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Best Voigtlander M-mount lenses for Leica and Sony sensors

tunisia
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p.11 #1 · p.11 #1 · Best Voigtlander M-mount lenses for Leica and Sony sensors

I use the Voigtlander 50 APO on the Nikon Z7; it's by far my
best performing manual lens. I only shoot manual
on all my cameras, and, I mainly shoot m-mount lenses.
So, now for my question:
In lieu of there ever being a CV 50 APO in m-mount for
the Leica - my ideal preference! - does anyone know of,
or can recommend an m-mount lens that has similar acuity,
color fidelity and resolution as the CV 50 APO?
Thanks in advance for any and all serious responses. Oh, I am
aware of the Leica 50 APO, but have never used one and don't
know if it draws similarly enough to justify its purchase,
even if it might be a higher resolving lens.
Sorry for longish post and apologize if this isn't the appropriate place.

Jul 28, 2020 at 11:25 PM

Fred Miranda
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p.11 #2 · p.11 #2 · Best Voigtlander M-mount lenses for Leica and Sony sensors

Voigtlander 35mm f/1.2 Aspherical Nokton III


	?ts=1621794958

Distance: Infinity
Focus: Center - Best of three @ high magnification
WB: Daylight for both systems
Vignetting and distortion were NOT corrected
Sony A7RII files downsampled to 24MP to match the Leica resolution
Same sharpening used for both cameras once files were normalized. (Not other corrections in LR)

PS: Disregard Leica's aperture settings. The camera does not record aperture accurately. It's just an estimation and it's usually wrong.

_______________________

Voigtlander 35mm f/1.2 Aspherical Nokton III

Center resolution comparison only Sony and Leica bodies

Center at f/1.2: Very similar performance

Center at f/1.4: Very similar performance

Center at f/2: Very similar performance

Center at f/2.8: Very similar performance

Center at f/4: Very similar performance

Center at f/5.6: Very similar performance

Center at f/8: Very similar performance

Sep 06, 2020 at 12:21 PM

Fred Miranda
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p.11 #3 · p.11 #3 · Best Voigtlander M-mount lenses for Leica and Sony sensors

Voigtlander 35mm f/1.2 Aspherical Nokton III

MID-FIELD resolution comparison only Sony and Leica bodies

Mid-field at f/1.2: The CV 35/1.2 III VM performs better on the Leica at mid-field wide open. That's because it was focused at center. It would look similar if both were focused at mid-field. This is due to induced field curvature

Mid-field at f/1.4: Small improvement for both lenses. (Leica still ahead)

Mid-field at f/2: Already at f/2, mid-field is similar between both systems

Mid-field at f/4: Very similar performance

Mid-field at f/5.6: Very similar performance

Mid-field at f/8: Very similar performance

Sep 06, 2020 at 12:22 PM

Fred Miranda
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p.11 #4 · p.11 #4 · Best Voigtlander M-mount lenses for Leica and Sony sensors

Voigtlander 35mm f/1.2 Aspherical Nokton III

EXTREME CORNER resolution comparison only Sony and Leica bodies

Extreme corner at f/1.2: It performs better on the Leica due to induced field curvature but it's not bad on the Sony at f/1.2

Extreme corner at f/1.4: Not much changes

Extreme corner at f/2: Both lenses improve. The Leica crop is still ahead

Extreme corner at f/2.8: Big jump for both crops and the Sony crop gets closer to the Leica

Extreme corner at f/4: Starting at f/4, both Sony and Leica crops are very similar

Extreme corner at f/5.6: Similar performance

Extreme corner at f/8: Similar performance.

Sep 06, 2020 at 12:24 PM

freaklikeme
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p.11 #5 · p.11 #5 · Best Voigtlander M-mount lenses for Leica and Sony sensors

tunisia wrote:
I use the Voigtlander 50 APO on the Nikon Z7; it's by far my
best performing manual lens. I only shoot manual
on all my cameras, and, I mainly shoot m-mount lenses.
So, now for my question:
In lieu of there ever being a CV 50 APO in m-mount for
the Leica - my ideal preference! - does anyone know of,
or can recommend an m-mount lens that has similar acuity,
color fidelity and resolution as the CV 50 APO?
Thanks in advance for any and all serious responses. Oh, I am
aware of the Leica 50 APO, but have never used one and don't
know if it...Show more →

The APO Summicron-M 75 is the closest I can think of it. You can rent this and the APO 50 from Lens Rentals if you want to test them out for yourself.

Sep 07, 2020 at 06:55 PM

tunisia
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p.11 #6 · p.11 #6 · Best Voigtlander M-mount lenses for Leica and Sony sensors

freaklikeme wrote:
The APO Summicron-M 75 is the closest I can think of it. You can rent this and the APO 50 from Lens Rentals if you want to test them out for yourself.

