NikonGear'23
Gear Talk => Lens Talk => Topic started by: Vilhelm on January 11, 2016, 21:20:29
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The Voigtländer SL (series I) lenses with silver/black barrels and the easily distinguishable Red/Green/Blue stripes are long since discontinued. While they've all certainly drawn attention due to the outstanding 125/2.5 Macro APO Lanthar, none of the others are as outstanding as the 125/2.5 (the 180/4 comes close though). They all however are finely crafted, metal construction and they all share a common character - very pleasing rendering of out-of-focus areas.
The 180/4 IMO ranks #2 in this "family" that consists of the 12/5.6 Aspherical (mirror lock-up), 15/4.5 Aspherical (mirror lock-up) and the "normal" 40/2 Aspherical, 75/2.5, 90/3.5 APO, 125/2.5 APO and 180/4 APO. Save some time and I'll add photos and thoughts about the other members of Voigtländer's SL series for Nikon (later).
(subjective quality ranking)
#1 125/2.5 Macro
#2 180/4
#3 (not far behind) 90/3.5
#4 40/2
#5 75/2.5
The 180/4 is one of those lenses your motoric memory has to learn and master, because it shares a common design factor with all the SL lenses: the focus gearing is optimized for close-up use, making them really easy to handle at close to medium distances, but very bitchy near infinity. They all come from the factory adjusted so that you can focus them "past infinity". I spent lots of time last decade (bought most of mine new) with live-view, a tripod and carefully fine-tuning focus to get optimum sharpness at infinity. Of course that's not a big issue with the 40/2 (because of DoF) but with the 180/4 especially you will curse a few times before you learn that you can't just focus it until it "infinity stops" and then compose.
That said, I thoroughly enjoy this lens. I always have, ever since I bought it new from Steve Gandy about 10 years ago. It paints very delicate look in images and it was long my Zen practice as I practiced with it going at everything from butterflies to dogs trying to nail focus manually (and eventually I did master it). I picked up the lens today after a long break in using it, and wow was I pleasantly surprised how my motoric memory remembered exactly how much to turn it to nail focus.
Anyway, here are some samples of the look you can expect, should you find it. Beware though, of all the SL lenses manufactured in Nikon Ai-S mount, it is the most rare - production run is likely no more than 1,000 copies based on the serial number spacing*. Should you find one on eBay prepare to pay 800-1100 EUR, which is almost twice what a lens of this quality, focal length and aperture should cost IMO...
* source: my own "mini-project SL serials" inspired by Roland Vink
http://forum.mflenses.com/voigtlaender-sl-apo-lanthar-serial-numbers-production-volumes-t24547.html (http://forum.mflenses.com/voigtlaender-sl-apo-lanthar-serial-numbers-production-volumes-t24547.html)
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Thanks for sharing these comments and your very nice images. I am impressed with your manual focus game - the dog shot could not have been easy!
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The images are really nice. I feel it's not only the lens, contrary, you make great photos.
How would you compare it with the Nikon 180/2.8?
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Beautiful, lovely. I have only the CV90, which I like very much. And the Nokton 58/1,4. Were does this Voigtländer belong to your idea, because I value that lens very high.
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I have a love-hate relationship to my Voigtländer 180 mm f/4 APO-Lanthar. It is a dog to focus, or rather, to shot it without getting the focus off. This because the focusing collar moves easily, the lens is so compact, and you very easily by accident make it go out of focus. Thus a lens mainly to be used with a tripod-mounted camera in my experience.
That being said, it delivers nicely detailed images with excellent bokeh and strong colour. Sharpness is excellent through not entirely up to the level of its 125 sibling, contrast is slightly lower, and the APO character less prevailing so some colour aberrations occasionally need to be cleaned out from the final image.
On the other hand, it does IR very well and can be used for UV too, if one accepts its not-so-deep-into-UV rendition. Sharpness in either spectral range outside the visible is very good. This makes it the most versatile of the three APO-Lanthars.
As far as I can recall, "chipping" (CPU-modifying) the 180 was a less hellish undertaking than with the 125 APO.
