Tiny Voigtlander 35mm f3.5 Aspheric

[Roastchestnuts]

Are you all as excited as I am about this new voigtlander 35mm f3.5 color skopar??? This lens looks like the perfect throw on your camera and go lens. I have often wondered how the leica 3.5cm elmar f3.5 would be but now we have a sharper cheeper modern alternative. I think I am going to order one of these voigtlanders as soon as its available. Petapixel has a good write up on it. New Voigtlander Color-Skopar 35mm f/3.5 VM Lens Is Ridiculously Small

I guess I am curious to what you all think??

 

[Coldkennels]

I think it should have been made in LTM.

 

[Roastchestnuts]

I think it should have been made in LTM.

probibly but who knows they might do that. they did it with other lenses in this line. Like the 28mm

 

[Coldkennels]

probibly but who knows they might do that. they did it with other lenses in this line. Like the 28mm

I don't know if they will now. When the 28mm and 40mm lenses released, the LTM was launched alongside the M versions; it didn't follow later.

I suspect that Voigtlander looked at the sales of the LTM versions and figured that there's not enough demand to justify doing two versions, but I'd argue that (presumably) underwhelming sales of the LTM versions of the 40mm and 28mm lenses would be because:

a) 40mm is a weird focal length, and there are basically no 40mm finders available anywhere, so it's a tough sell for a lot of LTM users
b) the 28mm is really just a minor upgrade to the classic 28mm f/3.5 Color Skopar, which most dedicated LTM users are likely already hoarding (I know I am)
c) the M mount version of these lenses took sales from the LTM version; selling just the LTM version with a pre-packaged M adapter (a la Light Lens Lab) would have been a better (and simpler) move. Hell, it would have made more sense doing that for the 40mm version, as they could have packaged it with both the 35mm and 50mm adapters, so M users could choose which framelines they preferred.

Also, on a lesser note, the fact these two lenses were available in LTM but didn't accept commonly-used A36 filters that most LTM users will already own was a really dumb move. I hope that the included hood on the new 35mm f/3.5 Color-Skopar - which appears to be styled after the A36 FOOKH hood - is an indication that they've not made that mistake again.

 

[WoodallP]

probibly but who knows they might do that. they did it with other lenses in this line. Like the 28mm

I can’t decide if they are pulling away from LTM or whether they just stop when they think the market is saturated. The 40 and 28 LTM have already been discontinued but lets hope they give us a chance with this one. It seems like a nice Barnack lens.

 

[Roastchestnuts]

I am just excited for a small lens like the 28mm summaron that will work on my digital M stuff. I love this small size. Makes backpacking a lot easier. I am sure they are trying to move away from LTM like they did with the Nikon S mount stuff. Its cool that they had the LTM lenses. but back to the lens it looks cool and some of the sample images look beautiful! I cant wit to get my hands on it. this lens and the new 28mm apo lens thats coming out look awesome and will be ones I get for my kit.

 

[laurentb]

I think it should have been made in LTM.

We already have the 35mm / 3.5 Elmar

 

[Coldkennels]

We already have the 35mm / 3.5 Elmar

...and the 35mm f/3.5 Summaron, but this is a very different kettle of fish. Both of those lenses are classic in rendering (with one, the Elmar, being completely uncoated), but this is very modern. I don't think there's another lens like it in LTM. The closest would be the original CV 35mm f/2.5 Color Skopar, but that's a bigger lens, and a lot of them are now coming up with unfixable haze issues.

 

[Archiver]

I can't see myself using a 35mm f3.5 lens too often, but it's very encouraging to see Voigtlander continuing to create these beautiful new lenses.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

It's a suped-up Summaron. Aspherical optics and modern glass.

I can understand using M-Mount: the lens used an Indexed Cam and M-Mount locks into place. With Screw-Mount lenses, you can be slightly-off and the index cam will have a large error. For older lenses, not quite as sharp wide-open: not a big deal.

The price is good- but, I have two very sharp and tiny Nikkor 3.5cm F3.5's in LTM, and the Minolta 3.5cm F3.5 in LTM.

 

[WoodallP]

It's a suped-up Summaron. Aspherical optics and modern glass.

I can understand using M-Mount: the lens used an Indexed Cam and M-Mount locks into place. With Screw-Mount lenses, you can be slightly-off and the index cam will have a large error. For older lenses, not quite as sharp wide-open: not a big deal.

The price is good- but, I have two very sharp and tiny Nikkor 3.5cm F3.5's in LTM, and the Minolta 3.5cm F3.5 in LTM.

Hi Brian, is this true of the 40 and 28 too? If so that 40 LTM is starting to appeal less!

 

[Roastchestnuts]

My experince adapting ltm lenses: pretty good results optically, ergonomics bugged me. Not the focusing tab or button but the fact the lens would not be in the same position as an M mount when mounted. I had a ricoh 28mm GR ltm lens and the focus if I remember was kinda high up on close focus. the focus scale was not centered up top like the M mount lenses because of the adapter.

I don't know if that made sense?

