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Archive 2022 · Voigtlander Macro Apo-Ultron 35/2 for Fuji X

Fred Miranda
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p.2 #1 · p.2 #1 · Voigtlander Macro Apo-Ultron 35/2 for Fuji X

Juha Kannisto wrote:
It should be X-E4 as the electronic communications with these lenses only work with the more recent Fuji cameras (not supported with older X-E models). The thought about getting an X-E4 with one or more of these new CV X-mount lenses has crossed my mind too but I've resisted the urge so far as I already have lots of E-mount and VM CV glass for my Sony A7C. .

I couldn't resist the urge and picked up a X-E4 here at FM.

Aug 28, 2023 at 07:43 PM

Juha Kannisto
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p.2 #2 · p.2 #2 · Voigtlander Macro Apo-Ultron 35/2 for Fuji X

Fred Miranda wrote:
I couldn't resist the urge and picked up a X-E4 here at FM.

I really like it, especially how they've reduced the buttons, dials, and grips, which many people were complaining about. The camera looks fantastic, similar to shooting with the X100V, but now I can use any lens I want. Those new Voigtlander lenses are great too, like the 23/1.2 Nokton and 27/2 Ultron – they not only fit the aesthetics of the camera but also have beautiful character. I haven't tried the APO yet, but I really enjoy the 23/1.2 Nokton and 27/2 Ultron lenses.

Hey Juha,
Have you...Show more →

Hi Fred, I also wanted to buy an X-E4 when I first started to look into Fuji X options as I really liked the compact style and the price-point had been attractive (around ~90K yen as new while they were available) but at that point there was just no new stock anywhere and the 2nd hand options were too pricey (starting from around ~150K yen and mostly available at auctions). So I went with X-S10 instead as it had much better availability 2nd hand since it had still been in production until recently and with X-S20 coming out. I figured that the IBIS and nice little grip were nice to have too and it felt good when I tried a demo unit in a camera shop.

I still only have CV 23/1.2 and 27/2 for Fuji X and I've made a reservation for 50/1.2 so I should get that on release day next week. I'm thinking of getting one of the 35mm options later on but I haven't decided which one. I've not had any chance to try any of them out yet. I've been somewhat drawn to getting the 35/0.9 but the high price is stopping me for now and I think I might not use that lens a lot in the long run due to size and weight. As for the APO 35/2, I've been thinking that my E-mount 50/2 APO might cover the same ground as I don't really shoot macro that much. 35/1.2 remains a strong candidate too and it has been the most popular from CV's Fuji X lineup in Japan overall, and it seems to have a lot of fans here. It's also priced quite nicely here, new ones can be picked up at ~60K yen and there's a lot of 2nd hand supply too. I'm not in a hurry yet but later this year I'll probably pick up either 35/1.2 or 35/0.9.

Aug 28, 2023 at 08:11 PM

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p.2 #3 · p.2 #3 · Voigtlander Macro Apo-Ultron 35/2 for Fuji X

Juha Kannisto wrote:
Hi Fred, I also wanted to buy an X-E4 when I first started to look into Fuji X options as I really liked the compact style and the price-point had been attractive (around ~90K yen as new while they were available) but at that point there was just no new stock anywhere and the 2nd hand options were too pricey (starting from around ~150K yen and mostly available at auctions). So I went with X-S10 instead as it had much better availability 2nd hand since it had still been in production until recently and with X-S20 coming out. I...Show more →

The situation got worse because it appears that both the X100V and X-E4 cameras are really popular, especially in Japan. I found one available for a good price on FM, but on Ebay, the prices are currently around 185,000 yen. This camera wasn't originally meant to be this expensive, and I can now understand how other models might make more sense.

Apart from sharing the same focal length and fast apertures, the CV 35/1.2 and 35/0.9 lenses provide very unique characteristics. Personally, I would recommend going for the 35/1.2 mainly because of its smaller size and weight. Additionally, the 35/1.2 is built using an 8-Element design inspired by great vintage lenses from the past, which gives it more character. Some reviewers might complain that this lens isn't as sharp as Fuji lenses, but that's actually the intention! When used wide open, it exhibits a slight glow from spherical aberration and distinctive outlining in the background blur to achieve that unique look. Personally I have not tried one yet but that's what I see from samples images.

