Voigtlander 21mm Skopar

[bozu_shutterbugger]

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Jaap - Please feel to kill this thread if you feel I might be duplicating stuff. I have a separate post on WATE where i am asking the same question. 

 

Friends - has any one have had any experience with the 21mm Skopar? I need to save up for the WATE lens and i need a cheap 21 to get by... this lens new is 400$. I truly appreciate your thoughts, comments emotions. 

 

[probert]

I have one. Razor sharp. And tiny. You might decide to keep it once you have the WATE.

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21mm Voigtlander & M10

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Crop of the above

 

I've not used this lens much with the M10 but when I have I've been happy enough with the results. I did find that the camera light meter on auto wasn't always giving the correct exposure so I used manual settings.

[bozu_shutterbugger]

21mm2.jpg

 

Crop of the above

 

I've not used this lens much with the M10 but when I have I've been happy enough with the results. I did find that the camera light meter on auto wasn't always giving the correct exposure so I used manual settings.

 

 

Thanks very much for sharing this example. I believe the metering has nothing to do with the lens. Do you know if you have to manually enter the data for this lens or is it coded? i really like the colors etc. thanks a lot for sharing. 

[bozu_shutterbugger]

I have one. Razor sharp. And tiny. You might decide to keep it once you have the WATE.

really? may be when i goto a very unsafe destination and dont want to lug around Expensive glass. 

 

Ok.. ill go get it today. 

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I doubt that any 21mm Skopar is coded. Mine is an original screw fit lens that I use an adapter to fit on to my M10. I just enter a 21mm pofile from the M10 menu, a bit of experimenting should show which gives the best results.

[probert]

really? may be when i goto a very unsafe destination and dont want to lug around Expensive glass. 

 

Ok.. ill go get it today. 

 

exactly. I also use it as my 35mm perfect street lens on the Fuji X-T2. 

[honcho]

I bought an ltm CV 21mm f4 and a CV 90mm f3.5 to use when I backpacked the Pennine Way around the time they were released.  I got rid of the 21mm straight afterwards and kept the 90mm for a few years.

 

The 21mm was never very sharp (as you'll see in the crop above), flared like a pig and nowhere near the ltm CV 28mm or 90mm f3.5's in either build or image quality.  You'll see plenty of examples of how badly it flares on this forum.  The only positive things in it's favour are the 39mm filter, small size and light weight, but that was not enough to persuade me it was worth keeping.

[spydrxx]

I just bought one, used at a terrific price, and haven't yet used it with my film bodies (LTM & M). I did test it out with my m4/3 body and am anxious to see what it does in my usual shooting with film.

[bozu_shutterbugger]

I bought an ltm CV 21mm f4 and a CV 90mm f3.5 to use when I backpacked the Pennine Way around the time they were released. I got rid of the 21mm straight afterwards and kept the 90mm for a few years.

 

The 21mm was never very sharp (as you'll see in the crop above), flared like a pig and nowhere near the ltm CV 28mm or 90mm f3.5's in either build or image quality. You'll see plenty of examples of how badly it flares on this forum. The only positive things in it's favour are the 39mm filter, small size and light weight, but that was not enough to persuade me it was worth keeping.

. Agreed that yes it could be a bit sharper but hey it's $400. In Leica terms that's like $40. May be I am being naive and measuring a lens with money vs what it can offer. I'll get this today and will post photos from this lens in next couple of days. How does that sound? Let's see if it's really a pig or may be it's not.

 

 

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[honcho]

. ...Let's see if it's really a pig or may be it's not.

 

 You asked for experiences and I told you mine, others will have theirs.  Yes, it's a fraction of the cost of a 21mm SEM and you did say you wanted cheap!

 

Good luck with it.

[bozu_shutterbugger]

 You asked for experiences and I told you mine, others will have theirs.  Yes, it's a fraction of the cost of a 21mm SEM and you did say you wanted cheap!

