p.9 #2 · Cosina to release Voigtlander 75mm f/1.9 VM
highdesertmesa wrote:
Also that metal hood is badass and unexpected at this price point
Yes, and it seems quite appropriate given how well the lens appears to deal with flare. Great for minimizing RF blockage.
Any thoughts on wide open characteristics of the 1.9 vs. 1.5? I.e. sharpness in the plane of focus at close distances as well as focus transition, background/foreground rendering qualities? Does the 1.5 have similar residual SA at near distances? My impression of it, though I have not recently looked at online reviews, is it's quite modern, 'sterile' rendering. The 1.9 appears to leave some imperfections for effect. For example at medium distances the periphery area of the plane of focus appears to show some SA while the central area does not. It's IMO a nice, subtle, less sterile effect.
Where I'm a bit less enthusiastic about the 1.9, based on Juha's photos, is medium to farther subject distances with suboptimal background separation. In those cases I see a fair amount of nervousness in the transition, particularly off-axis.
p.9 #3 · Cosina to release Voigtlander 75mm f/1.9 VM
Juha Kannisto wrote:
Thanks for the analysis! Here are some photos of the lens on camera, the caps, and size comparison between CV 75/2.5, MS-Optics 73/1.5, CV 75/1.9 and CV 75/1.5:
Thanks Juha! Any chance of seeing it alongside some 50mm M mount lenses? Also perhaps side by side with the 35/1.5? It would seem these two were made to go together. No urgency. Just if you get around to it.
p.9 #4 · Cosina to release Voigtlander 75mm f/1.9 VM
rscheffler wrote:
Yes, and it seems quite appropriate given how well the lens appears to deal with flare. Great for minimizing RF blockage.
Any thoughts on wide open characteristics of the 1.9 vs. 1.5? I.e. sharpness in the plane of focus at close distances as well as focus transition, background/foreground rendering qualities? Does the 1.5 have similar residual SA at near distances? My impression of it, though I have not recently looked at online reviews, is it's quite modern, 'sterile' rendering. The 1.9 appears to leave some imperfections for effect. For example at medium distances the periphery area of the plane of focus appears to show some SA while the central area does not. It's IMO a nice, subtle, less sterile effect.
Where I'm a bit less enthusiastic about the 1.9, based on Juha's photos, is medium to farther subject distances with suboptimal background separation. In those cases I see a fair amount of nervousness in the transition, particularly off-axis....Show more →
We'll have to see – one person's nervousness is another person's "painterly", "active", or "retro" bokeh. The SC version's lower contrast may smooth out some wrinkles as long as contrast, clarity, and saturation are not added back in post.
I would call the 75 1.5's rendering calmer, like a 75mm version of the Q/Q2 Summilux (or even a Sigma Art lens):
p.9 #5 · Cosina to release Voigtlander 75mm f/1.9 VM
highdesertmesa wrote:
We'll have to see – one person's nervousness is another person's "painterly", "active", or "retro" bokeh. The SC version's lower contrast may smooth out some wrinkles as long as contrast, clarity, and saturation are not added back in post.
Yes, I agree. I like what I see from the 1.9 in respect to background character at near MFD. Or where there's big background separation at longer distances. I guess it's a tradeoff... What perhaps bugs me is that it appears foreground rendering might be a bit smoother, but need to see more comparisons. If this is the case, I wish it was the other way around.
I would call the 75 1.5's rendering calmer, like a 75mm version of the Q/Q2 Summilux (or even a Sigma Art lens)
p.9 #6 · Cosina to release Voigtlander 75mm f/1.9 VM
rscheffler wrote:
Yes, I agree. I like what I see from the 1.9 in respect to background character at near MFD. Or where there's big background separation at longer distances. I guess it's a tradeoff... What perhaps bugs me is that it appears foreground rendering might be a bit smoother, but need to see more comparisons. If this is the case, I wish it was the other way around.
Yes, it's what I meant by more modern/sterile.
Gotcha. I just don't equate modern with "sterile" or "clinical". "Sterile" has a negative connotation that "modern", "calm", or "neutral" does not. Think of large format lenses for film. We would not call Ansel's image "Clearing Winter Storm, Yosemite National Park" sterile, right? Would we call the lens he used sterile?
p.9 #7 · Cosina to release Voigtlander 75mm f/1.9 VM
Juha Kannisto wrote:
I decided to pick up this lens finally (as a birthday present for myself)
I went for the MC version as that's generally my preference. SC version is also out of stock in most Tokyo stores while MC is still available at least at Map Camera.
Most of the close range shots were taken wide open at f1.9, and most of the far-away shots were taken at f5.6 utilizing hard infinity (which is spot-on with this lens using my Rayqual adapter).
I exported them through C1 Pro 23 and applied my favorite preset on most of them, but a handful were exported straight without any modifications (just default settings for A7C + all noise reduction turned off) since I preferred the colors that way for some of the close-up plant shots.
So far I'm very happy with the lens and having 0.5m MFD is very welcome....Show more →
Hey Juha! I just wanted to say thanks for posting those samples as always, they're always super helpful. I have to admit, I knew it would be tough to resist this one but I don't blame you as it looks like a real gem! ;-)
Based on what I've seen in your shots, I think the CV 75/1.9 is a top-performing lens with a modern smooth rendering style compared to the previous CV 75/1.8 'classic', and I'm really excited to try it out on my Leica M. I did notice a bit of axial CA in some of the images, but it wasn't very noticeable in most shots. Thanks again for sharing your insights
p.9 #9 · Cosina to release Voigtlander 75mm f/1.9 VM
rscheffler wrote:
Thanks Juha! Any chance of seeing it alongside some 50mm M mount lenses? Also perhaps side by side with the 35/1.5? It would seem these two were made to go together. No urgency. Just if you get around to it.
