In Praise of the Voigtlanders

[tommiejeep]

About time,  it has been a few years since we have had a Voigtlander Distributor/Dealer in India.    I've been buying from Robert White UK on my wife's trips to visit her mom or from Japan.
Now https://www.mysticfocus.in/ has recently appeared.  Prices are good and India warranty.   I have been eyeing a couple , shame funds are short at the moment  .
I hope they do well
Tom

[MEPER]

I remember the 180/4 got very fine reviews as the lens seems to have close to zero CA. If I should have only one it should be the 180/4. It seems also this lens demands the highest 2nd hand prices (> 1000 Euros). I only have one of the Cosina/Voigtländers which is a 25/4 snap-shot Skopar with 39mm mount. I used it many year ago on a Leica rangefinder just to try it out. It was the sharpest slides in that focal range I have ever shot (better than the old Nikkor 24/2.8 ). I wonder if it would be possible to mount this lens on a Z-camera via adapters and get infinity focus……
I had a similar experience with one of the "real" classic vintage Voigtländers…...the 35/3.5 Skoparon for the Prominent camera. I later found out that the Pentax Super-Takumar 35/3.5 seems to have copied the Skoparon lens design so I have one of these which I yet have to try out on a Nikon digital body. I think many avoided the Takumar 35/3.5 because of it slow speed but I think those who got it......got very surprised of the image quality. I have always been very impressed by the "butter like" focus feel of vintage Pentax lenses (think they may use aluminium against brass in the helical…..but have not verified this).

[Birna Rørslett]

The 25/4 Scopar SC can indeed be adapted to a Z camera. I have the rangefinder (RF) version thus use a Nik(RF)-Z adapter, but M39-Z adapters are easily available as well.

The lens focuses to infinity on my Z cameras and is pleasantly sharp in a neat, small package. I mainly use it on my Z50 as the combination is adorably compact -- and capable.

Older Pentax Takumars in M42 mount also are easily deployed on the Z system, using M42-Z adapters. I do have the 35/3.5 you alluded to and it is a fine performer indeed.

[MEPER]

Ok.....that is a reason more to get a Z-body. More options for "lens rolling" as the distance to sensor is smaller compared to F-mount. You can always make the distance longer......if a specific lens requires that. I think the lens to filmplan distance for F-mount was at the longer end compared to other SLR brands...….as far as I remember so we often lost infinity focus when playing with "lens rolling".

[MEPER]

This morning (inspired by this thread) I found an adapted I got special made to be able to mount some Voigtländer Bessamatic SLR lenses to an Nikon SLR with F-mount. F-stop is "pre-set" when you mount the lens into the adapter but has infinity focus. It was overcast and was handhold at 1/160 and I think F-stop is around 8. On tripod I would probably be able to make image a bit sharper image but I think images shows that this old lens is a fine performer. There is an image of D5200 with Color-Skopar 50/2.8 mounted. Then a full frame image and two 100% crops. I think it shows that CA is not a problem. I find it free for CA and I don't think the camera can auto-correct CA when it does not know the lens via the contacts?

When I compared some years ago with Nikkor 45/2.8 P the Nikkor was much sharper at 2.8 (wide open) but stopped down a bit the Color-Skopar was the winner as Nikkor showed a bit of CA in the highlights.
Colors may be more vibrant with Nikkor but I like the vintage look from the Skopar.