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 p.1 #10 · Voigtlander 90mm f/2 APO-Ultron Review | |
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Resolution and Contrast at Infinity distance: Voigtlander 90mm f/2 APO-Ultron vs Leica APO-Summicron-M 90 f/2 ASPH. (M11)
The M11’s 60MP sensor brings a new level of clarity to evaluating lenses, highlighting both their strengths and weaknesses across the frame. While I initially believed the Leica M10-R’s 40MP sensor was sufficient for differentiating lenses, the increased resolution of the M11 makes these distinctions even more apparent.
The results of my comparison were mostly as expected, but I repeated the test several times to ensure accuracy. For reference, my Leica lens is a personal copy that is perfectly centered and precisely aligned with the rangefinder. The Voigtlander, provided as a sample copy, is also well-centered -- likely a reference lens fully tested by Cosina. Once a production version becomes available, I plan to compare it to this sample. However, in my experience, Cosina sample lenses and production models have consistently performed identically. To eliminate any potential focusing errors, I used the hard stops to focus both lenses and verified the accuracy of the infinity stops using Live View.
In terms of performance, the Voigtlander shows a clear advantage in center resolution when wide open. However, the Leica quickly catches up as both lenses are stopped down slightly. In the mid-field, the Voigtlander maintains a slight edge in detail at f/2, but at smaller apertures, the Leica equalizes, with neither lens showing any noticeable dip in resolution or contrast in this area...something the M11’s unforgiving sensor would easily expose.
When examining the extreme corners at wide apertures, the Leica appears to have a slight advantage, delivering slight better performance. That said, the Voigtlander performs exceptionally well, nearly matching the Leica in resolution and contrast, especially when stopped down.
Overall, both lenses deliver outstanding performance, offering high resolution even wide open across most of the image field. The Leica APO-Summicron 90mm f/2 ASPH, despite its age, remains an exceptional design that was ahead of its time. Yet, Cosina has finally managed to match, and in some cases surpass, its performance with the Voigtlander 90mm f/2 APO-Ultron, achieving a level of resolution and contrast the previous f/2.8 version (APO-Skopar) could not.
Please note that distortion, chromatic aberration, and vignetting are not corrected in my infinity tests. This allows us to closely analyze these characteristics in the 100% crops. Both lenses perform exceptionally well in these areas, though the Voigtlander shows significantly more vignetting and has a slightly wider angle of view than 90mm.
- Distance: Infinity
- Focus: Center - Best of three shots at maximum magnification
- White Balance: Daylight
- Both lenses are well centered, as verified with my decentering test.
- Software used: Lightroom with FM Default Landscape Sharpening; all other settings are at default.
PS: Vignetting, Chromatic Aberration (CA), and distortion were not corrected either in post-processing or in-camera.
Center Resolution and Contrast
Resolution and Contrast at Infinity distance: Voigtlander 90mm f/2 APO-Ultron vs Leica APO-Summicron-M 90 f/2 ASPH.
(open the browser window to view entire image without resizing)
f/2
f/2.8
f/4
f/5.6
f/8
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So no long APO-Lanthar, but the same lens speed as the high end lenses, it looks very interesting straight from the spec sheet. If it is slow to get out of bed, it might be great by f4-5.6. 
I want to take it on my trip to Scotland
