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Archive 2022 · What makes Voigtländer lenses "special" or a better alternativ...

Kane Engelbert
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · What makes Voigtländer lenses "special" or a better alternative to S lenses?

Im not dissing Voigtländer whatsoever...Instead I might want to buy one...zoom or prime. I just don't know much about Voigtländer lenses these days. I own a Z7 II and most of Nikons S lenses and still have the FTZ adaptor, however Ive moved into a photography era where Im willing to pick up non Nikon S lens that don't need to be crazy sharp, but instead might offer lovely color rendering or something special Im not aware of. I owned a 58 Nokton many years ago and remember it as a fine manual focus instrument, built like a tank and very precise. These days, there seems to be a lot of chatter/excitement about Voigtländer. Im interested in maybe adding one two of these lenses into my bag, especially primes that offer different/special color rendering or a nice sun star. Whats you favorite Voigtländer lenses for Z mount and why? Are you excited for a future release?

Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

Nov 28, 2022 at 09:56 PM

Todd Warnke
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · What makes Voigtländer lenses "special" or a better alternative to S lenses?

This thread ... https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1722699

I'm sure you've probably already looked at it, but it shows what the Voigtlander 50mm f2 APO Lanthar can do. Ripolini has some nice there, but the OP really nails it and showcases the Voight thing perfectly. That lens is next on my list.

Nov 28, 2022 at 10:05 PM

1bwana1
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · What makes Voigtländer lenses "special" or a better alternative to S lenses?

Currently Voigtlander only makes 4 lenses for the Z Mount. They don't make zoom lenses at all for any mount.

What makes them special is of course the build quality, and amazing feel you get when shooting them.

None of the 4 lenses currently offered would be my first choice in a Voigtlander lens. But if I had to pick a native Z mount I guess I would choose the 50 mm f/2 APO Lanthar. This is a very fine optic for sure, and would be my first native Z mount Voigtlander purchase. It is not known for character if that is what you are looking for.

If you don't mind using an adapter, my first choice would be the Voigtlander 40mm f/1.2 Nokton ASPH in the Sony E-mount. Choose either the newer SE version or the original depending on which ergonomics you prefer. The optics are the same. This lens is amazing. It has two personalities. Dreamy with tons of character wide open, and becoming super sharp when stopped down a bit. If it has a major weakness it would be that It does suffer a bit from CA in some circumstances. But the images it produces are wonderful.

Between my Sony and my Leica M kit I now have 7 Voigtlander lenses and I love them a lot. A whole different shooting experience.

Nov 28, 2022 at 10:40 PM

fjablo
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · What makes Voigtländer lenses "special" or a better alternative to S lenses?

1bwana1 wrote:
Currently Voigtlander only makes 4 lenses for the Z Mount. They don't make zoom lenses at all for any mount.

What makes them special is of course the build quality, and amazing feel you get when shooting them.

None of the 4 lenses currently offered would be my first choice in a Voigtlander lens. But if I had to pick a native Z mount I guess I would choose the 50 mm f/2 APO Lanthar. This is a very fine optic for sure, and would be my first native Z mount Voigtlander purchase. It is not known for character if that is...Show more →

Last time I checked they made 7 native Z mount lenses, including the 40mm f/1.2, so no need to adapt the Sony version anymore

Nov 28, 2022 at 10:47 PM

1bwana1
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · What makes Voigtländer lenses "special" or a better alternative to S lenses?

I thought they did the 40mm f/1.2 also. But, when I looked on their website they only showed 4 native Z mount lenses on their website.

https://www.voigtlaender.de/z-anschluss/

I just checked on the U.S. Camera Quest website and they do show the 40mm. So, that would be first choice. Of course it is the only one of the Z mount lenses currently not on sale.

Edited on Nov 29, 2022 at 12:16 AM · View previous versions

Nov 28, 2022 at 11:08 PM

suteetat
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · What makes Voigtländer lenses "special" or a better alternative to S lenses?

