I’d be interested if anyone has used this on a Monochrom M. I have the 246 and very disappointed with my Summicron 50 IV. Great on Film. Just a let down on Monochrom
What kind of character do you look for in a lens when shooting with a digital Monochrom? I've noticed that with the M10 Monochrom, the files imported into Lightroom come in with a curve already applied, which gives them very high contrast right out of the gate. Because of that, a more vintage low contrast lens might actually be a better fit in some cases.
One of the key things when shooting digital monochrome, unlike b&w film, is that you absolutely have to protect the highlights. Once they're blown, there's no way to bring them back in post. (From color channels)
As for the Voigtlander 35mm f/3.5 Color-Skopar, it's not what I’d call a low contrast lens. On the contrary, it's a sharp high-performance design with strong contrast and resolution. It's also exceptionally well corrected for CA, basically APO level in that regard, but that's not really important for black and white output.
What I’ve found out after 2yrs was this.
My Summicron had a lot of haze. Just sent it to YYE for a cleaning. I purchased a Summilux ASPH v1 and that gave it some punch.
What I’ve come to realize was all those images on Instagram that I dreamt of creating are heavily edited.
I do like the TT Artisian 35 ASPH. I wasn’t sure if there was something with my punch for out and about or something with more vintage character for portraits
Fred Miranda wrote:
What kind of character do you look for in a lens when shooting with a digital Monochrom? I've noticed that with the M10 Monochrom, the files imported into Lightroom come in with a curve already applied, which gives them very high contrast right out of the gate. Because of that, a more vintage low contrast lens might actually be a better fit in some cases.
One of the key things when shooting digital monochrome, unlike b&w film, is that you absolutely have to protect the highlights. Once they're blown, there's no way to bring them back in post. (From color channels)
As for the Voigtlander 35mm f/3.5 Color-Skopar, it's not what I’d call a low contrast lens. On the contrary, it's a sharp high-performance design with strong contrast and resolution. It's also exceptionally well corrected for CA, basically APO level in that regard, but that's not really important for black and white output....Show more →
One thing about the Voigtlander 28mm f/2.8 Type I, 50mm f/3.5 APO Type II, and 40mm f/2.8 Heliar M is that the focusing ring and aperture ring are linked. This means you need to set the aperture first before focusing. I mentioned this in my reviews of these lenses.
At first it bothered me (With the original Voigtlander 50mm f/3.5 Heliar, now discontinued) but over time I got used to it since these lenses don't show focus shift.
I'm curious… how many of you still find this handling and feel hard to get used to?
It has never bothered me since I usually set the aperture first before focusing on all of my lenses.
I really like the idea of this 35/3.5 but I keep hesitating sine the 28/2.8 is so small already, has excellent image quality, and on my M11-P, I can easily crop. I also have the 40/2.8 which I also really like. GAS continues to pull me to the 35/3.5 Skopar but I have resisted so far 😬 It is definitely not a need.
BruceRH wrote:
It has never bothered me since I usually set the aperture first before focusing on all of my lenses.
I really like the idea of this 35/3.5 but I keep hesitating sine the 28/2.8 is so small already, has excellent image quality, and on my M11-P, I can easily crop. I also have the 40/2.8 which I also really like. GAS continues to pull me to the 35/3.5 Skopar but I have resisted so far 😬 It is definitely not a need.
Same here. I usually set the aperture first, then focus. The only exception is when I'm shooting at smaller apertures and focusing wide open (to obtain precise focus), but I've learned to be careful when handling the ring.
Owning both only makes sense if you think of them as truly distinct focal lengths. However, a slight crop when needed, as you mentioned, seems like a good compromise to me Bruce.
When it comes to blur, both lenses give about the same amount when the background is far away. But when the background is closer to the subject, the 28mm f/2.8 creates slightly more blur. So overall, they're pretty equal in that regard. I agree that the 28mm f/2.8 Color-Skopar is already a very compact lens, but it's shocking that the 35mm f/3.5 is on another level. Just look at how much smaller it is compared to the 28mm in the photo (it's the second and fourth lens from left to right).
It really is shocking that it is that small. I am a sucker for small lenses and Voigtlander lenses in general so I will probably get one at some point if I can find a decent used one or when it goes on sale maybe. It is certainly tough to resist it.
BruceRH wrote:
It really is shocking that it is that small. I am a sucker for small lenses and Voigtlander lenses in general so I will probably get one at some point if I can find a decent used one or when it goes on sale maybe. It is certainly tough to resist it.
Size alone doesn't say much, since there are even smaller lenses like the MS Optics 24mm f/2 Aporia and 28mm f/2 Apoqualia. But what makes the 35mm f/3.5 Color-Skopar stand out is its rare combination of being ultra-compact while still delivering high performance. On top of that, it performs at an APO level.
Any other recommendation for 28mm 35mm ultra compact lenses? This lens seems to have better IQ out of the available options like the Brightstar 28, etc. I decided to go caseless for my M11. This would make it almost pocketable.
Thanks! Yes, that's where I saw it (800 euros + 20 for shipping), but the lens costs $600 in the USA. I don't understand why it's so much more expensive here.
Jul 20, 2025 at 01:58 AM
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Malabito wrote:
Thanks! Yes, that's where I saw it (800 euros + 20 for shipping), but the lens costs $600 in the USA. I don't understand why it's so much more expensive here.
Remember VAT is generally included in the price in Europe and sales tax isn't included in the price in the USA. That makes the price difference smaller, but doesn't eliminate it. For most camera gear, however, this sort of price difference was fairly typical a year ago. They are becoming smaller, however, with USA prices increasing.
Steve Spencer wrote:
Remember VAT is generally included in the price in Europe and sales tax isn't included in the price in the USA. That makes the price difference smaller, but doesn't eliminate it. For most camera gear, however, this sort of price difference was fairly typical a year ago. They are becoming smaller, however, with USA prices increasing.
Even with VAT it should only cost around €649. What’s even more odd is that the 50mm f2.2 costs the same as the 35mm f3.5 in the US but is 150€ cheaper over here.
ocean2059 wrote:
The Voigtlander 35mm f/3.5 may be the smallest 35mm lens on M bodies. It's even a bit shorter than the Leitz Elmar 35/3.5 ltm lens.
Wow, the Elmar 35/3.5 looks almost as small, but the real difference is in performance. I think the only lens that's truly smaller is the MS Optics 35/3.5 Perar, but wide open, it doesn't even come close to matching the Voigtlander's performance.
The Perar can collapse down to just 4.2mm in height!
This lens is kind of a game changer for me. I can put the M11 in most of my pants pocket. If you put the iso dial side in first, it's comfortable to walk around all day with. I do need to remove my thumb grip. Overall with my M system, I have been downsizing lens size. 35 FLE now replaced with 35 SRR. I want to replace 50 Lux with 50 Color Skopar, but I'm still on the fence. 50 Lux does some magical stuff.
The lens itself is very sharp wide open. I feel like you only sacrifice a little speed.
From left: CV 50 Color-Skopar, 35 Reissued, CV 35 f3.5 mounted on M11, 21 Color-Skopar, 50 Lux
A question for users of this lens - are the filter threads also connected to the aperture mechanism? For instance, would a polarizer filter rotate when the aperture is adjusted?
