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Voigtlander 21mm f4 - so impressed


colonel

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As you noted,the edge correction is less effective as the ISO increases on the M9. I generally use mine at 160, unless the light is way dim, when I may use 400 to use 1/15 sec at least. I almost never notice the coloration, unless I shoot a blank wall and look for it. Seems like an eBen split between those who find the edge color objectionable, and those who don't. Could be sample variation, ISO,  subject matter, or just discriminating color sense.

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As with most Voigtländer M-lenses, they are amazing on an M8 and and on a film M (such as ma M6), but some users find them a little restricting on digital fullframe cameras. Well... I can live with that. ;)

Edited by LucisPictor
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I've heard a lot of conflicting information about that - some people with FF digital bodies say it's terrible, and others report that it's fine.  I'm not sure if there's sample variation or what. I'd very much like to get a 21 for my M-P, but I don't think it will be used much so the C-V makes financial sense - if it will give me technically reasonable results. 

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I've heard a lot of conflicting information about that - some people with FF digital bodies say it's terrible, and others report that it's fine.  I'm not sure if there's sample variation or what. I'd very much like to get a 21 for my M-P, but I don't think it will be used much so the C-V makes financial sense - if it will give me technically reasonable results. 

 

 

me too  

I went for the CV21/4 it is more than fine...a lot more....and its the perfect size

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I have one as well for the second time. Admittedly my first one a year ago was really not that great, both the left and right sides were never even remotely sharp at any aperture (I'm not even expecting perfection, I mean it was unusable and had to be cropped out usually.)

This new one I bought used a week ago is almost spot on. The center and right side of the frame are great but the left edge is a little off, not as bad as my old one, but it's noticeable in comparison to the center and right edge. 

 

However that is how it performs on my M240, I shot a roll with my M-A and this lens today so I'll develop it and see how it looks on film, I expect it'll probably be just fine ;)

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I think Voigtlander has come on a lot in the last few years.

Their quality control and research and design is very good now

 

I have recently tried the 35mm f1.2 ii VM, 50mm f1.5 VM and now the 21mm f4 VM.

They are all very impressive lenses and good enough to be the base ones in an RF M mount collection.

I hear the 24mm f4 VM and 35mm f1.7 VM are excellent and look toward to trying them.

 

Voigtlander lenses mostly have a distinct signature in my eyes. A warm yellowish sharpness and a slightly flat contrast signature which looks stunning with people shots particularly in difficult lighting conditions. This is compared to the super sharp glassy flat field slightly warm contrasty signature of Zeiss and the super centre sharp neutral blueish high micro contrasty of the latest Leicas

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Thanks for all the comments. I've decided to keep the lens as it's so small and such a bargain (near-mint, £349 inc. finder!) and the drawbacks are manageable. Shooting at the lowest practical ISO clearly helps greatly, and I've worked out a couple of LR presets which seem to get rid of the pink peril with one click: graduated filter with the temp and tint sliders. I've no idea if this is a recognised method, but it seems to work. The LR lens profile seems to be no use at all.

Apart from the pink problem this seems to me to be a marvellous little lens - and far more likely to get taken out and about than the much bigger Leica 21s.

 

 

 

I bought this lens today, pre-loved as they say, with the CV 21 finder, at a good price. The dealer also had a coded Elmarit 21pre-Asph, with a Leica finder, but this seemed as good at nearly £1000 less, and the size is just so handy. 

 

It seemed fine at the dealer's (files viewed on their monitor) and I happily trotted off to spend the afternoon trying it out. Very disappointing when I got home - splendid IQ, but the dreaded magenta stripe was down the LH edge of most of the shots, also, but to a much lesser degree, on the bottom edge. I'm using an M9P, set to the 11134 lens coding, and aperture was mainly 5.6 or 8. My copy is a LTM with an adapter. ISO was mainly at 400 or 640 - could this contribute to the problem? I have since tried a couple of test shots at ISO 160, and the problem seems rather less. 

 

I don't actually find it too difficult to correct in LR (without faffing around with CornerFix) - but I'd rather not have to at all, and I'm thinking of taking the lens back, though I don't want to spend the considerably greater sum for the Elmarit.

 

Any thoughts from anyone please?

 

Christopher

Edited by Musotographer
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Musotographer, on 17 May 2016 - 16:21, said:

Thanks for all the comments. I've decided to keep the lens as it's so small and such a bargain (near-mint, £349 inc. finder!) and the drawbacks are manageable. Shooting at the lowest practical ISO clearly helps greatly, and I've worked out a couple of LR presets which seem to get rid of the pink peril with one click: graduated filter with the temp and tint sliders. I've no idea if this is a recognised method, but it seems to work. The LR lens profile seems to be no use at all.

