Voigtlander 28mm Ultron ASPH Type II

[fededuran]

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1 hour 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 understand then that, other than the design issue, you'd go for an ultron before a summicron any day of the week. Picking the right 28mm is the hardest decision I've come to in the Leica field. 

[Tessar.]

7 hours ago, Winedemonium said:

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. 

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?

28mm is my preferred lens.  I sold my Elmarit-M ASPH V2 because I much prefer my ZM 28mm. 

I'm considering buying the new Voigtlander Skopar, but not sure yet.  

[pedaes]

9 minutes ago, Tessar. said:

I'm considering buying the new Voigtlander Skopar, but not sure yet. 

FM's review here https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1819458/0

[Tessar.]

4 hours ago, pedaes said:

FM's review here https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1819458/0

I had it on pre-order but unfortunately it wasn't available before a trip I'm on this week, so I cancelled, and eagerly awaited Fred Miranda's review.  I'm not sure yet after reading the review plus the latest comments and looking at the samples he posted.  I'm really attracted to the size of it though.   I will definitely try it I think, but want to see more samples.  Like in similar light/weather to what we get in the UK.  I want to see samples on the M10 and M240 generation cameras too, as someone mentioned some colour shift on their M240.  So I will hold off for a bit.

I did love the way my pics looked with the V1 Summicron I had, but when I had it I didn't like the size.   I had a V2 Summicron too, but I preferred the V1.  I also tried the V4 Pre-ASPH.  They are all longer lenses, which seems to bother me after using them for a while.  I haven't tried the Ultron, because I don't like the look of it, and the 35mm Ultron I bought had the sticking focus problem and the designs look very similar.  And I just don't like the look of it :).  I will always keep the ZM though, I love it.

 

[shirubadanieru]

13 hours ago, Tessar. said:

I had it on pre-order but unfortunately it wasn't available before a trip I'm on this week, so I cancelled, and eagerly awaited Fred Miranda's review.  I'm not sure yet after reading the review plus the latest comments and looking at the samples he posted.  I'm really attracted to the size of it though.   I will definitely try it I think, but want to see more samples.  Like in similar light/weather to what we get in the UK.  I want to see samples on the M10 and M240 generation cameras too, as someone mentioned some colour shift on their M240.  So I will hold off for a bit.

I did love the way my pics looked with the V1 Summicron I had, but when I had it I didn't like the size.   I had a V2 Summicron too, but I preferred the V1.  I also tried the V4 Pre-ASPH.  They are all longer lenses, which seems to bother me after using them for a while.  I haven't tried the Ultron, because I don't like the look of it, and the 35mm Ultron I bought had the sticking focus problem and the designs look very similar.  And I just don't like the look of it :).  I will always keep the ZM though, I love it.

 

The review seems to be great no? No CA, no distortion, 106 grams, sharp..

[lct]

The Ultron has too much macro contrast for my taste. Is it the same with the Skopar?

[pedaes]

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1 hour ago, lct said:

Is it the same with the Skopar?

Probably similar - plenty of comparative images on review linked above.

[lct]

I don't shoot film any more but even in digital i struggle to lighten shadows on shots like this. The Summicron and even the Elmarit asph v1 (no experience with v2) are more forgiving from this standpoint. A Skopar a bit less contrasty than the Elmarit would interest me but i'm not after a similar rendering as the otherwise very good Ultron.

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[Tessar.]

On 8/9/2023 at 2:12 PM, shirubadanieru said:

The review seems to be great no? No CA, no distortion, 106 grams, sharp..

To my eyes, the Fred Miranda extreme corner crops from the Color Skopar look fuzzy in comparison with the Ultron and the Elmarit.  Sharp but fuzzy or nervous, is that astigmatism?  Even at smaller apertures it catches my eye, whereas with the others it doesn't.  

The question I suppose is, is this obvious at normal magnification or viewing distance?

[pedaes]

5 hours ago, Tessar. said:

corner crops

I think if you regularly used it a F2.8/4 it may be a issue, but if at a more practical 5.6 or 8 not so much. The brass version of this lens is under £500. 

