The Voigtlander 40mm f/2.8 Heliar VM is capable of defined sunstars starting at f/4 and best from f/5.6 until f/11. The sunstars will have 10 points since the lens is equipped with a 10-blade aperture mechanism (straight blades)
For this test, I selected 'lens detection' to "OFF", so we can have an idea of how vignetting looks without any Leica profile attached to the DNG file.
it's worth mentioning that the Voigtlander 40mm f/2.8 is multi-coated and did very well in regards to ghosting and veiling flare even with the sun in the frame. I don't see any ghosting or loss in contrast.
Here is a sequence from f/2.8 until f/11 in full stop increments:
it's worth mentioning that the Voigtlander 40mm f/2.8 is multi-coated and did very well in regards to ghosting and veiling flare even with the sun in the frame. I don't see any ghosting or loss in contrast...
I picked up an uncoated Tiffen UV filter for this lens (the only thing available) for $8. I did that partially out of habit, and also because a lot of times it is windy at the beach and I do a lot of stuff down there. The much more expensive Heliopan is out of stock.
The pics I took were either in overcast conditions, or had the sun behind my back so little chance of image degradation. I think though I will be going w/o the filter as this test shows both the Tiffen and Heliopan are frankly cr@p. And seeing how you demonstrate how excellent this lens is w/ re to flare, it will be a shame to give that all up.
Yes, 34mm it not a popular filter thread for photography. This size thread was mostly used for camcorders (video work) and therefore most UV filters available are not multi-coated.
The Leica 28mm f/5.6 Summaron-M Lens has 34mm filter thread but I don't think Leica made a UV filter for it.
Tiffen, Heliopan and Marumi make 34mm UV filters but I think they are all single coated.
Fred Miranda wrote:
Yes, 34mm it not a popular filter thread for photography. This size thread was mostly used for camcorders (video work) and therefore most UV filters available are not multi-coated.
The Leica 28mm f/5.6 Summaron-M Lens has 34mm filter thread but I don't think Leica made a UV filter for it.
Tiffen, Heliopan and Marumi make 34mm UV filters but I think they are all single coated.
The Tiffen is uncoated, Heliopan offers a multicoated version but that test result I linked to showed it is pretty terrible causing veiling flare, ghosting and normal flare. The Hoyas performed much better.
Fred Miranda wrote:
At first I thought that the included hood would take 39mm filters but it does not. Perhaps 40.5mm. I don't have one to try.
I just tried, 40.5 is a fraction too small! Darn, great idea! It seems like it fits, but just spins and never tightens. I suppose it could be held in place with a piece of scotch tape.
FYI I put the nice unmarked metal Voigtlander lens cap back in the box and replaced it w a cheapy 43mm pinch style lens cap, which fits perfectly and is much easier/quicker to remove/replace. And if you drop it/lose it - who cares?! they are like a nickel for a dozen..
I have 1.5m and 5m PCX filters (directly from Optosigma about $50 and 80 each respectively). What I do is always 46-55mm or 49-55mm. Because 55mm is perfect size with rubble ring and PCX filter lens size for VM 35/1.7 (5m), ZM 35/1.4 (5m), CG 28/2.8 (1.5m). Works well for me. In the same token, I think it would be work even if I did not try yet. Later I will try for 34-55mm after finishing Fred's analysis and it confirm me to buy without regret. So far it is very unique lens based his analysis.
Vignetting is quite high when shooting the Voigtlander 40mm f/2.8 Heliar wide open. It gets better progressively when stopping the lens down and it's no longer an issue by f/8-11. I don't mind this level of vignetting when shooting wide open as it adds to the character of the lens.
Here is a comparison from f/2.8 to f/11 in 1 stop increments.
The right image has lens detection (LD) set to "off". The Left image shows an in-camera Leica profile "50mm f/2.8 Elmar" applied.
f/2.8: RIGHT: No lens profile | LEFT: Leica 50/2.8 Elmar profile assigned
f/4: RIGHT: No lens profile | LEFT: Leica 50/2.8 Elmar profile assigned
f/5.6: RIGHT: No lens profile | LEFT: Leica 50/2.8 Elmar profile assigned
f/8: RIGHT: No lens profile | LEFT: Leica 50/2.8 Elmar profile assigned
f/11: RIGHT: No lens profile | LEFT: Leica 50/2.8 Elmar profile assigned
The Voigtlander 40mm f/2.8 Heliar focus down to 0.7m and since the lens is corrected for spherical aberration, it performs well even at minimal focus distance. It's very good at f/2.8, great at 4 and optimal at f/5.6.
I did not detect any focus shift with this lens at MFD or infinity distance which is great news for rangefinder shooters.
The Voigtlander 40mm f/2.8 Heliar VM suffers from mild field curvature when used on a M mount body. If adapted to a mirrorless body like the Sony A7R IV, expect the native field curvature to be amplified.
At close distance (from 0.7 to ~1.5m), the field curvature shape is outwards. However, if the subject is focused at longer distance (from 2.5 to infinity), expect the curvature to take a "wavy" shape. (see test below)
In the focus at center vs focus at other frame positions test results (above), I am thinking that this is EVF focussing, not rangefinder. I think this test would be pointless or odd for rangefinder focussing. But if I am wrong, please instruct me.
Infinity performance: Voigtlander 40mm f/2.8 Heliar VM adapted to Sony A7R IV
The Voigtlander 40mm f/2.8 Heliar VM is optically designed for the thin Leica M sensor stack. When adapted to the Sony A7R IV's thicker stack, field curvature gets noticeably amplified but when focusing the subject at infinity and center, the lens still performs great at center and mid-field.
Here is the full image thumbnail showing the area demonstrated at 1:1 magnification.
Distance: Infinity
Camera: Sony A7R IV
Focus: Center - Best of three @ 12.4x magnification
WB: Daylight
Lens centered using my decentering test. The Voigtlander 40mm f/2.8 Heliar VM is perfectly centered.
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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At 40mm Center Resolution and Contrast: Voigtlander 40mm f/2.8 Heliar VM adapted to Sony A7R IV
