Home · Register · Join Upload & Sell

Moderated by: Fred Miranda

New fredmiranda.com Mobile Site

New Feature: SMS Notification alert

New Feature: Buy & Sell Watchlist

FM Forums | Sony Forum | Join Upload & Sell

1 2 3 … 40

42 end

FM Review: Voigtlander 35mm f/2 APO-Lanthar

philip_pj
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.41 #1 · p.41 #1 · FM Review: Voigtlander 35mm f/2 APO-Lanthar

Some very evocative content of yours on Flickr, Albrecht. I'm glad a few others are using this 35/2 APO.

Mar 23, 2022 at 05:21 AM

GartenMoorriem
Online
•
Upload & Sell: Off

p.41 #2 · p.41 #2 · FM Review: Voigtlander 35mm f/2 APO-Lanthar

Thank you, its great to get a nice feedback on the pictures. And yes, the 35 mm together with the 65 mm (I do not know the 50 mm) are my favorites. It is pure joy to see the image quality and sharpness on a good monitor or print. Only flickr an online media can not satisfy this quality.

Mar 23, 2022 at 02:31 PM

philip_pj
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.41 #3 · p.41 #3 · FM Review: Voigtlander 35mm f/2 APO-Lanthar

Agree entirely, you would like others to see the RAWs, to get the full impact. The APO series - I have 35-50-110 - are very uniform in key respects. This one has many of us jonesing for a 28/2 APO! DOF in a 28mm would mean f4 for non-stacked images. Cosina seem to really believe in several coherent sub-ranges, even in the made-for-Sony lenses. They only show the three ranges in the VM page.

Below is the first photo I took handheld with the 35/2 plus a few crops from it, basic adjustments only. LensTip may have got a less than perfect early copy going by their outer frame results in the Image Resolution page (or maybe the Imatest does it no favours compared with infinity focus, as depicted in Cosina's own MTF).

https://www.lenstip.com/610.4-Lens_review-Voigtlander_Apo_Lanthar_35_mm_f_2_Aspherical__Image_resolution.html

In any case, their chart indicates f4 as best aperture, f2.8 is better than f5.6 except in the outer regions of the frame. F2 is stronger in the centre than is f5.6. At f5.6, the centre is already down around 10% from f4.

Voigtlander 35mm f2 APO - f5.6 - 1/250s - ISO 100

centre crop

left side crop

top crop - image height about 18mm

Mar 23, 2022 at 10:33 PM

philip_pj
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.41 #4 · p.41 #4 · FM Review: Voigtlander 35mm f/2 APO-Lanthar

Another one of fussy close focus content and bokeh front and rear.

Bokeh is highly personal but I find this one (at the least) well-structured and organised; it looks pretty inoffensive to me, while retaining the trademark depth signals from out of focus content - trees, bushes.

Voitlander 35mm f2 APO - f2.8 - 1/640s - ISO 100

crop one - mid-top left

crop two - top right corner

Mar 23, 2022 at 10:49 PM

zugzwang2
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.41 #5 · p.41 #5 · FM Review: Voigtlander 35mm f/2 APO-Lanthar

philip_pj wrote:
[Lenstip's] chart indicates f4 as best aperture, f2.8 is better than f5.6 except in the outer regions of the frame. F2 is stronger in the centre than is f5.6. At f5.6, the centre is already down around 10% from f4.

I've generally used the 35 and 50mm APO lenses at the mid-apertures that let me remain convinced that I can see some special sparkle. However, the Capture One software that I use regularly allows automatic correction for diffraction and so should be able to ameliorate some of the downwards trend at small apertures shown in that chart. I have to say that the diffraction-corrected f/8 files still look quite good to me at 100%, and if I wanted to make 16x24 inch prints (that's as big as I go with my A7R III) of the brick work on the house across the street that served as my test subject today, I'm not convinced that I'd see differences in central sharpness between images taken at f/4 and f/8. To be honest, I've lately taken to using the 35 mostly at f/2.8 and f/5.6 because: circular apertures. . . .

