Voigtlander 35mm f1.4 MC Version II

[microview]

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It just means that you focus on a given point then stop down and the lens will slightly have changed its focus point forwards or backwards. The one obvious benefit of EVF live view is that you can exactly see the sharpness for your aperture selection.

[mediumformula]

2 hours ago, microview said:

It just means that you focus on a given point then stop down and the lens will slightly have changed its focus point forwards or backwards. The one obvious benefit of EVF live view is that you can exactly see the sharpness for your aperture selection.

Thanks, That's what I thought it might have meant. 

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[Harpomatic]

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Edited March 2, 2020 by Harpomatic

[Harpomatic]

On 3/1/2020 at 12:09 AM, mediumformula said:

Thanks, That's what I thought it might have meant. 

Don’t all the Leica non-FLE 35mm lenses suffer from a little focus shift as well? I noticed it a lot on the Nokton version I, certainly not on version II - although I can see some with a focusing chart, never noticed on any pictures, and I do focus precisely using all apertures according to need. YMMV, but don’t discount it on hearsay, especially from people that haven’t used it! 

[TomB_tx]

All fast lenses I’ve checked carefully show some shift, but not necessarily enough to notice in real pictures.

[Harpomatic]

3 hours ago, TomB_tx said:

All fast lenses I’ve checked carefully show some shift, but not necessarily enough to notice in real pictures.

That’s exactly my point!

[mheine]

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Unfortunately I had problems with my Nokton Version I when stopping down. When taking portraits of people leaning on a wall and focused on their face, everything was perfect at f1.4 but stopped down to f2.8 my focus shifted to the wall and their face was kinda blurry.

So, at the end I got myself the Voigtlander 35mm f1.4 MC Version II last week and it's by far the better lens in every aspect. It's sharper at every f-stop, less CA, less barrel distortion and vignetting and most importantly: Almost no focus-shift, the only f-stop I suffer from the shift is at f2.8 but clearly not as bad as with the old one.

I am also happy to see that the beautiful rendering of the bokeh hasn't changed at all. It still has the same look but the focused area is just sharper, so upgrading was the best decision for me.

If anyone has questions about the lens, feel free to ask! 🙂 

PS: Thanks again for all the helpful answers!

[AceVentura1986]

19 hours ago, mheine said:

Unfortunately I had problems with my Nokton Version I when stopping down. When taking portraits of people leaning on a wall and focused on their face, everything was perfect at f1.4 but stopped down to f2.8 my focus shifted to the wall and their face was kinda blurry.

So, at the end I got myself the Voigtlander 35mm f1.4 MC Version II last week and it's by far the better lens in every aspect. It's sharper at every f-stop, less CA, less barrel distortion and vignetting and most importantly: Almost no focus-shift, the only f-stop I suffer from the shift is at f2.8 but clearly not as bad as with the old one.

I am also happy to see that the beautiful rendering of the bokeh hasn't changed at all. It still has the same look but the focused area is just sharper, so upgrading was the best decision for me.

If anyone has questions about the lens, feel free to ask! 🙂 

PS: Thanks again for all the helpful answers!

I’ve had version 1 for ten years and have found similar issues. IMHO, f/2.8 and f/4 are unusable within six feet (two meter outside the US). Consequently, I avoid these apertures at close distances and just use f/2 or f/5.6 instead. This really isn’t much of an issue as I do not consider 35mm to be a portrait focal length. For larger scenes, however, the distances involved overcome the focus shift. 

[jakontil]

On 3/1/2020 at 4:57 AM, microview said:

It just means that you focus on a given point then stop down and the lens will slightly have changed its focus point forwards or backwards. The one obvious benefit of EVF live view is that you can exactly see the sharpness for your aperture selection.

I thought focus shift is like it stays... say when focus at a point @ f1.4 it will shift 

like the zeiss plannar suffers from focus shifts and from the factory it was told to best use f2 to eliminate? Instead of f1.5
or there are other type of focus shifts?