A patch of Geranium sylvaticum set against soft green ferns is a perfect motif for the 180 APO-Lanthar.
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Thanks to Vilhelm for his valuable contributions on various lenses be they for F-mount or other cameras - bring them on!!
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Most kind of you Bjørn, my humble thanks! My posts here are on F-mount lenses only, using Nikon DSLR/SLR. I have no adapted lenses and I sold the Canon, Leica and Hasselblad systems already last decade. With the storm approaching I will continue digging archive disks (it's fun actually because it shows how little I have had time to shoot my own stuff as opposed to shoot what pays the bills).
I 100% agree with your assessment of the 180/4. It's very tweaky and quick-focusing near infinity, and s l o o o w turning at close distances. Zen-lens, requires/builds patience and drives anyone furious for sure hahaha
Beautiful, lovely. I have only the CV90, which I like very much. And the Nokton 58/1,4. Were does this Voigtländer belong to your idea, because I value that lens very high.
I also really like my CV 90/3.5, and the 58/1.4 SL II was my favorite (before I found a reasonably priced Noct and bought the 58/1.4 AF-S). I look forward to adding my thoughts and photos taken with those two lenses, later, in separate lens topics.
The images are really nice. I feel it's not only the lens, contrary, you make great photos.
How would you compare it with the Nikon 180/2.8?
Very flattering, thank you. I also have the 180/2.8 Ai-S ED and the 180/2.8D AF Nikkors (don't know which one you were referring to?). I would need to do a lens tag search to find photos to substantiate my opinion but... my general feeling is that the 180/2.8D AF gives less contrasty fingerprint than the CV 180/4 or the 180/2.8 Ai-S ED. 180/2.8D AF is not a bad lens, but "good" isn't enough when compared to the 180/2.8 Ai-S ED or CV 180/4 which both are great. The CV 180/4 flirts with Japanese love for saturation and bokeh, but I don't think I have ever seriously compared them against each other although they all sit in the same lens cabinet.
Thanks for sharing these comments and your very nice images. I am impressed with your manual focus game - the dog shot could not have been easy!
One month of surfing, a diet of fresh/raw fish, aztec beer, local errm herbs and most importantly: time to practice will do wonders to anyone's focusing capabilities.
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Vilhelm, I am sorry I wasn't precise enough.
180/2.8 Ai-S ED was what I had in mind :)
Thanks for your extensive reply!
And thanks for the review!
I am looking forward to more :)
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Funny thing i have all three apo voigtlanders but i almost exclusively use the 125mm/2.5.
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I also really like my CV 90/3.5, and the 58/1.4 SL II was my favorite (before I found a reasonably priced Noct and bought the 58/1.4 AF-S). I look forward to adding my thoughts and photos taken with those two lenses, later, in separate lens topics.
That would be great, thanks.
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I already mentioned the 180/4 can do service for IR and, in a pinch, also for UV. Funny that its APO-ish character is showing off here when you go outside the limits of the visible spectrum, since there are negligible focus shifts in either UV or IR.
The 180 can do passable close-up as it goes to 1:4 on its own. Here are fallen birch leaves in a slurry of fresh ice, at the near limit. IR photo taken with the Fuji S3 PRo (UVIR Limited Edition) a camera the Live View implementation of which is a bad joke so worse than useless, and one has to rely on visual focusing only. As there is virtually no focus shift (IR), I managed to retain crisp sharpness in the intended plane even this close to the subject.
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The 180 also does UV. This is a little unexpected for a fairly modern lens with advanced coatings, but I for one won't complain :D Of course the UV response is not in the UV-Nikkor league but then most lenses cannot match that legend anyway.
A French Nymphea alba (coll) flower graces the sun. Nikon D40X with built-in Baader U (Venus) filter.
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Wow - that's like one huge bombing target :D for pollenating insects!
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(https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7327/11382276996_fbc913249d_b.jpg)
D800 180mm @ f5.6
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(https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1672/23709036023_485124c0e2_b.jpg)
Df 180mm @ f/5.6
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(https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1678/24327617520_3e377f1a19_o.jpg)
D700 cv180mm f/4
High alps
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Fons that is a belter!
