p.11 #3 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1.5 II Aspherical Review
The voigtlander 50mm f1.5 ii is a new generation of lens. Previous generation bright lenses (ie. below f2) had major compromises, but the ii meets and exceeds many f2 lenses for sharpness, and the critical edge sharpness, which has always been he achilles heal of bright lenses.
It is also the only high quality bright50mm I have used which doesn't tilt the camera over when standing (M10). I find this very useful as I often use walls or pillars to take scenic shots, especially at night, as I dont carry a tripod.
It's compromises are close to perfect:
1. Super Sharp wide open over 2m. This is much more useful to me to then close up which which I rarely shoot. Close up it is still Sharp but not very sharp
2. Infinity is super sharp from f4. I never shoot scenes or infinity less then f5.6
The only downside is vignetting when wide open,so maybe a downer for astral photography. For portraits the can be easily corrected in LR.
Ultimately a high quality well made and very compact bright lens. It's compactness is its achievement. Perfect for walk about and especially for subtleness, no dangling a long lens in someone's face
p.11 #4 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1.5 II Aspherical Review
I would love to see a proper side by side between the C-Sonnar and CV 50/1.5 II that allows the Sonnar to shine at what it does best: it is a people lens and it shines at rendering close and mid scenes and the oof highlights just sing. I would never shoot landscapes with it. All comparisons I've seen so far are sloppy. Sorry.
p.11 #5 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1.5 II Aspherical Review
Like many great character lenses, the Sonnar has more limitations and more magic then more stable and better corrected optics IMO. This new CV seems like a good option and largely excels where the Sonnar falters. Would be a nice complimentary pair if I were a 50mm shooter.
I do wish the Sonnar was easier to focus, had less focus shift and wasn’t so awful on Sony’s sensor stack.
p.11 #6 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1.5 II Aspherical Review
Fred Miranda wrote:
Thanks for posting! Amazing review.
My favorite of the bunch is the Voigtlander 50/1.2 followed by the Leica 50/1.4 lux. The Voigtlander 50/1.5 II performs great and is very compact but the high optical vignetting bothers me a bit. (swirling, extreme cats' eye + DOF increase towards the corners)
Interesting, I flip-flop them and see the Summilux 1.4 followed by the Sonnar or CV 1.2. I like the color/contrast/punch of the Lux and what seems like a more narrow FOV than the CV. Even a few mm wider than 50 starts really feeling like a 40mm lens to my eye. Maybe the Lux is 53mm and the CV is 47mm? – seems like quite a difference. My CV 50 APO shows that same wider FOV than my Lux.
p.11 #7 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1.5 II Aspherical Review
highdesertmesa wrote:
Interesting, I flip-flop them and see the Summilux 1.4 followed by the Sonnar or CV 1.2. I like the color/contrast/punch of the Lux and what seems like a more narrow FOV than the CV. Even a few mm wider than 50 starts really feeling like a 40mm lens to my eye. Maybe the Lux is 53mm and the CV is 47mm? – seems like quite a difference. My CV 50 APO shows that same wider FOV than my Lux.
Yes, the CV is wider than 50mm. (perhaps 48-49mm). I prefer the Voigtlander 50/1.2 over the Lux in rendering, especially if the subject is focused at 5m or longer where the transition zone is visible in the background. Nowadays, I have the CV 50/2 APO as my main 50mm on the Leica. It's well corrected but still has very pleasant rendering even at mid-distance. IMO, the best APO so far. I never tried the Leica 50/2 APO though.
p.11 #8 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1.5 II Aspherical Review
Fred Miranda wrote:
Yes, the CV is shorter than 50mm. (perhaps 48-49mm). I prefer the Voigtlander 50/1.2 over the Lux in rendering, especially if the subject is focused at 5m or longer where the transition zone is visible in the background. Nowadays, I have the CV 50/2 APO as my main 50mm on the Leica. It's well corrected but still has very pleasant rendering even at mid-distance. IMO, the best APO so far. I never tried the Leica 50/2 APO though.
