FM Review: Voigtlander 28mm f/2 Ultron II VM - Intro:
The 28mm lens we have been waiting for?
The new Voigtlander 28mm f/2 Ultron II just started shipping and we got our hands on a review copy today. Thankfully, it passed our excruciating centering test which leads me to believe it's an optimal review copy.
Voigtlander 28mm f/2 Ultron II with LH-4N hood
It has an entirely new optical design compared to its predecessor but curiously, it has a lot in common with the older Voigtlander 28mm f/1.9 Ultron LTM model. Here’s a comparison showing the optical designs for the CV 28mm f/2 Ultron II, CV 28mm f/1.9 LTM and CV 28/2 Ultron lenses respectively:
It sports 10 aperture blades for well defined 10-point sunstars and a modern optical design with 10 Elements in 7 Groups. One of the elements is a double sided aspherical and 2 of them are made of anomalous partial dispersion glass.
It's a very small lens but you will feel the weight of its brass in your hand. The focus ring tab runs smoothly and the aperture ring has defined 1/2 stop clicks. It's built with tight tolerance and my loan copy was well centered which is always a good sign in regards to copy variation. The lens balances well on the M9 and M10-R bodies and it's only 36mm in length. The filter thread is 39mm and overall it's about the same size and weight as a tiny Leica 35mm f/2 Summicron.
Just by looking at its size, I didn't expect it to break any resolution records but the 10 elements and special glass gave me hope it would be a great performer.
I tested it on the Leica M10-R (40MP) and Sony A7R IV (60MP) camera bodies.
The Voigtlander 28mm f/2 Ultron II full specifications:
Focal Length 28mm
Maximum Aperture f/2
Minimum Aperture f/22
Lens Mount Leica M (only)
Angle of View 74.51°
Minimum Focus Distance 19.7" / 0.5 m
Optical Design 10 Elements in 7 Groups
Special glass: 1 double sided aspherical element and 2 anomalous partial dispersion elements
Diaphragm Blades 10
Focus Type Manual Focus
Filter Size 39 mm (Front)
Dimensions (ř x L) 2 x 1.4" / 51.4 x 36 mm
Type II weight: 228 g without hood, 247g with hood (measured)
Voigtlander 28mm f/2 Ultron II adapted to Sony A7R IV
Infinity Performance on the Leica M10-R vs Sony A7R IV
The Voigtlander 28mm f/2 Ultron II is optically designed for the Leica M sensor stack, which is a very thin sensor. It should be no surprise that this lens performs optimally on a Leica M body.
Although it can be adapted to any mirrorless body, there is no free lunch and its performance could degrade depending on the thickness of the camera sensor. It will still perform similarly in regards to resolution and contrast at center but mid-field and corners are affected by induced field curvature and astigmatism.
This test was done at infinity distance on the Leica M10-R and Sony A7R IV side by side.
Here is the full image thumbnail showing the area demonstrated at 1:1 magnification.
Distance: Infinity
Camera: Leica M10-R and Sony A7R IV (no resizing so it's also 40MP vs 60MP crops)
Focus: Center - Best of three @ 12.4x magnification
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'.
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Will it perform well at small apertures on the Sony? Here are some 100% crops showing center, mid-field and extreme corner areas.
At 28mm Center Resolution and Contrast: Voigtlander 28mm f/2 Ultron II (Leica M10-R vs Sony A7R IV)
(Ignore the lens name and aperture reported in the EXIF)
Center at f/2: Strong and similar performance. This was the hard stop for the lens when used on the Leica. When used on the A7R IV, the lens is capable of even high resolution (40MP vs 60MP sensor)
Center at f/2.5: The lens improves slightly
Center at f/2.8: Another incremental improvement
Center at f/4: Perhaps optimal resolution at center
Thank you so much for running the tests so far. The lens looks great on the M-10R. On the A7rIV not so much for the midfield and the extreme corners. I think that I prefer the Sony Colors to those from the Leica. I presume that given a choice, you will/would purchase the test lens for your Leica. The lens performance on the M-10R looks so good. I hope that I will get performance approaching but not equaling the M-10R with my Kolari Vision UT Sensor modded A7rII.
I intend to place my order for the lens with Cameraquest then on Monday and to place my order for a Haoge lens hood and a B + W 39mm UV XS-PRO, MRC Nano filter to use with the lens.
I will then report back as I can with results with the lens with my Kolari Vision UT Sensor modded A7rII. My tests will not be anywhere as in depth as yours because I do not have a place to test the lens the way that you do in my local area. I have hills and valleys, but no target houses to use.
I will say that though the lens performance on the Leica appears to be outstanding, cosmetically it is rather pedestrian/spartan compared to the Leica M lenses that you include in the comparison image and that I own.
Thank you so much for running the tests so far. The lens looks great on the M-10R. On the A7rIV not so much for the midfield and the extreme corners. I think that I prefer the Sony Colors to those from the Leica. I presume that given a choice, you will/would purchase the test lens for your Leica. The lens performance on the M-10R looks so good. I hope that I will get performance approaching but not equaling the M-10R with my Kolari Vision UT Sensor modded A7rII.
