Home · Register · Join Upload & Sell

Moderated by: Fred Miranda
Username  

  New fredmiranda.com Mobile Site
  New Feature: SMS Notification alert
  New Feature: Buy & Sell Watchlist
  

FM Forums | Leica & Alternative Gear | Join Upload & Sell
1       2       3       …       18      
19
       end
   

Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review
  
 
Fred Miranda
Offline
Admin
Upload & Sell: On
p.19 #1 · p.19 #1 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review


Youtube reviewer (Jimmy) - I usually don't watch these, but here are my thoughts:

- He doesn't test if the lens is free of distortion and misses that it can focus closer (0.35m) than any other 50mm M-mount lenses, including those he compared it with.
- His main focus is on questioning the usefulness of an f/3.5 lens, arguing that only fast lenses have character. He doesn't consider applications like street photography, where you might stop down to f/5.6 or f/8.
- He overlooks that the field curvature is flat compared to other lenses, which is beneficial for landscapes and architecture.
- He critiques the focusing ring being connected to the aperture, which is valid, but for street photography using zone focusing, this shouldn't be an issue since the aperture would hardly change.
- He bought the lens to review it but didn't research the weight, mistakenly stating that the Type II silver brass weighs 150 grams, which is inaccurate.

He also believes that all modern 50mm lenses perform similarly to this APO at f/3.5, which isn't the case. While it's true that faster lenses get reduced aberrations when stopped down, side-by-side comparisons show that both the CV 50/2 and 50/3.5 APO lenses perform exceptionally well and stand out from the crowd.

I appreciate Jimmy's review and welcome any critique on mine. It's always valuable to have different perspectives.

We agree on several points, such as the fact that the Type I model is not collapsible despite what the design might suggest. Also, the f/3.5 aperture doesn’t offer much blur and may be too slow for low-light shooting conditions. We also concur that the Type II model combines aperture and focus control on the same ring, which may be inconvenient. However the Type I version has separate focus/aperture rings.

I enjoyed watching many of Jimmy's other reviews, so here's my contribution to support his channel:
Sep 29, 2024 at 03:00 PM
Desmolicious
Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.19 #2 · p.19 #2 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review


Jimmy would like to get to know you.
Sep 29, 2024 at 05:45 PM
Desmolicious
Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.19 #3 · p.19 #3 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review


Fred Miranda wrote:
- His main focus is on questioning the usefulness of an f/3.5 lens, arguing that only fast lenses have character. He doesn't consider applications like street photography, where you might stop down to f/5.6 or f/8…

Eh, only fast lenses have character? He’s never used a Lomo Minitar 32mm 2.8 or Brightin Star 28 or Summaron 28 5.6 or..
Sep 29, 2024 at 06:16 PM
Desmolicious
Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.19 #4 · p.19 #4 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review


It's a bummer that the type 1 does not collapse, as the new Thypoch 50mm Eureka does collapse, is meant to be really solid feeling, and is only $580.
Sep 30, 2024 at 01:07 PM
catacore
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.19 #5 · p.19 #5 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review


Desmolicious wrote:
It's a bummer that the type 1 does not collapse, as the new Thypoch 50mm Eureka does collapse, is meant to be really solid feeling, and is only $580.

Well, just check the video in the link below, at around 09min15sec mark. After seeing this I remembered what Fred was saying, at some point, about tight tolerances needed for a "precision" lens like this APO (and the aparent/possible reason Voigtlander has opted for a non-collapsible version). This very "wobbling" I saw in this video combined with the clickless aperture has set this lens aside from my interest as a small(est) 50mm lens to adapt to my Sony A7Cr.



Edited on Sep 30, 2024 at 02:19 PM · View previous versions
Sep 30, 2024 at 02:10 PM
Desmolicious
Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.19 #6 · p.19 #6 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review


catacore wrote:
Well, just check the video in the link below, at around 09min15sec mark. After seeing this I remembered what Fred was saying, at some point, about tight tolerances needed for a "precision" lens like this APO (and the aparent/possible reason Voigtlander has opted for a non-collapsible version). This very "wobbling" I saw in this video combined with the clickless aperture has set this lens aside from my interest in a small(est) 50mm lens to adapt to my Sony A7Cr.



