philip_pj wrote:
The new APO-Summicron-M 35/2 will be very interesting. We'll see two new 35/2 APO lenses in a 2020 arms race on M mount. Both these elite makers have chosen this direction (APO) for their technical lenses.
The big difference, other than price, between these two will be related to design decisions, both optical and ergonomic. Leica will make their APO as small as possible and quite possibly give up some absolute performance relative to the VM APO to achieve this while remaining harmonious with their M system design philosophy. The photo posted on the previous page was shot in a manner that makes determining the length of the Leica APO impossible, but it would surprise me if it's anywhere near the length of the VM. I expect the Leica to be a joy to use on a rangefinder camera; likely much less viewfinder blockage and (hopefully) a proper focusing tab. The VM will achieve very high optical performance but in a package designed first for mirrorless and tweaked for M.
I don't fault Cosina for their path as it's a logical one that addresses both systems in an economical and practical manner. But as primarily a rangefinder user, the VM APO will be a compromise in use due to its size and the ergonomic design decisions that could have been better implemented in the M version.
Im going to pre-order this lens and Im hoping I can get some advice on where to place the order. I typically buy from BH, but I've heard recently that if you buy a Voigtlander lens from anyone other than Cameraquest then it's basically impossible to have them serviced in and out of warranty. Is this true? Has anyone had a Voigtlander lens serviced? How are Cameraquest to deal with from your experiences? Their website gives me the impression that they are a small mom and pop camera shop in Cali and not Voigtlanders west coast distributor. I have and love the Voigtlander 21mm 1.4 but I am now concerned that if I dropped it and it was to go of alignment, then I would have a paper weight because I bought it from BH.
smmerz56 wrote:
Im going to pre-order this lens and Im hoping I can get some advice on where to place the order. I typically buy from BH, but I've heard recently that if you buy a Voigtlander lens from anyone other than Cameraquest then it's basically impossible to have them serviced in and out of warranty. Is this true? Has anyone had a Voigtlander lens serviced? How are Cameraquest to deal with from your experiences? Their website gives me the impression that they are a small mom and pop camera shop in Cali and not Voigtlanders west coast distributor. I have and love the Voigtlander 21mm 1.4 but I am now concerned that if I dropped it and it was to go of alignment, then I would have a paper weight because I bought it from BH. ...Show more →
I have purchased new Voigtlander lenses (some pre-orders) and used Leica lenses from Stephen at cameraquest.com with very positive experience. His website has a lot of information of rangefinder cameras and lensed. For new Voigtlander lenses, I wouldn't purchase from anyone other than from Stephen.
smmerz56 wrote:
Im going to pre-order this lens and Im hoping I can get some advice on where to place the order. I typically buy from BH, but I've heard recently that if you buy a Voigtlander lens from anyone other than Cameraquest then it's basically impossible to have them serviced in and out of warranty. Is this true? Has anyone had a Voigtlander lens serviced? How are Cameraquest to deal with from your experiences? Their website gives me the impression that they are a small mom and pop camera shop in Cali and not Voigtlanders west coast distributor. I have and love the Voigtlander 21mm 1.4 but I am now concerned that if I dropped it and it was to go of alignment, then I would have a paper weight because I bought it from BH. ...Show more →
Appearances can be deceptive. Stephen Gandy’s Cameraquest is as far from a small mom and pop camera shop as one could possibly imagine. His website might look old-fashioned but it contains a wealth of knowledge and experience about a wide range of cameras and lenses that has proven invaluable to me (and countless others I’m sure) over the years. It would take a monumental effort to redesign the website whilst preserving all the information it contains—time and effort that Stephen (correctly IMO) judges that are better devoted to representing Cosina Voigtlander and providing first-rate service to his customers.
rscheffler wrote:
I don't fault Cosina for their path as it's a logical one that addresses both systems in an economical and practical manner. But as primarily a rangefinder user, the VM APO will be a compromise in use due to its size and the ergonomic design decisions that could have been better implemented in the M version.
