colonel Posted July 20, 2016 Share #1 Posted July 20, 2016 Advertisement (gone after registration) Some of you guys will know that for years all I shot with were Leica lenses. Recently I have been playing around with other brands and, amongst others, I have been seriously impressed with a number of lenses, specifically the: Voigtlander 35mm f1.2 ii VM - a bit soft wide open and corners not great until f8 but warm, beautiful for people, creamy bokeh and lovely colours - used for landscapes as well Zeiss 35mm f1.4 ZM - really spectacular. 3D, amazing contrast, sharp and virtually flat field form f1.4. Bokeh a bit nervous and not as ethereal as the Leica 35mm FLE which IMHO has better handling and is nicer to use, but for 2.5x the cost .... Zeiss 50mm f2 ZM. Sharp, flat field, 3D. Nothing to say here ... Voigtlander 21mm f4 ZM. Surprisingly sharp, tiny but yet well built, cheap as chips. A bit of Italian flag at the edges, clean up in PP Voigtlander 50mm f1.5 VM. If you like sharp with slightly less contrast its unbeatable value for f1.5. Focus wheel takes time getting used to ... Now its the turn of the Voigtlander 35mm f1.7 ZM. I have to say that this lens left me kind of speechless. Lets just check a few facts: Cost me around £500 at hawksphotovideo ... unbelievable (also at just over £500 at other dealers, such as Robert white, also check mwclassic.com for nearly new Voigtlander at excellent prices ...) Small and light Very well built Has an aspherical element No focus shift Sharp at f1.7 (blimey) Warm and contrasty spherical aberration ?? can't find much Flare - nothing significant ... Frankly I am struggling to come up with bad points here. Focus ring definitely an acquired taste and not absolutely as sharp in the centre as something like the Zeiss 35mm f1.4 or the Leica 35mm FLE, but ..... A few random warblings (all shot on M240): Sharp and 3D ... Beautiful skin tones (harsh mid-day light, toned down white balance) Easy to achieve oldie worldy contrasty B&W look Personally I love the bokeh Yup, this ones a keeper if you need a light f1.7 35mm and like warm rendering Rgds Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted July 20, 2016 Posted July 20, 2016 Hi colonel, Take a look here Ode to the 3rd way and the Voigtlander 35mm f1.7 VM. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Hardster Posted July 20, 2016 Share #2 Posted July 20, 2016 Thanks for this Colonel. If I didn't own so many 35mm lenses at the moment I would seriously consider the 1.7 Ultron. I did own the 50/1.5 which I agree is also a great lens for the price and if I hadn't found a 50 lux, would still be using it. Agree with your other voigtlander experiences especially the 35/1.2ii. I love its wonderful OOF rendering which is only (slightly?) surpassed by the Leica FLE. And, as you will know, its only real drawback in the M world is its size/weight. It is currently my most used 35mm. Given the performance for the price some of the voigtlander lenses are a great way to start or even continue shooting with an M if finances are a constraint. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecar Posted July 20, 2016 Share #3 Posted July 20, 2016 Thanks, colonel. You didn't mention the close focus capabilities of the 35/1.7 VM - much improved over the previous ASPH. And yes, both this and the 50/1.5 have this quirky, knurled focus ring, but it doesn't bother me. On the other hand, the brass+chrome versions are just beautiful. I have never owned/tried the Zeiss 35/1.4 (maybe I should...) but can only agree with your statements regarding the other lenses. However, I prefer the character of the first version of the CV 35/1.2, although the v2 is arguably a somewhat "better" lens from an optical standpoint. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted July 20, 2016 Share #4 Posted July 20, 2016 Voigtlander has some gems of lenses for more than decent prices. I am a fan of the Color-Heliar 75, for instance. The main problem is the variable build quality, especially of the optical assembly. But if you've got a good 'un, you've got a good 'un. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colonel Posted July 20, 2016 Author Share #5 Posted July 20, 2016 Thanks, colonel. You didn't mention the close focus capabilities of the 35/1.7 VM - much improved over the previous ASPH. Yes down to 0.5. The rangefinder disengages below 0.7 so you need to switch to live view. Love the 240 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colonel Posted July 20, 2016 Author Share #6 Posted July 20, 2016 Voigtlander has some gems of lenses for more than decent prices. I am a fan of the Color-Heliar 75, for instance. The main problem is the variable build quality, especially of the optical assembly. But if you've got a good 'un, you've got a good 'un. The Voigtlander f2.5 range has a very good reputation, only second hand market now Not quite the same but my next purchase is probably the Voigtlander 75mm f1.8 VM Looks interesting at a killer price ... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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