BTW, that new CV 50/1.2 does look great!

Aug 28, 2023 at 08:26 PM

Gabe13
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p.2 #4 · p.2 #4 · Voigtlander Macro Apo-Ultron 35/2 for Fuji X

Fred Miranda wrote:
Personally, I would recommend going for the 35/1.2 mainly because of its smaller size and weight. Additionally, the 35/1.2 is built using an 8-Element design inspired by great vintage lenses from the past, which gives it more character. Some reviewers might complain that this lens isn't as sharp as Fuji lenses, but that's actually the intention! When used wide open, it exhibits a slight glow from spherical aberration and distinctive outlining in the background blur to achieve that unique look.

Even though I just got it, I do have a trip coming up in the next few weeks where I will bring it along. I really like this 35/1.2 its so small and light and the helicoid focusing is a dream to use as is typical of Voigtlander. I am glad I opted for this over the 35/0.9 for now. Will I get the 35/0.9? Yes, but I am in no hurry bc my priority is small/compact, light, stellar IQ and rendering. What you said about the optical design is spot on and it's f1.2 philosophy is the way it is by intentional design although many often misunderstand I think.

Here is a wide open sample of a pure raw file only converted to jpeg through DxO 6 Elite with no auto corrections by the software or tweaking by me. This lens is full of character...intentional character...a little vignetting wide open as would be expected but its easily corrected if one so desires but often I wouldn't get rid of it anyway. I am really impressed at what CV has done for X-mount and these lenses will go so nicely with that XE4 you mentioned.

CV Tea time by Gabe D., on Flickr

I picked it up for just $420usd from the land of the rising sun and it is in mint condition and i my opinion quite a bargain

Edited on Aug 28, 2023 at 09:47 PM · View previous versions

Aug 28, 2023 at 09:42 PM

RustyRus
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p.2 #5 · p.2 #5 · Voigtlander Macro Apo-Ultron 35/2 for Fuji X

Anyone have a picture of this attached to an X-e4 or Xpro-3?

Aug 28, 2023 at 09:47 PM

Fred Miranda
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p.2 #6 · p.2 #6 · Voigtlander Macro Apo-Ultron 35/2 for Fuji X

Gabe13 wrote:
Even though I just got it, I do have a trip coming up in the next few weeks where I will bring it along. I really like this 35/1.2 its so small and light and the helicoid focusing is a dream to use as is typical of Voigtlander. I am glad I opted for this over the 35/0.9 for now. Will I get the 35/0.9? Yes, but I am in no hurry bc my priority is small/compact, light, stellar IQ and rendering. What you said about the optical design is spot on and it's f1.2 philosophy is the way it...Show more →

Great sample!

There's another lens that offers a similar style. It's the TTA 35/0.95, and I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed using this lens (it's priced at $200). It's a bit heavier than the Voigtlander 35/1.2, with an extra 50 grams of weight. It doesn't have any electronics, but it's noticeably faster. The optical design follows the 'double gauss' pattern, similar to the Voigtlander lens. This design does a great job correcting distortion and chromatic aberration, but it leaves some spherical aberration less corrected. With both the TTA and Voigtlander lenses, there's a touch of glow when wide open, and the way highlights are rendered shows distinct outlining.

I typically stick with Fuji and Voigtlander X-mount lenses, but this particular lens caught my attention. The TTA lens is the main reason I haven't gotten the Voigtlander 35/1.2 yet.

Aug 28, 2023 at 10:09 PM

Jepser
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p.2 #7 · p.2 #7 · Voigtlander Macro Apo-Ultron 35/2 for Fuji X

I've the Macro Apo Ultron D35mm in Z mount and it's outstanding om my Zfc. Of my many Nikon and Voigtländer-lenses it is the benchmark which I compare other lenses IQ when on asp-c format. Will figure out how to post photos here.