Personally, I would not get a Z mount version if it is available in M mount (assuming identical optic formula and assuming that the M mount version works well with slightly thicker sensor cover on Z body). The main reason is the ability to use techart or megadap AF adapter. I have a lot of fun with Leica 50/2 apo among others with this adapter and they work very well on Z9 and Z7 ii for portrait. I even put Noct Nikkor 58/1.2 on F to m adapter so I can use this lens with AF

Of course you won't get full exif data like you would with native Z mount lens but that is a compromise I am willing to trade. You also will get closer minimum focusing distance which can be handy in certain situation.

PS I use some of these lenses mainly for their rendition and small size, not so much because they are manual focus lens per se so I rather like having the AF ability. Some lenses where AF capability is not possible like Noct Nikkor 58/.95 or the Otus/Milvus (way too heavy for the adapter), then manual focus is ok

Edited on Nov 28, 2022 at 11:34 PM · View previous versions

Nov 28, 2022 at 11:30 PM

fjablo
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · What makes Voigtländer lenses "special" or a better alternative to S lenses?

1bwana1 wrote:
I though they did the 40mm f/1.2 also. But, when I looked on their website they only showed 4 native Z mount lenses on their website.

https://www.voigtlaender.de/z-anschluss/

I just checked on the U.S. Camera Quest website and they do show the 40mm. So, that would be first choice. Of course it is the only one of the Z mount lenses currently not on sale.

That is the website of the German distributor (who also own the rights to the brand at least in Europe and have licensed it to Cosina afaik). For the most accurate and up-to-date information check Cosinas website: https://www.cosina.co.jp/voigtlander/en/z-mount/

Nov 28, 2022 at 11:31 PM

fjablo
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · What makes Voigtländer lenses "special" or a better alternative to S lenses?

suteetat wrote:
Personally, I would not get a Z mount version if it is available in M mount (assuming identical optic formula and assuming that the M mount version works well with slightly thicker sensor cover on Z body). The main reason is the ability to use techart or megadap AF adapter. I have a lot of fun with Leica 50/2 apo among others with this adapter and they work very well on Z9 and Z7 ii for portrait. I even put Noct Nikkor 58/1.2 on F to m adapter so I can use this lens with AF

Of course you won't...Show more →

In the case of the 35mm and 50mm APOs the M mount variant is a different optical design and performs worse on Nikon and Sony due to their thicker sensor stack compared to Leica cameras.

I think the 40mm f/1.2 is the same design and performs similarly but if in doubt check the phillipreeve or Fred’s review

Nov 28, 2022 at 11:34 PM

NissanPatrol
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · What makes Voigtländer lenses "special" or a better alternative to S lenses?

Looking for 35mm for my Z mount

Should I buy the Voigtländer or the Zeiss?

Nov 29, 2022 at 12:24 AM

Fpessolano
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · What makes Voigtländer lenses "special" or a better alternative to S lenses?

Size, build quality, character or optics are the difference.
I own a couple only because ofsize and they are m mount. One has no thick stack issue of note (40 1.2), they other has but is less annoying than it sounds in the photos I take with.

Nov 29, 2022 at 01:30 AM

suteetat
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · What makes Voigtländer lenses "special" or a better alternative to S lenses?

NissanPatrol wrote:
Looking for 35mm for my Z mount

Should I buy the Voigtländer or the Zeiss?

Zeiss 35/1.4 ZM is a modern design, very sharp, may be a touch clinical if you compare it to older design that have
more character (ie less corrected). I have an older Voiglander 35/1.2, first version I believe that rendered beautifully
but nowhere nearly as sharp as the Zeiss wide opened.
But overall, Zeiss 35/1.4 ZM is probably my favorite 35mm lens to date. I sold my Leica 35/1.4 FLE after I bought the Zeiss.
However, I have not tried current Voiglander offering though. Zeiss plays well with Nikon and Sony as well.
A little better than Zeiss ZM is Zeiss Milvus 35/1.4 but also much much bigger and heavier so I don't use it quite as often.

Nov 29, 2022 at 02:07 AM

pkmx
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · What makes Voigtländer lenses "special" or a better alternative to S lenses?