Mar 26, 2022 at 09:46 PM

philip_pj
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.41 #6 · p.41 #6 · FM Review: Voigtlander 35mm f/2 APO-Lanthar

The sparkle stays at any aperture, I believe and like you it all looks good 'enough' to me. I shot the 50/2 at f8 for many images with fine results. A lot goes into the mix, doesn't it? Variations in your settings and shot-making technique etc.

I've never worried about it either, due to being more interested in the right DOF, but it is interesting to see the behaviours from tests. For deep landscapes with good foreground detail you want, I'll start focusing a little deeper with the 35/2. It's a very enjoyable journey, so far.

Mar 26, 2022 at 10:31 PM

philip_pj
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.41 #7 · p.41 #7 · FM Review: Voigtlander 35mm f/2 APO-Lanthar

A couple more, two from the 35/2 in the winter sun here, I'm experimenting with f2.8 and f5.6 as well. I've not seen better colour representation of our eucalypts and skies. And one from the 50/2 showing its red response. From what I've seen thus far, I do prefer these two to the new M 35/2 APO, they seem more lively and well-organised.

35/2 APO - f5.6

35/2 - f2.8

crop of above

50/2 APO, a mix of fine subtle tones, clean roofs and those reds - f8

Mar 26, 2022 at 11:00 PM

Fred Miranda
Offline
Admin
Upload & Sell: On

p.41 #8 · p.41 #8 · FM Review: Voigtlander 35mm f/2 APO-Lanthar

philip_pj wrote:
Another one of fussy close focus content and bokeh front and rear.

Bokeh is highly personal but I find this one (at the least) well-structured and organised; it looks pretty inoffensive to me, while retaining the trademark depth signals from out of focus content - trees, bushes.

Structured and organized.

I like the rendering on this image!

Apr 05, 2022 at 05:32 PM

genji
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.41 #9 · p.41 #9 · FM Review: Voigtlander 35mm f/2 APO-Lanthar

philip_pj wrote:
A couple more, two from the 35/2 in the winter sun here, I'm experimenting with f2.8 and f5.6 as well. I've not seen better colour representation of our eucalypts and skies. And one from the 50/2 showing its red response. From what I've seen thus far, I do prefer these two to the new M 35/2 APO, they seem more lively and well-organised.

Not at all sure what "well-organised" means but a comparison between the AL 35/2 and the APO-Summicron-M 35 (when it arrives) may clarify it for me.

Apr 05, 2022 at 07:55 PM

philip_pj
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.41 #10 · p.41 #10 · FM Review: Voigtlander 35mm f/2 APO-Lanthar

Was lucky to stumble into this rough clearing, emerging out of the massive undergrowth on the 250m escarpment just after dusk, temp already below zero Celsius. More of a record snapshot from early next AM, but shows the critical green-yellow tonal response. The subtleties are lost in so many lenses.

Voigtlander 35mm f2 APO (E) - f8

May 01, 2022 at 10:18 PM

philip_pj
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.41 #11 · p.41 #11 · FM Review: Voigtlander 35mm f/2 APO-Lanthar

I feel the 35/2 has better 3D than the 50/2 APO, even factoring in the FL difference. Beautiful density of detail. Mine shows very little specular CA, which I have seen in the 50/2 APO from time to time. I still like the gentle focus fade but may have to experiment with stacking.

Voigtlander 35mm f2 APO (E) - f8

May 01, 2022 at 10:26 PM

philip_pj
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.41 #12 · p.41 #12 · FM Review: Voigtlander 35mm f/2 APO-Lanthar

'Not at all sure what "well-organised"..'

