Nikon Voigtlander Mirrorless Lenses for Z Mount

rayvonn

rayvonn

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As I’ve said before, there’s probably no such thing as a “bad” Voigt lens so I’m sticking this up here for any Z Mount owners here. As someone who only wants smaller lenses for the rangefinder, I’m thinking the Lanthar lenses might be better suited for me on the Z mount. Shame that the, by all accounts, super RF 50mm F1 lens hasn’t been released for any other mount…yet.
nikonrumors.com

The first reviews of the new Voigtlander mirrorless lenses for Nikon Z-mount - Nikon Rumors

Here are the first reviews of the new Voigtlander mirrorless lenses for Nikon Z-mount: → Voigtlander APO-LANTHAR 35mm f/2 Asph lens for Z-mount review at DC.Watch. → Voigtlander APO-LANTHAR 50mm f/2 Asph lens for Z-mount review at Capa Camera. → Voigtlander APO-LANTHAR 35mm f/2 Asph lens for Z-mount review at Capa Camera. → Voigtlander APO-LANTHAR […]
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William Lewis said:
Interesting!
23 mm seems an odd choice, but the 35/2 & 50/2 are smack in the ballpark for me. All I'd need is a 85, 90, 100 or the like but even without it these F/2 lenses make the Z5 much more tempting...

(eta: oh, duh. 23 = 35 on APS-C...)
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I own the 23mm - and love it, period. On the Z fc, manual focus experience is virtually effortless thanks to complete electronic coupling, and IQ is really, really nice. It's versatile and pleasantly compact for what it is. I wasn't too pleased about the 35mm f/1.2 being based on the venerable, but optically pretty capricious 35mm f/1.4 Nokton (I love that lens on my M cameras at times and appreciate it for what it is; I even own the old and the new version because they're different enough to deliver distinguishable results - but it's definitely *not* a modern lens). The 23mm, on the other hand, is a different beast, aspherical lenses and all.

I'm really rubbish at structured reviews, though - but if anyone has a question, I'll try to answer it as honestly as possible.

EDIT: The Z 50mm f/1.8 S is so good that it might give the 50mm APO a run for its money - I own the APO for M and love it (it's my best compact 50mm lens), but the Z 50mm isn't far behind (if at all, as far as noticeable differences are concerned) but offers AF and full weather protection. The 35mm APO is a different matter - the Z 35mm f/1.8 S is a charming beast, but *not* optically stunning (just very, very nice - I really like what that lens delivers).

M.
 
gryphon1911 said:
Now, you've got me interested.

There is nothing like going out with a few manual focus lenses on a stroll....just taking your time, capturing some images. :)
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I'll say here that I think the 23mm is actually the real gem of the line-up.

The APO lenses will be stunning performers, but I'm not too sure they're worth it over the Z f/1.8 primes (again, the 35mm may be) - but this 23mm will remain relevant even if Nikon eventually bring their 24mm to market because we're really lucky if that's a f/2 lens. And again, it's a really nice performer - I see you do own a Z fc ... so ... well :)

M.
 
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MoonMind said:
I'll say here that I think the 23mm is actually the real gem of the line-up.

The APO lenses will be stunning performers, but I'm not too sure they worth it over the Z f/1.8 primes (again, the 35mm may be) - but this 23mm will remain relevant even if Nikon eventually bring their 24mm to market because we're really lucky if that's a f/2 lens. And again, it's a really nice performer - I see you do own a Z fc ... so ... well :)

M.
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Yes, the 23mm on the Zfc would be nice.... :)
 
To carry on the argument, I took out an otherwise quite nice combo, the D750 with the Voigtländer 58mm f/1.4 (the latest model). This lens and its siblings can be seen as the legitimate ancestors of the new Z mount line: They enable focus confirmation and are generally well integrated into the Nikon system. However, the D750 has one shortcoming - it doesn't allow for the use of the aperture ring (I think the Df would, though, as would - probably - some of the "professional" bodies). A bit of a dissappointment, but no show stopper by any means. Focus confirmation works well enough, though not quite as accurately as on the Z bodies, but that's nothing new.

DSC_3412.jpg
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Now, I know that the FoV is different between the two lenses shown here, but the 23mm is actually a bit bigger than the 35mm f/1.2, so it's still an interesting fact that the Z fc combo is only 60% (almost exactly) of the D750 with the 58mm - and the 23mm is visibly better optically. The 58mm is what's called a "classic" lens, which basically means that hardly any real attempt at controlling astigmatism was made (the 58mm is quite comparable to the 35mm f/1.4 for M mount in that respect - but at least that one has seen an interesting optical upgrade quite recently). So, you get a smaller, better corrected lens on a smaller body better geared towards being used manually.

I more convinced than ever that the new line is a real win overall, especially if you like manual focusing.

M.
 
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Looks like the Voigtlander Nokton 40mm f/1.2 Aspherical is also being released for Z mount towards the end of this month. Reports are that it has an amazing (to me) 1.6cm minimum focusing ability which in that regard blows Voigtlander's RF lenses out of the water. It sounds superb. Hope it is, if so, it'll warrant being my second native lens for the Z mount system and in terms of output, a sort of spititual replacement for the Nokton 58mm F1.4 I used to adore on the DSLR system as well as the Panasonic 20mm on m43. I really don't know why Voigtlander don't service Fujifilm cameras natively, they'd be fantastic with those cameras.
 
rayvonn said:
Looks like the Voigtlander Nokton 40mm f/1.2 Aspherical is also being released for Z mount towards the end of this month. Reports are that it has an amazing (to me) 1.6cm minimum focusing ability which in that regard blows Voigtlander's RF lenses out of the water. It sounds superb. Hope it is, if so, it'll warrant being my second native lens for the Z mount system and in terms of output, a sort of spititual replacement for the Nokton 58mm F1.4 I used to adore on the DSLR system as well as the Panasonic 20mm on m43. I really don't know why Voigtlander don't service Fujifilm cameras natively, they'd be fantastic with those cameras.
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They do. In fact, they started producing lenses for X mount before providing them for the Z system.