What killed it for me with this lens is the clickless aperture settings, and the focus shift. As a film shooter both are serious buzz kills.
Sep 30, 2024 at 02:14 PM
Fred Miranda
Offline
Admin
Upload & Sell: On
p.19 #7 · p.19 #7 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review


catacore wrote:
Well, just check the video in the link below, at around 09min15sec mark. After seeing this I remembered what Fred was saying, at some point, about tight tolerances needed for a "precision" lens like this APO (and the aparent/possible reason Voigtlander has opted for a non-collapsible version). This very "wobbling" I saw in this video combined with the clickless aperture has set this lens aside from my interest as a small(est) 50mm lens to adapt to my Sony A7Cr.

Indeed! Slightly wobbly collapsible lenses worked fine with film but may not withstand the scrutiny of 60+ MP sensors when testing resolution at the pixel level. I think initially, Cosina made the design collapsible but decided against it when they couldn't achieve acceptable tolerances during production. It doesn't function like a collapsible lens but "looks" like one. Personally, I thought this would bother me, but after testing one, I changed my mind. The Type I is a beautifully crafted lens and looks very nice in person.
Sep 30, 2024 at 04:24 PM
freaklikeme
Online
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.19 #8 · p.19 #8 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review


Fred Miranda wrote:
Youtube reviewer (Jimmy) - I usually don't watch these, but here are my thoughts:

- He doesn't test if the lens is free of distortion and misses that it can focus closer (0.35m) than any other 50mm M-mount lenses, including those he compared it with.
- His main focus is on questioning the usefulness of an f/3.5 lens, arguing that only fast lenses have character. He doesn't consider applications like street photography, where you might stop down to f/5.6 or f/8.
- He overlooks that the field curvature is flat compared to other lenses, which is beneficial for landscapes and architecture.
- He...Show more →

Too much personality and opinion presented in a monotonous manner, not enough meat to be interesting. At least the guys at Dear Susan are eloquent when they're telling you about the pointlessness of a lens that has your interest.

You and the guys at PR need to keep doing what you're doing. You keep your opinions brief and always have evidence to back them up. And you keep your testing, sampling, and post processing similar enough that it's easy to make lens comparisons from your individual reviews. In my opinion, you're among the best out there for single copy testing.
Sep 30, 2024 at 04:27 PM
highdesertmesa
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: On
p.19 #9 · p.19 #9 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review


Fred Miranda wrote:
Youtube reviewer (Jimmy) - I usually don't watch these, but here are my thoughts:

- He doesn't test if the lens is free of distortion and misses that it can focus closer (0.35m) than any other 50mm M-mount lenses, including those he compared it with.
- His main focus is on questioning the usefulness of an f/3.5 lens, arguing that only fast lenses have character. He doesn't consider applications like street photography, where you might stop down to f/5.6 or f/8.
- He overlooks that the field curvature is flat compared to other lenses, which is beneficial for landscapes and architecture.
- He...Show more →

Middle shelf wine guy vibes from that video


Sep 30, 2024 at 08:28 PM
 


Search in Used Dept. 

hmzimelka
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.19 #10 · p.19 #10 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review


In other news...

I've managed to get the two APO 50/3.5 and the Skopar 50/2.2 returned and refunded. Only the import duties that I can't claim back

It was however, an utterly odd experience having three duff Voigtlander lenses in a row. Both APO lenses front focused to varying degrees, and both had different degrees of tilt and swing. The Skopar had quite a bit of asymmetry from top left to bottom right of the frame. The left mid-zone had astigmatism while the symmetrically opposite side was excellent.

Had the Silver APO Type II 50/3.5 been perfect, then I would been ok with its odd design, because I liked how it looked and felt. But in all honesty neither APO lenses wowed me at all. If anything I would consider trying the Skopar 50/2.2 again, but that vignetting was just too much for my liking.


