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Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review

GMPhotography
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p.13 #1 · p.13 #1 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review

Thanks Fred this lens looks really nice

Sep 04, 2024 at 12:28 PM

AZSteve
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p.13 #2 · p.13 #2 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review

Thank you, Fred, for another fascinating test. I have Guy's copy of the Heliar; I regret to say I've used it only to test it, and now it's rather outclassed by the A-L.

It's a fool's errand for sure try to understand what C-V has in mind sometimes, in this case why they explicitly cautioned that performance would be weaker on thicker-cover-glass cameras. Your test makes it clear that there is essentially nothing to criticize about the little A-L on the A7CR.

I wish they'd give it floating elements and offer it as a 1:2 macro on E-mount.

Sep 04, 2024 at 12:53 PM

Knut.
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p.13 #3 · p.13 #3 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review

I‘m still confused why Voigtländer clamed that there might be some image degradation when adapted on other mounts than m-mount.

For infinity focus Fred has clearly shown that this is not the case.

The 3.5/50 Apo is exceptionally good at close focus (on m-mount). I wonder if some of this close up performsnce is lost when adapting this lens to e-mount. Possibly the thicker sensor glas of Sony sensors induces some field curvation up close?

In any case it is an excellent landscape lens on e-mount.

Sep 04, 2024 at 04:08 PM

highdesertmesa
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p.13 #4 · p.13 #4 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review

Sep 04, 2024 at 04:13 PM

Fred Miranda
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p.13 #5 · p.13 #5 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review

Knut. wrote:
I‘m still confused why Voigtländer clamed that there might be some image degradation when adapted on other mounts than m-mount.

For infinity focus Fred has clearly shown that this is not the case.

The 3.5/50 Apo is exceptionally good at close focus (on m-mount). I wonder if some of this close up performsnce is lost when adapting this lens to e-mount. Possibly the thicker sensor glas of Sony sensors induces some field curvation up close?

In any case it is an excellent landscape lens on e-mount.

Maybe they didn’t fully test it on a mirrorless body. If I were Cosina, I’d be promoting this more, as it’s a significant advantage for the lens. Typically, their slower lenses perform nearly optimally on Sony bodies, like the CV 10mm, 12mm, 15mm, 21mm f/3.5, and the CV 50mm f/3.5 Heliar --- all with maximum apertures of f/3.5 or smaller.

That said, I don’t assume this applies to all slower lenses. For example, the Leica 18mm f/3.8 and 21mm f/3.4 SEM don’t perform optimally on Sony cameras, showing noticeable smearing due to astigmatism and also major changes in shape curvature. Optical design plays a major role here as well.

Sep 04, 2024 at 04:28 PM

philip_pj
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p.13 #6 · p.13 #6 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review

They were maybe stung by the problems people had with adapters and close scrutiny that showed a loss compared with M camera results, for some of their lenses. And it's a slow 50mm, not a troublesome wide angle known for issues on mirrorless (pushed ray angles, etc), nor is it a wide aperture lens.

The little Heliar works better for my intimate landscapes than the 50/2 APO (E) on Sonys, but I am looking for rates of fade, depth cues, DOF generally, colour and low element count as a means of gaining transparency, not an early peaking, asphy lens made for f2 use.

The H 50/3.5 featured in their design process of the 50/3.5 APO, clearly. They are the same size and weight region, aperture blade count, minimum f-stop. They got a great result from their APD glass (can't wait to see their next lenses) and so called it an APO-Lanthar, and rightly so because the term has priority over their other category names. It's a world away in all aspects from the 50/2 APO, other than the name.

Sep 04, 2024 at 05:08 PM

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p.13 #7 · p.13 #7 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review

I just received the production models of both the Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Type I Two-Tone (brass, 245g) and Type II Black-Paint (aluminum and brass, 175g). While both are visually stunning, the Type I Two-Tone stands out with its striking design...even though it doesn’t feature a collapsible mechanism.

Sep 04, 2024 at 05:18 PM

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p.13 #8 · p.13 #8 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review

I tested all three copies for centering, and they passed with flying colors -- each one is well-centered. It's reassuring that they all perform identically, indicating no changes in production affecting performance.

I also weighed the lenses without hoods and caps using my reliable scale and found slight variations compared to the reported weights:

Type I Two-Tone: 229g (reported as 245g)
Type II Silver: 252g (reported as 250g)
Type II Black Paint: 178g (reported as 175g)

The most significant difference is with the Type I Two-Tone, which is 16 grams lighter than reported. Each lens hood adds an additional 7 grams.

Type I Two-Tone | Type II Silver | Type II Black Paint

Sep 04, 2024 at 05:54 PM

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p.13 #9 · p.13 #9 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review

Today, I’m trying out the different versions of the Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar. All of them have the same optical performance, so the only differences are in the look and the minimum focus distance. Type I can focus down to 0.45m, while Type II gets as close as 0.35m, which is pretty rare for M-mount lenses.

A few weeks ago, @Juha Kannisto tested all the versions in Japan and said he liked the Type I Two-Tone the most. I have to agree --- the online photos don’t really show how well-made the Type I is. It’s not collapsible, but it still has that classic vibe, and I can see why Cosina chose to make it 'rigid'. The build is flawless, with no vibration, and the focus ring is really smooth. This model also has a separate aperture ring, which some people will prefer. It also looks amazing on a Leica M body.

