colonel Posted January 4, 2023 Share #1 Posted January 4, 2023 (edited) Advertisement (gone after registration) I recently upgraded to a 40mp M10-R and decided that I needed a bit of a lens resolution upshift to go with it. In the 35mm universe I was humming and harring between the Voigtlander 35mm f1.2 iii, f1.5, f2 APO, latest Leica Summicron f2 and the Zeiss 35mm f1.4 One could say these lenses are all so good its a bit academic, and comes down more to handling and rendering, as always. The other thing is that I only have 1.4/1.5 lenses. This is due to many factors, a few being that I do alot of night shooting and also alot of film shooting, and it comes in handy. Although the truth is that I avoid f1.4/1.5 if I can, and prefer to shoot at f2 or f2.8. The M10-R is quite acceptable up to 6400, although for critical clarity best to keep below 2000 It was a bit random but I was looking at all of these lenses and although I think the new Voigtlander 35mm f1.5 is the best size and shape compromise if you need 1.5, the APO was surprisingly smaller that it has been hyped on some web reviews. The diameter is close to perfect and the length would be perfect, for me anyhow, if it was a centimetre shorter, but its still not bad. It is shorter then the Zeiss f1.4 which is 65.2mm vs the Voigtlander Apo at 58mm. Although the Zeiss is by far the sharpest flattest field f1.4 I have ever tested - if you need 1.4 then the decision is simple. I haven't tested the latest Leica 35mm f1.4 FLE BTW as it was outside my budget The Summicron has lovely character and is lovely and compact, probably the best handling. Yes, character, what is this ? Different to different people, but for me seems to divide into 2 groups. One group is the "aberration" group. This is some allusion to either classic lens aberration wide open, soft corners, quaint vignetting or particular colour transitions. The other group is the "focus" group, typified to me by the Leica 50mm f1.4. This particular lens has the combination of biting sharpness wide open, creamy bokeh, smooth transitions and cold/bluish render. Very ethereal. Another lens was the Voigtlander 35mm f1.2 ii, the warmish transition from faded kodachrome type rendering at f1.2 is very unique for people photography. Anyway, I digress, the Voigtlander 35mm f2 APO VM (V.Apo) is definitely in the second group. Its flatfield sharp from f2 and the bokeh is surprisingly creamy and full for an f2. However the bokeh is has a strange curving texture, love or hate it. There is also some vignetting wide open. I read somewhere that this guy bought a Leica 50mm APO and the first pictures he saw were so sharp and ethereal he started to cry. I suppose that reaction doesn't have a price The Voigtlander perhaps is not in the same league but its quite an incredible bit of kit Handling ? The focus ring is stiff and smooth, no focus tab though for people that like it. The aperture ring by contrast is quite easy to turn, albeit with distinct half stop notches. The real handling point which balances out the slightly long shape is the weight. Its only 304g, so not featherweight, but pretty lightweight. This is a keeper - as they say .... These are some experimental pictures FYI - not high art At f2 and ISO 2000 (I have taken out the school badge btw - that's the weird swirl on the jumper) 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! f2 and ISO 1000 f2 and ISO 1250 Focused on the people, f2 and ISO 200 Some non f2 FYI Some pictures of the lens on the camera: Edited January 4, 2023 by colonel 13 5 Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! f2 and ISO 1000 f2 and ISO 1250 Focused on the people, f2 and ISO 200 Some non f2 FYI Some pictures of the lens on the camera: ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/359322-my-new-voigtlander-35mm-apo/?do=findComment&comment=4628713'>More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted January 4, 2023 Posted January 4, 2023 Hi colonel, Take a look here My new Voigtlander 35mm APO. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
RexGig0 Posted January 5, 2023 Share #2 Posted January 5, 2023 Thanks for your lovely images and thoughts. Enjoy! 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee S Posted January 19, 2023 Share #3 Posted January 19, 2023 Great shots, I’d love this lens just not sure I’d get on with it’s length. I know what you mean about the 35mm F1.5, a tiny bit too long but also the front element is too small which makes it less visually pleasing to me on the camera compared to the 35mm f1.4 Nokton. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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