[Tessar.]

36 minutes ago, pedaes said:

 The brass version of this lens is under £500. 

Yes, that puts it into perspective

[Tessar.]

2 hours ago, Tessar. said:

Yes, that puts it into perspective

Strangely, the in the latest comparison, between the Color Skopar II and the Brightin Star lens, the extreme corners of the Skopar pics look much better than before.  Which is great.

[pedaes]

15 hours ago, Tessar. said:

extreme corners

Although these comparisons are useful, don't forget we are looking at relatively low resolution screen images. I would be confident that with some pp work any deficiency in corner resolution could be enhanced if required to deliver a stunning print. In final preparation for printing I tend to add a touch of vignette to 'hold the image in' much much more than ever needing to enhancing corner resolution. But that is just me!

@andybartonCould we please move Post  #386 through to here to this Thread please as seems more appropriate. Ta. 

 

Edited August 11, 2023 by pedaes

[Marckyokay]

8 minutes ago, Multicoated said:

My last picture with the 28 Ultron II. I will always remember it as the best 28mmf2 lens for Leica mount.

Goodbye little friend. Your focusing tab peeled to white but you never failed. Off to a new home. 

Wow these focussing tabs peeled so easily for so many people ... 

[Marckyokay]

3 minutes ago, Multicoated said:

this is after owning it for 2 years though. I didn’t notice it until recently. I looked it up and I saw a lot worse. 

This is NOT my main lens. So for how I use it IMO having that peeling is unacceptable. If it was my main lens and I did some rough street stuff and didn’t baby it I’m sure it would be much much worse than that. 

meanwhile the parts you want to fade to see the brass. Nope. They’re black as night. 

Really weird...
Great primer for the brass parts, poor color for the aluminium (?) focus tab... Wow...
Makes me hold back buying a VM black paint. Although I expect the silver versions to behave the same 😕 
I have seen older Color Skopar LTM lenses with silver focus tab peeling, but that probably after 10 years of use. Two years of occasional use with your lens is really unacceptable wear. Why do you sell yours?

[lct]

•

Edited August 11, 2023 by lct

[99p]

Is the type I exactly same optically as type II? Is there any reason why you wouldn’t buy the the type I if you wanted a slightly lighter lens? 
I prefer the look of type I and the weight is a bonus. 

[charlesphoto99]

49 minutes ago, Steven said:

Following up with my promise (to myself) to give a real chance to the Summicron, I just came back from three weeks travelling exclusively with this lens and 64 rolls of films. I developed a couple this morning. I hope to be able to develop about four per day if I'm not too busy at work. My first impression is that it is a little too contrasted for my test and I still think it doesn't have signature. 

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Reminds me of a pic I took on Kauai this year. Not with a 28 cron. It's still my favorite lens. Bought mine for $1400 used, mint, in 2003. I use mine without the hood, just a UV filter. Rarely if ever flares. For me, 'character' should be in the photo, not the lens (which can give it a stylistic bent). One thing I find doing more and more is adding a bit of vignetting in LR. If anything, it's software that's robbed us of the unique looks of lenses. 

[hdmesa]

4 hours ago, Steven said:

Following up with my promise (to myself) to give a real chance to the Summicron, I just came back from three weeks travelling exclusively with this lens and 64 rolls of films. I developed a couple this morning. I hope to be able to develop about four per day if I'm not too busy at work. My first impression is that it is a little too contrasted for my test and I still think it doesn't have signature. 

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It it does appear to be a very clear and sharp image as if shot on a larger format camera. 

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[hdmesa]

Just now, Steven said:

Looks very 35mm to me! My Mamiya 7 would be a completely different result. But it is a sharp lens, and I do have my scanner calibrated at the sharpest it can be. 

*compared to your Summaron images I've seen on the forum it looks more like 645 clarity. Might just be this image looks extra clear on my phone right now versus the high res monitor I usually surf this site with.