They are very compact for their specifications. For example, the 50/1.2 Nokton (347g + adapter) is about half the size/weight of modern AF equivalents (Z 50/1.2: 1090g, 50/1.2GM: 778g, RF 50/1.2: 950g). Build quality is very high with all metal construction: focus ring is buttery smooth with very well-defined aperture clicks. They also come in M-mount (so easily adaptable to all mirrorless bodies and have AF with Techart/Megadap) or native mounts (shorter MFD, EXIF data, 5-axis IBIS, focus assist, etc).

Apart from their APO lineup, most Voigtlander lenses do not aim for optical perfection, which is what enables them to be much smaller. The typical characteristics are that they have some SA wide open, corners are usually not great (esp. for lenses that are not optimized for thick sensor stacks), heavy vignetting, CA, etc. Those are usually not flaws that are bad enough to completely break down an image, and in fact may even be something people are looking for. Stopped down most of them become very sharp with great sunstars. You can find very detailed description of each Voigtlander lenses on the web so I'm not going to repeat those here.

The 28/2 ASPH, 40/1.2 and 50/1.2 are what I'd suggest trying out first for a gentle introduction if you are not used to Voigtlander lenses. They are very fast primes and have plenty of the characters wide-open, but it is quite balanced and not overly-done like the older 35&40/1.4, 50/1.5, etc. They become very sharp once you stop down to around f/2.8 or 4 or so. My VM40/1.2 with M-Z adapter and lens hood is smaller than my Z 35/1.8 without a hood, which is quite a feat considering it is a whole stop faster.

Nov 29, 2022 at 06:08 AM

NissanPatrol
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · What makes Voigtländer lenses "special" or a better alternative to S lenses?

suteetat wrote:
Zeiss 35/1.4 ZM is a modern design, very sharp, may be a touch clinical if you compare it to older design that have
more character (ie less corrected). I have an older Voiglander 35/1.2, first version I believe that rendered beautifully
but nowhere nearly as sharp as the Zeiss wide opened.
But overall, Zeiss 35/1.4 ZM is probably my favorite 35mm lens to date. I sold my Leica 35/1.4 FLE after I bought the Zeiss.
However, I have not tried current Voiglander offering though. Zeiss plays well with Nikon and Sony as well.
A little better than Zeiss ZM is Zeiss Milvus 35/1.4 but...Show more →

I am not too sensitive to the lens size as long as it is sharp in the middle.

So what adaptor I need to use the Zeiss Milvus 35/1.4 with my Z9

Thanks

Nov 29, 2022 at 09:00 AM

Vento
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · What makes Voigtländer lenses "special" or a better alternative to S lenses?

NissanPatrol wrote:
Looking for 35mm for my Z mount

Should I buy the Voigtländer or the Zeiss?

It really depends on what the lens will primarily be used for.
There is no one size fits all 35mm, ultimately you should looking for a lens whose characteristics match your requirements profil.
Do you want to shoot a lot of portrait stuff, how important is AF, how frequently you want to shoot moving subjects, how important are features like weather sealing for you, how fast the 35mm should be and what main strenghts it should have.
The right lid for every pot, it's the same with lenses.
Without knowing what pot you want, lid recommendations only make very limited sense.

If you are looking for a 35mm lens, mainly for landscape, architecture, city-/nightscape, some street photography, you want superb resolution from wide open across the field, highest level of optical corrections allready wide open @ f/2, enjoy shooting with MF lenses, you won't find any better 35mm Z-mount lens, like the 35mm Apo-Lanthar Z.
I can't comment on the Zeiss Milvus 35/1.4, but for the application scenarios already mentioned above the 35 Apo-Lanthar even outperforms the Zeiss Otus 28mm f1.4.

https://www.cameralabs.com/voigtlander-35mm-f2-apo-lanthar-review/4/

Nov 29, 2022 at 01:54 PM

Ripolini
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · What makes Voigtländer lenses "special" or a better alternative to S lenses?

