45mm pancake or 40mm VC SL2?

[loneranger]

I have a nikon FM3a with the tiny 45 nikon pancake. It is a great combo, but I am still wondering about the 40mm voigtlander. I like the size of the 45 but , at least in my experience, the picture quality is not that special. Can anyone give some advise. From what I have read, the 40mm VC lens is very sharp wide open and similar in size. So should I sell the 45 and get the VC40. Does the 45 have any advantage over the VC40. Sorry if I am rambling, but it is late.

 

[kdemas]

My 45mm 2.8 P is one of my favorite lenses, period. It's beautifully constructed and a joy to look at and handle. Better yet the "Tessar" design is something I have loved from my Contax's and Leica's and it has a signature that's really something special.

As a matter of fact I am doing a little street shooting tomorrow and my black 45mm will be proudly perched on my Nikon F6.

Now if you do not like the signature of the lens then maybe you should have a peek at the VC 40mm or maybe the older AI version of the 45mm Pancake. We all have our own styles and tastes and maybe one will be more to your liking. I suggest you do a search on Flickr to see some samples to see if you can spot any consistent performance that you like/dislike.

Best of luck!

Kent

 

[kshapero]

In the words of Pete Smith, Nikon repairman supreme, the Voigtlander is hands down a better lens through all apertures. So there. Although that 45P is nice.

 

[ruby.monkey]

I found my 45mm Nikkor-P far more desirable for its trade-in value than for its optical or ergonomic qualities (strange, because in Pentaxland the 40mm f/2.8 SMC-M is one of my favourite lenses, and that one is even less user-friendly). Then again I traded away my FM3a and kept the F, so what do I know?

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

I have heard the older lens' IQ isn't its most desirable quality... For sure the newer one is much better...

Cheers,

Juan

 

[italy74]

Ok. let me give you a few images...

FM3A + CV 40 mm wide open - Ektar 100 (Eventual blur caused by operator :angel: )

F6 + 40 mm - Ilford SFX 200

I had another set (whole roll) wholely shot in 2009 with 40 but I have to see where it is now. For sure the lens is really nice to operate.

 

[historicist]

I've owned both and definitely prefer the 45mm panacake (AI-P version, I've not tried the GN).

It's tiny yet with great handling, well built, sharp wide open, has wonderful bokeh - certainly my favourite out of any 35mm format lens I've ever owned. I've sold all my Nikon bodies but will be keeping this lens just in case they make a smaller FF digital in the future.

That said, some people out on the internet have owned it and didin't like it, so I guess it's subjective.

The Voigtlander is pretty good too - a stop faster (though generally I find 2.8 is fast enough, and when it isn't, f2 is still too slow) and the quality is pretty good too. I found it gave a surprisingly vintage look to images for a modern lens. In the end I found it to be really a bit large for a pancake lens, especially with the hood attached, though I had the first version which is a bit longer than the current model.

I reckon you can't go far wrong with either though.

A couple of samples from the 45mm AI-P:

And the Voigtlander 40mm:

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

Thanks for the cool examples! I like both lenses...

Cheers,

Juan

 

[loneranger]

Thanks for your comments everyone, Historicist I really like those pics, I think you have convinced me to keep the 45. The ergonomics of it are really the best of any lens, and I agree, it has really nice OOF...