I mean, some people happily use the 35/1.4 ZM on rangefinders and that is more compromised in terms of weight (balance) and finder blockage.
So I do not think the 35/2 APO VM will be that bad for eight times less (and I don't really see people deciding between these two lenses, they are so far apart in terms of pricing)
On the other hand it looks like an interesting upgrade path to the 35/1.4 ZM users: about the same price as re-selling that one used, but lighter, a tad smaller, slightly better close focus (this might annoy some users) and even sharper.
Similar to what other people did, replacing the Leica 50/1.4 ASPH with the 50/2 APO.
Ditto on the CameraQuest. I’ve bought multiple lenses/accessories from them and wouldn’t buy Voigtlander from anywhere else. I too normally get my stuff from B&H though some Leica stuff I go with PopFlash.
What's the advantage of buying Voigtlander lenses from CameraQuest over B&H? It does seem wrong to me that one can't get Voigtlander lenses serviced if purchased from B&H given that B&H is a licensed Voigtlander retailer.
CameraQuest I think is the official Voigtlander distributor in the US? Nothing wrong with B&H in this case, I just like to spread my money around. Personally, I buy enough from B&H that when I have a good reason to buy elsewhere, I do.
In the case of my last purchase (VM 50 APO-Lanthar) I used CameraQuest since I could easily preorder the lens.
httivals wrote:
What's the advantage of buying Voigtlander lenses from CameraQuest over B&H? It does seem wrong to me that one can't get Voigtlander lenses serviced if purchased from B&H given that B&H is a licensed Voigtlander retailer.
Is this actually true, though? Or does Stephen Gandy just have a closer relationship with CV? I could be wrong, but I was just under the impression that Stephen can better facilitate a warranty claim or repair, but it doesn’t mean you can’t get a CV lens serviced if purchased somewhere else.
I also only purchase new, and sometimes used, Voigtlander lenses from Camera Quest for the expedited shipping, customer service, and knowledge share. Admittedly, I also thought Camera Quest was a small mom-and-pop, so this belief has played a role in my purchasing decision.
That's a good question. Cameraquest and Photo Village are the official Voigtlander distributors in the US based on Cosina's website: http://www.cosina.co.jp/kaigai/index.html
Therefore B&H and anyone else in the US should be buying from one of these two distributors and these distributors should be providing servicing.
IIRC, I have read either on the Cameraquest site or Rangefinder Forum (run by Stephen of Cameraquest) that Cameraquest will not service gray market equipment. I.e. lenses imported from outside the US by either retailers or end users.
I have done this a few times to take advantage of better pricing (in one instance, considerably better, saving over $300 US on the then newly released VM35/1.7) but recently global pricing on Voigtlander lenses seems to have become more unified/consistent and the savings are no longer that considerable.
For out of warranty or gray market equipment service, perhaps contact a 3rd party such as DAG to determine if he can or will service these lenses.
rscheffler wrote:
I don't fault Cosina for their path as it's a logical one that addresses both systems in an economical and practical manner. But as primarily a rangefinder user, the VM APO will be a compromise in use due to its size and the ergonomic design decisions that could have been better implemented in the M version.
padam19 wrote:
I mean, some people happily use the 35/1.4 ZM on rangefinders and that is more compromised in terms of weight (balance) and finder blockage.
So I do not think the 35/2 APO VM will be that bad for eight times less (and I don't really see people deciding between these two lenses, they are so far apart in terms of pricing)
On the other hand it looks like an interesting upgrade path to the 35/1.4 ZM users: about the same price as re-selling that one used, but lighter, a tad smaller, slightly better close focus (this might annoy some users) and even sharper.