Aug 29, 2023 at 02:40 AM

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p.2 #8 · p.2 #8 · Voigtlander Macro Apo-Ultron 35/2 for Fuji X

RustyRus wrote:
Anyone have a picture of this attached to an X-e4 or Xpro-3?

There is an image in this review:
https://news.mapcamera.com/KASYAPA/voigtlander_nokton_35mm_xmount/

Aug 29, 2023 at 09:46 AM

Gabe13
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p.2 #9 · p.2 #9 · Voigtlander Macro Apo-Ultron 35/2 for Fuji X

Fred Miranda wrote:
Great sample!

There's another lens that offers a similar style. It's the TTA 35/0.95, and I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed using this lens (it's priced at $200). It's a bit heavier than the Voigtlander 35/1.2, with an extra 50 grams of weight. It doesn't have any electronics, but it's noticeably faster. The optical design follows the 'double gauss' pattern, similar to the Voigtlander lens. This design does a great job correcting distortion and chromatic aberration, but it leaves some spherical aberration less corrected. With both the TTA and Voigtlander lenses, there's a touch of glow when...Show more →

You know, I have had others tell me similar experiences with that TTA...the examples I have seen are quite nice and if it would have been available when I picked up that Mitakon I would have gravitated toward the TTA just on the weight and size savings.

I really can't complain much though bc I ended up bidding on that Mitakon alone and swiped it for about $165 in like new condition. That being said, I am pretty sure regardless I would have eventually gotten the CV 35/1.2 anyway no matter what.

In a way I am glad the 35/0.9 CV turned out to be as large and expensive as it is bc it made me seriously consider this 35/1.2 CV and I am very happy with it so far...I personally prefer having electronic contacts...especially for the "focus checking" feature among all the other benefits. I did consider the 35mm Ultron Macro for a minute but I have several macro lenses and I figured stopping down the 35mm/1.2 Nokton to f2 or f2.8 will still give me very nice close focus results as well for pseudo-macros.

Now as soon as that 50mm/1.2 is released my nice little travel kit will be complete

and honestly I am almost tempted to pick up one of the range finder style Fuji bodies bc these little voigtlanders look really really nice on them but so far I am quite happy with the X-T5 as its still much much smaller than the FF system I came from.

Aug 29, 2023 at 01:19 PM

Jepser
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p.2 #10 · p.2 #10 · Voigtlander Macro Apo-Ultron 35/2 for Fuji X

Two photos with the Macro Apo Ultron on the Zfc. Slightly adjusted levels on the orchid.


	GRR_7249 by Jesper Ericson, on Flickr


	GRR_7435 by Jesper Ericson, on Flickr

Aug 29, 2023 at 01:35 PM

Fred Miranda
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p.2 #11 · p.2 #11 · Voigtlander Macro Apo-Ultron 35/2 for Fuji X

Gabe13 wrote:
You know, I have had others tell me similar experiences with that TTA...the examples I have seen are quite nice and if it would have been available when I picked up that Mitakon I would have gravitated toward the TTA just on the weight and size savings.

I really can't complain much though bc I ended up bidding on that Mitakon alone and swiped it for about $165 in like new condition. That being said, I am pretty sure regardless I would have eventually gotten the CV 35/1.2 anyway no matter what.

In a way I am glad the 35/0.9 CV...Show more →

The Voigtlander X-mount lenses have electronic connections and are lighter, which are their main advantages. I completely agree. I'm happy that Cosina created lenses with character because my Fuji AF lenses feel very clinical, except for the 35/1.4R.

Aug 29, 2023 at 02:55 PM

RickPerry
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p.2 #12 · p.2 #12 · Voigtlander Macro Apo-Ultron 35/2 for Fuji X

I picked up one of these Voigtlander 35 APO Macros from Steve at Camera Quest last April. It is now one of my favorite lenses on my X-T 4. I consider it to be my 'Art' lens. The colors produced are stunning ..it is definitely sharp but without any digititis, (if I can use that word)... The build quality is solid and operation is firm and smooth. I prefer manual focus in general ... it slows me up and immerses me in the creative process.