The APO-Ultron (35mm f/2 Macro for DX) has my name on it. And after the (great!) experience with the 23mm f/1.2 on the Z fc, the 40mm f/1.2 seems rather tempting, too - if focus confirmation works anything nears as well as on the Z fc, this could transform manual focusing with the Z 6 (or even Z 7 II, but that camera's really quite demanding when it comes to precision). However, it's the APO-Ultron that definitely floats my boat ...

M.
 
rayvonn said:
Wow, didn't even occur to me. The fact is, I never even considered it when I was in the Fuji system, the Fuji lenses were so solid, my mind never veered away from them.
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It's not as if the Z mount lenses were any worse optically ... But I'd agree that there's a lack of small, fast lenses as of yet, and the Voigtländers fit the bill. Plus of course they offer several appealing extra options (primes!) for DX. However, owning the Z 28mm and Z 40mm, they do face competent in-house competition. That said, a 35mm f/2 Macro isn't even on the horizon. And if Voigtländer calls something and "APO" lens, they definitely know what they're talking about ...

The 23mm f/1.2 balances speed, good optics and attractive rendering in a very convincing way. And knowing the APO-Lanthar 50mm f/2 and Nokton 50mm f/1.2 for M mount, I think the FF/FX offerings are extremely interesting, too. From what I've read, the 40mm f/1.2 is very good, though not quite as good as the 50mm f/1.2, so I'll not go for it just yet ... after all, I own the two lenses I mentioned, and adapting them isn't a problem. But considering the size of the 40mm f/1.2, it offers a valid alternative to Nikon's great, but enormous Z 50mm f/1.2 S even if it's not the absolute best - especially if focus confirmation works.

btw. the 40mm's minimal focusing distance is 0.35m - slightly more than a foot; 0.16m (16cm, half a foot) is the minimal focusing distance of the APO-Ultron ...

M.
 
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MoonMind said:
btw. the 40mm's minimal focusing distance is 0.35m - slightly more than a foot; 0.16m (16cm, half a foot) is the minimal focusing distance of the APO-Ultron ...
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Yep, 0.3m mfd on the 40mm for the Z Mount according to Cosina’s website which I just browsed. Whatever it is, the mfd is going to be closer than what can be achieved with my RF so considering that and the focal length which doesn’t appear in my RF’s finder, I’ve decided it’s one for the Z (you can see I’m trying my best to justify this).
 
rayvonn said:
Yep, 0.3m mfd on the 40mm for the Z Mount according to Cosina’s website which I just browsed. Whatever it is, the mfd is going to be closer than what can be achieved with my RF so considering that and the focal length which doesn’t appear in my RF’s finder, I’ve decided it’s one for the Z (you can see I’m trying my best to justify this).
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You know, I made the mistake to think about it some more ... To be honest, if I wasn't so happy with the Z 40mm f/2, the Voigtländer 40mm f/1.2 would be an absolute no-brainer. I can see many good reasons to own it for Z mount - just not for me (I already own loads of options).

M.
 
MoonMind said:
You know, I made the mistake to think about it some more ... To be honest, if I wasn't so happy with the Z 40mm f/2, the Voigtländer 40mm f/1.2 would be an absolute no-brainer. I can see many good reasons to own it for Z mount - just not for me (I already own loads of options).

M.
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Lots of 40mm options for me to consider as I don’t have one and the one I’ve had my eye on for the RF has been the Rollei 40mm F2.8 Sonnar. That was until this new Voigt lens. I think it’s going to be my one and only 40mm.
 
rayvonn said:
Lots of 40mm options for me to consider as I don’t have one and the one I’ve had my eye on for the RF has been the Rollei 40mm F2.8 Sonnar. That was until this new Voigt lens. I think it’s going to be my one and only 40mm.
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Fully agree, especially if the f/1.2 aperture appeals (which it usually does). Just a little thought, though: The recently issued 40mm f/2.8 Heliar is a really impressive little lens for M mount (or LTM; I own the latter, but I'd opt for the M mount version now - I concluded that I prefer the 50mm frame lines anyway). Just saying ...

M.
 
And another Z Mount release forthcoming, this time the Voigtlander Macro APO-Lanthar 65mm f/2. Not for me; if I use a macro lens solely for macro (which I actually don’t, but that’s another matter), I’m more comfortable around the 100mm mark. But that’s just me; I have no doubt it will be optically up there with the rest of their lenses and it’s heartening to see Voigtlander continuously releasing new lenses for Z Mount. If they carry on like this then who knows, maybe just maybe at some point in the future we’ll have a Z Mount version of that F1 RF lens with closer focusing abilities.
 
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rayvonn said:
And another Z Mount release forthcoming, this time the Voigtlander Macro APO-Lanthar 65mm f/2. Not for me; if I use a macro lens solely for macro (which I actually don’t, but that’s another matter), I’m more comfortable around the 100mm mark. But that’s just me; I have no doubt it will be optically up there with the rest of their lenses and it’s heartening to see Voigtlander continuously releasing new lenses for Z Mount. If they carry on like this then who knows, maybe just maybe at some point in the future we’ll have a Z Mount version of that F1 RF lens with closer focusing abilities.
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That looks pretty intriguing, but I wish that it were smaller. As it is, it's about the same size as the Nikon Z 105mm macro.
 

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