voigtlander,the best leica lenses in the world

[Ko.Fe.]

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1 hour ago, fotografr said:

Uh, Covid.

I see. Leica is very far from essential. No wonder they have shortages in boutiques sales.  

[fotografr]

1 hour ago, steve 1959 said:

 

Since then i have taken my two best ever landscape images with this lens and about 5 other pictures i was pleased with so its become the lens i am always wanting to use for my landscape type pictures.

 

I'd be interested in seeing one or two of them. Would you mind posting something here? Also curious how much correction you have to do in post since the lens isn't coded?

Edited July 2, 2021 by fotografr

[Herr Barnack]

3 hours ago, fotografr said:

So do the large windows where you can look from the museum directly into the large production area. 😁

Apparently it's nothing more than an elaborate puppet show, or so some try to claim. 

Sorry, but I can't buy that. 

If that were true and it were discovered and made public, Leica's upper management would look like utter buffoons to the entire world of photography.  That, and the Leica haters would have a field day with such a revelation. 

 

 

[Simone_DF]

12 hours ago, pippy said:

Not trying to start a bunfight in the slightest, Simone, but perhaps your own particular job-sector speciality isn't entirely representative of the total global job market of each country when these are considered as a whole?

Extrapolating "Japanse salaries are way higher than German salaries" from one specific employment viewpoint is hardly an accurate position to adopt.

Oh absolutely! But I figured that to work in a lens company, you need highly skilled technicians like optical engineers, software engineers, r&d, etc etc

[rtai]

I bought a Voigtlander 21mm f1.4 Nokton this afternoon, coded it as a 21mm Summilux, saw there’s still an hour of light and excitedly slapped it on my M10M for a test drive. First of all the built quality of the Nokton is phenomenal especially the aperture ring, so smooth the way it turns and click in place unlike Leica lenses that Forrest Gump box of chocolate not knowing what you are going to get - too sloppy too loose or too tight. I have only shot it 12 times x 1/2000 of a second but so far my impression is very positive. The Nokton is as sharp as the Summilux with a bit higher contrast. The subject separation is very good and so is the bokeh. What special about the Summilux is that while it is a sharp high resolution lens it has that smooth vintage look with phenomenal subject separation. The Nokton is very very good. When I am done testing it on the M10M I’ll leave it on the M8.2 for color.  Here are two NOKTON samples at F1.4 minimal exposure adjustments in LR Classic. 

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

Edited July 2, 2021 by rtai

[Guest]

13 hours ago, fotografr said:

I'd be interested in seeing one or two of them. Would you mind posting something here? Also curious how much correction you have to do in post since the lens isn't coded?

I dont post pics on here sorry but too much messing about and the quality of reproduction is quite poor in my view especially compared to say the pics on fred miranda forum.

Also now i have said there my best pics i would be worried people would be rolling around on the floor laughing at my efforts!! 

I use the the 21mm elmarit asph code and the actual voigtlander 21mm f1.4 asph lightroom profile with distortion/vignette correction applied.

I can private message you my flickr account name for you to view ,i have about 12 pics on there taken with the nokton with exif data.

[fotografr]

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30 minutes ago, steve 1959 said:

I can private message you my flickr account name for you to view ,i have about 12 pics on there taken with the nokton with exif data.

That would be much appreciated. I also am registered on the Fred Miranda forum so if you have landscapes posted there maybe you could direct me to them.

Thanks!

[jplomley]

After trying the 28 Ultron Asph and 75/1.5 on my M10M, I must say I’m impressed. And now these 21/1.4 images are very inspiring. Contacted my dealer, and turns out by trading in my 28 SC v2, I could buy all three CV lenses for $37.00. Hmmm…..seems too good to be true. Has Leica lost their marbles on lens price vs. performance?

