MindsEye Posted October 23, 2007 Share #1 Posted October 23, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hi All, I'm looking for feedback on the consistency of quality within a given CV lens from sample to sample. Bottom line is if I read on reidreveiws.com that the 75mm Heliar is a great performer (which I did recently)- can I be confident in buying this lens or do I need to buy one, try it, and possibly have to exchange for another sample? I of course feel pretty confident that when I buy a Leica lens it will be perfect out of the box. Any of you feel a similar confidence with CV lenses? Thanks, Joel Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted October 23, 2007 Posted October 23, 2007 Hi MindsEye, Take a look here CV lens sample to sample consistency?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
cme4brain Posted October 23, 2007 Share #2 Posted October 23, 2007 Hi All, I'm looking for feedback on the consistency of quality within a given CV lens from sample to sample. Bottom line is if I read on reidreveiws.com that the 75mm Heliar is a great performer (which I did recently)- can I be confident in buying this lens or do I need to buy one, try it, and possibly have to exchange for another sample? I of course feel pretty confident that when I buy a Leica lens it will be perfect out of the box. Any of you feel a similar confidence with CV lenses? Thanks, Joel Hello there and welcome to the forum. I have an M8 and all CV lenses. I have had nothing but stellar performers in my lenses, and would not hesitate to buy another. Sean Reid has encountered a bad 21mmP and possibly 25mmP sample, but I feel that is the minority. There are no other mentions in the forum or in RangefinderForum about bad samples that I am immediately aware of. If you buy from a good dealer, say CameraQuest, I would have no fear that if you bought a bad sample, he would refund/replace it. Email him and check before you buy. The cost of the lenses is so cheap compared to any other maker, you cannot afford not to buy them, and the quality is superb. It is because I can afford so many Voigt lenses that I bought the M8. If I had to buy Leica glass, even used, I would not have taken the plunge. I would bet many LeicaNuts have the CV 15mm lens, and many have other CV lenses that they are not admitting to (closet Voigts). The 75mm lens (that I also own- I own every lens Voigtlander makes save the 12mm) is a great lens as well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott kirkpatrick Posted October 23, 2007 Share #3 Posted October 23, 2007 ... Sean Reid has encountered a bad 21mmP and possibly 25mmP sample, but I feel that is the minority. ... I remember that one a little differently. Sean had reported poor sharpness in the corners with the LTM CV21/4.0 in an earlier article, and recently saw an impressive improvement in the 21P (with the M mount). Checking into it he concluded that several copies of the LTM CV21 were inconsistent across the field of view, but one copy gave excellent results. I recently purchased a CV21/4 P from Cameraquest, and it gives excellent results, just as in Sean's tests. My hunch is that the Leica M mount allows Cosina to maintain manufacturing tolerances a little better that the old mount and lens structure did, but the differences that you can see externally in the two lenses are very slight. I don't recall anyone reporting problems with the CV25P. scott Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean_reid Posted October 23, 2007 Share #4 Posted October 23, 2007 Yes, there can be sample variations in the CV lenses although I have no idea of the frequency. That said, there can also be sample variations in some much more expensive lenses. If you buy a CV lens, you may need to swap it but probably you won't. I do recommend Stephen Gandy. For the record: CV 21/4.0 LTM - I've tested three bad copies, could have come from same batch. Also have tested one good copy. This does not mean 75% of those lenses are off. CV 21/4.0 M - I've tested one copy so far and it was good. CV 25/4.0 LTM - I've tested two copies and both were good. CV 25/4.0 M - I've tested one copy so far and it was off a bit in the corners. Have tested many other CV lenses that all have seemed to be good copies. I'd gamble on a CV 75 for sure. Cheers, Sean Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cme4brain Posted October 23, 2007 Share #5 Posted October 23, 2007 Hi All, I'm looking for feedback on the consistency of quality within a given CV lens from sample to sample. Bottom line is if I read on reidreveiws.com that the 75mm Heliar is a great performer (which I did recently)- can I be confident in buying this lens or do I need to buy one, try it, and possibly have to exchange for another sample? I of course feel pretty confident that when I buy a Leica lens it will be perfect out of the box. Any of you feel a similar confidence with CV lenses? Thanks, Joel I am an old man! Memory is slipping! The above posts are of course correct. Enjoy your Voigtlander lens. Here is a shot with the CV 75mm Heliar, f/4. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindsEye Posted October 23, 2007 Author Share #6 Posted October 23, 2007 Yes, there can be sample variations in the CV lenses although I have no idea of the frequency. That said, there can also be sample variations in some much more expensive lenses. If you buy a CV lens, you may need to swap it but probably you won't. I do recommend Stephen Gandy. For the record: CV 21/4.0 LTM - I've tested three bad copies, could have come from same batch. Also have tested one good copy. This does not mean 75% of those lenses are off. CV 21/4.0 M - I've tested one copy so far and it was good. CV 25/4.0 LTM - I've tested two copies and both were good. CV 25/4.0 M - I've tested one copy so far and it was off a bit in the corners. Have tested many other CV lenses that all have seemed to be good copies. I'd gamble on a CV 75 for sure. Cheers, Sean Sean and everyone else- Thanks for the great info! Its really helpful to get such specific feedback so quickly. Appreciatively, Joel Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
teehas53 Posted October 23, 2007 Share #7 Posted October 23, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) I also own a number of CV lenses. I've had great luck with the individual samples of mine: 15/4.5, 28/3.5, 35/1.7, 50/1.5, 50/2.5 and 90/3.5. FWIW, Leica lenses can be less-than-perfect right out of the box (but I imagine it's pretty rare.) Count me as the "lucky" guy who ordered a 35 Lux which focused to minimum distance once and jammed there. My dealer took it back, then they became impossible to get... As it turns out,I haven't really missed it - the CV 35/1.7 is that good! T Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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