Todd Warnke wrote:
Ripolini has some nice there...

Thanks Todd.

Kane Engelbert wrote:
Im not dissing Voigtländer whatsoever... Whats you favorite Voigtländer lenses for Z mount and why? Are you excited for a future release?

Voigtlander makes MF primes only. According to Cosina-Voiglander lens designers (Cosina manufactures both Voigtlander and Zeiss branded lenses), the lack of AF/IS/VR systems gives them more freedom to optimize the optical scheme (see https://www.fujiya-camera.co.jp/blog/detail/pro/20220820/) and keep lens size compact.
I own four Zeiss ZF.2 lenses made by Cosina and they are better than any Nikkor F-mount equivalent lens.
Voigtlander lenses follow the same philosophy in the ML world.
I wanted a 50 mm lens with higher performance than my 40+ y.o. Nikkor AI 50/1.4, that suffers visibly from coma at the wider apertures and consequent poor corner sharpness at these f/ values (it's a typical defect of double Gauss designs). I looked at many tests and pictures taken with both Nikkor Z 50/1.8 S and Voigtlander 50/2 Apo Lanthar; after long and careful inspections, I opted for the more expensive & MF 50/2 Apo. Why? Because it has incredible sharpness even in the corners at the wider apertures, it's smaller & lighter, and I feel it will last for decades (hope I'll survive a couple of decades at least

). Finally, I do not need a 50 mm lens to take pictures of running dogs or children; I use that prime lens mostly for landscapes and cityscapes. Therefore, AF is not mandatory for the intended usage. I'm extremely happy with the incredible performance of the lens (Cosina put a lot of special glass elements in the design), and I am confident I'll buy more Cosina Voigtlander lenses in the future. Next in the list is the 35/2 Apo Lanthar. If Cosina will manufacture the 110 Apo Lanthar with Z mount, I'll add it to my F-mount medium telephoto lenses (Nikon AF-S 105/2.8G VR, Zeiss 100/2 Makro Planar & Zeiss 135/2 Apo Sonnar). I'm not sure I'd buy a wideangle Voigtlander lens with Z mount because I find the Nikkor Z 14-30/4 S so much versatile and of sufficient quality for my Z6. The 14-30/4 is one of the few Nikkor Z lenses that is compact enough considering its FL range and optical quality.
However, I could probably consider buying the 21/3.5 VM (Leica M mount) and the M-to-Z Voigtlander adapter: the 21/3.5 VM works fine with Nikon/Sony sensors and is extremely compact & lightweight!

Cheers,

Riccardo

Nov 29, 2022 at 02:44 PM

suteetat
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · What makes Voigtländer lenses "special" or a better alternative to S lenses?

NissanPatrol wrote:
I am not too sensitive to the lens size as long as it is sharp in the middle.

So what adaptor I need to use the Zeiss Milvus 35/1.4 with my Z9

Thanks

For Zeiss Milvus, if you buy the ZF.2 version, it is an F mount version and you can use it with FTZ adapter and
you will get all the exif data. Zeiss 35/1.4 ZM is M mount so you will need M mount adapter. If you get Megadap or
Techart, they willl turn manual focus lens into AF lens. Not as fast as native lens but good enough for stationary object,
most portrait or even street photography.
---------------------------------------------

Vento wrote:
It really depends on what the lens will primarily be used for.
There is no one size fits all 35mm, ultimately you should looking for a lens whose characteristics match your requirements profil.
Do you want to shoot a lot of portrait stuff, how important is AF, how frequently you want to shoot moving subjects, how important are features like weather sealing for you, how fast the 35mm should be and what main strenghts it should have.
The right lid for every pot, it's the same with lenses.
Without knowing what pot you want, lid recommendations only make very limited sense.

If you are looking...Show more →

I went through the review briefly but I don't see any comparison to Otus 28/1.4. There is a picture of Voiglander next to Otus 28/1.4 but the actual comparison was done with Zeiss Batis 40/2 . I don't see any actual comparison to Zeiss Otus on either page 2 or 4 of the review. Regardless, its compact size with excellent IQ certainly make it a very good option.

