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Interested in Voitlander lenses
- Thread starter Tektrader
- Start date
The 58/1.4 is one of the finest 50-60mm lenses out there. Often described as the Noct at a sane price. The 90/3.5 APO is a stunner. The new SLII version has slightly improved coatings but it and the older SLI (have owned/own both) and the dicontinued 125 APO and 180 APO are a little weak in the veiling flare department if shooting say into white seamless. Have owned/own the 40/2, 58, 90, 125 and 180 and any I've sold I've regretted and in many cases re-purchased.
Steen
Senior Subscriber Member
Interested in Voigtlander lenses
I have only owned and used one Voigtländer, the Voigtländer Color-Skopar 20mm f/3.5 SLII Aspherical.
Don't know if you are interested in such an ultra wide-angle lens at all, but here are some illustrations.
A pretty good optic in my opinion, and not all that expensive.
© • Nikon D800E • Voigtländer Color-Skopar 3.5/20mm SLII Aspherical • 1/160 sec. at f/5.6 ISO 100 • Capture NX2 2.4.1
and it's tiny
© • The Voigtländer captured with Nikon D800E • and AF-S Nikkor 1.8/28mm G • 1 sec. at f/5.6 ISO 100 • Lightroom 4.4
I have only owned and used one Voigtländer, the Voigtländer Color-Skopar 20mm f/3.5 SLII Aspherical.
Don't know if you are interested in such an ultra wide-angle lens at all, but here are some illustrations.
A pretty good optic in my opinion, and not all that expensive.
©lick for actual pixels
© • captured with Nikon D800E • AF-S Nikkor 1.8/28mm G • 1.3 sec. at f/5.6 ISO 100 • Lightroom 4.4
Some heavy purple fringing can be seen in the upper right corner
©lick for actual pixels (11.7 Mb)
© • Nikon D800E • Voigtländer Color-Skopar 3.5/20mm SLII Aspherical • 1/125 sec. at f/8 ISO 100 • Lightroom 4.4
- but the purple fringing is easily reduced in Lightroom
©lick to see the actual pixels now with reduced purple fringing (10.9 Mb)
© • again Nikon D800E • and Voigtländer Color-Skopar 3.5/20mm SLII Aspherical • 1/125 sec. at f/8 ISO 100 • Lightroom 4.4
© • captured with Nikon D800E • AF-S Nikkor 1.8/28mm G • 1.3 sec. at f/5.6 ISO 100 • Lightroom 4.4
Some heavy purple fringing can be seen in the upper right corner
©lick for actual pixels (11.7 Mb)
© • Nikon D800E • Voigtländer Color-Skopar 3.5/20mm SLII Aspherical • 1/125 sec. at f/8 ISO 100 • Lightroom 4.4
- but the purple fringing is easily reduced in Lightroom
©lick to see the actual pixels now with reduced purple fringing (10.9 Mb)
© • again Nikon D800E • and Voigtländer Color-Skopar 3.5/20mm SLII Aspherical • 1/125 sec. at f/8 ISO 100 • Lightroom 4.4
© • Nikon D800E • Voigtländer Color-Skopar 3.5/20mm SLII Aspherical • 1/160 sec. at f/5.6 ISO 100 • Capture NX2 2.4.1
and it's tiny
© • The Voigtländer captured with Nikon D800E • and AF-S Nikkor 1.8/28mm G • 1 sec. at f/5.6 ISO 100 • Lightroom 4.4
Last edited:
Good info guys thanks,
I am getting more dissatisfied with the Nikon 50mm 1.8G and have just sent back an Nikon 85mm F1.8G cause it was soft and full of LoCA.
Pretty P'd off with Nikon QA at the moment and have been researching alternatives.
I was going to use the 85 as a multipurpose lens for stitched panoramas and portraits. If the Voitlander was F2 I would have been all over it.
Just not so sure what to do now........