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Thanks Mike
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Reviving this thread a bit.
I've not had the greatest luck with my 180/4 Voigt SL, especially with my D800 where getting sharp focus was almost impossible.
On my A7R/RII it was better, but I never felt that this lens got respectably sharp at far, near, or at MFD. I have the 90/3.5 SL-II which was easily sharper relatively speaking.
So, I have a mint copy that I'm not entirely happy with and have just found a reasonably-priced SL copy that's cosmetically scratched up, but appears to be in excellent optical condition. This lens is so compact and, despite sharpness issues, has excellent contrast - I'd hate to give up on it if I just happen to have a not-so-stellar copy. (mine has been CLA'd and infinity adjusted, but no change in sharpness).
Do I grab another copy and give it a go? Do you guys think a good copy of the 180/4 will stand up to the D800 &/or A7RII sensor regarding sharpness?
I'm spending 3 weeks in Europe in June and would love to take this with me instead of the 180/3.4 APO Telyt, which although super sharp, is not all that compact nor light weight as the 180/4 APO is.
Thanks - John
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The problem with the 180/4 is mainly the very short focus throw that makes it problematic to reach perfect focus *and* keep it there for the exposure.
The lens itself certainly can exploit the capacity of a 36 MPix sensor. It has less "APO" capability than the legendary 125/2.5 brother, but shares other characteristics in form of a very smooth transitional drawing from plane of focus to the less sharp parts of the frame.
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Thanks Bjorn - I will try to show some images of what I'm talking about in the next couple of days.
I'd love to have a Voigtlander repair facility put the lens on the optical bench to see if it is in fact as sharp as it's supposed to be - hopefully it's just my poor technique that is at fault - but I've never found such a place.
I did have an issue with one of the rear elements having a deposit on them that clearly showed up as less sharp regions in the final image and I had that taken care of at Steve's Camera in LA and it showed a marked improvement, but still was not as sharp as I thought it should be.
I do realize that one of the problems with a small/compact and relatively light weight tele lens is camera movement, even at higher speeds, due to the lower mass/inertia. I will try to get it out with the A7RII this week during our predicted spate of great weather here in the PNW.
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John, it may be easier to try the Voigt 180/4 CV with the 10x focus magnifier of the Sony A7x first, and see what kind of results you get.
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John, it may be easier to try the Voigt 180/4 CV with the 10x focus magnifier of the Sony A7x first, and see what kind of results you get.
Very true. With my D800 and it's live view line skipping I've found it sometimes difficult to get optimal focus with finicky lenses (i.e., short throw at far focusing distances) and my A7R days it was difficult to get hand-held teles in focus due to the jumpy 100% view w/o IBIS.
Definitely the A7RII is way way better in this regard.
I really want to include this lens in an upcoming 3-week France/Italy/Switzerland trip for a light weight kit:
16/3.5 AI Fish - maybe
10/5.6 Voigt (if it comes out in time)
15/4.5-III Voigt (excellent lens)
40/1.4 MC Voigt (it's OK)
75/2.5 Summarit-M OR 75/2.5 Voigt (need to compare these)
135/3.4 Telyt (awesome!)
180/4 APO Voigt (compact/light) or 180/3.4 Telyt (larger/heavy!)
- John
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Well, I lugged the 180/4 APO CV & A7RII with me today and managed to take a few hand-held images that I tried to be really careful for critical focusing. IBIS was on and I shot ARW files.
I processed them in ACR with my default processing (sharpening and typical curves adjustments). I then inspected them at 100% in PS6 after conversion.
