Voigtlaender on an M8

[Lance]

I'm in the process of finding me a cheap M8 and was wondering how the Voigtlaender performes.

I would need a 28 as 35 is my prefered lens on the M6. Since I'm on a tight budget and want at least f/2, then the Ultron 28/2 is my best bet. But Steve Huff's review worries me a bit. http://www.stevehuffphotos.com/Steve_Huff_Photos/LEICA_28_SUMMICRON_REVIEW.html

What are your experience with this lense on the M8? Cyan color cast? Very soft corners? Problems when using UV/IR filter?

I have the 35mm Nokton Classic 1,4 and a 50mm Cron. I'll be keeping both, but how is the Nokton on the M8? It's very nice on film, but I have a feeling this might not be the case on digital.

This has probably been discussed numerous times before, but I had limited luck searching for it. 'M8' is too short to search for... Go figure.

 

[rxmd]

But Steve Huff's review worries me a bit. http://www.stevehuffphotos.com/Steve_Huff_Photos/LEICA_28_SUMMICRON_REVIEW.html

If you're worried about what some Internet reviewer says about cyan corners, which aren't really evident in most of his shots, or about corner sharpness at f/2, you're free to spend an extra $3500. However if I look at what the same reviewer actually says about the lens...

"It did not have me saying WOW, but then again, it did not leave me disappointed."

"So, my first results with the Voigtlander 28 Ultron F2 were great."

"At this point I was saying to myself 'Man, this lens is great! Why do I need a Summicron??'"

"Ok, the image on the left is from the Summicron and the one on the right is from the Ultron. Everyone who has seen this so far has said they preferred the one on the right, which is the Ultron."

"The little Ultron is really a great lens for the price and if it was all I had to choose from, I would be happy with it without a doubt."

... I don't see this as a particularly worrying review.

Philipp

 

[noimmunity]

The problem with the 28/2 Ultron on the M8 is the focus shift between 2.8-5.6.

Get the old 28/1.9 Ultron. (But with the UV/IR filter it is more prone to flare).

 

[Lance]

... I don't see this as a particularly worrying review.
Philipp

You are right. If you sum it up like that. I was left with the feeling that he could not figure out the behavior of the lens and focused on that. Now I'm a bit less worried. 🙂

 

[Lance]

The problem with the 28/2 Ultron on the M8 is the focus shift between 2.8-5.6.

Get the old 28/1.9 Ultron. (But with the UV/IR filter it is more prone to flare).

How bad is the focus shift? I usually shoot wide open, so that is no biggie i guess.

 

[bidnez]

Just to mention it; some 1,9/28s are also difficult to focus on the M8. Try before buying. My sample was perfect on film, very difficult on the M8.

 

[Tom Diaz]

I'm in the process of finding me a cheap M8 and was wondering how the Voigtlaender performes.

I would need a 28 as 35 is my prefered lens on the M6. Since I'm on a tight budget and want at least f/2, then the Ultron 28/2 is my best bet. But Steve Huff's review worries me a bit. http://www.stevehuffphotos.com/Steve_Huff_Photos/LEICA_28_SUMMICRON_REVIEW.html

What are your experience with this lense on the M8? Cyan color cast? Very soft corners? Problems when using UV/IR filter?

I have the 35mm Nokton Classic 1,4 and a 50mm Cron. I'll be keeping both, but how is the Nokton on the M8? It's very nice on film, but I have a feeling this might not be the case on digital.

This has probably been discussed numerous times before, but I had limited luck searching for it. 'M8' is too short to search for... Go figure.

Is the M8 the only M-mount camera you'd be using the lens or lenses on? If not then you face the question of whether to leave the UV/IR filters on the lenses all the time, or not use them at all, or take them off and on all the time.

Tom

 

[MCTuomey]

you might want to subscribe to sean reid's review site. he has extensive reviews on various RF lenses used with his M8 in all the relevant focal lengths. without spilling beans sean reid owns, i can suggest that he's very positive about the 28/1.9 on the M8. he does have experience using the lens with a 486 filter indoors where one often gets multiple light sources in the frame you might find interesting as well.

disclaimer: no relation to sean reid other than i find his insights very useful personally and subscribe to his site.

 

[Ben Z]

The f/1.9 Ultron is a great one. I found one for $199 in "bargain" on KEH a while back. Someone had blacked out the engraving on the front ring, possibly because they were embarrassed it didn't say Leica, or possibly because they thought their street subjects wouldn't notice it was a lens. I have no problem focusing it on the M8, nor do I get any flare from the IR filter (note: I use Heliopan IR filters because they are much better multicoated against flare). The only issue is you'll need to find a bayonet adaptor for 28/90, that doestn' have a cutout section over the M8's code reader, and then you'll need to code the adaptor so it will correct cyan corners.