I haven't had the Lux (Black Chrome) very long, not long enough to try mid distance. I agree about the 50 APO. It reminds me a lot of the GF 50 shot wide open @ f/3.5 at close distance – not for how it renders, just for how it appeals to me. Both are flat-field and sharp at infinity, and both give pleasing results at MFD without the bokeh becoming the subject.
I'm on the fence about the CV 50 1.2 – I want to get it, but the CV 75 1.5 and my GF 80 1.7 are so good, I keep putting it on the back burner. That and the CV 35 1.2 III is still keeping me busy. "It's on the list" so to speak
p.11 #9 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1.5 II Aspherical Review
highdesertmesa wrote:
I haven't had the Lux (Black Chrome) very long, not long enough to try mid distance. I agree about the 50 APO. It reminds me a lot of the GF 50 shot wide open @ f/3.5 at close distance – not for how it renders, just for how it appeals to me. Both are flat-field and sharp at infinity, and both give pleasing results at MFD without the bokeh becoming the subject.
I'm on the fence about the CV 50 1.2 – I want to get it, but the CV 75 1.5 and my GF 80 1.7 are so good, I keep putting it on the back burner. That and the CV 35 1.2 III is still keeping me busy. "It's on the list" so to speak ...Show more →
Since you already have the CV 50/2 APO, I would go for the CV 75/1.5 for the extra blur and character. The latter will give your images slightly more blur for the distant background compared to the 50/1.2 when the subject is at same distance.
p.11 #10 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1.5 II Aspherical Review
Fred Miranda wrote:
Since you already have the CV 50/2 APO, I would go for the CV 75/1.5 for the extra blur and character. The latter will give your images slightly more blur for the distant background compared to the 50/1.2 when the subject is at same distance.
Sorry, my grammar was a mess there. I meant I haven't bought the 50 1.2 because I already have the 75 1.5 and GF 80, and they are keeping me busy
p.11 #11 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1.5 II Aspherical Review
highdesertmesa wrote:
Interesting, I flip-flop them and see the Summilux 1.4 followed by the Sonnar or CV 1.2. I like the color/contrast/punch of the Lux and what seems like a more narrow FOV than the CV. Even a few mm wider than 50 starts really feeling like a 40mm lens to my eye. Maybe the Lux is 53mm and the CV is 47mm? – seems like quite a difference. My CV 50 APO shows that same wider FOV than my Lux.
I very much agree. I was still vaguely wondering about getting the SC version of the CV 50/1.5 II but colonelpurple’s post above reminded me that it offers nothing that is not already provided by the same trio you mention: C Sonnar, Lux 50 ASPH, and CV 50/1.2. Admittedly it’s unfair to compare a single lens to three but, forced to choose one of the four, the CV 50/1.5 II would be my last choice because the things it does well are not all that important to me.
p.11 #12 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1.5 II Aspherical Review
genji wrote:
I very much agree. I was still vaguely wondering about getting the SC version of the CV 50/1.5 II but colonelpurple’s post above reminded me that it offers nothing that is not already provided by the same trio you mention: C Sonnar, Lux 50 ASPH, and CV 50/1.2. Admittedly it’s unfair to compare a single lens to three but, forced to choose one of the four, the CV 50/1.5 II would be my last choice because the things it does well are not all that important to me.
I can understand that. Right now I have the 50 Summilux and the CV 50 APO, which seem to be a good balance without overwhelming myself with too many choices. I can take either out on a trip or outing as my only 50, and either can do well enough for any type of shot.
That SC version of the 50 1.5 is very tempting, though. The sample comparison shots look more cinematic to me than the MC version.
p.11 #13 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1.5 II Aspherical Review
SC has tended to be my go to whenever I acquire Voigtlander glass. Reminds me of 70s Leica colors with the lower contrast that does wonders for me on film.
Seeing as there has been a fair number of these lenses popping up on B/S/T, I may have to snag one. Great prices!
p.11 #14 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1.5 II Aspherical Review
highdesertmesa wrote:
Interesting, I flip-flop them and see the Summilux 1.4 followed by the Sonnar or CV 1.2. I like the color/contrast/punch of the Lux and what seems like a more narrow FOV than the CV. Even a few mm wider than 50 starts really feeling like a 40mm lens to my eye. Maybe the Lux is 53mm and the CV is 47mm? – seems like quite a difference. My CV 50 APO shows that same wider FOV than my Lux.