 

Good luck with it.

oh dont get me wrong. by no means i am questioning. May be i am self justifying the need to buy a 400$ lens lol. 

Anyways here are my thoughts. I have the lens with me. 

1. Decent enough. I am not seeing any flaring or purple fringing. Ill go play with it more in sun. 

2. The plastic viewfinder from voigtlander sucks!! it drops off the hot shoe! i will either get one from Leica now or just not put one one and use Live view when i need exact estimations. 

 

Will be posting pics here soon. Thanks for your feedback

[lct]

As far as sharpness is concerned, my CV 21/4 can compete with both my Leica 21/2.8 asph and 21/3.4 asph at f/5.6 and on. At f/4 it is a bit softer but given its moderate price i would not call this a flaw. It is more prone to flare but thanks to its tiny size i have always one in my bag. A must have IMHO.

[Jean-Michel]

I own the 21 VC (ltm version with M adapter). I purchased it in film days mainly because the lens and viewer cost less than the Leica viewer alone. I manually code it on both my M9 and MP as the Leica 2.8 lens; still often needs correction using Cornerfix, or minot LR corrections. If my work was mostly using very wide angle lenses, I would likely go for the SEM, but since the 21 work is only about 10-15% of my work, I am happy with the VC. I do use the EVF on the MP, not to focus – I do that in the finder – but to frame. I find the level in the EVF very useful.

[bozu_shutterbugger]

As far as sharpness is concerned, my CV 21/4 can compete with both my Leica 21/2.8 asph and 21/3.4 asph at f/5.6 and on. At f/4 it is a bit softer but given its moderate price i would not call this a flaw. It is more prone to flare but thanks to its tiny size i have always one in my bag. A must have IMHO.

I agree .. I am surprised at the result. I haven't uploaded it to my desktop so I am going by what I see on the LCD. But the colors are OMG! I'll hold it along with the WATE whenever I get it

 

 

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[g2van]

I sold my 21 SEM and "downgraded" to the Skopar (v1 LTM) because I don't shoot ultra wide often enough (my main lens is a 35mm). I use the Skopar mostly when travelling - shooting architecture and landscapes occasionally.  

 

My impressions: love the size and ease of use. Sometimes the "italian flag" colours will come out on the M240 even when coded in every 21mm possible in the menu but so far (not really tested too much) - not an issue on M10 coded as the first 21 elmarit.

Don't have a problem with the viewfinder (love it actually). If yours falls off easily maybe try sticking some tape at the bottom/side. The 21 SEM is superior in many respects - sharpness, lack of flare, etc. But for a part-time 21mm user, I'd rather save some money to have a tiny 21 Skopar and put the money in lenses that I use much more. 

 

Also I travel light and want an ultra light travel kit with a few optional focal lengths so the 21 skopar is a perfect fit. I now have a full complement of super lightweights to choose from:

21 Skopar: 130g

28/2 (MS Optics): 60g -- makes the M really "coat pocketable"!

35 cron v3: 190g

50/2.8 Elmar M: 180g -- superb - sharp (collapsible = pocketable)

90/2.8 Tele elmarit: 225g -- good but flares so I use the rubber hood from the 90/4 elmar-c (it helps and it's tiny and collapsible).

[lct]

The lack of sharpness of the CV 21/4 is only true at f/4 and is relative there. This close up has been shot at f/4: 

http://tinyurl.com/ycmxs22t

The minimum focus distance of 0.5 metre is another advantage of the CV 21/4.

 

About the 90/4's rubber hood (12517), it is handy indeed but its filter thread has not the right pitch for M lenses like your Tele-Elmarit so better take care of not tightening it too much or screwing it into a filter. FWIW.

[ropo54]

 

The lack of sharpness of the CV 21/4 is only true at f/4 and is relative there. This close up has been shot at f/4: 

http://tinyurl.com/ycmxs22t

The minimum focus distance of 0.5 metre is another advantage of the CV 21/4.

 

 

 

Terrific shot!

Rob

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21mm Viogtlander & M-E