p.5 #1 · Voigtländer SE series lenses announced (35/1.2, 40/1.2, 50/1.2)
philip_pj wrote:
Thanks, Juha. It's like reading tea leaves. The other makers telegraph what they intend, often well in advance but they are quite predictable generally. Cosina is different and maybe we can hope they are resolutely in the small/light Leica tradition after these SE releases, which seem to have appeared out of the blue. Glad to hear there may be more. Stay safe.
Thanks Philip! Yes it's quite difficult to predict their moves accurately in advance
I'm still most looking forward to a new CV 28mm for E-mount myself, would be happy with one styled after 21/3.5 or 21/1.4. If they move towards prioritizing lower priced and smaller lenses again going forward (like the SE series might suggest) then a 28/3.5 might fit the mix but I'm not that confident on it after a long wait already. Their smallest and relatively low-priced (older) VM lenses seem to remain quite popular in Japan, e.g.40/1.4, 21/4. 35/2.5. The latter 2 must be mainly selling for the film crowd as they are pretty unsuitable for digital sensors.
Anyway, based on their continued sales success with the APO-Lanthar series (especially 50/2 and 65/2.5) and since they already used 65/2 as a baseline for design of 50/2, I think they could use it as a baseline for another longer APO-Lanthar too (like 75/2) similarly to what they did with designs of 40/1.2, 50/1.2, 35/1.2 (where 50/1.2 and 35/1.2 were derived from 40/1.2 design). I'm feeling like that would be the most likely next entry for E-mount later this year, especially since an E-mount version of 75/1.5 has not materialized...
p.5 #2 · Voigtländer SE series lenses announced (35/1.2, 40/1.2, 50/1.2)
cwnchkn wrote:
If this version has less copy variation I am so getting another 40/1.2.
I'd not heard about Voigt copy variation. Is this specific to the 40 1.2?
p.5 #3 · Voigtländer SE series lenses announced (35/1.2, 40/1.2, 50/1.2)
Beni wrote:
I'd not heard about Voigt copy variation. Is this specific to the 40 1.2?
I'm wondering the same thing. This announcement will hopefully push down prices on the previous generation, but I wonder how concerned I need to be about getting a "good" copy.
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p.5 #5 · Voigtländer SE series lenses announced (35/1.2, 40/1.2, 50/1.2)
DaveFP wrote:
CV has traditionally been associated with high copy variation and service problems.
They were never on the same plane as Zeiss despite being manufactured by the same company.
They cost less but you got less.
The general opinion is that they company has really "upped its game" in recent years but I do not know the extent of that change.
The line is very popular here so that seems a good endorsement.
I have two CV; they seem to be good copies.
I don't think it is true that Cosina Voigtlander (CV) has traditionally been associated with high copy variation and service problems. I say they are typical for camera manufacturers not better not worse. In addition to building the Voigtlander lenses, Cosina also builds/built the Zeiss Loxia lenses, and the ZE/ZF/ZF.2 lenses, and maybe the Milvus lenses.
p.5 #7 · Voigtländer SE series lenses announced (35/1.2, 40/1.2, 50/1.2)
I bought a used CV 40/1.2E and it is excellent. One of my favorite MF lens.
From my prior reading, it seems the 40E has very good quality control and imagining. This seems to hold true for most of the recent production. Past production seems to have been more sketchy. The tide seemed to have turned around the introduction of the 10/12mm lenses and APO 65.
I would love a CV 28/1.4 to gap and match imaging of the 40.
p.5 #8 · Voigtländer SE series lenses announced (35/1.2, 40/1.2, 50/1.2)
I had the CV40 a few times. The first copy was decentered and was replaced. That one developed an issue with the MF assist getting randomly triggered and was sent to Japan for repairs. When it came back the problem had gone away but it was badly decentered. The next two copies I got were also decentered. One not as bad, but still not as good as my initial second copy. So I sent it back and got a refund. I can't fault the dealer (Robert White), in fact Jack went out of his way to sort it out. In contrast, the CV50/2 I got was flawless, as were several copies of other FMers. Small sample size with both lenses, but when one is mostly meh and one is mostly great, one can't help wonder.
p.5 #9 · Voigtländer SE series lenses announced (35/1.2, 40/1.2, 50/1.2)
Steve Spencer wrote:
I don't think it is true that Cosina Voigtlander (CV) has traditionally been associated with high copy variation and service problems. I say they are typical for camera manufacturers not better not worse. In addition to building the Voigtlander lenses, Cosina also builds/built the Zeiss Loxia lenses, and the ZE/ZF/ZF.2 lenses, and maybe the Milvus lenses.