Here are some side-by-side photos showing the 75/1.9 next to some of my other CV lenses:
p.9 #10 · Cosina to release Voigtlander 75mm f/1.9 VM
Fred Miranda wrote:
Hey Juha! I just wanted to say thanks for posting those samples as always, they're always super helpful. I have to admit, I knew it would be tough to resist this one but I don't blame you as it looks like a real gem! ;-)
Based on what I've seen in your shots, I think the CV 75/1.9 is a top-performing lens with a modern smooth rendering style compared to the previous CV 75/1.8 'classic', and I'm really excited to try it out on my Leica M. I did notice a bit of axial CA in some of the images, but it wasn't very noticeable in most shots. Thanks again for sharing your insights...Show more →
Thanks very much Fred! I would have pre-ordered it if I hadn't already purchased so many lenses just before it recently After having used it for a day I'm really happy that I got it. Also looks like there won't be anything must-have for me getting announced at CP+ so I can stay clear from making new purchases for a while...
I hope you can try it out and do your testing on Leica M soon!
The weather was not so photogenic except for a short time so I didn't shoot so much today.
These were mostly at f1.9 (wide open) and a couple were at f5.6.
p.9 #13 · Cosina to release Voigtlander 75mm f/1.9 VM
Has anyone purchased this lens outside of Japan, and if so, from which country? From what I can find, I don't think anyone has purchased it outside of Japan yet, is that correct?
The weather was not so photogenic except for a short time so I didn't shoot so much today.
These were mostly at f1.9 (wide open) and a couple were at f5.6.
Hi Juha,
Thanks for the additional shots. I am pleasantly surprised by two things with this lens. First, it has very nice central sharpness--more than I expected. It is at least sharp enough. Second, that central sharpness is there even close up--I have liked the close up images more than I expected.
What I didn't like as much was what rscheffler pointed out that the transition zone off axis can be a little busy nervous at longer focal lengths. I am hoping that is a Sony thing as I have seen that before on Leica M lenses on Sony cameras that does not show up on Leica M cameras. I am guess it will still be there on Leica M, just not as noticeable. This issue would not be a deal breaker for me, however.
The axial CA is about what I expected. The three APD elements tame that CA pretty well, but they don't totally get rid of it. This is a fairly well corrected lens, but it isn't an APO lens.
All in all, unless testing reveals other flaws that really bug me, I will probably get this lens and pair for the 35 f/2.5 II as my always keep with me pair for my Leica M. It probably won't make my going out to shoot set which will still be 28,50, & 90, but I expect I will use it a lot.
p.9 #16 · Cosina to release Voigtlander 75mm f/1.9 VM
When I look at images where the subject is focused at a medium distance, I notice some really nice micro contrast and overall pleasant rendering. Additionally, there's some great structure in the transition zone that I really enjoy:
When shooting wide open, I've noticed that the sharpness remains consistent across the entire frame, but this observation is based on using a Sony 24MP sensor:
I've found that when shooting against the light, this lens produces well-defined sunstars and is great at resisting flare. I've also noticed that there's no ghosting and only minimal veiling, which is really impressive: (f/5.6?)
Overall, I've had a really positive experience with the CV 75/1.9 lens samples -- thanks again Juha! In my opinion, it strikes a great balance between not being too 'vintage' like the CV 75/1.8 Heliar Classic, but also not as super smooth as the Voigt 75/1.5 Nokton's. I've noticed that this lens has much better color error correction compared to the CV 75/1.5 and CV 75/1.8 Heliar. I'm actually really excited to try out the single coated version myself!
p.9 #17 · Cosina to release Voigtlander 75mm f/1.9 VM
Late to the thread—busy weekend.
I really like what so am seeing from the 75/1.9. More personality than I was expecting thus far which is great and my main complaints of the 75/1.5. I am sure optics will be “good enough” for me. Thanks for posting Juha, and some lovely images in your gallery. And the size is fantastic.
p.9 #18 · Cosina to release Voigtlander 75mm f/1.9 VM
highdesertmesa wrote:
We'll have to see – one person's nervousness is another person's "painterly", "active", or "retro" bokeh. The SC version's lower contrast may smooth out some wrinkles as long as contrast, clarity, and saturation are not added back in post.
I would call the 75 1.5's rendering calmer, like a 75mm version of the Q/Q2 Summilux (or even a Sigma Art lens):
Are those samples of the Nokton? Why do I remember the transition zones and the bokeh in general to be much busier than this?
p.9 #19 · Cosina to release Voigtlander 75mm f/1.9 VM
derKoekje wrote:
Are those samples of the Nokton? Why do I remember the transition zones and the bokeh in general to be much busier than this?
Yes, the 75 1.5. Probably because none of the samples I posted have much transition area nor busy backgrounds that are right behind the subject. That said, I always found its rendering fairly neutral.
p.9 #20 · Cosina to release Voigtlander 75mm f/1.9 VM
Back in early March 2019 Juha posted a gallery of images he shot with the 75/1.5 at CP+. I just happened across the photos on my computer, having downloaded them back then. Anyway, I found his post and the link to his 75/1.5 photo gallery is still valid. There are some images in the collection that show focus transition and IMO it's better, calmer than the 75/1.9 with overall more neutral, less characterful rendering.