Full Image @ f/4:
(http://www.seanet.com/~hinkey/180_4CV/_DSC1766_A7RII_180CV_full.jpg)
Left Edge 100% Crop @f/4:
(http://www.seanet.com/~hinkey/180_4CV/_DSC1766_A7RII_180CV_LeftEdge.jpg)
Right Edge 100% Crop @f/4:
(http://www.seanet.com/~hinkey/180_4CV/_DSC1766_A7RII_180CV_RightEdge.jpg)
This is wide open and it gets a tad better at f/5.6, but what do you guys think? I have barely shot this with the A7RII, so perhaps my focus was just always off with the D800 and A7R (which didn't steady the image when hand-held, which is most of the shots I made with it).
It looks fairly sharp to me, especially considering the atmospherics of the morning. If anything it lacks some snap to it or biting sharpness per se, but it seems like it's doing the 42MP of the A7RII pretty good justice as we say.
It could also be that the A7RII sensor design works better with this lens than the D800 or A7R due to the BSI design. Or, more likely, I can accurately focus this lens with the A7RII while I could not with the D800 (certainly not using the OVF and LiveView on the D800 is pretty bad due to line-skipping).
I may still grab the cosmetically-challenged version that I found and keep the better copy - if they are in fact optically different in their performance.
I will also get out the 180/3.4 and do a direct comparison between them at distance and up close.
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What I'm seeing is outstanding for a tele lens wide open. Seems good side-to-side as well.
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Looks as good as it gets, nothing wrong with that lens except the design of the focus throw. D800 was not the greatest camera for manual or LV focusing.
I would by far prefer to use a Nikkor 180mm 2.8 AF-D for nailing focus accurately.
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that lens has such a following in the used market :o :o :o
out of topic: pitbulls are awesome, i would not want to have any other breed again
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Thank you for sharing your views and photos. I really like the rendering (besides the fact that you have a good eye, for a scene, composition and focus).
I did not know that we had so many owners here!
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Well, this morning I took some time to compare the 180CV to my 180/3.4 Telyt, hand held with the A7RII focused at f/4 using the 100% view
Here's the whole scene:
(http://www.seanet.com/~hinkey/180_4CV/_DSC1787_180CV_f4_FullScene.jpg)
here's the center 100% crop from the 180CV at f/4 on the left and 180 Telyt at f/4 on the right:
(http://www.seanet.com/~hinkey/180_4CV/_DSC1787_A7RII_180CV_f4_Center.jpg) (http://www.seanet.com/~hinkey/180_4CV/_DSC1791_A7RII_180Telyt_f4_Center.jpg)
as you can see, at least for this scene at f/4 the CV gives nothing up to the Telyt in the center of the frame and it's pretty much the same story at the edges.
I did not shoot at f/5.6, but will next time.
Also, this 180 Telyt is one of the highest serial numbers I've seen so it has the latest coatings. I have a much older beat up Telyt that is also super sharp - in fact it might be even sharper the the newer serial number Telyt. I will try the CV against my older Telyt next.
I am very surprised by the performance of the CV - I guess my issues have been focusing accuracy related for these past few years.
- John
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John, many thanks for the write up and examples. I've been watching for the CV 180 and a 135 3.4 Telyt. I took the CV 15 4.5III and 75 2.5 to Rajasthan. The longest lens I took was the 105 f2D. Should have taken the 180 2.8D or at least the Kenko TC1.4 for the 105 :( . I really enjoyed shooting the 15mm in the close quarters to the Forts in Jodhpur and Jaisalmer. Heck , manual focus with that dof is a breeze. I almost bought the Summarit 2.5 (2.4) 75MM a couple of times while my wife was in the UK. Would be very interested in your comparison between the Voigtlander and the Leica 75's.
Edit: the trip was a good learning experience with the Sony a7II but I am very happy that I took the Df as well. Shooting from the moving vehicles is not the strong point of the Sony. Bjørn , the detail across the frame on that collapsed roof is really something and great colours.
Cheers,
Tom
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White Magnolia - both with f/4
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The 180 also does UV. This is a little unexpected for a fairly modern lens with advanced coatings, but I for one won't complain :D Of course the UV response is not in the UV-Nikkor league but then most lenses cannot match that legend anyway.
A French Nymphea alba (coll) flower graces the sun. Nikon D40X with built-in Baader U (Venus) filter.