Here are a couple of shots with my Leica M10-R:

Sep 04, 2024 at 09:14 PM

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p.13 #10 · p.13 #10 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review

The Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Type II Black Paint is another beautiful option with its own advantages. As I mentioned, it focuses closer at 0.35m and is also about 50 grams lighter. You can definitely feel the difference in weight when handling these lenses. It's a great choice for anyone who prefers the Type II aesthetics and wants a lighter lens. The Type II silver brass version weighs 74 grams more (I measured it).

I didn’t get a chance to test the Type I Matte Black, but it operates the same as the Two-Tone. The main difference is that it's painted on aluminum instead of brass. It’s the lightest of the bunch, with a reported weight of only 150 grams. It should look great on Leica M bodies with the flat black paint.

Here’s an image of the Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 Type II in Black Paint:

Sep 04, 2024 at 09:23 PM

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p.13 #11 · p.13 #11 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review

Each of these lenses comes with a matching screw-in hood, weighing just 7 grams, and they are also very compact.

Here is the Type I Two-Tone with its included hood, which complements the black paint finish of the lens focusing ring:

Sep 04, 2024 at 09:25 PM

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p.13 #12 · p.13 #12 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review

Here is the Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Type II in Black Paint, complete with the included hood. It remains a very compact package.

Sep 04, 2024 at 11:48 PM

Juha Kannisto
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p.13 #13 · p.13 #13 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review

Thanks Fred for reviewing the lens on Sony A7CR

And it's nice to know that it is actually slightly lighter than specified.

Sep 05, 2024 at 03:08 AM

highdesertmesa
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p.13 #14 · p.13 #14 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review

Nice! You may have answered this earlier in the thread, but does the black paint Type II still have a brass focusing ring? Hoping the paint would wear off to brass and not silver.

Sep 05, 2024 at 10:39 AM

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p.13 #15 · p.13 #15 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review

Juha Kannisto wrote:
Thanks Fred for reviewing the lens on Sony A7CR

Since it works very well on Sony too, I decided to buy it soon, but need to make some trade-ins since I'm currently out of lens budget.

Will try to pick one up this weekend as long as Map Camera still has Type I Duo-tone in stock. They have so far run out of stock on Type II black but other 3 are remaining in stock. They also received new stock of Black Color-Skopar 50/2.2 now.

Nice to see you also took to liking Type I Duo-tone a lot once...Show more →

Just like you, I find the Two-Tone beautifully crafted and it looks great in hand. The functionality is also superior with two separate rings. The downside is the longer MFD, but it requires much less rotation. I do think the design is not for everyone, which is why Cosina released so many styles to suit everyone's taste.

Sep 05, 2024 at 11:09 AM

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p.13 #16 · p.13 #16 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review

The MFD is the major factor for my Type II choice

Sep 05, 2024 at 01:29 PM

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p.13 #17 · p.13 #17 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review

I would also go with the Type I duo-tone. IMO, it looks much nicer and I much prefer a non-rotating aperture/filter ring (if I've understood correctly).

For those using it on a mirrorless, you could offset the longer mfd by using an adapter with a helicoid built in. For Leica M users, you could use Leica's pricy Leica Macro-Adapter-M for the 90/4 macro that is an extension tube and also has a built-in helicoid for additional extension. Sure, the Type II would benefit similarly and with its shorter mfd would continue to outperform the Type I in this regard...

Sep 05, 2024 at 02:01 PM

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p.13 #18 · p.13 #18 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review

Actually I do have this adapter but trying to keep the pieces in the travel kit as minimal as possible.

rscheffler wrote:
I would also go with the Type I duo-tone. IMO, it looks much nicer and I much prefer a non-rotating aperture/filter ring (if I've understood correctly).

For those using it on a mirrorless, you could offset the longer mfd by using an adapter with a helicoid built in. For Leica M users, you could use Leica's pricy Leica Macro-Adapter-M for the 90/4 macro that is an extension tube and also has a built-in helicoid for additional extension. Sure, the Type II would benefit similarly and with its shorter mfd would continue to outperform the Type I in this regard...

Sep 05, 2024 at 02:03 PM

Fred Miranda
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p.13 #19 · p.13 #19 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review

rscheffler wrote:
I would also go with the Type I duo-tone. IMO, it looks much nicer and I much prefer a non-rotating aperture/filter ring (if I've understood correctly).

For those using it on a mirrorless, you could offset the longer mfd by using an adapter with a helicoid built in. For Leica M users, you could use Leica's pricy Leica Macro-Adapter-M for the 90/4 macro that is an extension tube and also has a built-in helicoid for additional extension. Sure, the Type II would benefit similarly and with its shorter mfd would continue to outperform the Type I in this regard...

You can also use an affordable alternative that simply extends the lens for the M-mount. Here is an example:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/144848806634

Sep 05, 2024 at 02:46 PM

Fred Miranda
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p.13 #20 · p.13 #20 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review

mark1958 wrote:
Very impressive. Thanks for all that work. Which M to E adapter do you use or prefer?

I'm primarily using two adapters. The first is the TTArtisan 6-bit II adapter (40g). This adapter is very well made, with tight tolerances, an adjustable infinity hard stop, and a 6-bit reader. It's a joy to use. The second is the Techart LM-EA9 AF adapter (125g). This one allows me to focus much closer, as it's equipped with a 4.5mm extension, and it provides both AF and MF capabilities to the lens.

Sep 05, 2024 at 02:49 PM

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