It's shorthand for how the various characteristics of interest are integrated. In the new APO-Summicron-M I see: some odd colour, less than desirable medium distance bokeh, flat rendering at small apertures, poor colour tonal separation, less than expected highlight handling, some blotchy bokeh, excessive macro contrast - as seen in these reviews' images:

https://www.dpreview.com/samples/4547894897/leica-apo-summicron-sl-28mm-f2-asph-lens-samples
https://www.streetsilhouettes.com/blogv2/leica-apo-35mm-f/2-summicron-m-asph-first-impressions
https://www.macfilos.com/2021/03/05/review-leica-apo-summicron-m-35-f2/
https://www.harisubramanyam.com/reviews/LeicaM-APO35/2
NEW LEICA APO-SUMMICRON-M 35mm f/2 | FIRST of its KIND (YT)

And yes, a decent wide-ranging (subject matter) comparison would be excellent, using the M version as it would have to. Lloyd offers this in his free page:

'For landscape, I’ll go out on a limb just a little and suggest that the Voigtlander looks like a more consistent performer across the frame, even if the Leica has a tad more micro contrast in a very small central area at f/2.'

I'd add superior colour tonality to that.

May 01, 2022 at 11:51 PM

genji
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.41 #13 · p.41 #13 · FM Review: Voigtlander 35mm f/2 APO-Lanthar

philip_pj wrote:
'Not at all sure what "well-organised"..'

It's shorthand for how the various characteristics of interest are integrated. In the new APO-Summicron-M I see: some odd colour, less than desirable medium distance bokeh, flat rendering at small apertures, poor colour tonal separation, less than expected highlight handling, some blotchy bokeh, excessive macro contrast - as seen in these reviews' images:

https://www.dpreview.com/samples/4547894897/leica-apo-summicron-sl-28mm-f2-asph-lens-samples
https://www.streetsilhouettes.com/blogv2/leica-apo-35mm-f/2-summicron-m-asph-first-impressions
https://www.macfilos.com/2021/03/05/review-leica-apo-summicron-m-35-f2/
https://www.harisubramanyam.com/reviews/LeicaM-APO35/2
NEW LEICA APO-SUMMICRON-M 35mm f/2 | FIRST of its KIND (YT)

And yes, a decent wide-ranging (subject matter) comparison would be excellent, using the M version as it would have to. Lloyd offers this in his free page:

'For landscape, I’ll go out on a...Show more →

I could be mistaken but somehow I get the impression you don’t have a very high opinion of the Leica 35 APO. I wonder if it’s too late to cancel my order and have the deposit refunded.

May 02, 2022 at 02:34 AM

rscheffler
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.41 #14 · p.41 #14 · FM Review: Voigtlander 35mm f/2 APO-Lanthar

genji wrote:
I could be mistaken but somehow I get the impression you don’t have a very high opinion of the Leica 35 APO. I wonder if it’s too late to cancel my order and have the deposit refunded.

Difficult to tell how much sarcasm extends to your comment to cancel the 35 Cron APO deposit.

It's only my 2¢, but it's the internet, so I'll post anyway.

Based solely on images posted online, the Voigtlander is great when you don't care about wider aperture background rendering at medium distances and are fine with its size. Its physical design should be of no concern to anyone not using an M system given that it's already very compact compared to other 35mm mirrorless and DSLR lenses. But on an M camera, the VM is large, already larger than the 50 Lux ASPH. The 50 is acceptable because viewfinder blockage of 50mm frame lines is reasonable. But with the VM being larger and 35mm, viewfinder blockage becomes more obvious, and probably annoying. IMO this is where Leica, once again, and with Leica's price premium, offers a more harmonious M system experience. It's physically smaller yet also very sharp and with what appears to be more pleasing OOF rendering at all distances. Maybe the VM is fractionally sharper? I don't know. Maybe the VM has better colour response? I don't know. Will you care if you don't like using the VM on an M? This I know will bother you to no end.

Isn't this why you have the 35 Cron APO on order?

If mostly shooting stopped down, maybe just stick with your 35 Lux or VM 35/2.

May 02, 2022 at 04:51 PM

Fred Miranda
Offline
Admin
Upload & Sell: On

p.41 #15 · p.41 #15 · FM Review: Voigtlander 35mm f/2 APO-Lanthar

rscheffler wrote:
Difficult to tell how much sarcasm extends to your comment to cancel the 35 Cron APO deposit.

