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Trying to torture the 40mm Ultron (pancake)

jonoslack

Active member
Incidentally, my dealer (who has exclusive UK rights, and sells a lot of Zeiss and Voigtlander lenses) thought that there would be a bunch of new chipped SLII lenses in the autumn.

Exciting news!
 

Terry

New member
I asked that question well but didn't get an answer. I am now holding tight on lenses until we hear about the new fall line ups from Nikon, Voigtlander and others.

I will say even though I like the 24-70, the two addition stops of the 58mm are useful even with absurdly high ISO capability!
 

kit laughlin

Subscriber Member
That's the problem finding yourself there with Guy; some weird mojo thing: you see, and and you buy.

Funny thing is, the effect seems to work at a distance, too....

40mm is a true walk-around length, IMHO, and the sneaker zoom technique really works with it (better than with either a 35 or a 50). I will order one today, while I wait for my D700. Cheers, KL
 

etrigan63

Active member
Thought I'd toss in a few from my lowly D300

First up: a bokeh test with my two favorite subjects


Focal plane depth test (wide open and focused on the balloons)


Testing quick focusing without any aids (don't own a KatzEye screen)


B&W performance (conversion via SilverEfex Pro)


All shots ISO 200 and wide open.
 

jonoslack

Active member
Mine arrived today
I just nipped out for half an hour to see if it worked - seems fine - sharp to the corners, decent colour and contrast:




 

Terry

New member
Mine arrived today
I just nipped out for half an hour to see if it worked - seems fine - sharp to the corners, decent colour and contrast:

I'm trying to figure out on a scale of 1 (sell the lens now) 10 (this will be the last lens to leave my bag if I have to sell things) where decent color and contrast falls.
 
P

Paul.R.Lindqvist

Guest
Its a nice lens, especially considering the price.Closeup addon is nice to.

I Probebly would have kept mine if i didnt have the ZF 35/2.

Nice scenery Jono
 

jonoslack

Active member
I just posted a review of this lens on my blog.
HI Carlos
Excellent stuff . . . Is Cosina REALLY the parent company for Carl Zeiss? I know they make most of the Zeiss 35mm lenses, but I thought that Zeiss was a big separate company still?. (I am, unfortunately, often wrong:))
 
B

bukusuma

Guest
Hi All...

I believe Cosina is not the parent company of Zeiss. It is a long history, but Carl Zeiss AG is wholly owned by The Carl Zeiss Foundation, and grown from what was Carl Zeiss Oberkochen.

Full history here:

Carl Zeiss AG Company History

and here:

Overview descriptions of the different Zeiss Companies at www.zeisshistorica.org

Cosina manufactured all of the Carl Zeiss SLR Lens line for Carl Zeiss AG, and also IIRC the FM2, and more recently FM3 bodies for Nikon.

And of course, Cosina currently owned the Voigtlander brand.

BTW, my first post here. Thank you for all your great postings and images. I learn enormously from you all.

Regards,

Bram
 
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robmac

Well-known member
This has caused a LOT of CAUSTIC debate on another forum, but (as a number of reviewers have also mentioned : Bjorn, IR, PZ, SLRLR), the mechanics/form factor of the ZF line share a LOT of commonality with those of the CV SL line.

It appears as if while the optics are designed by Zeiss (or at least approved by them), the mechanical design of the Z_ lenses are at LEAST a collaborative effort between Cosina and Zeiss. Perfect sense from a manufacturing and cost/margin-saving perspective.
 

jonoslack

Active member
Hi Bram
Welcome - it's a good forum, and thank you for your excellent information (I was much too lazy to do any proper research). I didn't realise that Cosina had made the FM2 and 3 - all rather ironic considering the dreadful consumer zooms they were known for under their own name!

Hi Rob
Certainly, it would be surprising if there wasn't some cross-over. It's a pity that the ZF lenses aren't chipped like the SLII CV lenses.
 
A

asabet

Guest
HI Carlos
Excellent stuff . . . Is Cosina REALLY the parent company for Carl Zeiss? I know they make most of the Zeiss 35mm lenses, but I thought that Zeiss was a big separate company still?. (I am, unfortunately, often wrong:))
Zeiss is a large, separate company. They design and manufacture a wide range of optics from microscopes (my research lab has some Zeiss microscopes) to military optics. They lead the industry in lenses for semiconductor manufacture as well as cinematography.

As far as exactly what is Zeiss' role and what is Cosina's, I don't very much care. Both companies have made some outstanding optics, and I'd be happy to own either brand so long as the lens does what I need. I tend to think that the premium Zeiss charges is associated with a decreased likelihood of copy variability, but I'm guessing that it is impossible to completely eliminate bad copies without charging Leica prices.
 
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robmac

Well-known member
Could be made by three-eared elves, as long as it performs as promised.

Jono - chipped would be nice. Maybe the next gen.
 

Terry

New member
I can't figure out who sent me the link but this is from a review of the 40

In a world of plastic zoom lenses it is fun to check out high quality fix-focal length lenses every once in a while and the Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f/2 SL II is one representative of the species. It almost seemed as if Cosina, the manufacturer of Voigtlander lenses, abandoned the SLR lens market in favor of the Zeiss Z-series which are manufactured in the same factory. However, Mr. Kobayashi, the president of Cosina, obviously felt that old itch again to rival the big boyz by releasing a couple of lenses of his own.

Here is the link....

http://www.photozone.de/nikon--nikk...on-40mm-f2-ii-nikon-mount-review--test-report
 

Arne Hvaring

Well-known member
Well, everyones samples and comments ( so far) on the 40 mm seem fine. I hope that this indicates small sample variation (the curse of the lens buyer). The rather simple 6-element formula would also indicate this in contrast to the rather complex and elaborate Zeiss designs. While I have no doubt that these (Zeiss) lenses perform great if you get a good copy, my (and others) experience have been rather mixed in this respect. A simpler design that actually works as it should seems a good alternative. Besides the focal length on FF is perfect for a walk-around lens.
I'll order this lens when I get back from my holidays. Many thanks for the interesting posts and comments.
 

etrigan63

Active member
I have to agree with you Arne. By using simpler designs that perform very well, CV manages to produce rather spectacular lenses for the price. There has been a bit of sample variation in the past to be sure, but Mr. Kobayashi is keen to improve his factories' ability to produce consistent high quality products and the collaboration with Zeiss has served them well in this respect.

One thing that CV does is take their proven designs and update them on a fairly regular basis. They just announced that their 28mm f/2 LTM lens has been reissued in M-mount. This is exciting news for Leica M8 owners as they need good alternative lenses to expensive Zeiss and astronomical Leica glass.

You can read about it here.
 
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