Bummer I sold mine, should have tested it for UV.... oh well, one cannot have it all ;-)
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Bummer I sold mine, should have tested it for UV.... oh well, one cannot have it all ;-)
... essence of life ...
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... essence of life ...
But life is just, found a capable 250mm and 300mm CAT lens for UV ;-)
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Df, CV 180/4 in Lille.
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Airy, the fourth one is quite a succesfull shot! Both in sharpness and composition.
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Just tested the CV 180/4 againt Elmar-R 180/4 and Nikkor 180/2.8 AIS ED; at f/4 and about 2.5m :
- Elmar is warmer and shows some LoCA. Even in the focus plane, the Elmar blacks have a slight purple cast ; CV is also sharper ;
- Nikkor and CV are nearly identical, but:
1) Nikkor exhibits faint LoCA, CV exhibits none;
2) CV is slightly sharper.
Given that the CV is "setting the standard" here, I can confirm that the Nikkor is lots of value for little money.
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I have the CV-180 and many of the better corrected Voigtlanders. However, my all-time favorite is the CV-125 APO-Lanthar, of which I still have three copies.
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I'll pass on this one for the time being. As fine as the 125 may be, the Zeiss 135/2 does the job for me. Don't tempt me!
By the way, eBay has none for sale.
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I'll pass on this one for the time being. As fine as the 125 may be, the Zeiss 135/2 does the job for me. Don't tempt me!
By the way, eBay has none for sale.
The Zeiss 135/2 is very sharp. I love also.
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Airy, the fourth one is quite a succesfull shot! Both in sharpness and composition.
+1
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Airy, the fourth one is quite a succesfull shot! Both in sharpness and composition.
Yes, agree !
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There is a small review of the 125/2.5 here:
https://www.closeuphotography.com/voigtlander-apo-lanthar-125mm-lens/2017/8/22/voigtlander-sl-125mm-f25-macro-apo-lanthar-lens
Nice lens!
But I am so far happy with my Micro-Nikkor 105/4.
About the 180/4....could be interesting to see difference between Nikkor 180/2.8 and 180/4......at F4?
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Here you are (screenshots of LR screens). Despite all precautions (LV), the focus was not exactly the same, which made the comparison even more difficult. Intended focus was on "Clous" in the middle, but resulted a bit more to the front for the CV.
CV is on the left; Nikkor shows hints of green LoCA on the far right, quite moderate actually.
The Nikkor seems to be a tad more contrasty; see for instance the blacks of the characters in the center, or the reds surronding the "Ducros" brand.
Some reviewers mentioned relatively low contrast of the CV, possibly due to flare. In the present case, the CV had a HS-2 hood on (borrowed from Nikkor 105/2.5), and the Nikkor had its sliding hood totally extended.
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Ok....based on these images and the description of 180/4 it is probably the left side pictures that is the 180/4......
Left side has focus a bit more in foreground.....
Was is AIS 180/2.8 or the AF version at the right?
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Your observations are right on the spot (I edited my post while you were guessing). The 180/2.8 is the AIS version, bought 11 years ago in a legendary shop in Ginza :) fond memories.
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Stanley Kubrick got a Nikkor 180/2.8 modified to be used as cine lens so at that time it was considered a fine lens.
I have both ED and non-ED version and I have from time to time wondered how big a difference there are between them.
The Kubrick is version is probably not for sale. Guess he tried several and picked the best of them to be modified.
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The 180/2.8 AIS ED is a great lens, comparable with the 105/2.5, and a bargain too. As said before, I was looking for a "pocketable" version of the 180, esp. when on a trip with Madame. We had to cancel the 2019 Bretagne trip (touring the four traditional bishoprics:Vannes, Quimper, St Pol de Léon, Tréguier) due to illness, then the same in 2020 due to COVID. So I'm preparing 2021 and it looks like it will be 2022. The envisaged setup is something like 20/2.8 AIS, Voigtländer 58/1.4 and CV 180/4, tucked with the Df in a small Manfrotto messenger bag designed for m43. Still hesitating about the wide angle. Maybe the Zeiss 35/2, especially for night shots. Maybe the 28/3.5 PC, for the fun.