Similar to what other people did, replacing the Leica 50/1.4 ASPH with the 50/2 APO. ...Show more →
Sure, the vast majority of people in the market for a 35 APO and who are price sensitive (including me), will choose the Voigtlander. But as someone who also owns some Leica M lenses, there are intangible aspects to Leica's M lenses that don't translate well on paper but become apparent in use. IMO this make them more enjoyable to use and integrate better to the system as a whole, for rangefinder users. But these seemingly small aspects come at a considerable price premium.
My beef with Cosina is they could have made some usability improvements to the design of the VM versions of the 50/2 APO and 35/2 APO for rangefinder users, even if only small improvements. Instead they gave priority to a specific design language that is suboptimal for rangefinder users. I find this odd considering that Cosina has otherwise been very proactive at developing and releasing rangefinder lenses and are currently the only 'mainstream' manufacturer doing so other than Leica (Zeiss hasn't released anything new in over 5 years and the new Chinese brands are still too new, but at least promising).
Other than that, of course I'm extremely pleased to have these optically excellent yet attractively priced Voigtlander lenses available as options to Leica's premium market position.
Regarding Cameraquest and warranty work, I recall reading on the Cameraquest site that one service they provide is automatically registering the lens for the new owner. This is one reason I normally (always?) purchase Voigtlander products through Cameraquest. Perhaps when purchased through B&H these lenses need to be registered by the owner? Cameraquest's service has always been first rate for me. I live in Texas and typically get my lens the day after I order it. Wow. I like to buy other things through B&H and I have nothing negative to say about B&H.
Steve Spencer wrote:
Three very recent and it looks like great options in the 35 f/1.4 GM, Sigma 35 f/2 DN, and CV 35 f/2 APO. These nicely add to the wonderful f/1.2 options from Sigma and CV, and the f/2.8 choices that have been around for awhile including the Sony/Zeiss 35 f/2.8 provide a huge amount of choice at 35mm, I think at this point with 35mm lenses you have to decide how many you want first and foremost. Are you happy with just one? Do you want two? Can you justify 3? And I think that decision is partly how much you like the focal length. I know for myself these new quality options mean I will probably get 2 or 3 35mm lenses in the next year or so....Show more →
The Voigtlander 35mm f/2 APO's MTF is so amazing even compared to Cosina's best lenses.
It will be difficult to resist this lens.
rscheffler wrote:
Sure, the vast majority of people in the market for a 35 APO and who are price sensitive (including me), will choose the Voigtlander. But as someone who also owns some Leica M lenses, there are intangible aspects to Leica's M lenses that don't translate well on paper but become apparent in use. IMO this make them more enjoyable to use and integrate better to the system as a whole, for rangefinder users. But these seemingly small aspects come at a considerable price premium.
My beef with Cosina is they could have made some usability improvements to the design of the VM versions of the 50/2 APO and 35/2 APO for rangefinder users, even if only small improvements. Instead they gave priority to a specific design language that is suboptimal for rangefinder users. I find this odd considering that Cosina has otherwise been very proactive at developing and releasing rangefinder lenses and are currently the only 'mainstream' manufacturer doing so other than Leica (Zeiss hasn't released anything new in over 5 years and the new Chinese brands are still too new, but at least promising).
Other than that, of course I'm extremely pleased to have these optically excellent yet attractively priced Voigtlander lenses available as options to Leica's premium market position....Show more →
I am not sure why they would need to redesign it in any way for two reasons:
- they looked just like this in the past, and people didn't complain much
- extra cost (parallel development with E-mount and possibly other mounts, Leica is only for M-mount), it would defeat the whole purpose of providing the best value for the money
If somebody wants a smaller size and a focus tab, now they provide that as well with the 35mm f/2 Ultron Type II version.