Think you're probably right. I have 75 and also the cv 21mm f1.4 and feel the same about it as well.
What I want is a 50 in the same category as these. I don't intend to use the leica as I believe from
photos and reviews the cv 50 apo is actually somewhat better than the Leica 50 APO even though
that might sound like heresy and don't want to spend that much anyway.
For the time being, I've settled on the cv 50mm f1.2 which is a good approximation and makes up for
what it lacks with speed and a bit more character.

regards,

Joe D

Sep 08, 2020 at 02:13 AM

Fred Miranda
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p.11 #7 · p.11 #7 · Best Voigtlander M-mount lenses for Leica and Sony sensors

Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.5 II


	?ts=1621794958

Here is the full image thumbnail showing the areas demonstrated at 1:1 magnification.

Distance: Infinity
Focus: Center - Best of three @ 12.4x magnification
WB: Daylight
Lens well centered using my decentering test
Software: Lightroom with my default landscape sharpening. All other settings set to default

PS: Vignetting and distortion were NOT corrected. All in-camera corrections turned 'off'.

f/1.5
Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.5 II Aspherical at Center, Mid-field and Extreme corner

Center: Sony A7R4 (LEFT), Leica M10 (RIGHT) - The Voigtlander 50mm f/1.5 II is capable of great resolution from wide open at mid and infinity distance. Sony shows a bit more detail since it was downsampled from 61MP

Mid-Field: Sony A7R4 (LEFT), Leica M10 (RIGHT) - There is a mid-field dip in resolution (not field curvature) for both Leica and Sony. It's more severe on the Sony due to induced field curvature

Extreme corners: Sony A7R4 (LEFT), Leica M10 (RIGHT) - The Leica performs great wide open at the extreme corners while it's just ok on the Sony

Nov 11, 2020 at 02:27 PM

Fred Miranda
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p.11 #8 · p.11 #8 · Best Voigtlander M-mount lenses for Leica and Sony sensors

f/2
Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.5 II Aspherical at Center, Mid-field and Extreme corner

Center: Sony A7R4 (LEFT), Leica M10 (RIGHT) - Both lenses improve slightly from f/1.5 to f/2. Similar performance on both cameras

Mid-field: Sony A7R4 (LEFT), Leica M10 (RIGHT) - Very minor change from f/1.5 to f/2 at mid-field

Extreme corner: Sony A7R4 (LEFT), Leica M10 (RIGHT) - Also only a slight improvement from f/1.5 to f/2

Nov 11, 2020 at 02:28 PM

Fred Miranda
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p.11 #9 · p.11 #9 · Best Voigtlander M-mount lenses for Leica and Sony sensors

f/2.8
Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.5 II Aspherical at Center, Mid-field and Extreme corner

Center: Sony A7R4 (LEFT), Leica M10 (RIGHT) - Noticeable improvement in resolution/contrast from f/2 to f/2.8. (both cameras)

Mid-field: Sony A7R4 (LEFT), Leica M10 (RIGHT) - Both Sony and Leica improve noticeably from f/2 to f/2.8. Leica still ahead.

Extreme corner: Sony A7R4 (LEFT), Leica M10 (RIGHT) - Noticeably improvement for both cameras but the Sony still can't match the Leica corners

Nov 11, 2020 at 02:30 PM

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p.11 #10 · p.11 #10 · Best Voigtlander M-mount lenses for Leica and Sony sensors

f/4
Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.5 II Aspherical at Center, Mid-field and Extreme corner

Center: Sony A7R4 (LEFT), Leica M10 (RIGHT): Not much changes from f/2.8 to f/4. It looks like f/2.8 was optimal for both cameras

Mid-field: Sony A7R4 (LEFT), Leica M10 (RIGHT): Both lenses improve in terms of resolution and contrast from f/2.8 to f/4. Sony improves a tad more but still behind

Extreme corner: Sony A7R4 (LEFT), Leica M10 (RIGHT) - Both improve. It looks like we are approaching the optimal aperture. Sony is still slightly behind

Nov 11, 2020 at 02:31 PM

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p.11 #11 · p.11 #11 · Best Voigtlander M-mount lenses for Leica and Sony sensors

f/5.6
Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.5 II Aspherical at Center, Mid-field and Extreme corner

Center: Sony A7R4 (LEFT), Leica M10 (RIGHT) - Not much changes in terms of resolution from f/4 to f/5.6

Mid-field: Sony A7R4 (LEFT), Leica M10 (RIGHT) - Sony improves further and gets closer to the Leica's performance

Extreme corner: Sony A7R4 (LEFT), Leica M10 (RIGHT) - The Sony almost matches the Leica now as depth of field finally masks the induced field curvature.