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Charles Saint-Venant. Lille cemetary. Df, CV 180/4 wide open. A good test case for BG blur, where twigs easily yield ugly double edges, adorned with greenish fringes. In the case of that lens, the result is satisfactory.
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Yes, on nearly all fields I liked the CV 180/4 more than the ED Nikkor, Less LoCa, Closer focus, better bokeh, less weight. For me enough reasons to sell the Nikkor.
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Well, the extra stop is nice especially for focussing. Every now and then I miss the focus with the CV, one must be extra careful. But I love the image clarity.
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Yes, I know, but focussing is a big advantage on the Z6 and Z7, and than the extra stop is not really important, as the CV is already very sharp at f/4.
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For the time being, I stick with the Df.
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Strong lights in the frame: no obvious contrast drop. However, some reviewers warn about lights slightly out of the frame. I'll have to check.
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(Moved from other Voigtlander Topic)
Some examples (posted earlier in the Daily)
On the Z6 *18000 ISO
(https://nikongear.net/revival/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=8075.0;attach=46997;image)
On the Z7
(https://nikongear.net/revival/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=9573.0;attach=45498;image)
Z7
(https://nikongear.net/revival/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=9485.0;attach=44776;image)
Z6
(https://nikongear.net/revival/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=9124.0;attach=42847;image)
D600
(https://nikongear.net/revival/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=8670.0;attach=40549;image)
D850
(https://nikongear.net/revival/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=8586.0;attach=40202;image)
D850
(https://nikongear.net/revival/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=8516.0;attach=39533;image)
D850
(https://nikongear.net/revival/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=8470.0;attach=38831;image)
D600
(https://nikongear.net/revival/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=8413.0;attach=38523;image)
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Charles Saint-Venant. Lille cemetary. Df, CV 180/4 wide open. A good test case for BG blur, where twigs easily yield ugly double edges, adorned with greenish fringes. In the case of that lens, the result is satisfactory.
Nearly perfect absense of LoCA is envious. I was looking at AF-D 108/2.8 as an alternative of my trusty Ai 200/4.0, but it suffers from the excessive amount of LoCA.
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(see below)
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Well, the 180/2.8 AIS might be better than the (otherwise very good) AF-D in this respect. I found its LoCA to be acceptable, in most cases.
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(see below)
Oops, I missed that. Thank you for the direction.
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Of course I mean the AIS-ED version.
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Of course I mean the AIS-ED version.
Yes, I know. But the earlier non-ED version that I briefly used during the film days left a nice impression to me, too.
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According to JM Sepulchre, a "serious" French tester, the non-ED and ED version are quite different on 12 Mpix already (he used the D3s for testing, at the time). The latter may be worth a try.
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Df and CV 180strolling through Lille on a sunny afternoon.
1st one shot through the window. "Face masks are mandatory".
4th one shows rather low contrast (the subject itself has low contrast too), while the 5th demonstrates adequate contrast and saturation. It seems that the CV contrast may drop significantly when there is strong light outside the frame, as sometimes reported. In the present case, all shots benefitted from a HS-2 hood (the snap-on hood that comes with the 105/2.5, 105/4, and 135/3.5) mounted on a 49/52 step-up ring.
Otherwise, sharpness is always high and LoCA near-absent, which is why I am more than pleased. I refrained from testing it with a Z5 in a shop today, because my bank account said "forget it"... well, for a while...
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The contrast may be on the lower side to the eyes that are accustomed to the generally highly saturated and sharpened images seen on the 'net. But these images of "lower" contrast look more natural and real, which I would prefer.
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(see below)
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The contrast may be on the lower side to the eyes that are accustomed to the generally highly saturated and sharpened images seen on the 'net. But these images of "lower" contrast look more natural and real, which I would prefer.
Yes. It's that nice unique look which is typical for the 180/4
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Indeed. That's not a Ken Rockwell lens. If you look at the 4th pic, there is lots of detail to be seen in the materials (e.g. the dark gray bottom walls), while the overall impression is "mild".
