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Limited vs Ultron


dougmiles

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I'm considering a "wide normal" lens for my ME Super.

 

One candidate is the Voigtlander 40mm f/2 Ultron Aspheric, available

in both M42 and K mount (and several others). Fortunately, its

aperture and focus rings rotate the standard Pentax direction.

 

Another nice choice would be the Pentax 43mm f/1.9 Limited. Both are

quite compact and should be outstanding performers.

 

FWIW, I have a 50mm f/1.4 and 28mm f/2 also. Any input on this, fellow

Pentax fans? :-)

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I can't speak to the Voigtlander as I have never used (or seen) this lens. The Pentax Limited however is a beautiful lens (stunning actually), lovely optical properties generally comparable to Leica optical qualities. It is a tiny lens, very similar in size to the old pentax 40mm f2.8 pancake. This also might be a lens worth considering if you are looking simply for a smaller lens.

 

Frankly as far as focal length there isn't a lot of difference between 50mm and 43mm. If the 50mm f1.4 is the old 'K' version you will gain autofocus and of course other auto features (TTL flash, shutter priority, full program) with a newer camera. These features are not offered on you ME Super.

 

The 43mm is a very expensive lens, but obviously well worth it to many.

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Hi-- Thanks for the response. I'm mostly looking for optical qualities. The tidy size of both lenses could be a nice match to the tidy compact ME Super, but I also hear the siren song of the 31mm Limited, and that's not small at all. :-)

 

Autofocus, TTL flash, zooms, and motorized things are not essential; manual is just fine. AF on the 43mm has crossed my mind only as possibly aiding future resale. OTOH, I have not sold any gear for a long time.

 

So, esoteric qualities... Is the Ultron a match for the Pentax Limited? These qualities seem to be evident even in the smallish 35mm film format. Maybe even when the negative is otherwise overwhelmed by the much larger Pentax 6x7, itself blessed with outstanding optics. Another dimension to the quandary.

 

B&H has the 43mm lens for $459, and the Ultron for about $170 less. A bargain in comparison to Leica prices, or for that matter Contax G prices?

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  • 3 weeks later...
I haven't used the Voight lens but I do own the 31mm limited and the 77 limited. Both of these lenses continue to wow me every time I use them. I asked a bunch of questions about the 31mm before I bought and was quite aprehensive about spending the 800 + bucks for it. But I can tell you first hand, It deserves all the praise it gets. The limiteds are expensive, (not as much as leica lenses) but I think well worth the price. I usually use the 31mm on my MX, which is the same size as your MeSuper and it makes a great package. The 43mm is alot smaller than the 31mm - I don't quite know about the optical quality of this lens, but if it is anything like the limiteds that I have, it will be great. You could also try the 35 f 2 lens, its only around $250 new and its optical qualities are pretty good. I used this lens before I picked up the 31mm and I never was dissapointed. The 31 does have a nicer tonality and the limiteds have a 3d effect that really shows in prints that the 35 doesn't have. I still have the 35mm just because I haven't decided to sell it yet. Luminous landscape.com - don't know the exact link, has an article on it about the 31mm and how good of a lens it is, you should check it out. I have heard good things about the 35mm M lens. Keh usually has several for sale at reasonable prices. I think a lens in the 30's ought to fit in your kit better than a 40 or 43mm. Cheers
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Thanks for your comments, Keith, and for the URL. Interesting user comments on Pentax lenses. The 35/2 AL seems like a nice choice as well. I have this sense that I'll wonder what (if any) I've missed if I don't try a Pentax Limited... And I'm still real curious about the Ultron, having heard nothing from tests or users. Have to "worry" this notion some more I guess. :-)
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Well I have no experience with either lens you mention but I have used pentax for years and have tried most of the lenses the 35mm f2 lens is not one of pentaxes best . The one I had was easily out preformed by a 35mm f3.5 SM takumar . The 28mm lens is something you already have experience with but I never did get the results I was looking for with this lens in any of its k mount variations may have just been the samples I had, i.e. sample variation. I am not sure as I have only done this test with the 50mm f1.4 lens where at one point I had 4 of these under general testing conditions one was obviously better than the rest. So if you buy a used lens try it before you buy and see if the optical quality is up to your standard. Last you may want to try the old 40mm M lens it is intersting and cheaper alternative I have used mine with good reults. The sleeper lens and one that is sort of hard to come by is the pentax 30mm lens. I had hard time finding one of these but it is defineatly worth the look. It compares very favorably to leica 35mm and the 40mm rokkor I have and I could not be more pleased with the results. Very good contrast and better sharpness than the other pentax wides I have used. If you look and the pentax K mount page you can get more information on this jewel. That being said having seen the limited lenses in person recently I can say without reservation that they are the best constructed auto focus lenes I have seen or handled for any camera system ,no plastic here! They are expensive so the other options are better financially. The ultron I saw at the Buena Park camera show with thier biggest proponent Stephen Gandy of Cameraquest fame. Of course he touted them highly but I thought they did not feel as well constructed as the voigtlander nokton I have in ltm. The bessamatic camera even more plasticy, could not comment on the optical quality. If it is anything like the lenses they make for rangefinder I would expect it to be very good. Cheers George
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