Nov 11, 2020 at 02:32 PM

Fred Miranda
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p.11 #12 · p.11 #12 · Best Voigtlander M-mount lenses for Leica and Sony sensors

f/8
Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.5 II Aspherical at Center, Mid-field and Extreme corner

Center: Sony A7R4 (LEFT), Leica M10 (RIGHT): Not much changes from f/5.6 to f/8, except for slightly lower micro-contrast for both cameras

Mid-field: Sony A7R4 (LEFT), Leica M10 (RIGHT) - It looks like the Sony improves slightly and now matches the Leica

Extreme corner: Sony A7R4 (LEFT), Leica M10 (RIGHT): It looks like the Sony and Leica are equal now

Nov 11, 2020 at 02:33 PM

naturephoto1
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p.11 #13 · p.11 #13 · Best Voigtlander M-mount lenses for Leica and Sony sensors

Fred Miranda wrote:
<font size=5>f/2</font>
Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.5 II Aspherical at Center, Mid-field and Extreme corner

Hi Fred,

Certainly for sharpness, the lens in the corners is better on the Leica. I wonder how the lens would perform on a thin sensor Sony body. My experience with my wide angle M-mount lenses on my UT sensor and my thin sensor cameras would suggest the lenses perform much better than on the stock bodies.

There is quite a difference in color. Which do you think is closer to the true color of the scene?

Rich

Nov 11, 2020 at 02:37 PM

Fred Miranda
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p.11 #14 · p.11 #14 · Best Voigtlander M-mount lenses for Leica and Sony sensors

naturephoto1 wrote:
Hi Fred,

Certainly for sharpness, the lens in the corners is better on the Leica. I wonder how the lens would perform on a thin sensor Sony body. My experience with my wide angle M-mount lenses on my UT sensor and my thin sensor cameras would suggest the lenses perform much better than on the stock bodies.

There is quite a difference in color. Which do you think is closer to the true color of the scene?

Rich

On a Sony modified thin sensor body, the Voigtlander 50/1.5 II would likely perform similarly to the Leica results.
Regarding the difference in color rendering between Sony and Leica. I find the Sony colors more accurate but for some scenes, I prefer the Leica colors. (Adobe "Color Profile" used for both cameras)

Nov 11, 2020 at 02:44 PM

philip_pj
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p.11 #15 · p.11 #15 · Best Voigtlander M-mount lenses for Leica and Sony sensors

It would be interesting to see if 'induced field curvature' remains a constant value through the aperture range, probably very hard to check. 'Regular' field curvature varies widely by aperture value, and it can appear where you least want it show up. I guess we would need to see where the maximum ray angle is, at what aperture?

Nov 11, 2020 at 02:52 PM

retrofocus
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p.11 #16 · p.11 #16 · Best Voigtlander M-mount lenses for Leica and Sony sensors

Fred Miranda wrote:
On a Sony modified thin sensor body, the Voigtlander 50/1.5 II would likely perform similarly to the Leica results.
Regarding the difference in color rendering between Sony and Leica. I find the Sony colors more accurate but for some scenes, I prefer the Leica colors. (Adobe "Color Profile" used for both cameras)

+1. Same here: I can't talk about the M10, but the M240 (which I am using) has better and more natural color rendition than my Sony A7R (for example with the greens). Sometimes blue sky appears a bit too saturated in the M240 files which can be easily corrected. The (now older) Sony A7R sensor has better DR especially in the highlights but can also push shadows better than the M240 sensor - but there are good workarounds with the M240 to compensate (additional remark: I am aware that the M10 has about the same DR as the A7R, but I will only consider upgrading to a M10 series when prices drop to $3K and lower). Benefit is that most of my LTM and all of my M lenses shine on the M240 by getting sharp corners and no color fringing with wide lenses.

Nov 12, 2020 at 07:51 AM

Fred Miranda
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p.11 #17 · p.11 #17 · Best Voigtlander M-mount lenses for Leica and Sony sensors

philip_pj wrote:
It would be interesting to see if 'induced field curvature' remains a constant value through the aperture range, probably very hard to check. 'Regular' field curvature varies widely by aperture value, and it can appear where you least want it show up. I guess we would need to see where the maximum ray angle is, at what aperture?

That would be a tough one to measure because depth of field masks the induced field curvature just like it does with 'regular' field curvature.

I have a few more lenses to post Leica/Sony comparisons next:
Voigtlander 35mm f/2 APO, Voigtlander 50mm f/2 APO, Voigtlander 40/1.2 Nokton.

Once I received the new Voigtlander 28mm f/2 Ultron, I will compare it as well.

May 23, 2021 at 04:38 PM

Fred Miranda
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p.11 #18 · p.11 #18 · Best Voigtlander M-mount lenses for Leica and Sony sensors

BTW: This comparison was done here:

Voigtlander 28mm f/2 Ultron II: Leica M10R vs Sony A7R IV

https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1704868/1#induced

Jul 01, 2021 at 12:14 AM

hanay78
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p.11 #19 · p.11 #19 · Best Voigtlander M-mount lenses for Leica and Sony sensors

Hi!

Is there a similar comparison for ZM and Leica Glass?

Thanks in advance!

Jan 28, 2022 at 07:00 PM

Fred Miranda
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p.11 #20 · p.11 #20 · Best Voigtlander M-mount lenses for Leica and Sony sensors

hanay78 wrote:
Hi!

Is there a similar comparison for ZM and Leica Glass?

Thanks in advance!

Hi Hanay,
I will be including Leica glass comparison soon. (M10-R vs A7R IV)

Mar 05, 2022 at 11:07 AM

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