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Voigtlander 28mm f/2 Ultron II Review

Fred Miranda
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p.15 #1 · p.15 #1 · Voigtlander 28mm f/2 Ultron II Review

nehemiahphoto wrote:

CV 35/1.7 vs 35 Lux

They are actually very close in rendering and that was also surprising to me. Yes, I've tested them at mid-distance and can post some samples in another thread. The Voigtlander's transition zone is a little smoother if one looks at high magnification but it would be hard to tell in resized images.
On the other hand, the Leica's OOF edges are slightly softer since it has lower optical vignetting.

Regarding resolution, the Voigtlander is way sharper and higher in contrast away from the center area. If I had to choose one, it would be the Voigtlander regardless of the price just because I usually place my subjects at mid-field and the Leica is noticeably softer there. The Voigtlander 35/1.7 Ultron is very strong at center + mid-field from f/1.7. Corners at optimal at f/4.

Of course this is on the Leica M10-R. It's another story when adapting these lenses on the Sony.

Jul 21, 2021 at 07:53 PM

zeroAska
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p.15 #2 · p.15 #2 · Voigtlander 28mm f/2 Ultron II Review

This scene is quite challenging. I was wondering how Summicron will perform here.

nehemiahphoto wrote:
I think it does pretty well for what it is so far for sure--it's quite small, sharp, decently wide and relatively fast. No free lunch though. This crop of the right top quarter of Avaker's photo here--strikes me as distracting with some swirl and busy-ness and fairly high contrast, some slight doubling of the fine twigs structure. I have not studied the photos yet on this lens--but I have not noticed anything too offensive either in OOF areas, more of a neutral rendering. Just some instances likes this, and the one you described as well.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51268085009_e3cc57e78d_h.jpg

Jul 21, 2021 at 08:17 PM

nehemiahphoto
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p.15 #3 · p.15 #3 · Voigtlander 28mm f/2 Ultron II Review

Fred Miranda wrote:
They are actually very close in rendering and that was also surprising to me. Yes, I've tested them at mid-distance and can post some samples in another thread. The Voigtlander's transition zone is a little smoother if one looks at high magnification but it would be hard to tell in resized images.
On the other hand, the Leica's OOF edges are slightly softer since it has lower optical vignetting.

Regarding resolution, the Voigtlander is way sharper and higher in contrast away from the center area. If I had to choose one, it would be the Voigtlander regardless of the price...Show more →

Very interesting. I knew the CV 35 1.7 and ZM 35 1.4 are significantly sharper than the lux outside of the center WO. I did not expect the renderings to be that close, between the Lux and CV, but as I said, I only owned at different times and have never seen the kind of comparison I would like.

When you shoot a ZM 35 1.4 on the native sensor, the resolution is pretty impressive across the entire frame.

Jul 21, 2021 at 09:33 PM

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p.15 #4 · p.15 #4 · Voigtlander 28mm f/2 Ultron II Review

nehemiahphoto wrote:
Very interesting. I knew the CV 35 1.7 and ZM 35 1.4 are significantly sharper than the lux outside of the center WO. I did not expect the renderings to be that close, between the Lux and CV, but as I said, I only owned at different times and have never seen the kind of comparison I would like.

When you shoot a ZM 35 1.4 on the native sensor, the resolution is pretty impressive across the entire frame.

The ZM 35/1.4 is quite impressive across the field.
From the 35mm lenses that I've tested, the ZM 35/1.4 and CV 35/2 APO are the best 35mm lenses for the M-mount in terms of resolution and contrast. However, I find that rendering is quite harsh at transition for both lenses. (visible when the subject is at mid and long distances).

Jul 21, 2021 at 09:41 PM

Steve Spencer
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p.15 #5 · p.15 #5 · Voigtlander 28mm f/2 Ultron II Review

Here is one with my new Voigtlander 28 f/2 II, which I am liking quite a bit. This was shot at f/2 despite what the EXIF says.

Jul 21, 2021 at 10:39 PM

LarsHP
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p.15 #6 · p.15 #6 · Voigtlander 28mm f/2 Ultron II Review

To my pleasant surprise, I got the 28mm Ultron II already this morning.

