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Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review

Fred Miranda
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p.6 #1 · p.6 #1 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review

highdesertmesa wrote:
You’ll probably like the electronic shutter for wide open shooting in bright daylight.

The M11 now has a menu option that closes the shutter when you change lenses or turn off the camera. I found stubborn dust spots a problem with the M10 cameras, the kind of dust that requires a wet cleaning versus a blower. On the M11, everything that got on the sensor could blow off with a filtered bulb blower. Makes me wonder if they added a coating on the M11 cover glass to make it more slippery, IDK.

I completely understand why many people enjoy shooting with electronic shutters, but it’s just not for me, especially with a Leica M. It takes away the joy of the experience for me personally. I enjoy the feel of mechanical components, and electronic advancements don’t really impress me. For that, I prefer shooting with other mirrorless cameras like the SL. I’m perfectly fine adding an ND filter when needed, just like I would when shooting film.

Dust was never an issue with the M10 series, even though I switch lenses frequently. However, I noticed significantly more dust with the M11, similar to what I see with my other mirrorless cameras.

I had the M11 for several months when it was first released, and as you mentioned, there have been improvements to the firmware regarding the shutter action. I’m curious to give it another try...

Aug 16, 2024 at 04:09 PM

tunisia
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p.6 #2 · p.6 #2 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review

I don't have it, but I did trade in my m10 mono for the m11mono and liove it especially since I - dare I say it - only shoot with the evf for legitimate eye vision reasons. So please forgive.

. In any case, no freezing or issues and great b/w.
When I want color, I go bigger with the Fuji 100ii.

Joe D

Aug 16, 2024 at 04:52 PM

rscheffler
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p.6 #3 · p.6 #3 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review

rsolti13 wrote:
so I NEED both lol. Thanks

Yes. You have two M11s; these two 50s will be pocket change in comparison, and you can keep one on each camera.

(The 50 Lux ASPH will be your back up if it isn't at Leica for servicing.

)

Aug 16, 2024 at 06:54 PM

rollei35_warton
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p.6 #4 · p.6 #4 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review

tunisia wrote:
I don't have it, but I did trade in my m10 mono for the m11mono and liove it especially since I - dare I say it - only shoot with the evf for legitimate eye vision reasons. So please forgive.

. In any case, no freezing or issues and great b/w.
When I want color, I go bigger with the Fuji 100ii.

Joe D

It is a sin to shoot a rangefinder camera with EVF

Aug 16, 2024 at 07:25 PM

tunisia
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p.6 #5 · p.6 #5 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review

rollei35_warton wrote:
It is a sin to shoot a rangefinder camera with EVF
It 's the least of my sins; I'm not counting.

Aug 16, 2024 at 08:20 PM

Fred Miranda
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p.6 #6 · p.6 #6 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review

For anyone curious about the impact of reducing the minimum focus distance from 0.7m to 0.35m, here’s a comparison: the Voigtlander 50mm f/2 APO-Lanthar is focused at 0.7m, while the Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar is focused at its MFD of 0.35m.

The depth of field is quite shallow when shooting with a 50mm f/3.5 lens at 0.35m.

Voigtlander 50mm f/2 APO at its minimum focus distance (0.7m)

Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO at its minimum focus distance (0.35m)

Aug 16, 2024 at 09:39 PM

highdesertmesa
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p.6 #7 · p.6 #7 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review

Fred Miranda wrote:
I completely understand why many people enjoy shooting with electronic shutters, but it’s just not for me, especially with a Leica M. It takes away the joy of the experience for me personally. I enjoy the feel of mechanical components, and electronic advancements don’t really impress me. For that, I prefer shooting with other mirrorless cameras like the SL. I’m perfectly fine adding an ND filter when needed, just like I would when shooting film.

Dust was never an issue with the M10 series, even though I switch lenses frequently. However, I noticed significantly more dust with the M11,...Show more →

I totally get all of that! There was definitely a part of the M "soul" that was lost with the M11 shutter versus the previous cameras. Sounds like a big stapler. I got used to it I guess, but I never liked it. Interestingly, the new shutter they had to design for the SL3 so it would fit the smaller body is louder than the SL2/SL2-S. But it reminds me of shooting with a mirrored film camera, so I kind of like it. I do wish Leica would add EFCS to their cameras. That would greatly benefit both the M11 and SL3 shutter sounds.

