Leica, Ziess and Voigtlander

[jr_senator]

How do the M mount lenses made by Ziess and/or Voigtlander for the Leica M mount compare to each other as well as with Leica? Thanks 😕

 

[andredossantos]

Hold on. I don't think it's accurate to imply even generally, thatevery leica lens is better than every zeiss lens which is better than every voigtlander lens.

To answer the original question briefly is not possible. There are just too many lenses and comparisons possible. Are you looking at specific lenses, focal length?

EDIT: The post that this was in response to is now gone.

 

[ZeissFan]

Right, I think you could fill a book with the various lens comparisons. And some lenses from one company don't have comparable offerings from one or both competitors.

Generally, Cosina Voigtlander lenses are least expensive, followed by Carl Zeiss and then Leica.

However, some Carl Zeiss lenses are very expensive (f/2.8 15mm Distagon and f/2.0 85mm Sonnar).

So, I would agree with the previous post in asking about specific focal lengths.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

I've tried a couple of the voigtlander lenses and was impressed by them optically and dissapointed mechanically.

 

[Makten]

I've tried a couple of the voigtlander lenses and was impressed by them optically and dissapointed mechanically.

Then I guess you are very fastidious. What more could you expect from a lens, mechanically?

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Then I guess you are very fastidious. What more could you expect from a lens, mechanically?

I can expect it to focus accurately right out of the box and not backfocus (as one did) or focus past infinity on a properly adjusted camera as another did. The one that backfocused was fixed by the headbartender's techs, and worked fine for a few months then began backfocusing again. I wasted too much money buying junk that didn't work before finally giving up and buying a couple of 30 yr old Leica lenses that 'just work'.

Like I said, the CV lenses were excellent optically. I loved the image quality, but I do this professionally, my gear has got to 'just work' every day, day in and day out, no exceptions, ever. The Leica lenses do that. I suspect that if I were to have some of the Konica lenses they'd be just as good. I will never buy any of the Zeiss lenses because they're made by Cosina using similar mechanical design (based on photos I've seen of a couple of them dissassembled online). Another source of sorrow for me, as the Zeiss lenses are said to be incredible optically. Once again, need stuff that 'just works'.

I am not wealthy; it was a hardship to buy the Leica lenses. I wish I could have done it cheaper. I do not regret spending the money for them though. They work and I get the image, perfectly focused, every time, no exceptions. I like that.

 

[Makten]

I can expect it to focus accurately right out of the box and not backfocus (as one did) or focus past infinity on a properly adjusted camera as another did. The one that backfocused was fixed by the headbartender's techs, and worked fine for a few months then began backfocusing again. I wasted too much money buying junk that didn't work before finally giving up and buying a couple of 30 yr old Leica lenses that 'just work'.

Like I said, the CV lenses were excellent optically. I loved the image quality, but I do this professionally, my gear has got to 'just work' every day, day in and day out, no exceptions, ever. The Leica lenses do that. I suspect that if I were to have some of the Konica lenses they'd be just as good. I will never buy any of the Zeiss lenses because they're made by Cosina using similar mechanical design (based on photos I've seen of a couple of them dissassembled online). Another source of sorrow for me, as the Zeiss lenses are said to be incredible optically. Once again, need stuff that 'just works'.

I am not wealthy; it was a hardship to buy the Leica lenses. I wish I could have done it cheaper. I do not regret spending the money for them though. They work and I get the image, perfectly focused, every time, no exceptions. I like that.

As long as we don't have any statistics on how many lenses from Cosina and Leica that is malfunctioning, your experience doesn't tell anything about mechanical issues with Cosina lenses in particular. I've read about several people having Leica lenses that front or back focuses.
I understand your point, but it seems to be more about bad luck than anything else.

Furthermore, any lens that gives the slightest spherical abberation can't be adjusted for accurate focus to every users liking, because it will shift with aperture and distance. Some f/1.4 lenses are adjusted for proper focus at f/2.8, for instance. While this is not a malfunction, it might seem so to the user. To get proper focus at infinity with the lens wide open, it might have to go past infinity when stopped down. Everything related to this is about finding the best compromises.