Botom line, this lens is all about APO Colors!

Rick

X-T4 VOIGTLANDER MACRO APO-ULTRON 35mm F2 lens 35mm f/9.0 1/200s 250 ISO 0.0 EV

X-T4 VOIGTLANDER MACRO APO-ULTRON 35mm F2 lens 35mm f/8.0 1/250s 400 ISO 0.0 EV

X-T4 VOIGTLANDER MACRO APO-ULTRON 35mm F2 lens 35mm f/6.4 1/320s 200 ISO 0.0 EV

X-T4 VOIGTLANDER MACRO APO-ULTRON 35mm F2 lens 35mm f/3.6 1/250s 400 ISO 0.0 EV

Edited on Sep 01, 2023 at 06:23 AM · View previous versions

Aug 30, 2023 at 06:30 AM

Gabe13
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p.2 #13 · p.2 #13 · Voigtlander Macro Apo-Ultron 35/2 for Fuji X

Very nice series with this 35mm/2 Macro Ultron...I particularly like #3.

The benefit of Apochromatic design is to reduce aberrations...particularly longitudinal chromatic and spherical aberrations. LCA produces the color fringing inherent with many lens designs...perhaps this is what you were referring to as "digititis"?

Great macro lenses should produce technically and clinically excellent image quality with minimal aberrations among other qualities. This lens does that well and almost made me consider it.

However in the end I have several macro lenses one of which shares this focal length so I opted for a classically inspired Voigtlander character lens in the 35mm/1.2 Nokton but perhaps in the future I may find myself adding one of these. One cannot have too many 30mm range lenses I suppose

Aug 30, 2023 at 08:53 PM

Juha Kannisto
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p.2 #14 · p.2 #14 · Voigtlander Macro Apo-Ultron 35/2 for Fuji X

I picked up this CV 35/2 Macro Apo-Ultron this week as I found a very good deal for a 2nd hand one in like-new condition. The weather turned poor in the last few days so I didn't have a lot of opportunities to shoot with it yet but today I went to try it out at Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden and especially the Greenhouse they have there (although the weather was still cloudy).

Some SOOC samples taken with my Fuji X-S10. I mostly used Velvia film simulation for these as I like it for flower & greenery shots:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/pyqKcPpv8p5agVNm8

I'm going to also pick up the CV 35/1.2 (probably a new copy) sometime later this year when the time is right for a new purchase.

Sep 23, 2023 at 08:20 AM

Gabe13
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p.2 #15 · p.2 #15 · Voigtlander Macro Apo-Ultron 35/2 for Fuji X

Juha Kannisto wrote:
I picked up this CV 35/2 Macro Apo-Ultron this week as I found a very good deal for a 2nd hand one in like-new condition. The weather turned poor in the last few days so I didn't have a lot of opportunities to shoot with it yet but today I went to try it out at Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden and especially the Greenhouse they have there (although the weather was still cloudy).

Some SOOC samples taken with my Fuji X-S10. I mostly used Velvia film simulation for these as I like it for flower & greenery shots:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/pyqKcPpv8p5agVNm8

I'm...Show more →

Nice examples! Cloudy days as long as the lighting is good and diffusely bright works well for flower shooting anyways. But please share your impressions of the lens later on once you've gotten some more time with it

Would you say the size is similar to the 50mm/1.2?

Sep 23, 2023 at 08:35 AM

Juha Kannisto
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p.2 #16 · p.2 #16 · Voigtlander Macro Apo-Ultron 35/2 for Fuji X

Gabe13 wrote:
Nice examples! Cloudy days as long as the lighting is good and diffusely bright works well for flower shooting anyways. But please share your impressions of the lens later on once you've gotten some more time with it

Would you say the size is similar to the 50mm/1.2?

It's a bit narrower and longer than 50/1.2 (esp. without their hoods) and a little lighter at 265g vs. 290. Overall size is not that different.

