Fred Miranda wrote:
For those who already own the Voigtlander 50mm f/2 APO-Lanthar, the most compelling reasons to upgrade or add the Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar to your gear are its smaller size, lighter weight, and much closer minimum focus distance.
Which lens (the Sony-specific 50/2 or the new 50/3.5) might be better for a hiking kit?
FWIW, I've enjoyed the 50/2 APO, but I tend to use its 35mm sibling more, so--due kit weight and bulk considerations--the 50/2 often gets left behind. Since I use the ZM 85/4 Tele-Tessar on a Rayqual adapter as my hiking tele, I suppose that the 50/3.5 could not only save several grams but share the adapter, too.
The new 50/3.5 looks very good to me in the landscape tests on the stock Sony sensor. I'm supposing that the adapted lens might not be as great as the native 50/2 on a stock Sony body, but then I also use the adapted Tele-Tessar in lieu of the even better Loxia 85 for size and weight considerations like those that might support the choice of the VM-mount new 50mm f/3.5.
zugzwang2 wrote:
Which lens (the Sony-specific 50/2 or the new 50/3.5) might be better for a hiking kit?
FWIW, I've enjoyed the 50/2 APO, but I tend to use its 35mm sibling more, so--due kit weight and bulk considerations--the 50/2 often gets left behind. Since I use the ZM 85/4 Tele-Tessar on a Rayqual adapter as my hiking tele, I suppose that the 50/3.5 could not only save several grams but share the adapter, too.
The new 50/3.5 looks very good to me in the landscape tests on the stock Sony sensor. I'm supposing that the adapted lens might not be as great as the native 50/2 on a stock Sony body, but then I also use the adapted Tele-Tessar in lieu of the even better Loxia 85 for size and weight considerations like those that might support the choice of the VM-mount new 50mm f/3.5.
If you're using the stock Sony, both the CV 50/2 APO E-mount and CV 50/3.5 APO M-mount will perform optimally. Looking at the resolution test, you'll see there's no drop in performance for the CV 50/3.5 M-mount on the thicker sensor stack Sony, thanks to its slow aperture and optical design.
Since you mentioned hiking, size and weight are key considerations. I'd recommend the CV 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar "black matte" Type I. It's super light and compact, delivering outstanding performance from wide open. If you're shooting between f/3.5-8, you'll achieve excellent results on your high-megapixel body.
Fred Miranda wrote:
Since you mentioned hiking, size and weight are key considerations. I'd recommend the CV 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar "black matte" Type I. It's super light and compact, delivering outstanding performance from wide open. If you're shooting between f/3.5-8, you'll achieve excellent results on your high-megapixel body.
Thanks, Fred. I seem to need more normal-ish focal length lenses than I'd thought.
Update: I’ve used the CV 50/3.5 APO quite a lot in Yosemite and will post some images soon. In a way, I’m glad I got the Type I, where the aperture is disconnected from the focusing ring. I prefer to focus wide open and then stop down, and having both rings connected can be a hassle, especially in freezing temperatures!
Here’s a shot from the bridge. I used an 8-second exposure with the Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO, without any filters. This lens is fantastic for landscapes and barely takes up any space or weight in my bag.
It was my first sunrise there, and I had the place to myself! It seems like serious photographers aren’t shooting as much anymore. Around 9 am, more people started to show up, but it was mostly for selfies with minimal gear. I only spotted a few Sony shooters the entire time I was there.
LEICA M10-RVoigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar lens50mm8s100 ISO0.0 EV
I found official MTF charts for both the Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar and the Zeiss ZM Planar 50mm f/2, and I think I've answered my own question. I can't upload the charts since I don't have that membership level in the forum, but they are easily found on the Cosina website and by searching for the Zeiss datasheet. Zeiss provides MTF at f/2 and f/4, Voigtlander at f/3.5 and f/5.6.
My summary, for which I invite feedback of course: my reading of the MTF charts is that the Voigtlander's performance is a bit superior overall at equal apertures, with especially less deterioration of contrast and detail towards the edges. The Zeiss has very high contrast, higher in some regions such as midfield, but after maintaining this most of the way to the edges, it plunges abruptly further than about 15mm from the center, and has much higher astigmatism past that point as well. I think the overall perceived effect (deliberately avoiding technical jargon here) is that the Zeiss is going to have a little more pop and sizzle in colors, contrast, and perceived sharpness through about 2/3 of the frame, but the Voigtlander is going to look more natural and even all the way across the frame, and show significantly more fine detail at the edges for large prints.
Additionally:
- I appreciate the Zeiss's straightforward handling, and it sounds like the Voigtlander's two designs each have their drawbacks (filter sizes I don't own on the one hand, and oddly coupled focus/aperture on the other)
- The Zeiss focuses only to 0.7m, whereas the Voigtlander focuses to either 0.45m or 0.35m depending on type
- The Zeiss is ø52x68mm overall and 230g, the Voigtlander is ø52x45mm and ranges from 150-250g
- Obviously the Zeiss has a brighter max aperture at f/2 versus f/3.5
- Price in USD: Zeiss $900 ($850 holiday discount), Voigtlander $700-750
Tangentially, I've used my Planar 2/50 on GFX occasionally, despite the fact that it does not cover fully and I have to crop a bit to remove black corners. I wonder about the Voigtlander's image circle size and how far beyond the 35mm frame it will deliver usable (for some applications, of course) image quality.
How would the image quality of the 3.5 APO alone compare to the 2.0 APO with a helicoid adapter for very close up subjects? On either lens I’d probably need to stop down to f/5.6.
Kildras wrote:
What an interesting lens, very tempting even when I already own the 50 F2 APO.
Hopefully they will release an E mount version down the line.
The CV 50/3.5 APO-Lanthar is so impressive that I initially thought it would replace my CV 50/2 APO, but I ended up keeping both. That said, I find myself using the f/3.5 more often due to its super compact size, while still delivering equal image quality at f/3.5.
It may become many peoples' slow 50mm to have alongside their faster lens, and it's one that will surprise many not familiar with the virtues of slow lenses.
Just place an order for that black mat painted type 1 lens that cannot be collapsed.
I will use it on my black mat painted M10 Monochrom as the hiking kit.
I hope it will be looking pretty cool.
Just received my Typ I APO-Lanthar lens in black matte paint and I want to use it on my Leica M10 Monochrom.
But,……..
Unfortunaltely the M10M displays an error Message “NO LENS MOUNTED”!.
I tried several times to detach and to attach the lens again, cleaning the contacts but without succes.
When turning the lens into the mount of the M10 Monochrom, I hear the click so it is mechanically fitting correctly.
When I attach the VM on my M10r it works without problems, but my intention is to use it on the M10M!
Other lenses do not give me a problem on my M10M!
Does anybody here have an idea what I can try before returning the lens again?