[mheine]

Am 7.3.2020 um 09:33 schrieb jakontil:

I thought focus shift is like it stays... say when focus at a point @ f1.4 it will shift 

like the zeiss plannar suffers from focus shifts and from the factory it was told to best use f2 to eliminate? Instead of f1.5
or there are other type of focus shifts?

The focus on the Norton is on point at f1.4 but shifts when stopping down. Instead of increasing the focused area, it will move the focus point. But this will not happen at any f-stops just on a few, mine was really bad / unusable at f2.8 and f4.

Hope this helps! Don't have any other experiences with other lenses that suffer from focus shift.

[Mr.Prime]

On 3/7/2020 at 3:33 AM, jakontil said:

I thought focus shift is like it stays... say when focus at a point @ f1.4 it will shift 

like the zeiss plannar suffers from focus shifts and from the factory it was told to best use f2 to eliminate? Instead of f1.5
or there are other type of focus shifts?

although I don't own the Plannar I have never read of any issues. On the other hand, the Sonnar is known for focus shift problems just as you describe but there are people who love that lens for it's 'look'. 

I received my Nokton 35/1.4 II yesterday - what a lovely lens to behold! Now I just need my MtoL adapter to get it on my CL.

[Archiver]

@mheine Which camera/film(?) did you use to take those portraits with the 35 Nokton? If a digital camera, how did you process them? The colours and tones are very nice.

Edited to add: okay, I see that it's the M10. What program did you use for the post work? These are some of the better M10 images I've seen in terms of colour.

Edited May 26, 2020 by Archiver

[evikne]

M10 w/CV 35/1.4 II MC – Bokeh at f/1.4:

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[evikne]

One more picture with same camera and lens:

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[mheine]

Am 26.5.2020 um 06:20 schrieb Archiver:

@mheine Which camera/film(?) did you use to take those portraits with the 35 Nokton? If a digital camera, how did you process them? The colours and tones are very nice.

Edited to add: okay, I see that it's the M10. What program did you use for the post work? These are some of the better M10 images I've seen in terms of colour.

Hello, sorry for my late response, I wasn't active on this forum for quite some time. 

Yes, you read it right, I use the Leica M10, so digital. 
I do all my edits on my iPhone 7 and Lightroom Mobile with some custom presets I build on my own. The most important thing is adding grain and taking off some clarity - that's about it. 

You can see some more shots on my Instagram account if you want to: https://instagram.com/matijes

Hope this help, if you have any question - simply text me. 

[kzsf]

i'm using v ii on M10 - looks quite sharp to me both stopped down and opened up. i haven't noticed distortion, but haven't tested it on a brick wall just yet. Can't justify spending 10x on a comparable (spec wise) summilux which is also larger.

[Chris Nebard]

Dear All,

I’m very interested in this lens (version II) for use on my SL2-s. and I have just come across this thread. Has anyone had any problems at all with grease seeping from the back of the lens (most likely from the focus helicoid). I ask because I had the Zeiss C-Biogon f2.8 and, lovely though the lens was, it was plagued by the problem. Zeiss were awful to deal with (via the retail outlet) and it took 2 returns to sort it. I’m aware that both Zeiss and Cosina Voigtlander share the same factory and my previous experience ruined my love of Zeiss lenses.

For the SL2-S I have only Leica and Sigma lenses, and this VM 35 f1.4 is really tempting me. The grease issue - which may not be a problem at all with this VM 35 is the only thing holding me back. I apologise that my query is almost two years after the last comment. Any guidance? 

Thanks, Chris. 

 

Edited November 24, 2021 by Chris Nebard
Spelling mistake

[oldwino]

I don't have that (or any) issue with my copy. But that doesn't mean there are not copies out there with too much grease in them...or mis-aligned elements...or a badly machined mount.

Happens with Leica lenses, too.

If you purchase new, and an issue pops up during the warranty period, I'm sure it would be taken care of properly.