would give me my preferred 21, 28, 50, 90 kit for travel. But I also would really like a 21, 35 (with the new M mount f/1.2 III in E mount), 65, & 110 for when I want to do a lot of close up work and I am less concerned with weight (on a lot of nature hikes this would be a great kit for me). So, I am still a few lenses away from my ideal set up, but I am very happy with the lenses they have made and especially in the last few years.
The 40 1.2 is always tempting, just need to determine how much use it'd get. My guess is if/when a good deal comes up on the B&S boards I'll grab it.
I know for some the combination of having to change lenses and manual focus isn't optimal, but used for landscapes and similar it isn't an issue for me.
At this point, I couldn't build a MF lens line-up for my needs out of only CV lenses, as nice as many of their existing lenses are.
Cosina is missing a nice, compact 85-90 prime as well as something other than that funky 35 1.4 Classic to bridge the gap between the two 21mm primes and the 40 1.2.
I currently make do with the Loxia 21 and the CV 40 with nothing in between in my MF kit, but I certainly would be up for a nice, compact 28mm prime. I also happen to use the 85/90mm FL a lot for panoramas/stiching, and Cosina doesn't offer a native solution in that range (yet?).
An excellent 28/2, an Apo 90/2 that goes down to 1:2 x magnification, and a 180/4 Apo all E mount. Combine that with the existing 21/1.4, 50/2 Apo lenses. Think Olympus OM when I write this.
CV12/5.6 II M-mount: my preference for ultra-wide, very suitable for interior shots. Sweet spot between 10 and 15 mm FL. Not a fast, but small and compact lens, fits into a jacket pocket easily.
CV 21/1.8 M-mount: fast ultra-wide lens, use it often for landscapes with foreground elements like waterfalls etc. You might need a ND filter. Benefit of fast lens speed here also that this lens works very well adapted to Sony A7-series cameras.
CV 28/2.0 M-mount: great hidden gem lens in the CV line. Best quality for the price for a rangefinder MF 28 mm lens. Don't even bother looking at used older Leica 28/2 glass - it's much more expensive and not better in quality. I have used this lens both for street photography (parades etc) and for landscapes and indoor scenes. Works extremely well adapted to Sony A7-series cameras without any correction needed.
CV 25/4 Skopar-Snapshot LTM lens: biggest debit is that it does not work well mounted on digital A7-series cameras. I have no idea how it works on digital Leica M bodies. But on film LTM or M cameras, this lens shines! Super sharp, smallest 25 mm lens made. The lens is so small that it does not have any rangefinder coupling - the focus needs to be estimated roughly, but at f/5.6 or f/8 you will always get the shot guaranteed. Quite cheap hidden gem lens, too especially when shooting film.