It's only my 2¢, but it's the internet, so I'll post anyway.

Based solely on images posted online, the Voigtlander is great when you don't care about wider aperture background rendering at medium distances and are fine with its size. Its physical design should be of no concern to anyone not using an M system given that it's already very compact compared to other 35mm mirrorless and DSLR lenses. But on an M camera, the VM is large, already larger than the 50...Show more →

I see the CV 35/2 APO as a very dependable lens. You can place your subject anywhere and it will be screaming sharp even wide open. Rendering is actually very nice for most situations and its high contrast provides impressive color output.

For me personally, aside from shooting landscapes, I find the CV 35/2 APO just too corrected for my taste. However, I admit there is beauty there as well.

May 02, 2022 at 05:18 PM

highdesertmesa
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.41 #16 · p.41 #16 · FM Review: Voigtlander 35mm f/2 APO-Lanthar

Fred Miranda wrote:
I see the CV 35/2 APO as a very dependable lens. You can place your subject anywhere and it will be screaming sharp even wide open. Rendering is actually very nice for most situations and its high contrast provides impressive color output.

For me personally, aside from shooting landscapes, I find the CV 35/2 APO just too corrected for my taste. However, I admit there is beauty there as well.

I felt the same way about the CV 35 APO and treated it like a specialized lens for landscape. It didn't have the same dual-purpose appeal of the CV 50 APO, which has a nice rendering up close and at distance for landscape.

May 02, 2022 at 06:15 PM

philip_pj
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.41 #17 · p.41 #17 · FM Review: Voigtlander 35mm f/2 APO-Lanthar

another snapshot - f9

May 02, 2022 at 07:21 PM

DavidBM
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.41 #18 · p.41 #18 · FM Review: Voigtlander 35mm f/2 APO-Lanthar

rscheffler wrote:
Difficult to tell how much sarcasm extends to your comment to cancel the 35 Cron APO deposit.

It's only my 2¢, but it's the internet, so I'll post anyway.

Based solely on images posted online, the Voigtlander is great when you don't care about wider aperture background rendering at medium distances and are fine with its size. Its physical design should be of no concern to anyone not using an M system given that it's already very compact compared to other 35mm mirrorless and DSLR lenses. But on an M camera, the VM is large, already larger than the 50...Show more →

I would restrict the caveat on the CV even further: wider aperture middle distance rendering with busy aspects in the periphery and backlighting. In that very narrow niche some other glass is slightly nicer to most tastes. Otherwise it’s by far the nicest manual 35 I know if you are good with the speed.

I say this not to be picky but to make a general point about gear discussion. How so often an legitimate complaint about one use case derails our understanding of something that might overall be the most useful tool in the kit (not saying this is true of Ron, in fact I take you to be making a similar point)

May 02, 2022 at 07:45 PM

genji
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.41 #19 · p.41 #19 · FM Review: Voigtlander 35mm f/2 APO-Lanthar

philip_pj wrote:
another snapshot - f9

Wow! This is astonishingly well-organised. Flawless colour, very appealing medium distance bokeh, vibrant rendering at small (f/9) aperture, perfect colour tonal separation, much better than expected highlight handling, not a trace of blotchy bokeh, and an optimum amount of macro contrast.

May 02, 2022 at 07:52 PM

zugzwang2
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.41 #20 · p.41 #20 · FM Review: Voigtlander 35mm f/2 APO-Lanthar

DavidBM wrote:
I would restrict the caveat on the CV even further: wider aperture middle distance rendering with busy aspects in the periphery and backlighting.

I've learned to avoid situations with prominent specular highlights in the background when using wider apertures, but I thoroughly enjoy the CV 35mm APO. It is a great landscape lens, but not only that.

May 02, 2022 at 07:56 PM

1 2 3 … 40 41 42 end
FM Forums \| Sony Forum \| Join Upload & Sell 1 2 3 … 40 41 42 end