Yes, the differences are apparent regarding Leica lenses, but whether that simply means that they are superior, I'm not so sure, and I am talking about the 35/1.4 FLE which I just got after owning the pre-FLE version as well as the 35/1.4 ZM
I mean, yes it is nicely sized and there is a focus tab, but with lenses that have a floating element, it feels quite heavy to turn (I think more so when it is mounted on a rangefinder as opposed to a mirrorless body)
Yes the aperture ring is much quieter than the Zeiss, but it is also quite loose. Initial impressions say the aperture ring on the 50mm APO-Lanthar VM is very nice. I read that they've changed the aperture compared to the E-mount version, so I wonder if they've also changed the steps to 1/2 stops, that would be a welcomed improvement.
So I am sticking to my original point which is: people lived with the compromises of a 35/1.2 II Nokton or a 35/1.4 ZM Distagon. Now we have a lens that should handle better than those, while bringing in a yet-unseen level of performance, so it could be even more appealing.
Yes the Leica will be smaller but with a built-in hood and floating elements, I am not sure if the size and weight difference is going to be as negligible as it was with the 50/2 Summicron vs 50/2 APO-Summicron
So in the grand scheme of things, there is very little to complain about.
If it lives up to the expectations regarding the actual images, then the demand will be high.
I want to buy a CV manual focus 35 and was looking at f1.2 SE and now this lens has been announced.
Wondering, what is the appeal of optical perfection in a manual focus 35mm F2 lens?
I can understand a manual focus 35/1.2. You shoot wide open for the look.
I can understand a 35/2 if its an autofocus lens, as the focal length requires that for many applications.
Will this lens be sharper than many 35’s at f5.6 f8 ?
Will you chose this over CV 35 1.2? Please explain to me why?
Feb 20, 2021 at 03:37 PM
Steve Spencer Online • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
6683 wrote:
I want to buy a CV manual focus 35 and was looking at f1.2 SE and now this lens has been announced.
Wondering, what is the appeal of optical perfection in a manual focus 35mm F2 lens?
I can understand a manual focus 35/1.2. You shoot wide open for the look.
I can understand a 35/2 if its an autofocus lens, as the focal length requires that for many applications.
Will this lens be sharper than many 35’s at f5.6 f8 ?
Will you chose this over CV 35 1.2? Please explain to me why?
I actually prefer a manual focus 35mm to an autofocus 35mm, so for me the question is which MF 35mm. I think I am going to get the CV 35 f/2 APO because it is more versatile especially with what I expect to be quite a bit better up close performance.
'So in the grand scheme of things, there is very little to complain about.'
With the 50/2 APO-Lanthar, we realised fast that the bar for the lens to clear was set up a couple of notches higher. I stopped posting images (that may have helped viewers) from it for some time.
Im never going to need my corners that good wide open, but the lens looks like it's going to perfectly resolve a a 60mp sensor corner to corner. Cant wait to shoot it.
6683 wrote:
I want to buy a CV manual focus 35 and was looking at f1.2 SE and now this lens has been announced.
Wondering, what is the appeal of optical perfection in a manual focus 35mm F2 lens?
I can understand a manual focus 35/1.2. You shoot wide open for the look.
I can understand a 35/2 if its an autofocus lens, as the focal length requires that for many applications.
Will this lens be sharper than many 35’s at f5.6 f8 ?
Corner sharpness seems unimpressive on this lens, the new 35/2 will be way sharper across the frame with less aberrations, etc. and you can shoot it at f/2 for a different look that some may associate with being clinical.
6683 wrote:
I want to buy a CV manual focus 35 and was looking at f1.2 SE and now this lens has been announced.
Wondering, what is the appeal of optical perfection in a manual focus 35mm F2 lens?
I can understand a manual focus 35/1.2. You shoot wide open for the look.
I can understand a 35/2 if its an autofocus lens, as the focal length requires that for many applications.
Will this lens be sharper than many 35’s at f5.6 f8 ?
Will you chose this over CV 35 1.2? Please explain to me why?
I have already ordered this one. My decision was based on extensive use of the 50mm f/2 APO Lanthar, which (when focussed carefully) gives me pixel-level sharp images on an A7R4. I can crop a fragment from an image and blow it up.