I did another shootout with the 35/2 on my X-S10 today at Odaiba, including more long distance stopped down shots (at f5.6):
https://photos.app.goo.gl/VnYPc7xFdReRrAANA

These were processed via C1 Pro 23 using Fujifilm Film Simulations available there and some minor exposure tweaking in some cases.

Overall I think the lens has very good IQ and it's very sharp already wide open at minimum focus distance at focused point. Handling is similar to the other CV X-mount lenses but the aperture ring is at the bottom part of the lens (next to camera mount side) and since it is a macro lens, focus throw is quite long at the close-focusing side and the lens extends quite a bit. The lens is quite recessed inside the barrel and it wouldn't be very necessary to use the hood. In the infinity side, focus throw is quite short from 2m to infinity and focus has to be adjusted quite carefully for best infinity results as the margins are very narrow. Can't shoot at hard infinity as it goes a bit beyond optimal infinity but pulling back just a little bit (approximately to mid-point of the infinity symbol) seems to give the best results. I like the bokeh of the close-up shots quite a bit.

The lens reminds me of the 65/2 APO-Lanthar that I had for Sony E but eventually I traded that lens away as it was a bit big and heavy and I don't shoot macro all that often. I also had the 110/2.5 and traded it away for similar reasons. This 35/2 could see more long term use especially when I want to shoot close-ups since it's much smaller and lighter. As an infinity shooter I think I prefer the 27/2 since it can be easily utilized at hard-infinity, even though this lens is also excellent for infinity in terms of IQ.

Sep 24, 2023 at 10:38 AM

Gabe13
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p.2 #17 · p.2 #17 · Voigtlander Macro Apo-Ultron 35/2 for Fuji X

Juha Kannisto wrote:
It's a bit narrower and longer than 50/1.2 (esp. without their hoods) and a little lighter at 265g vs. 290. Overall size is not that different.

I did another shootout with the 35/2 on my X-S10 today at Odaiba, including more long distance stopped down shots (at f5.6):
https://photos.app.goo.gl/VnYPc7xFdReRrAANA

These were processed via C1 Pro 23 using Fujifilm Film Simulations available there and some minor exposure tweaking in some cases.

Overall I think the lens has very good IQ and it's very sharp already wide open at minimum focus distance at focused point. Handling is similar to the other CV X-mount lenses but...Show more →

Excellent and nice multi-use examples!

I started photography with APSc back in 2008 with my first DSLR then added a FF DSLR around 2016 now back to APSc exclusively about a year ago with a system switch to Fuji

I have often felt that a 30ish-mm macro lens on APSc is one of the most versatile lenses I could have in my kit and one of my most cherished lenses from my previous APSc system was the outstanding Pentax SMC DA 35mm/2.8 Macro Limited.

It is a lens I still think about (often considering to just get another and use adapted on X) and I used that lens for all manner of subjects and situations. It was excellent for macro or closeup stuff and was equally excellent as a landscape lens too. It was small, compact, had all metal build quality, weighed a mere 215g, had superb optical quality and had this unique integrated lens hood.

When switching to Fuji I opted to get their XF 30mm/2.8 LM WR Macro to fill the void. I like it, it is excellent in many ways but it doesn't really inspire me to use it much for some reason. From what I see with the examples provided of the CV 35mm/2 Macro, I think maybe it would be a suitable one for me to incorporate into my kit...and hey its a Voigtlander as well so it has that unique CV signature to its rendering. So I really do think I will add it at some point in the future and it just may end up supplanting the XF 30mm

Sep 25, 2023 at 09:12 PM

Juha Kannisto
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p.2 #18 · p.2 #18 · Voigtlander Macro Apo-Ultron 35/2 for Fuji X

Gabe13 wrote:
Excellent and nice multi-use examples!

I started photography with APSc back in 2008 with my first DSLR then added a FF DSLR around 2016 now back to APSc exclusively about a year ago with a system switch to Fuji

I have often felt that a 30ish-mm macro lens on APSc is one of the most versatile lenses I could have in my kit and one of my most cherished lenses from my previous APSc system was the outstanding Pentax SMC DA 35mm/2.8 Macro Limited.