 

[mapgraphs]

I would probably grab an ltm mount version of this if offered, but I already have the 40mm Heliar f/2.8. And the Heliar has the "classic character" I am most interested in (at the moment). An early Elmar or Summaron was a thought but then I have the 40mm Heliar. The 28mm ltm held brief interest but I have a couple of copies of the 25mm Skopar/Color Skopar. Passing up the 28 and giving a pass on this 35 is probably a matter of timing perhaps. For the time being, I find the combination of the 40 & 25 provides a nice tiny kit on the Z7.

 

[Rob-F]

It seems like a nice idea for those lacking a small 35. I'll just continue with my 2.8 Summaron. It's small enough, and I like the way it draws.

 

[aw614]

My experince adapting ltm lenses: pretty good results optically, ergonomics bugged me. Not the focusing tab or button but the fact the lens would not be in the same position as an M mount when mounted. I had a ricoh 28mm GR ltm lens and the focus if I remember was kinda high up on close focus. the focus scale was not centered up top like the M mount lenses because of the adapter.

I don't know if that made sense?

A few LTM lenses on an LTM body don't have the lens centered, but instead it leans towards say the left from looking from behind the viewfinder. A lot of the Canon lenses mount it like that. But a few like my Super Rokkor 50mm and CV Nokton 50mm 1.5 LTM are centered on an LTM body.

I found out some cheaper adapters end up centering the Canon lenses on an M mount camera (I have a CLE), but other adapters retain the lens at the same spot on LTM bodies. The adapters that centered the lens have issues with some telephoto lenses and the rangefinder cam displaying correct focus. Canon lenses with the tongue come to mind.

 

[rfaspen]

My 2.8 summaron is goggled so not very compact. My LTM 3.5 summaron has haze, and very stiff....needs full overhaul. Such an overhaul at DAG would not be inexpensive (but Don is worth it). So for a very compact (which I value) 35mm lens without any fuss or waiting, this VC is a quite attractive option. Among other things, I like it's hood and I'm guessing it's A36 standard. I didn't see when these are expected to be available. Perhaps already?

Of course, I really don't need any more lenses... I have other 35mm lenses (biogon 2.0, 1.4 skopar, 2.5 skopar, others?). But, looking in the lens cupboard I can see I'm about due for another hit for my lens addiction. Funny thing is I have no idea what that next lens will be. It will be a capricious acquisition. Lately I've been looking small 50s like the CV 2.2 or Thypoc Eureka, small wides like the TTA 28 summaron clone, the Speed Panchro and recent Heliar 1.5 are calling, and I still haven't added a 75mm lens to the collection..... So I'm all over the place. Will be a roll of the dice. At least we have a great range of options these days! Too many choices?😳

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Hi Brian, is this true of the 40 and 28 too? If so that 40 LTM is starting to appeal less!

Voigtlander Ultron 28mm F/1.9 LTM Lens Review

Sroyon reviews the Voigtlander Ultron 28mm F/1.9 in Leica Thread Mount, one of the fastest 28mm lenses available for Leica cameras today!

casualphotophile.com

Not true of the 28/1.9, it will be fine.

The 40/2.8 uses an indexed cam- so it needs to be in the correct "phase" with the threads.

 

[WoodallP]

Voigtlander Ultron 28mm F/1.9 LTM Lens Review

Sroyon reviews the Voigtlander Ultron 28mm F/1.9 in Leica Thread Mount, one of the fastest 28mm lenses available for Leica cameras today!

casualphotophile.com

Not true of the 28/1.9, it will be fine.

The 40/2.8 uses an indexed cam- so it needs to be in the correct "phase" with the threads.

Thanks Brian, I think Indexed cams add too many variables with LTM so I will avoid. Even if it works on your LTM camera (x20) it may not seat well with your particular M adapter.

 

[Coldkennels]

Thanks Brian, I think Indexed cams add too many variables with LTM so I will avoid. Even if it works on your LTM camera (x20) it may not seat well with your particular M adapter.

The key is just to have good LTM-to-M adapters.

Voigtlander and Leitz both made ones that position the lens correctly, and I have faith that if Voigtlander made LTM-to-M adapters again to include them with a lens, they'd orientate the lens accurately enough that this isn't an issue.

Fotofox, Urth, etc - that's where your problems lie. I think some of them do it because people want their lens to be orientated "correctly" (i.e. the index mark at 12 o'clock), not realising that knackers up focusing accuracy. Some of them will do it because they just can't cut the LTM threads correctly.

I have an Urth LTM-to-M adapter for 35mm & 135mm lenses. The only lens I can use it with is the Canon 35/1.8; every 135mm I own is way out of focus because the position is wrong. And it's so far out on the original 35mm Summaron that the lens won't even focus closer than 3m or so - the cam follower hits the "shroud" around the cam because the cutaway isn't in the right position.

Swapped it out for a Voigtlander-made equivalent, and all my problems were solved.

 

[das]

This lens only makes sense to me if it were also offered in LTM. There are so few 35mm FL M39 lenses that can focus down to at least 0.7m, while Leica M has a relative overabundance of options at all speeds and price ranges.