Voigtlander 28mm Ultron ASPH Type II

[kinetic]

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6 hours ago, lct said:

Using an uncoded lens under lens detection auto is not the best thing to do IMHO. If this does not cause freezes, as i suspect it can on the M11, the camera will apply automatically the last lens profile entered manually. Fine for those who have only one uncoded lens but otherwise a 21mm profile can perfectly be applied to a 135mm lens this way. Been there done that with an uncoded Tele-Elmar 135/4. Only solutions i'm aware of are hand-coding the lens or entering a lens profile through lens detection manual as advised by Leica.

I'll look into setting the lens profile manually. I've never thought of that, but I do remember reading about it in the manual at some point.

[lct]

12 minutes ago, kinetic said:

I'll look into setting the lens profile manually. I've never thought of that, but I do remember reading about it in the manual at some point.

What you will apply this way is the profile of another lens, namely that of a Summicron 28/2. It won't fix possible flaws or unwanted features of the Ultron but the results are good enough for me to hand-code permanently the lens as a Summicron. Just a snap here for the sake of illustration, w/o contrast or vignetting correction. 

https://photos.smugmug.com/Diverse/n-QFBj4/Leica-M11-CV-272-asph/i-J62TwNS/0/3dd3ee44/X4/M1003712_sips-X4.jpg

 

[kinetic]

Shot a few portraits with the lens yesterday when I really needed a wide. I wish I could share more, but for whatever reason the forum won't let me upload (even though they're well below the max file size). These two are just a couple, there's a lot more on my instagram story: https://instagram.com/artchang

 

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[hmzimelka]

M11 with Ultron 28mm ASPH

 

 

[Olaf_ZG]

1 hour ago, hmzimelka said:

M11 with Ultron 28mm ASPH

 

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Great tones in that first image!

[hmzimelka]

Misty Morning.

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[hmzimelka]

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[Winedemonium]

On 4/25/2023 at 12:19 AM, Steven said:

My favourite is the Summaron, then the summilux. I’m looking for something in between and the Elmarit and summicron aren’t it. So I’ll try the silver ultron v2, hoping it can give me some more character than the cron. 
i don’t know well the 1.9 version, but that one did look good to look at ! 

Hi @Steven - did you try the Ultron II yet? I know you have done a lot with the Summaron and Summilux. Just curious to see what you think of the Ultron if you have had some time with it. Thanks.

[Winedemonium]

5 minutes ago, Steven said:

Good lens for the value. Not my style of rendering overall after trying it for a while. Too contrasty, on film it doesn’t fit in my workflow. I always ended up with crushed blacks. But the main problem is it’s design. It’s so ugly I never want to go out with it.  
still don’t like the Summaron, and while I prefer the Elmarit to the Summicron, my two p favourites are the Lux and the Summaron 

So your quest for something more compact than the Summilux, but faster than the Summaron continues? Or you are just sticking with those two? 
 

And are you now firmly in the “28” camp, and not touching your 35s these days?

interesting about the crushed shadows. In the digital flow it is easier to pull these back up, less so from film scans. 

[Winedemonium]

10 minutes ago, Steven said:

I’ve decided to (temporarily) abandon the 28 focal length, for lack à of a compact option. I just travelled to India and Palestine with one steel rim 35, and one ricoh gr21.  Shot around 80 rolls in 7 days. I would say at least 60 were on the gr21, which tells me I’m thirsty for wider than 35 at this moment in my life. It’s just easier to compose for me.

Yes, I saw some of that work on your IG - quite an adventure! The GR21 is super compact. If you haven't tried it, the 2.8/24 Elmarit-M ASPH is interesting for reportage. Type II of the 2.8/28 Color-Skopar might be interesting, 106g, 23mm from the flange, and a more conventional look... And... (bringing this back to the OP's topic), I look forward to seeing how that one compares to the 28mm Ultron, Summicron and Elmarit(s). 

[Bronco McBeast]

Summicron 28 is just so good. Sharper than elmarit asph, and yet it oozes finesse all over the image.

It’s definitely a street shooter’s dream lens; compact, fast to focus and you just dont need a hood as it’s so resitant to flare.

Tastes are not debatable, but the summicron is a no-brainer  for reportage.

[Bronco McBeast]

17 minutes ago, Steven said:

I don’t consider it compact. It’s way too big for me to find it confortable for daily use. But I’ve been spoiled, I admit. 

Without the hood It’s as grandè as a summicron 35mm asph. Totally acceptable and totally geared towards quickly acquiring images via its super light focusing and aperture action.

I loved the Summaron the day it came out, purchased two. Can’t live without it... But for a trip to India with film, where Summilux will quickly become a heavy Toll, and where f5.6 will have me endlessly frustrated for missing a few hundred one-in-a-lifetime shots, the summicron becomes a no brainer. The lens’ physical look is really bland but the images are lovely. I have rarely seen such a mix of sharp yet gentle images like the ones from a 28 summicron.

I simply do not consider, not even remotely, voigtlander 7eleven minolta LLchina etc.