The 3rd-generation (1979-1993) 28 Elmarit is an underappreciated lens. 99% as good as the 4th generation, it tends to cost several hundred less. It's somewhat bulkier but not that bad. It would need to be coded too, a fairly simple task.

In some cases you can find a 4th-generation Elmarit for a reasonable price (I got mine for $600 because the previous owner thought a UV filter for protection wasn't necessary, and there's a 1.5mm hairline scratch in the coating). Also would need coding. These are excellent lenses, and tend to sell for as much or more as the Elmarit-ASPH because IMO (and I'm not alone) it's a slightly better performer overall, even if the ASPH is better in one or two specific areas.

There's also the Konica Hexar-RF 28mm, if you're not worried about the possibility of focus issues. Some people say they are good, others not so much. Maybe there are sample variations.

Also, the Voitlander 28/3.5 is a great little lens if the speed isn't a problem.

There are other options too (Zeiss, Avenon, Minolta-CLE, older Leitz) but some of them don't bring up the proper framelines to dovetail with the coding system.

 

[Dingo]

Lance,

The new Ultron 28/2 works perfectly on my M8, and it also works flawlessly on my M6. It doesn't have noticeable focus shift on both bodies, i guess i'm lucky.
The performamce of this lens is very very nice, I tried Leica M28/2 ASPH before on M8 and i don't see any significant between them.

I'm now shoot mainly with this lens on both bodies, this is the lens i will never sell.

Some example, on M8 :

On M6:

o

 

[tbarker13]

I used a 28 ultron (both the 1.9 and 2.0 versions) before getting my summicron. If you want a 28 lens that's pretty fast, the ultron is a nice option. I never noticed any focus shifting in my shooting.

If you are worried about it though, your best bet would be to buy the lens from someone (KEH is great about this) with a good return policy.

 

[aniMal]

The lens I use the most on my M8, is an 1.9 ultron. I sometimes get really surprised at the end results, prints in A2 look like medium or large format really. I have never noticed any cyan shift, and has never felt I need any coding. I am not working on 1.9 too much, perhaps just a few times in total - so I would not know too much about the focus shift.

Hope you get an M8 with a good 28, the combination is just perfect!

 

[sreidvt]

you might want to subscribe to sean reid's review site. he has extensive reviews on various RF lenses used with his M8 in all the relevant focal lengths. without spilling beans sean reid owns, i can suggest that he's very positive about the 28/1.9 on the M8. he does have experience using the lens with a 486 filter indoors where one often gets multiple light sources in the frame you might find interesting as well.

disclaimer: no relation to sean reid other than i find his insights very useful personally and subscribe to his site.

Thanks. The 28/2.0 shows better flare resistance than the 28/1.9 (slightly higher contrast as a result) but it does show some focus shift. Other than that focus shift, however, it is an excellent lens in many respects.

Focus shift, of course, is often caused by uncorrected spherical aberration and that may explain why we don't see it in fast CV asph. lenses like the 28/1.9, 35/1.7 and 50/1.5 for example.

I believe it was Henning Wulf who also found focus shift in the 28/2.0 but I may be remembering that incorrectly. If so, I can't recall if he published those results or simply mentioned them.

Cheers,

Sean Reid

 

[Lance]

Thank you all for your input. I'm sorry I did not participate lately in my own thread... 😱 I suddenly got busy and have limited access to the web.

I think I might give the 28/2 ultron a shot. It might not be all perfect, but the price is right and it at least got some character.

 

[ferider]

There is some sample variation with the 28/1.9.

But if you get a good one, it's a phenomenal lens. Check out what Puts writes on it. He does comment on the lens achieving > 100 lp/mm at f4. And bokeh wide open is nice.

Cheers,

Roland.

 

[WeinschelA]

As another option, you might think about the Zeiss 25mm. Superb on the M8 and you can get it with the mount that brings up the right framelines.

 

[Lance]

As another option, you might think about the Zeiss 25mm. Superb on the M8 and you can get it with the mount that brings up the right framelines.

The Zeiss is still 2.8. I really need that extra stop as I shoot very low light and the M8 ain't a dream at that... 🙄

Otherwise I like the Zeiss range. I would not mind having the 35/2 50/1.5 and the 85/2 in my collection. But the wides are a bit too slow for primes in my taste.

 

[bo_lorentzen]

Lance,

The Ultron seems to be a bit soft in general, though if you are a shooter and not a pixel peeper that might really not be a meaningful issue, you will probably be busy shooting shots at shutterspeeds long enough that the lens being soft means nothing in the bigger picture. Now if you are going to nail the camera down on a tripod and shoot test shots, well then it will be a big issue. but since you mention the need for speed, Im guessing you want to get out to play at night..

if you have not already, do go and get a subscription to reidreviews.com


mvh.

Bo

www.bophoto.typepad.com