p.1 #1 · Voigtländer 35mm Shootout for Sony E-Mount Users
I'm curious to hear from those of you shooting Sony and using Voigtländer 35mm lenses.
Over the years, Voigtländer has given us several very different interpretations of a 35mm lens. Some chase absolute optical perfection, while others embrace character, rendering, and a little bit of old-school imperfection. The current standout in native E-mount is the APO-Lanthar 35mm f/2, which was designed as a highly corrected apochromatic lens with a reputation for exceptional sharpness, contrast, and color fidelity.
For those of you shooting Sony, which 35mm Voigtländer are you using?
APO-Lanthar 35mm f/2
Nokton 35mm f/1.2
Nokton 35mm f/1.4
Nokton 35mm f/1.5
Any adapted M-mount Voigtländer 35mm on Sony
Something else entirely
More importantly:
Why did you choose it?
What do you like about its rendering?
Do you prefer technical perfection or character?
If you own more than one 35mm Voigtländer, which gets the most use and why?
If you could only keep one, which would survive the purge?
I recently found myself thinking about the different philosophies behind these lenses. The APO seems to represent the "maximum image quality" approach, while the various Noktons often seem to be chosen because photographers actually enjoy the way they draw, flaws and all. Even among Voigtländer users, there doesn't seem to be a consensus on which is the "best" 35mm.
Let's hear some real-world experiences, sample images if you've got them, and which Voigtländer 35mm has earned a permanent place in your bag.
p.1 #2 · Voigtländer 35mm Shootout for Sony E-Mount Users
APO-Lanthar 35mm f/2
Why did you choose it?
- Best performance wide open
- due to weight considerations I decided against an f1.4 lens (my comfort zone is maximum 400g)
What do you like about its rendering?
- The Noctons are better, but rendering is reasonable and not really bad.
Do you prefer technical perfection or character?
- To considerable extent I can ad chatacter in post. Lack of resolution and clarity cannot be added in post.
If you own more than one 35mm Voigtländer, which gets the most use and why?
- From Voigtländer I only own the Apo Lanthar
- As character lens I have adapted a Pentax 31mm/f1.8 Limited, very nice!
If you could only keep one, which would survive the purge?
- 35mm/f2.0 Apo Lanthar
p.1 #3 · Voigtländer 35mm Shootout for Sony E-Mount Users
APO-Lanthar 35mm f/2
Why diid I choose it?
- Completing APO-Lanthar line up
- Performance for architectural subjects
What do I like about its rendering?
- lack of distortion, acuity, and color fidelity.
Do you prefer technical perfection or character?
- depends, for the work I do with the APO-Lanthar I prefer technical perfection.
If you own more than one Voigtlander 35mm, which one gets the most use and why?
- From Voigtlander only the APO-Lanthar. I do own several other 35mm's both vintage and modern. The one that gets the most use of those is the Laowa 35mm f0.95 Argus
If you could only keep one, which would survive the purge?
- Lanthar. (But really all of them)