The Voitlander 20mm looks interesting to plug a gap between the Samyang 14mm and the bottom end of my nikon 28-70. Does anyone know how it compares to the 24mm Samyang?
I am getting more dissatisfied with the Nikon 50mm 1.8G and have just sent back an Nikon 85mm F1.8G cause it was soft and full of LoCA.
Pretty P'd off with Nikon QA at the moment and have been researching alternatives.
I was going to use the 85 as a multipurpose lens for stitched panoramas and portraits. If the Voitlander was F2 I would have been all over it.
Just not so sure what to do now........
The Voitlander 20mm looks interesting to plug a gap between the Samyang 14mm and the bottom end of my nikon 28-70. Does anyone know how it compares to the 24mm Samyang?
Steen
Senior Subscriber Member
Interested in Voigtländer lenses
What I have often done is this:
• bring a tripod + camera + an envelope with cash covering the lens price and maybe even a laptop
• ask them in the photo store if I can hand them the envelope with the deposit while trying out the relevant lens outside in the street for half an hour (and preferably on a tripod to rule out some of the human errors)
• hand back the lens and get back the cash after the test shots have been captured
• write down the Serial no. of the lens and then evaluate the captures on the laptop either in the store, in my car or at home
• make up my mind whether I want to buy the lens or not
I have always been allowed to do this when asking and it has saved me a lot of troubles.
Don't underestimate the value of autofocus, it's extremely useful at times.
So simply giving up the autofocus Nikkors doesn't sound like a solution in my humble opinion.
What I have often done is this:
• bring a tripod + camera + an envelope with cash covering the lens price and maybe even a laptop
• ask them in the photo store if I can hand them the envelope with the deposit while trying out the relevant lens outside in the street for half an hour (and preferably on a tripod to rule out some of the human errors)
• hand back the lens and get back the cash after the test shots have been captured
• write down the Serial no. of the lens and then evaluate the captures on the laptop either in the store, in my car or at home
• make up my mind whether I want to buy the lens or not
I have always been allowed to do this when asking and it has saved me a lot of troubles.
Don't underestimate the value of autofocus, it's extremely useful at times.
So simply giving up the autofocus Nikkors doesn't sound like a solution in my humble opinion.
NotXorc
New member
I agree with Steen on a couple of points:
1) Try before you buy (new or used), especially on wide angle and telephoto.
2) AF can be really useful at moments, especially when time and duration of shooting sessions mean that you may sacrifice your keeper rate trying to hit critical focus using your manual skills.
I have and use the 20, 58 and 90. They are used on DX digital bodies and FX film ones. I think the weakest of the three is the 20mm /3.5. Size and price translate to optical compromises. The Zeiss options may be better at shorter focal lengths if you are steamed by Nikon and need a chance to cool off.
1) Try before you buy (new or used), especially on wide angle and telephoto.
2) AF can be really useful at moments, especially when time and duration of shooting sessions mean that you may sacrifice your keeper rate trying to hit critical focus using your manual skills.
I have and use the 20, 58 and 90. They are used on DX digital bodies and FX film ones. I think the weakest of the three is the 20mm /3.5. Size and price translate to optical compromises. The Zeiss options may be better at shorter focal lengths if you are steamed by Nikon and need a chance to cool off.
The 40/2.0 is also very good (and compact). I have only used it on a D700, so I don't know how well it holds up on a D800. Never disappointed with it, one of my favorite lenses (and focal lengths). Together with the 90/3.5 it makes a very nice light weight high performance kit.
I had the 20/3.5 as well, and it was surprisingly good. 20mm isn't my most used focal length, but it did very well for my needs. I compared it to the Voigtländer 15/4.5 on Leica M8, and the 15mm was slightly better (less distortion and a tiny bit sharper in the corners).
I had the 20/3.5 as well, and it was surprisingly good. 20mm isn't my most used focal length, but it did very well for my needs. I compared it to the Voigtländer 15/4.5 on Leica M8, and the 15mm was slightly better (less distortion and a tiny bit sharper in the corners).