50mm voigtlander

[luc3]

I am thinking about getting a 50mm voigtlander lens, since at the moment i can't

afford a 50mm leica lens. I bought a 15mm voigtlander, which is quite

interesting for some shots, but since the 15mm does not focus on an M6, will i

be able to focus with any other voigtlander lenses, such as the 50/1.5

Aspherical Nokton?

 

Thanks a lot

[wheelie52]

No problem Lucas ... I have three Voigtlander lenses, 28 50 and 90mm ... they are all excellent.

 

Check Camera Quest's list for info ... he's a good guy to buy from!

 

http://www.cameraquest.com/voigtlen.htm

[.th]

you'll be able to focus just fine, the 15mm isn't rf coupled which explains why that one can't be focused. most of the others are, excluding the 25/4 i think.

[frederick_muller]

The only 3 VC lenses I know of that are NOT rangefinder coupled are the 12mm f5.6, the 15mm f4.5 and the 25mm f4. To the best of my knowledge, all the other Leica-mount VC lenses couple. The 50mm VC Nokton is a great lens that's hard to beat for the money.

[john_shriver]

There's a lot of fine 50mm lenses you could buy used that would be cheaper than the Nokton, even after a CLA, and yet be very fine lenses. Say a really nice Summitar, or a Canon 50/1.8. Yes, you would need an LTM adapter.

[35mmdelux]

What John said.

[carbon_dragon]

Avoid the 50/2.5 voigtlander. It's performance is underwhelming. I've heard nothing but good things about the Nokton.

[luc3]

thanks a lot guys

[dougmiles]

"Avoid the 50/2.5 voigtlander. It's performance is underwhelming."

 

I think this is a situation where comments were made about the lens, and these were misinterpreted and passed on, trashing the reputation of the lens. As I recall, the Cameraquest site mentions this lens has been a favorite in Japan, selling very well.

 

I became curious, and found a used one at an attractive price. Running it through its paces, so to speak, convinced me that the 50 Skopar is much better than its reputation suggests. As I see it, after 2+ years of use, it's not bitingly wire-sharp, but it's not unsharp either. It's simply sharp in a gentle way, not harsh.

 

It has pleasant bokeh, is plenty sharp, is very well constructed, compact... If I had to gripe, the only bad thing I can think to say is that there's a bit of pincushion distortion. About as much as the Pentax 43mm Limited has barrel distortion. :-)

[jeffpolaski]

The 50/1.5 Aspherical Nokton is a fine lens that helped me get over my lust for Leica glass, which I cannot reasonably afford. It is a bit hefty, but that goes with the quality.

 

I guess getting 85% of the quality for 30% of the price is an attractive option.

[carbon_dragon]

"I think this is a situation where comments were made about the lens, and these were misinterpreted and passed on, trashing the reputation of the lens. As I recall, the Cameraquest site mentions this lens has been a favorite in Japan, selling very well."

 

No I have one. It's truly pathetic, not when compared with my current Summicron/2 either. It's pathetic compared to my Summitar screwmount lens too. It's worse than my russian screwmount 50/3.5. I have a LOT of 50 screwmount and M lenses, and it's by far the worst I have, even though some of my lenses are quite old and haven't been properly serviced in years. Now the mechanical workmanship is very nice and it's very pretty, it's just really really really bad optically.

 

Now it's possible I got a really bad one, because their quality control isn't up to Leica standard, but that says something too I think. I also have a 25/4 which is very good, but this 50/2.5 isn't even adequate by anyone's standards, believe me.

[stephen_w.]

"As I recall, the Cameraquest site mentions this lens has been a favorite in Japan, selling very well."

 

Can Stephen be thought of as unbiased, since he sells this lens?

[jorge]

David, it is possible that the CV 50/2.5 has an erratic quality control and you really have a lemon.

 

I have one in chrome and it is quite good optically. I don't go shooting resolution targets with the camera tied to an anvil but my 11x14's are sharp and with lots of fine detail, as well as my 5400 ppi film scans. I must explain also that I seldom shoot fine grained film and that most of my leica use is with B&W ISO400 film. When I feel the urge to shoot color I grab a digital.

 

On the other hand, compared to the Nokton, the Color Skopar 50 does show a more "round" look (is it unsharpness?) but much better "atmosphere". I'm sorry for the untechnical descriptions but, put in other words, the Color Skopar is more akin to an old Summicron 50 than to a present generation one.

 

In any case, if Lucas wants *sharp* and contrasty, I guess the new CV 50/2 Heliar at $549 is an extremely good buy. I don't have one but Pop Photo raved about it, or, in any case, the Nokton 50/1.5 is a superb performer and also very well built, just suffering from horrible bokeh.

[jorge]

PS, let me state that I have quite a few 50's to compare the Color Skopar 50 with, and I don't find it lacking: among others, a pre-asph Summicron, a Nokton, a Zeiss Ikon Tessar f/3.5, a Schneider Xenon f/2, a Nikkor AiS 1.4 and a 1.8, a Super Takumar 1.4 and a Super-Multi-Coated (not SMC) Takumar 1.4. You may say I'm a 50's fan... :-)