[Marckyokay]

56 minutes ago, Bronco McBeast said:

Without the hood It’s as grandè as a summicron 35mm asph. Totally acceptable and totally geared towards quickly acquiring images via its super light focusing and aperture action.

I loved the Summaron the day it came out, purchased two. Can’t live without it... But for a trip to India with film, where Summilux will quickly become a heavy Toll, and where f5.6 will have me endlessly frustrated for missing a few hundred one-in-a-lifetime shots, the summicron becomes a no brainer. The lens’ physical look is really bland but the images are lovely. I have rarely seen such a mix of sharp yet gentle images like the ones from a 28 summicron.

I simply do not consider, not even remotely, voigtlander 7eleven minolta LLchina etc.

7ELEVEN!
Sorry, nonsensical reply of mine, just had to express how much I laughed... thank you!

[lct]

2 hours ago, Bronco McBeast said:

I have rarely seen such a mix of sharp yet gentle images like the ones from a 28 summicron.

+1. Rare blend of fine micro-contrast with less macro contrast than the otherwise very good Ultron 28/2 the way i feel it. Size wise i find the Summicron 35/2 asph significantly smaller though.

 

[Bronco McBeast]

1 hour ago, lct said:

+1. Rare blend of fine micro-contrast with less macro contrast than the otherwise very good Ultron 28/2 the way i feel it. Size wise i find the Summicron 35/2 asph significantly smaller though.

 

Yes  you are right. It is actually the same size as a summilux 35mm asph.

[shirubadanieru]

@Steven since you are into the GR, Ricoh made the GR lenses into LTM mount too, so you could simply grab them. They are tiny, and perform as well as the lenses on their cameras, so if you are happy with your GR21 you’d love them on your M too.

Edited August 7, 2023 by shirubadanieru

[shirubadanieru]

4 minutes ago, shirubadanieru said:

@Steven since you are into the GR, Ricoh made the GR lenses into LTM mount too, so you could simply grab them. They are tiny, and perform as well as the lenses on their cameras, so if you are happy with your GR21 you’d love them on your M too.

And of course the voigtlander 21 f3.5 and the new 28 f2.8 are tiny, offer great rendering and the design of the lens looks much better than leica current lenses, especially the new 28mm is just beautiful. The lens is out tomorrow might grab one : ) 

[fededuran]

10 hours ago, Steven said:

In the meantime, I just bought again a Summicron (V1). I will commit to shoot with it on a trip to South America for 10 days this August as my only lens. Its the last chance I give it. 

Hi Steven. I've been reading about your 28mm search (I'm in the same boat). As far as I know, you owned or tried both the ultron v2 and the summicron, but the first was too contrasty and the second too dull. Now you are trying the summicron (v1) again. How do these two lenses compare in your opinion and why do you think or hope the summicron will give you a different vibe this time? 

[Winedemonium]

15 hours ago, Steven said:

In September, I also plan to compare the new VM 28/2.8 to my elmarit. 

 

I look forward to reading your observations on that one @Steven. I have the 28 Elmarit ASPH II, but have not really bonded with it. I have the 28 Summilux (which I love, but it's bulk puts me off - especially viewfinder blockage, but also the front-heavy feeling it gives the camera), and I have recently bought the 28 Summaron LTM (will pick it up when I'm back in Hong Kong next month). But I have been following this Ultron thread with some curiosity, and loving so many of the images I am seeing here (and on the dedicated Flickr group. Perhaps its the quality of the photographers who've chosen this lens? 💭 It does seem though that CV is on a roll with the recent releases, and the CV 2.8/28 will be interested to see - 23mm length and 106g, compared to 31mm length and 175g for the 28 Elmarit ASPH II - it's amazingly light and compact, pancake territory. 

20 hours ago, shirubadanieru said:

@Steven since you are into the GR, Ricoh made the GR lenses into LTM mount too, so you could simply grab them. They are tiny, and perform as well as the lenses on their cameras, so if you are happy with your GR21 you’d love them on your M too.

Ah, thank you for the reminder on these @shirubadanieru, I had forgotten about them. Here is a link to a review on Japan Camera Hunter about the 28mm version of that lens. 

 

Meanwhile, are there any 28 Ultron users who also have a copy of the older version to compare rendering please?

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[fededuran]

21 minutes ago, Steven said:

You wrote yourself what I think. One has more contrast than the other, one is more dull. Other than that, the ultron has more character at F2 with a swirly bokeh. The physical design of the Summicron is nicer. Better built, and better looking, in my opinion. The ultron seems to have slightly better flare resistance. You don't need a hood. 

 

I don't really. But I will still give it a chance cause I can't manage to give up on 28. Some photographers I like use this lens, and it got me thinking that maybe it was my photos that were dull (I don't really believe it, but let's see). I did try that lens just around the house, on non special days. In august, my photographic subject will be very exiting. Let's see if ti makes the lens less dull. 

I've seen very remarkable pictures taken with the 28mm summicron on Flickr. Beautiful rendering, good contrast, perfect tool for bnw. My other option is to buy a good second hand 28 summilux. Coming from sony alphas and fuji GFXs, nothing seems too big to me.