Leica M11 with APO-Lanthar 50mm f/3.5 Type II
Oct 01, 2024 at 01:13 AM
highdesertmesa
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: On
p.19 #11 · p.19 #11 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review


hmzimelka wrote:

In other news...

I've managed to get the two APO 50/3.5 and the Skopar 50/2.2 returned and refunded. Only the import duties that I can't claim back

It was however, an utterly odd experience having three duff Voigtlander lenses in a row. Both APO lenses front focused to varying degrees, and both had different degrees of tilt and swing. The Skopar had quite a bit of asymmetry from top left to bottom right of the frame. The left mid-zone had astigmatism while the symmetrically opposite side was excellent.

Had the Silver APO Type II 50/3.5 been perfect, then I would been...Show more →

Ironic that they made the “collapsible” non-collapsible to keep it APO, yet they can’t seem to consistently manufacture lenses with aligned elements.

I was having trouble with a lens front focusing by several feet over the weekend, but I stumbled across some advice on Leica Forum to always mount M lenses with the focus ring at minimum distance and not infinity. Never had read that before, but it worked (LLL 8-Element).


Oct 01, 2024 at 08:08 AM
hmzimelka
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.19 #12 · p.19 #12 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review


highdesertmesa wrote:
Ironic that they made the “collapsible” non-collapsible to keep it APO, yet they can’t seem to consistently manufacture lenses with aligned elements.

I was having trouble with a lens front focusing by several feet over the weekend, but I stumbled across some advice on Leica Forum to always mount M lenses with the focus ring at minimum distance and not infinity. Never had read that before, but it worked (LLL 8-Element).

Ironic for sure. My confidence in Voigtlander has certainly suffered by this.

Mounting with the lens at infinity engages the camera focus lever sooner, and is therefore more prone to being damaged during sloppy lens changes. But it's not a rule that Iv'e ever heard of.

What does make a lens back focus relative to normal focusing, is to rack the focus from close focus to the subject rather than from infinity. The mechanical hysteresis in the lens's helicoid system, and perhaps to a small degree in the camera too, causes this focus inconsistency.

It annoys me tremendously on the Nokton 75/1.5 but never experienced it on the Nokton 50/1.5 ASPH II. Not every lens is the same.



Oct 01, 2024 at 08:17 AM
mapgraphs
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.19 #13 · p.19 #13 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review


hmzimelka wrote:
...

Mounting with the lens at infinity engages the camera focus lever sooner, and is therefore more prone to being damaged during sloppy lens changes.
...


Infinity hard stop vs. Minimum hard stop with the cam hitting the roller sooner when racked in to Infinity, the possibility of throwing the rangefinder roller off is greater, or at least that has been put forward as one drawback to hard lens changes.

There are some who experience consistent rangefinder alignment issues and other lens mounting issues, so you have to wonder how they handle their gear. It is a mechanical connection, with a roller adjusted by a screw, on a metal spring slammed up against a dead weight cam of different configurations and perhaps tolerances on different lenses.
Oct 01, 2024 at 10:16 AM
highdesertmesa
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: On
p.19 #14 · p.19 #14 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review


hmzimelka wrote:
Ironic for sure. My confidence in Voigtlander has certainly suffered by this.

Mounting with the lens at infinity engages the camera focus lever sooner, and is therefore more prone to being damaged during sloppy lens changes. But it's not a rule that Iv'e ever heard of.

What does make a lens back focus relative to normal focusing, is to rack the focus from close focus to the subject rather than from infinity. The mechanical hysteresis in the lens's helicoid system, and perhaps to a small degree in the camera too, causes this focus inconsistency.

It annoys me tremendously on the Nokton 75/1.5...Show more →

---------------------------------------------

mapgraphs wrote:
Infinity hard stop vs. Minimum hard stop with the cam hitting the roller sooner when racked in to Infinity, the possibility of throwing the rangefinder roller off is greater, or at least that has been put forward as one drawback to hard lens changes.

