Voigtländer lenses for Z-mount

[MEPER]

The lens "cross-views" looks identical on X and Z version:

https://www.cosina.co.jp/voigtlander/en/x-mount/nokton-35mm-f1-2/
https://www.cosina.co.jp/voigtlander/en/z-mount/nokton-d35mm-f1-2/

But that does not mean they are 100% identical. They could have tweaked it a little bit. The Z is the latest version.
Hopefully it is not sample variation.

It is an advantage to bring the camera to a physical shop and try out a sample and only buy it if it delivers as expected.

[benasaj]

I have impatiently waited for Voigtlander to finally offer Z mount full-frame lenses. When they appeared last summer, I bought both the 50mm & 35mm f/2.0 APOs. I also purchased the 40mm f/1.2 NOKTON when it came out. For years I mused on another forum why Nikon insisted on using that "Green Dot" down in the bottom lefthand corner of the viewfinder to aid in manual focusing. The moveable focusing square had all of the built in capabilities to serve the same purpose, with some minor firmware tweaks. Finally, the Z mount Voigtlander lenses, being chipped, have that function.  I used Voigtlanders, F mount for years and they were excellent performers; these new ones, IMHO, are even better. They are easy to focus and are sharp, pleasing bokeh and lighter to carry than the huge Nikon "S" lenses. As one who has been photographing for 60 years, I have a built-in love of primes and manual focusing; shooting is fun again.

FWIW, Voigtlander just announced a 50mm f/1.0 NOKTON.

Photo taken with a z7 II and the 50mm f/2.0 APO at f/2

[benasaj]

Added a better 50mm f/2 APO example, shot at f/2 and a color example from the 35mm f/2 APO also shot at f/2.

[Birna Rørslett]

Today I finally received my Voigtländer 65mm f/2 APO-Lanthar Macro in native Z mount. I got it from Grays in London and went through a long and tiresome process in order to have the lens shipped. It crossed the North Sea no less than three - 3 - times during the 7 weeks required for transport from London to Norway. Sigh.

Briefly tested it and is this the epitome of super sharpness for close-ups ... Yes and yes. It is very beautifully made as well.

[Birna Rørslett]

This is a 100% crop from a test shot with the Voigtländer 65mm f/2 on Z9. Not very exciting test subject of course in the darkness all around me at present. However, consider this is at f/2 ISO 1600 with Z9 hand-held at slow speed, run straight through NX Studio with no tweaking.

Frankly I had to look twice to believe my eyes.

[Michael Erlewine]

I have had the Voigtlander 65mm (Sony mount with adapter to Nikon Z) for some time, and also have the new Z version. I love sharpness, yet this lens is, IMO, so sharp that I don't use it because it is too sharp in many cases.

[Birna Rørslett]

"so sharp that I don't use it because it is too sharp in many cases"

That must be a first!!

However, I agree that this wouldn't be the lens of choice for portraits of young people

[Michael Erlewine]

"so sharp that I don't use it because it is too sharp in many cases"

That must be a first!!

Exactly! LOL.

I find myself using the Z 105 MC macro instead, which is sharp enough, but still more gentle than the Voigtlander 65mm. However, I also have the Voigtlander 110mm (Sony mount, and adapter) yet, for some reason, I don't like it or use it.


Here are a couple photos taken recently with the Z 105 MC that are sharp enough, but still have a little forgiveness.

[Erik Lund]

65 does look sharp I agree.
Z105 is - Velvet smoothness, that is such a nice rending

[Jack Dahlgren]

This discussion forced me into picking up the 65mm Z-mount. I really like it and the minimal amount of chromatic aberration. Shooting wide open has a bit of vignetting, but the sharpness is amazing. Here are a couple of images showing lack of CA and a 100% crop showing detail on a cherry blossom stem. Taken with Z9.

[Erik Lund]

Looks like a stellar performer! Congrats

[Birna Rørslett]

I got my 35mm Fotodiox extension tube for the Z mount today. Very well built as one would expect from its high asking price .... It brings the 65/2 APO-Lanthar to 1:1 magnification. The excellent control of chromatic aberrations is still visible at 1:1, however the field is no longer perfectly flat. I've seen far worse, though. As expected spherical aberration will slowly creep in when the lens is pushed this far off its design domain, but again hardly anything to worry about. It is worth keeping in mind that adding extension never keeps image quality, contrary to frequently made assumptions ('just air is added'). If one doubts the validity of  my statement  just try adding such extension to say the 50 or 85 f/1.8 Z Nikkors The decline in image quality is very obvious.

The example below is with Z9 hand-held at ISO 1600 and 1/50sec at a nominal f/2 (effective f-number at least f/4 due to the extension added). Unlike the Micro- and MC-Nikkors the Voigtländer 65 does not report effective apertures; however assuming a unit pupil factor it would be f/3 effective at 0.5X.

Even though my quick-and-dirty test is just that, I think it's fair to assume the 65 APO will continue to deliver high quality results even when set to the range 0.5-1X.

[Jack Dahlgren]

Some more from the lens. I can't find anything to not like. Perhaps the worst thing about the lens is that there is some small amount of ring bokeh visible in the lower left of the third image, but only because I have increased contrast in that area slightly.

[aerobat]

Nikon don't designate any of their lenses with the APO suffix. Does anybody know whether the Z 105 MC is still an APO lens design?

[Michael Erlewine]

Nikon don't designate any of their lenses with the APO suffix. Does anybody know whether the Z 105 MC is still an APO lens design?

The Z 105 MC is APO enough for me. Earlier on, some of the Nikon enlarger lenses were designated APO, although there is to my knowledge no standard for what is APO.