My initial impression was:
What? That lens is not just small! It's tiny! Really tiny!
All of a sudden, the camera looks so big.

From a few quick test shots with my Z6UT, I can say that it is about as sharp as I hoped for. Vignetting is quite visible wide open, but - for most practical purposes - gone by f/4.

Jul 22, 2021 at 03:33 AM

LarsHP
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p.15 #7 · p.15 #7 · Voigtlander 28mm f/2 Ultron II Review

Bokeh quality is better than expected. At very short focus distances, it shows under-correction for spherical aberration = smooooth bokeh and highlight glow.

At portrait focus distances (roughly 1 - 1.5 meter), the bokeh in the sides and corners is getting some quite mild nervousness, if the background is the kind that will provoke it.

I will find a way to post some samples soon, hopefully.

Sharpness in the central area wide open and at medium distances is simply stunning.

Jul 22, 2021 at 05:51 AM

naturephoto1
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p.15 #8 · p.15 #8 · Voigtlander 28mm f/2 Ultron II Review

Photo cross posted in the Sony FE Image Thread and taken at 5:09 PM.

The image has been processed in LR with an increase in LR defaults for sharpness and details of 25 to 28 and 27 respectively. No vignetting adjustment (weather was deteriorating as seen in part from the upper left corner). I believe f8 due to DOF concerns; white balance from my stored Cloudy standard.

Looking across the field toward trees and beyond at homes and into the distance from an overlook.
Tripod mounted A7rII Kolari Vision UT sensor modified camera and Voigtlander 28mm f2 Ultron II Asph VM lens; silent shutter.
ISO 100, f8?, 1/250 second.
Exposure Corrected +0.20 Stops.

July 9, 2021
Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, PA.

Rich

Jul 22, 2021 at 07:08 AM

LarsHP
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p.15 #9 · p.15 #9 · Voigtlander 28mm f/2 Ultron II Review

Okay, I have made a folder in Google Disk with some shots with my Nikon Z6 Kolari UT mod camera here:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ngYCuU1OzRZVbnbjGtwge1Mx78vuUp8q?usp=sharing

#1 & #2 are center crops in 100%. #3 is a screenshot showing sharpness settings in ACR.

#4 shows vignetting @ f/2, f/2.8 and f/4 (roughly top half of each frame).

#5, #6 & #7 are downsized full frame images shot @ f/2.

The 28mm Ultron II certainly can do "cut out" popping images too.

Edited on Jul 22, 2021 at 09:31 AM · View previous versions

Jul 22, 2021 at 07:27 AM

LarsHP
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p.15 #10 · p.15 #10 · Voigtlander 28mm f/2 Ultron II Review

Regarding bokeh and rendering, it appears that the central part of the image is very smooth.

The outermost part of the sides and in particularly the corners can get a bit busy or nervous if the subject / background is challenging, even at very short focus distances.

Jul 22, 2021 at 09:30 AM

jeffersoncasey
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p.15 #11 · p.15 #11 · Voigtlander 28mm f/2 Ultron II Review

Are those edited? The 28 cron V1 does exhibit milder contrast sooc so I usually apply quite a bit more contrast to bring out the pop. Camera like Nikon Z most probably need a lot more.

LarsHP wrote:
Okay, I have made a folder in Google Disk with some shots with my Nikon Z6 Kolari UT mod camera here:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ngYCuU1OzRZVbnbjGtwge1Mx78vuUp8q?usp=sharing

#1 & #2 are center crops in 100%. #3 is a screenshot showing sharpness settings in ACR.

#4 shows vignetting @ f/2, f/2.8 and f/4 (roughly top half of each frame).

#5, #6 & #7 are downsized full frame images shot @ f/2.

The 28mm Ultron II certainly can do "cut out" popping images too.

Jul 22, 2021 at 09:47 AM

LarsHP
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p.15 #12 · p.15 #12 · Voigtlander 28mm f/2 Ultron II Review

Regarding contrast, that depends heavily on settings, including in-camera settings for "straight out of camera" files. For instance, if I use the "standard" in-camera profile, images will have more contrast than "neutral" and even more so than "portrait", but less than "vivid".