Nov 29, 2022 at 04:53 PM

Vento
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · What makes Voigtländer lenses "special" or a better alternative to S lenses?

The reviewer, Thomas a german guy, didn't included his 28mm f/1.4 Otus in his cameralabs review, but he commented his conclusion after his review in a big german photography forum.

"My comparison lenses were the Nikon Z 35/1.8 S, the Sony FE 35/1.8, the Sigma 35/1.2 Art and the Zeiss Batis 40/2.0 CF (I haven't gotten the Viltrox AF 35/1.8 yet, but it certainly wouldn't be competition optically). And if I had added the Zeiss Otus 28/1.4, that would have been easily beaten by the Voigtländer as well.... As a consequence, I will keep the Voigtländer and sell my Zeiss Otus"

https://www.dslr-forum.de/showpost.php?p=16381264&postcount=19

Otherwise, there are respective reviews of both lenses on lenstip, even if the site is controversial in methodology and direct comparability.
Such charts certainly only show a partial aspect, and both lenses are actually too different for a meaningful comparison.
The Apo-Lanthar won't give you the benefits and the wide open look of a f/1.4 lens and it won't give you 28mm focal length.
Nevertheless, the Voigtländer's charts are impressive, and it also performs noticeably better in terms of distortion and coma in these reviews.

https://www.lenstip.com/610.1-Lens_review-Voigtlander_Apo_Lanthar_35_mm_f_2_Aspherical__Introduction.html

https://www.lenstip.com/481.1-Lens_review-Carl_Zeiss_Otus_28_mm_f_1.4.html

CZ Otus 28/1.4

CV 35/2 AL-E

CZ Otus 28/1.4

CV 35/2 AL-E

Nov 29, 2022 at 10:21 PM

AmbientMike
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · What makes Voigtländer lenses "special" or a better alternative to S lenses?

The German sounding name probably appeals to people. Are they made in Germany?

Nov 29, 2022 at 10:57 PM

suteetat
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · What makes Voigtländer lenses "special" or a better alternative to S lenses?

Vento wrote:
The reviewer, Thomas a german guy, didn't included his 28mm f/1.4 Otus in his cameralabs review, but he commented his conclusion after his review in a big german photography forum.

"My comparison lenses were the Nikon Z 35/1.8 S, the Sony FE 35/1.8, the Sigma 35/1.2 Art and the Zeiss Batis 40/2.0 CF (I haven't gotten the Viltrox AF 35/1.8 yet, but it certainly wouldn't be competition optically). And if I had added the Zeiss Otus 28/1.4, that would have been easily beaten by the Voigtländer as well.... As a consequence, I will keep the Voigtländer and sell my Zeiss Otus"

https://www.dslr-forum.de/showpost.php?p=16381264&postcount=19

Otherwise,...Show more →
Thanks for the link and comments regarding Otus 28/1.4. Of note, the Otus MFT chart was with Canon 5D iii so that's a 22MP sensor while the 32/2 Apo Lanthar is done with A7r iii or ii at 42MP. Not sure how you would correct for difference in MP
whether twice the number of pixel would double the number linearly or not.

I rather like the Otus 28/1.4 but have not used it quite as much because of size and weight but always love the result
when I get to use it. If the Voiglander is just as good (or better) while being that much smaller, it is certainly very compelling.

Nov 29, 2022 at 11:02 PM

Vento
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · What makes Voigtländer lenses "special" or a better alternative to S lenses?

The Voigtländer lenses are made by Cosina/Japan, like most of the Zeiss F-mount lenses.
Afaik the Zeiss Otus line and other Zeiss lenses were/are also made by Cosina.
Only the name remained german, Voigtländer was founded in 1756 in Vienna/Austria, today it's a trademark, manufactured by Cosina.
Cosina has it's own glassworks/glass making, which is rare.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voigtl%C3%A4nder

Edited on Nov 29, 2022 at 11:10 PM · View previous versions

Nov 29, 2022 at 11:03 PM

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