I intend to place my order for the lens with Cameraquest then on Monday and to place my order for a Haoge lens hood and a B + W 39mm UV XS-PRO, MRC Nano filter to use with the lens.
I will then report back as I can with results with the lens with my Kolari Vision UT Sensor modded A7rII. My tests will not be anywhere as in depth as yours because I do not have a place to test the lens the way that you do in my local area. I have hills and valleys, but no target houses to use.
I will say that though the lens performance on the Leica appears to be outstanding, cosmetically it is rather pedestrian/spartan compared to the Leica M lenses that you include in the comparison image and that I own.
jeffersoncasey wrote:
Very impressive performance at infinity (on M body) that's usable to shoot wide open in lowlight, and being so tiny. Thanks a lot for the test images!
On a M body or modified Sony, the Voigtlander 28/2 Ultron II is very impressive. It's pretty much optimal wide open from center to the very corner without any noticeable mid-field dip. Honestly I did not expect this resolution level on 40MP just by looking at its size and price. It's vintage only in name, not performance.
Stopping down to f/2.8 and f/4 marginally improves resolution and I'm talking across the image field. It's mind-blowing for a 28mm lens.
Although I don't think this optical design is Sony friendly, it can still be used for stopped down where DOF would mask the 'induced' FC discrepancy. I will test today if focusing on the corner would improve things dramatically but it didn't help much with previous version. There is also PCX options to tame FC.
Another plus for the lens on the Leica is the lack of field curvature. I will post this next.
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Ulysseita wrote:
So is it a stronger performer than the Biogon zm 28(or 25)?
I've never tested the 25mm ZM on a high megapixel sensor from Leica, so I'm not sure how well it would hold up. The 28 ZM was not a greatest performer even on 24MP, therefore I believe the new Voigtlander 28mm could be a better alternative to those lenses.
Fred Miranda wrote:
On a M body or modified Sony, the Voigtlander 28/2 Ultron II is very impressive. It's pretty much optimal wide open from center to the very corner without any noticeable mid-field dip. Honestly I did not expect this resolution level on 40MP just by looking at its size and price. It's vintage only in name, not performance.
Stopping down to f/2.8 and f/4 marginally improves resolution and I'm talking across the image field. It's mind-blowing for a 28mm lens.
Although I don't think this optical design is Sony friendly, it can still be used for stopped down where DOF would mask the 'induced' FC discrepancy. I will test today if focusing on the corner would improve things dramatically but it didn't help much with previous version. There is also PCX options to tame FC.
Another plus for the lens on the Leica is the lack of field curvature. I will post this next.
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I have the 28 summicron V1 while it has a very appealing rendering and impressive sharpness, it doesn't do all that well on the corners @ f2 and 2.8. Logically I should upgrade to the V2 but it's a heck lot more money to spend on and there are people who hold on to the V1 because it renders differently. Hope to see real world samples very soon!
d.s. wrote:
Hi Fred,
I'm curious about your choice of lens coding. Did you find the 21/2.8 Elmarit better than the available 28mm offerings?
I've coded it today and from now on my samples will show as "Summicron-M 1:2/28 ASPH.". I find that it marginally improves vignetting but have not compare for distortion yet.
Very helpful test Fred--thanks! Sadly it looks pretty bad on the stock Sony like many wide fast m lenses though usable, but with with dampened expectations. Quite lovely on the Leica as far as infinite resolution. I need to check out Juha's gallery for near and mid-distance rendering and performance. I am expecting a decent amount of mechanical vignetting given the size and many of CV's recent releases.
On this review, all my Voigtlander 28mm f/2 Ultron II images will read: "Summicron-M 1:2/28 ASPH."
That's because my lens is coded to the Leica 28mm f/2 Summicron.
Matt Kerby wrote:
Use a template and sharpie, or paint, for the coding?, looks good.
Awesome little lens.
Sharpie does not work. it's too shiny (reflective) and the camera mount scanner rejects it (at least the newer models). You must get an opaque/matte black color. I prefer using paint and a very thin brush. If the mount is chrome, you don't need to paint white, only black. It's a 5 min. job.
I use the small "Testors" paint. I may start a thread explaining the process with more detail.
As you can see from the picture, the Voigtlander rear mount has a recessed area where you can add the paint and it won't rub off.
Would definitely appreciate that 6-bit coding post, since you did it so cleanly! FWIW, I have been able to make it work with sharpie but it’s messier and doesn’t work 100% of the time. Would definitely like to switch to your technique.
Also, this lens looks incredible. Definitely a better performer than the Leica 28 Summicron V1, Zeiss 28 2.8, and Leica 28 Elmarit. It would appear that basically every existing 28mm M-mount lens is now obsolete; I wonder if even the 28 Summicron V2 matches this level of performance.
Fred Miranda wrote:
Sharpie does not work. it's too shiny (reflective) and the camera mount scanner rejects it. You must get an opaque black color. I prefer using paint and a very thin brush. If the mount is chrome, you don't need to paint white, only black. It's a 5 min. job.
I use the small "Testors" paint. I may start a thread explaining the process with more detail.
As you can see from the picture, the Voigtlander rear mount has a recessed area where you can add the paint and it won't rub off.