I have a calibrated camera profile (X-Rite ColorChecker) in Adobe Camera Raw, and this is the contrast I get with that profile. Since I got to shoot an M 240 with my 28mm Summicron Asph II before I sent it to service, and I took a couple with my Z6UT side by side, I know that the contrast from these cameras is quite close, with the M 240 profile having very slightly more contrast. However, I don't know what in-camera image profile the M 240 had (except that 6-bit coding was turned off).

The images are only adjusted globally for exposure and with a slight saturation added on some, but all are without lens corrections.

jeffersoncasey wrote:
Are those edited? The 28 cron V1 does exhibit milder contrast sooc so I usually apply quite a bit more contrast to bring out the pop. Camera like Nikon Z most probably need a lot more.

Jul 22, 2021 at 11:32 AM

jeffersoncasey
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p.15 #13 · p.15 #13 · Voigtlander 28mm f/2 Ultron II Review

LarsHP wrote:
Regarding contrast, that depends heavily on settings, including in-camera settings for "straight out of camera" files. For instance, if I use the "standard" in-camera profile, images will have more contrast than "neutral" and even more so than "portrait", but less than "vivid".

I have a calibrated camera profile (X-Rite ColorChecker) in Adobe Camera Raw, and this is the contrast I get with that profile. Since I got to shoot an M 240 with my 28mm Summicron Asph II before I sent it to service, and I took a couple with my Z6UT side by side, I know that the contrast...Show more →
That's very helpful, thanks!

Jul 22, 2021 at 01:07 PM

nehemiahphoto
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p.15 #14 · p.15 #14 · Voigtlander 28mm f/2 Ultron II Review

Fred Miranda wrote:
The ZM 35/1.4 is quite impressive across the field.
From the 35mm lenses that I've tested, the ZM 35/1.4 and CV 35/2 APO are the best 35mm lenses for the M-mount in terms of resolution and contrast. However, I find that rendering is quite harsh at transition for both lenses. (visible when the subject is at mid and long distances).

I have not shot the APO’s, but I think the ZM 35 is the highest contrast lens I’ve shot. I always found the files to just pop, wide open of stopped down. And yes, it can be quite harsh or lovely. I always really enjoy the ZM 35/1.4 overall more than the 35 Lux ASPH, CV 35/1.2’s or 1.7 though.

I still like that RX1 Sonnar and 35 Lux pre-ash more than that batch. All very good options though. The MS-Optics 35 apoqualia is also a a great lens, if you like lots of character. I have been meaning to pick up a CV 35/1.4v2 to compare it against.

Jul 22, 2021 at 04:35 PM

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p.15 #15 · p.15 #15 · Voigtlander 28mm f/2 Ultron II Review

nehemiahphoto wrote:
I have not shot the APO’s, but I think the ZM 35 is the highest contrast lens I’ve shot. I always found the files to just pop, wide open of stopped down. And yes, it can be quite harsh or lovely. I always really enjoy the ZM 35/1.4 overall more than the 35 Lux ASPH, CV 35/1.2’s or 1.7 though.

I still like that RX1 Sonnar and 35 Lux pre-ash more than that batch. All very good options though. The MS-Optics 35 apoqualia is also a a great lens, if you like lots of character. I have been meaning to...Show more →

I'm surprised you enjoy the ZM 35/1.4's rendering that much. To me, it's harsh but of course blur will mask the transition zone at close distance. Not disputing it is a high performance lens with high resolution, lots of micro-contrast and pop. That's on the Leica M though because it does not play well on the Sony's thicker sensor stack.

For the M, my favorite is definitely the 35/1.7 Ultron but it's a half stop slower.

Jul 22, 2021 at 04:41 PM

nehemiahphoto
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p.15 #16 · p.15 #16 · Voigtlander 28mm f/2 Ultron II Review

Fred Miranda wrote:
I'm surprised you enjoy the ZM 35/1.4's rendering that much. To me, it's harsh but of course blur will mask the transition zone at close distance. Not disputing it is a high performance lens with high resolution, lots of micro-contrast and pop. That's on the Leica M though because it does not play well on the Sony's thicker stack sensor.

For the M, my favorite is definitely the 35/1.7 Ultron but it's a half stop slower.

