Leica LTM Heads Up LTM fans: Voigtlander 28mm & 40mm Discontinued

Leica M39 screw mount bodies/lenses
CameraQuest said:
The Voigtlander LTM 28/2.8 & 40/2.8 lenses (both black and silver) are discontinued thanks to slow sales.

Get the while you still can !

Stephen
Click to expand...
Sad to see them go. When I bought my copies here in Japan, the waiting time for the 28/2.8 LTM was two months and preordered the lens the day it was announced at Yodobashi Camera. The 40/2.8 LTM was almost never available here, I had to wait for half a year until Yodobashi Camera had some in stock.
 
i think the viewfinders offered for the Ricoh GR III/IIIx models are quite decent, albeit a bit expensive.
 
JeffS7444 said:
The lenses in question are listed on this page, rather than the main page devoted to M-mount lenses.
Click to expand...

I just looked at your link. I cannot easily determine which of the, what, half a dozen 28 or 40 mm lenses listed are LTM rather than M-bayonet. Every one I click on seems to come up from an "M-bayonet" folder, and which mount they might be is not clear in the item listing.

G
 
I'm glad I got the BP/nickel 28/2.8 for my Leica II D.
I like the results but not the usability.
Cosina made a big mistake in uneccessarily replicating the quirks of LTM lenses of the 1930's:
  • Rotating distance mark.
  • Aperture you must change before setting distance (or you have to refocus).
  • Infinity lock.
  • Non-standard filter thread.
We were many who asked for LTM lenses, but not a return to 1930's usability (or rather lack thereof).

IMO Cosina should just have made the option of the "Type II" 28 and 40mm in M or LTM - not all this retro/nostalgia nonsense.

Anyway. Happy I at least could get a modern sharp 28mm for my Barnark's. Looks great on the camera, but I would be happier if it was great to use

53733726238_bd023db5ce_c.jpg
 
Godfrey said:
I just looked at your link. I cannot easily determine which of the, what, half a dozen 28 or 40 mm lenses listed are LTM rather than M-bayonet. Every one I click on seems to come up from an "M-bayonet" folder, and which mount they might be is not clear in the item listing.
Click to expand...
VM = M bayonet
L39 = Screw mount
 
Nitroplait said:
We were many who asked for LTM lenses, but not a return to 1930's usability (or rather lack thereof).

IMO Cosina should just have made the option of the "Type II" 28 and 40mm in M or LTM - not all this retro/nostalgia nonsense.
Click to expand...
There's no end of weird choices on both of these lenses - a few simple changes would have made them clear home-runs. Why didn't the 40mm take an A36 filter? Why didn't they make a 40mm viewfinder again? Why bother making native M-mount versions when they could have made one single version of the 28mm that came pre-packaged with an M-mount adapter? Why not produce an LTM 50mm again, considering that 99% of all LTM cameras only have 50mm finders by default?

I love Voigtlander, and was excited to see these two lenses, but yeah... weird.
 
Coldkennels said:
There's no end of weird choices on both of these lenses - a few simple changes would have made them clear home-runs. Why didn't the 40mm take an A36 filter? Why didn't they make a 40mm viewfinder again? Why bother making native M-mount versions when they could have made one single version of the 28mm that came pre-packaged with an M-mount adapter? Why not produce an LTM 50mm again, considering that 99% of all LTM cameras only have 50mm finders by default?

I love Voigtlander, and was excited to see these two lenses, but yeah... weird.
Click to expand...

Leica themselves are not immune from making weird choices. Like the current Summaron-M 28mm f/5.6 ... Why make the front standard 1mm larger than the existing (classic) filter holder for 39mm filters can fit? And why build the lens with a 34mm filter thread when very few to no manufacturers make 34mm filters any more? Silly (and often quite annoying) stuff.

Happily, I have the lenses I need/want for my Leica IIIc. :)

G
 
It's to bad. Are there no new LTM lenses then?
I understand about the 40mm. Not many finders support that. But the 28mm was a good fit. There are not to many vintage lenses of that focal length. friend of mine bought the latest (aspherical) version and it is a gem.
 
Inexpensive 40 mm viewfinders are readily available on Aliexpress and elsewhere, but I thought I'd try simply guestimating before buying yet another accessory.

I haven't gotten around to using my black 40 mm Heliar yet, but it's a beauty. But I've been preoccupied with another C-V lens: The E-mount 50/2 Apo-Lanthar, perhaps the single finest lens I have had the pleasure of using to date.
 
Sad to see the 40mm LTM discontinued. I used my cooy of that lens extensively in Scotland in September. On my M6, it made for a compact and nice handling package. I used the 35mm framelines; from about 10 feet on they are very close to 40mm. The lens is quite sharp and has impressive resolution. It’s definitely a keeper. And the 34mm filter thread matches that on the Canon 100mm f3.5. I suspect that prices will rise on the used market.
 
Bingley said:
Sad to see the 40mm LTM discontinued. I used my cooy of that lens extensively in Scotland in September. On my M6, it made for a compact and nice handling package. I used the 35mm framelines; from about 10 feet on they are very close to 40mm. The lens is quite sharp and has impressive resolution. It’s definitely a keeper. And the 34mm filter thread matches that on the Canon 100mm f3.5. I suspect that prices will rise on the used market.
Click to expand...
Completely agree with what you wrote. The performance of either lens is outstanding and given the cumbersome handling of any screw mount Leica, the lenses fit perfectly. They are also great performing using an adapter and the Nikon Zf. About the E34 filter size, I found some adapter solutions to use those lenses with E39 filters and the adapters make for ideal lens hoods, too.
 
Used original 40mm finders show up occasionally but the 35mm frame lines on the 240 work well enough (with a 35mm M adapter). Right now, there are some used M mount 40s are going for around $340 at MAP camera. A LTM 40 is pretty much glued to my Z7. It provided some incentive to look more seriously at the 21 & 25 Skopars.
 
Anyway they are nice little lenses, and it was a great idea to provide them in LTM. But what Cosina really missed to offer viewfinders again. I was very lucky to find one of these excellent, rare 40mm metal finders, and my most usefull 28mm is a brightline "Fuji" 21/28mm in C/V plastic style, which to be honest, are better to use than the metal ones with the small eyepiece. (why not a finder with 28+40mm brightlines?)
The metal, a bit large new TT Artisan 28mm finder is optical inferior and offers no framelines. Finder isn't that bad, but you get what you paid for.

About 40mm finders, one can argue that they are not really needed with some cameras with 35mm framelines, which are closer to 40mm in reality. But then a good external finder offers a better eyefield up to the corners, especially when wearing glasses.

I will keep these two, and try the VM version with the nice, modern mount, which is probably superior in ergonomics.

I remember my old Rollei 40/2.8 LTM, which was clearly inferior to the C/V 40/2.8 (and hell, the flare!)

DSCF9734-VL28u40mmLTM.jpgDSCF9732-VL28u40mmLTM.jpg
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom