frko Posted August 28, 2009 Share #1 Posted August 28, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hello folks. I'm about to buy a 35mm lens. I was thinking about getting a Voigtlander 35mm 1.4. Is it totally compatible? How sharp is the lens? Thanks for helping! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted August 28, 2009 Posted August 28, 2009 Hi frko, Take a look here 35mm lens for m7. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
bill Posted August 28, 2009 Share #2 Posted August 28, 2009 Welcome Frko. It is "totally compatible" - it is an M-mount lens. As to sharpness, I cannot speak from personal experience - suggest you go to Flickr and search for images tagged as taken with this lens. I have the CV 25mm 2.5 and can definitely vouch for it's performance. I prefer it to the 4th version Summicron. Regards, Bill Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted August 28, 2009 Share #3 Posted August 28, 2009 I think the 1.4 can be soft wide open and had some backfocus issues on the M8, but that won't affect you with film. I also have the 2.5 Skopar which is a great lens, and very compact. Sean Reids website has reviews/comparisons of 35mm lenses but you will need to subscribe to it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tgray Posted August 28, 2009 Share #4 Posted August 28, 2009 I've not used it, but the biggest complaint I've seen about the VC 35/1.4 is the bokeh wide open. It seems plenty sharp to me even wide open. It's compact and cheap - I'd go for it! Maybe look for a used one? That way if you don't like it, you can recover most of your money. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted August 28, 2009 Share #5 Posted August 28, 2009 Maybe the softness I referred to was a feature of the backfocus on the M8. I do recall a positive review in the BJP. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tgray Posted August 28, 2009 Share #6 Posted August 28, 2009 I should qualify that I neither have this lens nor do I have an M8. The film users seem to think it's pretty sharp; certainly for the price, it's pretty good. The bokeh is always the biggest complaint. That being said, it looks fine to me in most shots. It also has some barrel distortion. Look over on RFF in this thread at post 11 and you'll see where the bokeh can get a bit busy. Then I see a shot like this. and would be hard to find a problem with it's performance. Credit to the original photographers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenneth Posted August 28, 2009 Share #7 Posted August 28, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hello folks. I'm about to buy a 35mm lens. I was thinking about getting a Voigtlander 35mm 1.4. Is it totally compatible? How sharp is the lens? Thanks for helping! 35mm Summicron asph. Wonderful lens and you should be able to find one in mint condition if price is an issue however I still maintain with Leica you should put your money into glass as a preference to bodies Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
batmobile Posted August 29, 2009 Share #8 Posted August 29, 2009 Some are fond of their CV 35 1.4s and there is still no clear consensus of how significant the focus shift issue is on film. It looks severe on the M8 (Sean Redi has done extensive tests on this), but I have seen no tests on film that show for sure what is going on. Personally - very personally - I think you would be taking a chance on this lens, not for shooting wide open, but at f2.8 and F4 where you need sharp focus at the intended point. At f 1.4 it is fine on centre (as you would expect) but poor in the corners. At f8 it seems OK everywhere, but in between things are a little unpredictable and not very impressive in tests. How this affects you in the field I dont know, but I would want a lens that reliably performs at all apertures. Maybe the lens does on film, but I have not seen anythying showing this is so. The reccomendation for the 35 asph is fine, but it is expensive. If you do not have such funds, consider several other lenses: Summarit 2.5 (although a new one is about the same price as a used cron asph and good luck finding a cheap used one, althought they are out there once in a while) Zeiss Biogons (2/2.8) CV 35 2.5 regular or pancake I own a biogon f2 and a CV pancake 2. I did a mini review on the pancake compared to the biogon on Rangefinderforum.com. Its a superb performer, with somewhat more vignetting at wider apertures, but what a walkaround lens and very sharp. At $370 or so with hood it is also a great bargain if you do not need a fast lens. This really is the question, how fast do you need your lens to be? A used biogon f2 will set you back about $650-700 but its a great performer that is arguably somewhere in between the asphs and the pre-asphs in look (but with highish contrast). It also performs exceptionally well in the outer field. Mine performs well enough in the centre though I dont doubt the cron on average performs better here at f2. I shoot a number of Leica bodies and think the priority is getting the right lens, regardless of who makes it. I shoot come Leica, some Zeiss and some CV, but all for good reason. I don't feel handicapped at all. I let my images do the talking. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Henry Posted August 29, 2009 Share #9 Posted August 29, 2009 "35mm Summicron asph. Wonderful lens and you should be able to find one in mint condition if price is an issue however I still maintain with Leica you should put your money into glass as a preference to bodies" I agreed with Kenneth Wonderful lens....as the 35mm Summilux ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kivis Posted August 30, 2009 Share #10 Posted August 30, 2009 I went with a CV 35mm Nokton f1.2 and I am really pleased. It is large (52mm filter size) but fits well in the hand. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
batmobile Posted August 30, 2009 Share #11 Posted August 30, 2009 frko may not be able to afford a used Cron asph or lux asph. They still don't start until about $1350/1400. It would be rather a shame to suggest that there is nothing else worthy of use priced below these lenses. Leica bodies are bodies: they hold lenses. Just because a person owns a Leica body does not mean they must buy all Leica lenses. I chose Leica for the bodies' ergonomics, solidity and quietness, but was happy to use other lenses (as well as Leica) - I don't feel disadvantaged. You can't put money in you don't have and there are many good reasons to buy lenses you can afford... such as being able to take photos with them, rather than saving up for the expensive one and missing photos in the meantime. You can always buy the expensive on later if you find the cheaper lens lacking. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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