If I want high resolution modern pop off the page type look, I think the ZM 35/1.4 is the king, at least for me. I always liked the micro contrast and tonal nuance better than anything I get from the GM or CV’s or modern Leica’s with that lens specifically. Also just a superb b/w lens. If I am primarily shooting portraits or stuff in the mid zone, I will pick up the new CV35 1.2, which I shot pretty consistently for a time as far as m-mount. These 2 would be my favorite 35s for m-mount still in production. As you have probably figured, I like modern lenses with some character that favor rendering, or just older lenses generally, depending on subject matter and FL.

Jul 22, 2021 at 04:51 PM

naturephoto1
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p.15 #17 · p.15 #17 · Voigtlander 28mm f/2 Ultron II Review

Jul 22, 2021 at 04:53 PM

LarsHP
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p.15 #18 · p.15 #18 · Voigtlander 28mm f/2 Ultron II Review

I have added a few more test shots and regular shots here:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ngYCuU1OzRZVbnbjGtwge1Mx78vuUp8q?usp=sharing

File names are self explanatory, I think.

One shows transition zone (bokeh) quality in the corner vs center, 28mm Ultron II @ f/2 (100% crops). This combo image demonstrate that the 28mm Ultron II has buttery smooth transition zone (and bokeh) in the central area, but that towards the sides and particularly the corners, it can get a bit nervous.

The close up shot of the flower shows that the lens is quite sharp in the center @ f/2, even far beyond its intended focus range. I use Megadap MTZ11 with my Z6UT which allows about 5mm extension and this is not far from fully extended. Again, transition zone outside the center can get nervous, but if things are far out of focus, it looks smooth.

Regular shots from the mountain and mountain lake near where I live (far North of the Polar Circle, yes). The sky is toned down, but no vignetting correction is done. My comments:

The bokeh quality in the mirror of the car looks surprisingly smooth. Perhaps it's because it was shot at f/2.8?

The haze in image DSC1378 is real haze caused by sunlight through light rain. In the 100% crop of the strong sunlight reflection in the lake, it becomes quite obvious why this lens is not designated as an "apo" lens...

Jul 24, 2021 at 07:34 AM

LarsHP
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p.15 #19 · p.15 #19 · Voigtlander 28mm f/2 Ultron II Review

I just did another vignetting test.

When using manual mode, it becomes clear that there is no exposure difference between f/2 and f/2.4 except for a "hotspot" diminishing in the center. The mid-frame and corners are practically unaffected. It's not until f/2.8 that the corners begin darkening visibly (keeping shutter speed and ISO).

The above suggests that if DoF is of little or no importance (landscape, cityscape, astro etc.), shooting at f/2.4 will be without a penalty from an overall exposure viewpoint - unless the "hot spot" is preferred as a creative effect. (This behavior is quite like the Nokton 50mm f/1.2 Asph between f/1.2 and f/1.4.)

I understand that all lenses vignette, and particularly fast wide angle lenses, but I do wonder why Cosina (Voigtländer) made the front lens elements so small that we get this amount of vignetting. Why not go for a 46mm filter thread and markedly larger front elements which would yield not only much less vignetting, but also smoother bokeh, less "cats eye" highlights and more background blur outside the center?

I know a small lens will result in less rangefinder intrusion, but here it comes with a price that I think is too high. I am not saying it's a bad lens. I just don't understand the design choice here. As it is, I can see why some owners of Leica Summicron or previous Voigtländer Ultron 28mm lenses may think twice before selling their lens and buying the Ultron II. This consideration could have been addressed with larger front lens elements if I am not mistaken.

Jul 25, 2021 at 03:10 AM

MCMXCAD
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p.15 #20 · p.15 #20 · Voigtlander 28mm f/2 Ultron II Review

I agree completely.. I tested the new lens against cron version 1 yesterday. Unfortunately, cannot post pictures because I got a staff from red dot cameras to model for me. Personally, for me I did not find the lens rendering good enough in comparison with the cron. Ultron 2 did not have sufficient character or pop or 'luminance' as I would like to call it.

Yes I agree there are arguments in favour of the new lens - small size, price, it is sharp enough, etc...

Jul 25, 2021 at 09:14 AM

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