Edited July 2, 2021 by jplomley

[Jeff S]

4 minutes ago, jplomley said:

After trying the 28 Ultron Asph and 75/1.5 on my M10M, I must say I’m impressed. And now these 21/1.4 images are very inspiring. Contacted my dealer, and turns out by trading in my 28 SC v2, I could buy all three CV lenses for $37.00. Hmmm…..seems too good to be true. Has Leica lost their marbles on lens price vs. performance?

Jeff, make sure you’re confident in a trade, as you’ve committed to never buying back a Leica lens.  😳

Jeff

[jplomley]

26 minutes ago, Jeff S said:

Jeff, make sure you’re confident in a trade, as you’ve committed to never buying back a Leica lens.  😳

Jeff

👍🏻

[Guest]

2 hours ago, fotografr said:

That would be much appreciated. I also am registered on the Fred Miranda forum so if you have landscapes posted there maybe you could direct me to them.

Thanks!

Not on the fred miranda forum but there is an amazing long review thread about the 21mm f1.4 nokton with lots of stunning images and not just with the sony version of the lens but also plenty of stuff with leica m and that version of the lens..

 

[Dennis]

3 hours ago, steve 1959 said:

I don't post pics on here sorry but too much messing about and the quality of reproduction is quite poor in my view especially compared to say the pics on fred miranda forum.

Also now i have said there my best pics i would be worried people would be rolling around on the floor laughing at my efforts!! 

 

All (or almost) users here don't like the quality of the image. But the majority of us (I guess) post photos. Someone, a picture in a while, others very often.

Because we love to share what we think deserves to be shared. And if you are proud of your photographs, you should share them with us. Sharing is caring.
Your pictures, vision, art can inspire, help other people, passionate as you about photography. And if you want to tell us why they are so special for you, even better.
This is my last chance before DM you 🙂

Edited July 2, 2021 by Dennis
complete re-edit and new sentence

[Ernstk]

On 7/1/2021 at 8:32 AM, Simone_DF said:

 

... Japanse salaries are way higher than German salaries.

No, they're not. On average, they're slightly lower.

Ernst

[Dennis]

11 hours ago, rtai said:

 

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

Good shots. Did you crop a lot? It feels like a 28mm, but it's actually a 21mm?  Shot at f/_? 🙏

[hdmesa]

11 hours ago, rtai said:

I bought a Voigtlander 21mm f1.4 Nokton this afternoon, coded it as a 21mm Summilux, saw there’s still an hour of light and excitedly slapped it on my M10M for a test drive. First of all the built quality of the Nokton is phenomenal especially the aperture ring, so smooth the way it turns and click in place unlike Leica lenses that Forrest Gump box of chocolate not knowing what you are going to get - too sloppy too loose or too tight. I have only shot it 12 times x 1/2000 of a second but so far my impression is very positive. The Nokton is as sharp as the Summilux with a bit higher contrast. The subject separation is very good and so is the bokeh. What special about the Summilux is that while it is a sharp high resolution lens it has that smooth vintage look with phenomenal subject separation. The Nokton is very very good. When I am done testing it on the M10M I’ll leave it on the M8.2 for color.  Here are two NOKTON samples at F1.4 minimal exposure adjustments in LR Classic. 

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

Nice shots that exemplify what the CV 21 1.4 can deliver. I really like mine – examples here (linking to them on FM since they show inline as higher resolution than they do on this forum). The CV 21 also has less distortion than the 21 Summilux. Uncorrected, the Summilux can render a straight lines as curved (horizon, architectural lines, etc.).

//

As for "lens contrast" that was discussed earlier, here's a good read. The meaning of a high or low contrast lens is often misunderstood. Some older lenses can yield more interesting results than a modern lens, but it's not because they are low contrast. A true low contrast lens will deliver a muddy image that is difficult to rescue in post.

Quote

In my opinion, lens contrast of fairly large image structures is a primary determinant of subjective optical quality in a camera lens. The old Leica 7-element 50mm Summicron was optimized for high contrast at 5 lp/mm, for instance, and under favorable picture-taking circumstances (i.e., avoiding too much flare and too wide an aperture), these lenses can still yield glorious-looking pictures today.