I think I should pair it with the Summicron-R 50/2, which is also full of Lanthanium oxyd (50% of its mass...).
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Yes, the Micro-contrast is very good.
I personally like the combination with the Voigtländer Color Ultron 50/1.8
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I think I should pair it with the Summicron-R 50/2, which is also full of Lanthanium oxyd (50% of its mass...).
That would work nicely with the Lanthar. I like my single coated Niikor-H 50/2.0 for the same reason.
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Otherwise, sharpness is always high and LoCA near-absent, which is why I am more than pleased. I refrained from testing it with a Z5 in a shop today, because my bank account said "forget it"... well, for a while...
Very nice contrast I also like and the lens-camera combination
As for z5 I am also looking the same way as you these days for one more reason: I think the sensor has similarities with d750 i own which can give such a contrast ;)
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Df, CV 180/4 @f/16. The pictured camera is my father's first reflex (fixed lens). It still works, except for the cell.
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Good it works as some refuses to work with Contaflex bodies because they should be very difficult to assemble......after disassembly.
The "myth" says you loosen two screws (from behind inside the camera) and then it says "pling" and everything falls apart.....
Maybe you can confirm this if you try? :-)
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Nooooo ! this camera enjoys a peaceful retirement, having worked since 1960.
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Nice sunny weather for the Voigtländer
(on the Z6 at f/4)
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Anyone got the SL 180 APO LANTHAR chipped?
Working or should I just stay with non-chipped as using it with my Nikon Df only
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I believe Birna has a chipped APO Lanthar 180mm
However CPU's to buy are not in stock any more...
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Indeed my APO 180/4 is chipped. Thanks to Erik's masterwork as a wizard, I'd like to add.
The 180APO has that "brittle" - nicely detailled and sharp yet rounded and smooth rendition - I came to associate with the first generation of ED lenses. My large-format 270mm f/6.3 ED T-Nikkor has exactly the same behaviour and was a much used and loved lens on my view cameras back in the dark ages of film.
I do have a small set of CPUs left, but they are dedicated to any further project that might occur. The opportunity of buying factory parts from Nikon has all but gone these days as well with all the reorganising of the Nikon subsidiaries taking place.
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Anyone interested in showing pictures while I am searching for this lens… again ::)
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Looking for my sample of the 180 APO as well -- perhaps it's in the little red car :) Not found in the >100mm section of the lens cupboards. I might have added it to an IR kit?
On a more serious note, if you can find a decent 180 APO with an acceptable price, grab it immediately. No need to ponder further, as the lens has qualities not easily seen in modern optics.
CPU-modifying it was a nightmare according to Erik, however being the Brave Viking with a golden heart he is, he did overcome the challenge. Perhaps using a Dandelion chip is easier although I have my doubts.
Below are some additional images by the 180 APO, ranging from landscape to close-ups. Cameras Z6 & Z9.
Do note that due to the file size limitations enforced by NG, the actual image sharpness might not be obvious. Rest assured it is there.
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.... I had added the 180 APO to my IR kit in the car :) thus it wasn't lost.
The last image in the previous post shows infection of the parasitic fungus Physoderma menyanthis on Menyanthis trifoliata. Fortunately the 180 APO was in my backpack that day or I would have missed the parasite.
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I am glad I managed to buy its shorter sibling - the 90mm 3.5 Apo-Lanthar from Michael. This one has the CPU built-in so it works perfectly with old and new cameras. Unfortunately I have not had much opportunity to use it as my DSLR is currently out of action.
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Just did a quick search for the 180 APO on eBay and apparently there are quite a number up for sale these days. Nearly all carry a hefty price tag and the asking price might now have surpassed that of the 125/2.5 APO as the latter appears to sell for less than before. The 180 is the rarer lens so once knowledge about its qualities becomes common-place, demand for it rises and with that the price level. I think my sample was purchased > 15 years ago in a time where few people paid any interest to these APO optics and accordingly, asking price was most moderate.