It is a lens I still think about (often considering to just get another and...Show more →

Thanks very much! I agree that 30ish-mm macro on APS-C can be very versatile. I haven't used macro lenses much at all for real macro shooting but I do like to take close-ups of flowers and greenery and a macro lens can be very useful for that. My other current macro lens is Sony 90/2.8 G which is a lot bigger and not a lens I use much for casual walk-around shooting. I also have a couple of vintage 50mm macro lenses for Minolta and Pentax SLRs but I've not been using those for a long time.

This CV 35/2 could work well as a general purpose shooter as well as a macro and I think it's a definite keeper.

I also checked a little bit about EXIF data using ExifTool and I found that there was some data in EXIF of RAF files taken with this lens that covered distortion, CA and vignetting, and in C1 Pro 23 Manufacturer Profile was automatically selected for this lens with distortion and CA corrections automatically enabled, so I think C1 Pro must be using the data from Exif to compensate at least for distortion and CA in similar ways that the camera is doing for JPEGs. Not sure about any vignetting compensation though but I haven't seen too much vignetting with this lens in my shooting so far.

Sep 26, 2023 at 09:23 PM

Gabe13
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p.2 #19 · p.2 #19 · Voigtlander Macro Apo-Ultron 35/2 for Fuji X

Juha Kannisto wrote:
I also checked a little bit about EXIF data using ExifTool and I found that there was some data in EXIF of RAF files taken with this lens that covered distortion, CA and vignetting, and in C1 Pro 23 Manufacturer Profile was automatically selected for this lens with distortion and CA corrections automatically enabled, so I think C1 Pro must be using the data from Exif to compensate at least for distortion and CA in similar ways that the camera is doing for JPEGs. Not sure about any vignetting compensation though but I haven't seen too much vignetting with...Show more →

interesting...I am also pretty sure that is indeed what is happening. I also checked both 23/1.2 and 35/1.2 lens exif data from some of my samples and they both show these correction parameters written to the exif by the camera (for fuji's jpeg processing engine) as well.

And like C1 Pro 23, the DXO PL 6E that I use also auto applies corrections for the 23/1.2 but not the 35/1.2 which suggests DXO only will use their optical correction modules for this and not any parameters supplied by the exif.

Sep 27, 2023 at 03:22 PM

Juha Kannisto
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p.2 #20 · p.2 #20 · Voigtlander Macro Apo-Ultron 35/2 for Fuji X

Gabe13 wrote:
interesting...I am also pretty sure that is indeed what is happening. I also checked both 23/1.2 and 35/1.2 lens exif data from some of my samples and they both show these correction parameters written to the exif by the camera (for fuji's jpeg processing engine) as well.

And like C1 Pro 23, the DXO PL 6E that I use also auto applies corrections for the 23/1.2 but not the 35/1.2 which suggests DXO only will use their optical correction modules for this and not any parameters supplied by the exif.

I've now checked with all of my 4 CV X-mount lenses (23/1.2, 27/2, 35/2, 50/1.2) and all 4 include these 3 parameters in EXIF data. I checked with photos taken using my X-S10 that has latest firmware 3.01 from June 15th, but I think there should not be a strict dependency on firmware version since the CV 50/1.2 lens is almost 3 months newer than the firmware. So I think there would not have been any lens mapping for this particular lens in that firmware yet and these parameters in EXIF must then be provided through the electronic communication from the lens.

- Geometric Distortion Params
- Chromatic Aberration Params
- Vignetting Params

In C1 Pro 23 photos with all 4 lenses have Lens Correction with Manufacturer Profile enabled by default with Distortion Correction set to 100% by default and Chromatic Aberration checkbox checked. The results with these corrections when converting from RAF file look practically identical to in-camera JPEGs of the same photos. There is also a Light Falloff slider which default to 0% and when converting from RAF without adjusting this slider there is always much more vignetting than in the corresponding in-camera JPEGs, but if the slider is manually adjusted to 100%, the results become pretty much identical to in-camera JPEGs as far as I can detect also in terms of vignetting.

Sep 28, 2023 at 07:30 AM

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