Apart from the pink problem this seems to me to be a marvellous little lens - and far more likely to get taken out and about than the much bigger Leica 21s.

 

For more repeatable and likely more accurate results, try downloading the FlatField plugin from Adobe Labs. All it needs is taking a reference image (or more, if you are picky and want to do one for each aperture/ISO combination) by shooting a clear sky or a white/grey wall with a tissue in front of the lens. Then use the one-click auto color correction only (I find the vignetting one too strong). Only downside is that the process generates an additional TIFF file.

Or you could use CornerFix, which is somewhat better but also more cumbersome IMO.

Edited by Ecar
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I have had the 21/4 and it was very good with my M8 at the time and it was also good with the M9M. I sold it before getting an M9 but I also have a Voigtlander 15mm asph III that is amazing.

 

The price obviously reflects the difference in IQ but the little Voigts pack a real big punch for the money and the luxury of weighing next to nothing is a relief for an old fart like myself ;)

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I just received my copy of the CV 21mm f/4 today and am very pleased with its performance during some simple test shots in the backyard. I also wanted to see about the purple fringing on my MP240, so I took a series of pics of the overhead sky under different conditions. The following four pics are all at ISO200, 1/750 sec and f/11 (I did all f stops and selected the same for each condition). I also had the camera on auto while balance so the color temps varied. When I realized this differences, the sky opened up so was not able to repeat. I increased the contrast a bit in post (the same for all). The four conditions shown are:

- no filter and no corrections (6350K) with obvious magenta fringe

- no filter with 11134 in-camera corrections (5800K) with much reduced magenta fringe, but still there

 

My newly ordered B+W UV filter did not arrive yet, so I used an older UV IR cutoff filter. I repeated the above two "tests" with that filter:

- B+W 486 UV IR cut MRC filter and no corrections (5050K). Less magenta fringe (my be due to colder color temp)

- B+W 486 UV IR cut MRC filter with in-camera 11134 corrections (5700K). Quite clean on edges.

 

The IR cut obviously is reducing the magenta fringing and may be an option if bothersome (even with using the in-camera correction).

 

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For more repeatable and likely more accurate results, try downloading the FlatField plugin from Adobe Labs. All it needs is taking a reference image (or more, if you are picky and want to do one for each aperture/ISO combination) by shooting a clear sky or a white/grey wall with a tissue in front of the lens. Then use the one-click auto color correction only (I find the vignetting one too strong). Only downside is that the process generates an additional TIFF file.

Or you could use CornerFix, which is somewhat better but also more cumbersome IMO.

 

 

Thanks Ecar - I'll investigate this when I have some time.

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I just received my copy of the CV 21mm f/4 today and am very pleased with its performance during some simple test shots in the backyard. I also wanted to see about the purple fringing on my MP240, so I took a series of pics of the overhead sky under different conditions. The following four pics are all at ISO200, 1/750 sec and f/11 (I did all f stops and selected the same for each condition). I also had the camera on auto while balance so the color temps varied. When I realized this differences, the sky opened up so was not able to repeat. I increased the contrast a bit in post (the same for all). The four conditions shown are:

- no filter and no corrections (6350K) with obvious magenta fringe

- no filter with 11134 in-camera corrections (5800K) with much reduced magenta fringe, but still there

 

 

 

Thanks for this, very interesting. It's striking that on the M9's sensor the problem is mainly on the LH frame edge and somewhat on the bottom, but on your M240's it is very strongly on the RH edge too but not on the bottom.

 

Christopher

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I think I might be missing something....attaching filters?

My copy of the CV21mm f/4 has a lens hood that appears to be permanently attached.

I cant get my fingers in to attach the filters....there are screw threads .

Does this hood come off?

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If you have the M version of the lens (no experience with LTM) the hood can be unscrewed from it and the lens has an internal thread for filters. Been using Leica UV/IR filters that way with no problem whatsoever.

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If you have the M version of the lens (no experience with LTM) the hood can be unscrewed from it and the lens has an internal thread for filters. Been using Leica UV/IR filters that way with no problem whatsoever.

 

 

I didn't know I had a choice.....I should have to ask you guys before buying.

 

It's very easy to unscrew as long as you put the lens cap on first! Very unintuitive, but it works - took me a while to realise.

 

Thanks!

 

 

Also: 

Converting CV lens to a Coded M Lens Mount
Can someone please send me a link to buy M lens mount so that I can code  Voigtlander 21mm f/4.  I'm using a 240MP
 
Or I'm wondering.... can I just use a paper template that I saw on BoPhoto.com and mark the mount that the lens came with ?
 
Not sure how to do this but from what I've read its worth a try.
 
All help welcome....Thanks 
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Doe your lens look like this?

 

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Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

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