I have plenty of Voigtländer lenses, but only a handful of the APO Lanthars. Four for the F mount (90/3.5 SL.2, 2*125/2.5, 180/4), for Nikon S rangefinder mount the elusive 85mm f/3.5 (which easily is adapted to Sony E or Nikon Z), and the newcomer 65mm f/2 in native Z mount. The 85/3.5 APO for Nikon S can occasionally be seen on eBay (there is a nice unit right now) and is interesting because the price is often half, or less, than that of the more common 90/3.5. It does not focus as close as the 90/3.5 since it is a rangefinder-coupled lens, however it can take extension or close-up attachments. Using Z (or E) extension is the easiest approach as the filter size is a tiny 39mm and some ingenuity has to be called upon to fit most attachments. The 85 is so small it'll disappear in most pockets and weighs next to nothing.
Anyway, an overview of the APO-Lanthars in my possession. From left to right 65mm f/2 (native Z), 85mm f/3.5 + S-Z adapter, 90mm f/3.5 SL.2, 125mm f/2.5, and the 180/4, the three last ones using the FTZ adapter. All except for the 85 have CPU communication to the camera.
Do note the smallness of the 180 APO.
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Looking for my sample of the 180 APO as well -- perhaps it's in the little red car :) Not found in the >100mm section of the lens cupboards. I might have added it to an IR kit?
On a more serious note, if you can find a decent 180 APO with an acceptable price, grab it immediately. No need to ponder further, as the lens has qualities not easily seen in modern optics.
CPU-modifying it was a nightmare according to Erik, however being the Brave Viking with a golden heart he is, he did overcome the challenge. Perhaps using a Dandelion chip is easier although I have my doubts.
Below are some additional images by the 180 APO, ranging from landscape to close-ups. Cameras Z6 & Z9.
Do note that due to the file size limitations enforced by NG, the actual image sharpness might not be obvious. Rest assured it is there.
Yes I faintly remember chipping it during one of the many Copenhagen sessions ;) I recall it was difficult to adjust infinity on,,, Sweden was not far enough away I believe.
Very Impressive images poste here B!
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Do note that due to the file size limitations enforced by NG, the actual image sharpness might not be obvious. Rest assured it is there.
Is the file size limitations a "cost issue" only?
I am member at other forums (e.g. DIY Audio) where higher resolution images can be uploaded without any problems.
2200 pixels at the longest edge at best JPEG quality seems a nice image to look at with todays high resolution monitor.
Here at NG the limitation seems to be around 1600 pixels at best JPEG quality (it depends a lot of the image of course how detailed it is).
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Man… sometimes strange things happen…
When searching the 180, I found the 125 APO Lanthar,
top condition in its original box - even though I had some of
the Voigtlanders in the last decades, I never saw the complete package.
It doesn’t seem to beat my love for the 180…
Someone interested in the 125?
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I do have several of the 125 APO-Lanthars, so no thanks. Why not keep it? It is a beautiful performer.
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MEPER: 2000pix on the long axis with high jpg quality is entirely feasible. Do note the forum software reduces this to around 1600 pix max in a browser window, so in order to see the image in higher res. you need to right-click it to open in separate tab.
Also note that file size is very much a concern for us, as the server hasn't unlimited space to offer.
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I do have several of the 125 APO-Lanthars, so no thanks. Why not keep it? It is a beautiful performer.
It's pretty much the best lens I ever used, but it's size, which is quite bigger than the other smallish Voigtländer SL lenses
never allowed it to be fascinating for me...
BUT...
Success :)
I managed to find all (even more) than I hoped for.
Voigtländer SL II N 28mm 2.8 Color Skopar
Voigtländer SL 40mm 2.0 Ultron
Voigtländer SL 75mm 2.5 Color-Heliar
Voigtländer SL 180mm 4.0 APO Lanthar
next to
1x Voigtländer LH-28 (dome hood)
2x Voigtländer LH-40 D-Type hood
1x Voigtländer LH-40 S-Type hood
The only missing hood is the LH-75 - I am still searching ... ::)