There's likely also some slight focal length variation from copy to copy. Leica states the exact focal length for 50mm+ lenses (not sure if for every model). You can determine this based on the two small numbers on the focusing scale to the right of infinity. For example my 50 Lux ASPH is "16" and means the actual focal length is 51.6mm. Over the years I've read that something to do with how the M system was designed, the 'standard' lens focal length is more around 52mm than 50mm.
p.11 #15 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1.5 II Aspherical Review
rscheffler wrote:
There's likely also some slight focal length variation from copy to copy. Leica states the exact focal length for 50mm+ lenses (not sure if for every model). You can determine this based on the two small numbers on the focusing scale to the right of infinity. For example my 50 Lux ASPH is "16" and means the actual focal length is 51.6mm. Over the years I've read that something to do with how the M system was designed, the 'standard' lens focal length is more around 52mm than 50mm.
Strange — the product photos of the 50 Black Chrome show “16”, but my copy has nothing printed there at all. I don’t think that marking made it into production for the black chrome model.
p.11 #16 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1.5 II Aspherical Review
That's interesting. Maybe they're trying to be historically accurate? My 50 Cron Rigid also doesn't have that number anywhere. Neither does my 50/1.5 Summarit LTM. Not sure when they started it. FWIW, my 90AA and 90 Macro both have it; 10 and 97 respectively (= 91mm and 89.7mm).
p.11 #18 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1.5 II Aspherical Review
Excellent lens or not, I wound up picking up the 50/1.2 SE for my Sony anyway, but can still adapt this tiny gem if desired. Other than the IFC sharpening up the corners of the II, the rendering to my eyes seems similar at f/1.4 vs. f/1.5--especially between 0.7 and 1.5m. There's a touch more glow with the SE thanks to SA. I say this in response to requests for comparisons between these lenses that appear, unless I missed it, to have gone unanswered.
p.11 #20 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1.5 II Aspherical Review
highdesertmesa wrote:
I haven't had the Lux (Black Chrome) very long, not long enough to try mid distance. I agree about the 50 APO. It reminds me a lot of the GF 50 shot wide open @ f/3.5 at close distance – not for how it renders, just for how it appeals to me. Both are flat-field and sharp at infinity, and both give pleasing results at MFD without the bokeh becoming the subject.
I'm on the fence about the CV 50 1.2 – I want to get it, but the CV 75 1.5 and my GF 80 1.7 are so good, I keep putting it on the back burner. That and the CV 35 1.2 III is still keeping me busy. "It's on the list" so to speak ...Show more →
I've been encountering calibration issues which are now amplified by the M10-R's 40MP sensor.
My new copy of the 50/1.4 lux is perfectly calibrated at MFD, 2m and infinity. I appreciate this level of accuracy and tight tolerance which is not easy to do. On the other hand, lens focus calibration has been disappointing with the modern ultra fast f/1.2 Nokton lenses. (35mm, 40mm and 50mm). Calibration is not noticeably off but when shooting at f/1.2, especially at close distance, it's enough to bother me. Surprisingly this not an issue with the 'slower f/1.5' lenses like the Voigt 35/1.7, Voigt 50/1.5 II, 75/1.5 and newer APO lenses.
When comparing RF focusing (with a 1.4x magnifier to increase accuracy) to Visoflex, all the f/1.2 copies I've tried so far show a slight miss-calibration. I've tried numerous copies of the 35mm, 40mm and 50mm f/1.2 M lenses. My theory is that Voigtlander calibrates them for 2m but because of their complex design without FLE, calibration is only 100% accurate at one distance, so not as good at MFD and infinity.
Notwithstanding calibration issues, I consider the CV 50/1.2 in particular a bargain compared to the lux. Their rendering is very similar and pleasant. At infinity, the Nokton actually has better corners at wider apertures and they are very similar at center wide open. Not much difference at f/5.6 for landscapes on the M10-R. The Nokton is only 20g heavier and noticeable shorter (and fatter).