There are some who experience consistent rangefinder alignment issues and other lens mounting issues, so you have to wonder how they handle their gear. It is a mechanical connection, with a roller adjusted by a screw, on a metal spring slammed up against a dead weight cam of different configurations and perhaps tolerances on different lenses.



What I experienced with the 35 8-Element from LLL:

Mounted to the camera with the lens infinity-locked (carefully, no slamming): I experienced consistent front focus by about a meter when the rangefinder was focused at about 6 meters.

Re-mounted with lens at minimum focus distance: focus with the rangefinder is perfect.

I'm not going to try to confirm this by re-mounting at infinity given the delicate nature of the mechanics involved.
Oct 01, 2024 at 11:58 AM
Desmolicious
Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.19 #15 · p.19 #15 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review


highdesertmesa wrote:
I was having trouble with a lens front focusing by several feet over the weekend, but I stumbled across some advice on Leica Forum to always mount M lenses with the focus ring at minimum distance and not infinity. Never had read that before, but it worked (LLL 8-Element).

I’ve been doing this for a while now.
Oct 01, 2024 at 01:38 PM
Erich6_
Offline
•
Upload & Sell: On
p.19 #16 · p.19 #16 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review


Interesting, I have one lens that front focuses and noticed sometimes it’s fine. I feared my rangefinder alignment was drifting but then other lenses are always spot-on. I will try this mounting technique to see if that fixes the problem!
Oct 01, 2024 at 05:48 PM
rscheffler
Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.19 #17 · p.19 #17 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review


hmzimelka wrote:

In other news...

I've managed to get the two APO 50/3.5 and the Skopar 50/2.2 returned and refunded. Only the import duties that I can't claim back

It was however, an utterly odd experience having three duff Voigtlander lenses in a row. Both APO lenses front focused to varying degrees, and both had different degrees of tilt and swing. The Skopar had quite a bit of asymmetry from top left to bottom right of the frame. The left mid-zone had astigmatism while the symmetrically opposite side was excellent.

Had the Silver APO Type II 50/3.5 been perfect, then I would been...Show more →
highdesertmesa wrote:
Ironic that they made the “collapsible” non-collapsible to keep it APO, yet they can’t seem to consistently manufacture lenses with aligned elements.

I was having trouble with a lens front focusing by several feet over the weekend, but I stumbled across some advice on Leica Forum to always mount M lenses with the focus ring at minimum distance and not infinity. Never had read that before, but it worked (LLL 8-Element).

hmzimelka wrote:
Ironic for sure. My confidence in Voigtlander has certainly suffered by this.

Mounting with the lens at infinity engages the camera focus lever sooner, and is therefore more prone to being damaged during sloppy lens changes. But it's not a rule that Iv'e ever heard of.

What does make a lens back focus relative to normal focusing, is to rack the focus from close focus to the subject rather than from infinity. The mechanical hysteresis in the lens's helicoid system, and perhaps to a small degree in the camera too, causes this focus inconsistency.

It annoys me tremendously on the Nokton 75/1.5...Show more →

One of the 'joys' of using Leica M. It's a simple system but not one where you can turn off your brain because of the various 'quirks' that need to be kept in check. Pretty much all of my M lenses have unique focusing traits that I need to keep in mind while shooting. Some of those traits may also be related to the camera's RF calibration, which might no longer be correct.

As for Cosina VM build consistency, all I can say is the VM28/2 v2 I have does not perform as well as indicated in Fred's tests at wider apertures. But it's very good stopped down where I mostly use it, so have 'lived with it,' like many of the other lens quirks in my M collection. If pursuing calibration perfection I think I would have become very frustrated with the system. Instead I have 'calibrated' myself for each lens to offset focusing errors during use.


Oct 01, 2024 at 06:23 PM
1       2       3       …       18      
19
       end
FM Forums | Leica & Alternative Gear | Join Upload & Sell

1       2       3       …       18      
19
       end
    
 

You are not logged in. Login or Register

Username       Or Reset password



This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.