I can only speak from my own perceptions and those are the product of a lot of years on a lot of forums.
Of course forums tend to accentuate the bad in anything so that has to be considered.
I know you know that the fact that they are all made from the same manufacturer doesn't really figure one way or the other.
Many companies build various lines with significant differences in quality, longevity, durability.
In fact the only thing "Zeiss" about CZ lenses is that they are built to Zeiss specs.
Not trying to bash CV; I find their lenses to be very interesting.
p.5 #10 · Voigtländer SE series lenses announced (35/1.2, 40/1.2, 50/1.2)
From conversations with @rcicala I gather that many CV lenses show more than average copy to copy variance. My personal experience though has been a 100% positive one though.
Apr 20, 2020 at 10:31 AM
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p.5 #11 · Voigtländer SE series lenses announced (35/1.2, 40/1.2, 50/1.2)
Phillip Reeve wrote:
From conversations with @rcicala@ I gather that many CV lenses have above average variance. My personal experience though has been a 100% positive one though.
I would love to see any data Roger has on CV lenses. I don't remember him publishing any results from CV lenses, although there certainly could be one or two or even a few that I have missed. I think Roger's data is really the only thing going that gives us anything like reliable information on copy variation.
p.5 #12 · Voigtländer SE series lenses announced (35/1.2, 40/1.2, 50/1.2)
Well that's a data point which can't be ignored. I wonder if he would be so kind as to share which lenses in particular had this variance so we know what to be more careful of?
p.5 #13 · Voigtländer SE series lenses announced (35/1.2, 40/1.2, 50/1.2)
I don’t how you can say that. There is proof against your allegation and all the anecdotal support for it.
If you have been following the “golden copies” sold in the BS forum, you would know that it is not true!
Steve Spencer wrote:
I don't think it is true that Cosina Voigtlander (CV) has traditionally been associated with high copy variation and service problems.
p.5 #14 · Voigtländer SE series lenses announced (35/1.2, 40/1.2, 50/1.2)
Make a claim - provide verifiable data or its just that.
“Facts get shares, opinions get shrugs.”
Few web reviewers even mention Voigtlanders, let alone test them. B&H took an inordinate time to even list the 50/2, an exciting lens whoever made it. Build quality is superb, as attested by honest pundits. It's doubtful such a high performance line has been received this shabbily in many a long year.
The industry is treating the CV range as a fringe boutique line, something serious people would not even want to know about. Not a manual focus issue, they talk up Otus. The Sony target mount is part of it.
It reminds me of the early period of Sony's a7 release, lots of badmouthing ('consumer electronics company', 'toys' etc.) but no one could doubt their performance. Same here. But big picture, it's other people who are missing out, so bad luck for them, and a benefit for us. We can be good with that.
p.5 #16 · Voigtländer SE series lenses announced (35/1.2, 40/1.2, 50/1.2)
I think it's unlikely since the 50/2 is pretty light already and the price is also not too far from the SE series (e.g. the new 50/1./2 SE). In the Voigtländer 2020 catalog the APO-Lanthars are listed under their own series called "Ultra high performance lens series" and since the SE is another series, it would be a bit complicated if they also introduced lenses that were part of both series at the same time. They'd have to rework the categories...
zugzwang2 wrote:
From the Department of Wishful Thinking:
Will the new 50mm f/2 APO Lanthar eventually be ported to the new SE form? That would make it a dream hiking and landscape lens for me. . . .
p.5 #20 · Voigtländer SE series lenses announced (35/1.2, 40/1.2, 50/1.2)
I’m very curious if any of the lens rendering characteristics will be different with a native mount version of this lens. I enjoyed your review of the M mount but I’m not sure I’m sold on it.
Fred Miranda wrote:
In the US, we should get the 35/1.2 SE by the end of the month as well.