Interesting we had opposite experiences with dust regarding M10-R versus M11. Now that I think about it, I may have shot the M10-R and M10M stopped down more often to f/11 and sometimes f/16 where dust starts to show up. With the M11, I rarely stopped down past f/5.6 and only sometimes to f/8.

Aug 17, 2024 at 10:54 AM

highdesertmesa
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p.6 #8 · p.6 #8 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review

Fred Miranda wrote:
For anyone curious about the impact of reducing the minimum focus distance from 0.7m to 0.35m, here’s a comparison: the Voigtlander 50mm f/2 APO-Lanthar is focused at 0.7m, while the Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar is focused at its MFD of 0.35m.

The depth of field is quite shallow when shooting with a 50mm f/3.5 lens at 0.35m.

The f/3.5 APO is even higher magnification than the Leica 35 APO-M. Your sample of the f/3.5 APO at MFD reminds me of the Q in macro mode.

1. Leica Q macro = 1:3.8
2. CV 50 APO f/3.5 = 1:4.8
3. Leica 35 APO-M = 1:6.4
4. Leica Q non-macro = 1:8.6

Aug 17, 2024 at 11:08 AM

rscheffler
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p.6 #9 · p.6 #9 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review

highdesertmesa wrote:
I do wish Leica would add EFCS to their cameras. That would greatly benefit both the M11 and SL3 shutter sounds.

EFCS and/or an M11 'advanced user' option to turn off metering and keep the shutter closed. That way it would just be a normal open/close shutter sequence rather than close/open/close/open.

Aug 17, 2024 at 11:22 AM

Fred Miranda
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p.6 #10 · p.6 #10 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review

highdesertmesa wrote:
I totally get all of that! There was definitely a part of the M "soul" that was lost with the M11 shutter versus the previous cameras. Sounds like a big stapler. I got used to it I guess, but I never liked it. Interestingly, the new shutter they had to design for the SL3 so it would fit the smaller body is louder than the SL2/SL2-S. But it reminds me of shooting with a mirrored film camera, so I kind of like it. I do wish Leica would add EFCS to their cameras. That would greatly benefit both the M11...Show more →

I wasn't aware that the SL3 shutter is louder than the SL2. Thanks for the heads-up! It would definitely be nice to have the EFCS option, but I've found the mechanical shutter to have low vibration. The worst I've encountered was with the original A7R!

Aug 17, 2024 at 12:02 PM

Fred Miranda
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p.6 #11 · p.6 #11 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review

highdesertmesa wrote:
The f/3.5 APO is even higher magnification than the Leica 35 APO-M. Your sample of the f/3.5 APO at MFD reminds me of the Q in macro mode.

1. Leica Q macro = 1:3.8
2. CV 50 APO f/3.5 = 1:4.8
3. Leica 35 APO-M = 1:6.4
4. Leica Q non-macro = 1:8.6

It offers slightly higher magnification than the Leica SL 50/2 APO, which is impressive. The best part is that, being an f/3.5 lens with very well-controlled aberrations like the SL, image quality remains high even at maximum magnification.

Cosina should have named it the Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 Macro APO-Lanthar, but their technical focus got in the way.

I hope they're considering developing a CV 35/3.5 APO in a similar style.

Aug 17, 2024 at 12:08 PM

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p.6 #12 · p.6 #12 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review

rscheffler wrote:
EFCS and/or an M11 'advanced user' option to turn off metering and keep the shutter closed. That way it would just be a normal open/close shutter sequence rather than close/open/close/open.

I spoke with Jonathan Slack, and we both agreed that the M11 should have had a shutter-closed option to function more like a digital M-A. We hoped Leica would include this feature, but it never materialized... Maybe it'll come with the M12.

Aug 17, 2024 at 12:10 PM

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

Fred Miranda wrote:
I wasn't aware that the SL3 shutter is louder than the SL2. Thanks for the heads-up! It would definitely be nice to have the EFCS option, but I've found the mechanical shutter to have low vibration. The worst I've encountered was with the original A7R!