 

[rtai]

1 hour ago, Dennis said:

Good shots. Did you crop a lot? It feels like a 28mm, but it's actually a 21mm?  Shot at f/_? 🙏

I do my best to shoot all my lenses at max aperture especially the 21mm for the thinnest dof. If you hold the lens perfectly level the lack of converging lines will minimise the so called wide angle effect. On the street it is nearly impossible to hold it completely level so any slight deviation I correct it in LR and that will result in some cropping. 

 

Edited July 3, 2021 by rtai

[Dennis]

1 minute ago, rtai said:

I do my best to shoot all my lenses at max aperture especially the 21mm for the thinnest dof. If you hold the lens perfectly level the lack of converging lines will minimise the so called wide angle effect. If you recall the recent infamous photo of the Bidens with the Carters by the WH photographer it’s a lesson on how not to use a wide angle unless he meant to do that then it’s high art

Awesome. My last 21mm alive is a Nikkor 20/2.8D, which has considerably distortion. I can only imagine what a brand new CV 21/1,4 is capable of. Very interesting.

[rtai]

1 hour ago, hdmesa said:

Nice shots that exemplify what the CV 21 1.4 can deliver. I really like mine – examples here (linking to them on FM since they show inline as higher resolution than they do on this forum). The CV 21 also has less distortion than the 21 Summilux. Uncorrected, the Summilux can render a straight lines as curved (horizon, architectural lines, etc.).

//

As for "lens contrast" that was discussed earlier, here's a good read. The meaning of a high or low contrast lens is often misunderstood. Some older lenses can yield more interesting results than a modern lens, but it's not because they are low contrast. A true low contrast lens will deliver a muddy image that is difficult to rescue in post.

 

I only know what I like from using the lenses, choosing which to achieve which result. I do believe in certain myths such as high contrast lenses looked better with color print film and starting in the 70’s lens makers tuned their optics for that outcome. Vintage lenses the type before color film became a consumer staple have lower contrast and with b/w film give a flatter negative for better printing in graded paper. But at the same time the vintage lenses tend to be uncoated or single coated at risk of flare in certain lighting conditions compromising overall quality such as details, micro contrast, resolution. So I don’t like to use vintage lenses on camera with a 40 MP sensor because the flaws show through. The Leica Summilux lenses do have that vintage look with top performance even at max aperture so reason for my preference.
 

 

 

Edited July 3, 2021 by rtai

[rtai]

2 minutes ago, Dennis said:

Awesome. My last 21mm alive is a Nikkor 20/2.8D, which has considerably distortion. I can only imagine what a brand new CV 21/1,4 is capable of. Very interesting.

Unless you are shooting buildings the distortion won’t translate much for people shots in the street. The Nikkor 20mm is a great lens! 

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[hdmesa]

54 minutes ago, rtai said:

Yeah I plea ignorance. I only know what I like from using the lenses, choosing which to achieve which result. I do believe in certain myths such as high contrast lenses looked better with color print film and starting in the 70’s lens makers tuned their optics for that outcome. Anyway I have some samples from the 21mm Summilux that can demonstrate its character for me to justify the $6000 for it. I’ll have it find them.

Higher contrast optics (input) are always better. They give one the ability to produce pleasing, cinematic, wide-dynamic range images – or – compressed dynamic range, high contrast images from the same digital file (output). Most of the vintage lenses we think of as desirable for having "low contrast" actually have good contrast. 

//

The examples I have seen from the 21 Summilux do have a lot character. It was designed that way intentionally at the expense of things like distortion and flat field focus (and partially due to the technology and optics available when it was designed in 2008). The notable thing about the CV 21 1.4 is it still has character but also very low distortion and flat field.

One notable advantage of the CV 21 1.4 is it can close focus to 50cm – nice for wide open dramatic shots.

Edited July 3, 2021 by hdmesa