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.
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
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 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. ...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.
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.
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
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
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.
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?
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)
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?
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.
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.