The SL3 shutter is a completely new design, but so far I haven't noticed any shutter shock at 100mm and shorter. I have a feeling that might change with long telephotos at 60mp. I did notice minor shutter shock on the SL2-S when using the Sigma 60-600 at the 400-600 end of the range (handheld or monopod). There was a meaningful improvement in sharpness with the electronic shutter at those focal lengths, but of course it's only viable for still subjects like landscape, stationary perched birds, etc.

Reportedly the shutter used in the SL3 was the only one their supplier had that would fit in the SL3, so Leica says, "it is what it is" with regard to the sound. The SL3 shutter sounds more like a "snap" versus the SL2 shutter that sounds more like a "shuffle" sound.

Edited on Aug 17, 2024 at 12:31 PM · View previous versions

Aug 17, 2024 at 12:31 PM

Desmolicious
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p.6 #14 · p.6 #14 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review

Fred Miranda wrote:
I spoke with Jonathan Slack, and we both agreed that the M11 should have had a shutter-closed option to function more like a digital M-A. We hoped Leica would include this feature, but it never materialized... Maybe it'll come with the M12.

The M12 will have the shutter closed as the natural state with no option to have it open. The M13 will introduce both options.

Aug 17, 2024 at 12:31 PM

brick33308
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p.6 #15 · p.6 #15 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review

where in the U.S. can I buy the Voigtlander 50mm f3.5 APO-LANTHAR?

Aug 17, 2024 at 01:14 PM

Fred Miranda
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p.6 #16 · p.6 #16 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review

brick33308 wrote:
where in the U.S. can I buy the Voigtlander 50mm f3.5 APO-LANTHAR?

It's not available for sale yet, and we don't have information on the US pricing for the different versions. I'm currently reviewing the prototype, which I was informed is the same lens that's in production now.

Aug 17, 2024 at 01:55 PM

brick33308
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p.6 #17 · p.6 #17 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review

Fred Miranda wrote:
It's not available for sale yet, and we don't have information on the US pricing for the different versions. I'm currently reviewing the prototype, which I was informed is the same lens that's in production now.

ok thanks!

Aug 17, 2024 at 02:00 PM

brick33308
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p.6 #18 · p.6 #18 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review

Fred, earlier in this thread, you said that the Voigt 50/3.5 reminds you of Leica Summicron 50mm F2 Rigid M-Mount. Can you elaborate more on that?

Aug 17, 2024 at 03:46 PM

Fred Miranda
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p.6 #19 · p.6 #19 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review

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Minimal Focus Distance: Resolution and Contrast

The Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar offers impressive versatility, focusing as close as 0.35 meters and providing a 1:4.8 magnification (0.21x), which edges into macro territory. It’s notable how the lens maintains high image quality with excellent aberration control at both its minimum focus distance using Live View and 0.7 meters, the closest focusing distance for the Leica M rangefinder. This is achieved despite the absence of a floating element design or aspherical elements.

For this review, I tested the lens at its minimum focusing distance of 0.35 meters and at 0.7 meters at apertures f/3.5, f/4, and f/5.6. The sharpness remains consistent across the aperture range at both focusing distances, with only subtle improvements in resolution and contrast as the aperture stops down. These differences are difficult to detect, even when examining pixel-level crops.

Overall, the lens performs exceptionally well at close distances, producing sharp, detailed images with strong contrast. The following sequence shows its performance from wide open at f/3.5 to f/5.6. The lens was initially focused at f/3.5, and the subsequent aperture changes to f/4 and f/5.6 were made without refocusing, demonstrating minimal to no focus shift.

At 0.35m MFD using LiveView

Left: f/3.5 | Right: f/4

Left: f/4 | Right: f/5.6

Aug 17, 2024 at 04:23 PM

Fred Miranda
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p.6 #20 · p.6 #20 · Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar Review

At 0.7m MFD using LiveView

Left: f/3.5 | Right: f/4

Left: f/4 | Right: f/5.6

Aug 17, 2024 at 04:24 PM

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