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Posts Tagged ‘APOLanthar’

Voigtlander announces upcoming release of a 50mm F2 APO-Lanthar lens for Sony E-mount

08 Oct

To mark the 20th anniversary of the Voigtlander Classic Line, Voigtlander has released a new 50mm F2.0 APO-Lanthar lens for Sony E-Mount camera systems.

The manual lens is constructed of 10 elements in 8 groups, including two aspherical elements and a floating focusing system. The lens features a 12-blade aperture diaphragm with a ‘special shape’ for more pleasing bokeh, a minimum focusing distance of 45cm (17.7in) and a 49mm front filter.

Despite being manual, the lens features electrical contacts for transferring EXIF data to the camera, including a distance encoder to ensure the lens works with Sony’s 5-axis image stabilization. Voigtlander has also included a de-clicking option so no noise is made when changing the aperture when shooting video. The lens measures in at 61.3mm (2.14in) long and weighs just 364g (12.84oz).

Pricing and availability information isn’t yet available. We have contacted Voigtlander for more information and will update this article if we receive a response.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Voigtlander releases details and price of its 110mm F2.5 Macro APO-Lanthar for Sony E-Mount

03 Jul

Lens manufacturer Cosina has provided more specification for the Macro APO-Lanthar 100mm F2.5 lens that it first announced at CP+ in March. The E-mount lens is due to begin shipping in August 2018, and is quoted on the Japanese website as having a price of ¥148,000 – approximately $ 1350/£1050 before tax.

The new manual focus lens offers 1:1 macro and a closest focusing distance of 35cm. It uses three floating lens groups for focusing to ensure optimal quality at all distances – according the Cosina – and apochromatic correction to produce high resolution and detailed images for the full frame Sony sensors.

With electric contacts the lens can transmit aperture and focusing information to the camera, which will be recorded in the EXIF data of the image as well as being used to inform the 5-axis image stabilization systems of the Sony range. The contacts also allow manual focus assistance to be triggered by turning the focusing ring.

For full specification see the Cosina website.

Manufacturer information

Macro APO-LANTHAR 110mm f/2.5 E-Mount

Voigtländer MACRO APO-LANTHAR 110mm F2.5 is a high performance manual focus 1:1 macro lens optimized for the imaging sensors of Sony mirrorless cameras. Inheriting the APO-LANTHAR designation, the lens is highly corrected to eliminate optical aberrations including longitudinal chromatic aberration. The lens covers the full frame image area, and achieves a maximum image reproduction of 1:1 life size with no additional attachments. In order to ensure subjects from minimum focus distance to infinity are captured with extremely high image quality, a 3-group floating mechanism is employed to adjust three optical groups according to focus distance. The 110mm focal length on full frame format ensures not only a good working distance from subjects for macro shooting, but also its angle of view for portraiture does not look too cropped in comparison with 135mm and 200mm lenses. Another attractive feature is the ability to create images with a strong out-of-focus ‘bokeh’ effect, made possible by the 110mm focal length and F2.5 maximum aperture. This lens is a manual focus and manual aperture design, but also features electrical contacts that enable the lens settings at image capture to be included in the Exif information of the image data. Furthermore, the lens is installed with a distance encoder to enable support for 5-axis image stabilization on bodies with this feature, by providing distance to subject information used to compensate for camera shake. Focus peaking while manual focusing is also supported.

Main Features

  • Full frame Sony E-mount with electrical contacts
  • Apochromatic optical design that eliminates chromatic aberrations
  • Optical design optimized for digital imaging sensors
  • Maintains high image quality at all shooting distances with a 3-group floating mechanism
  • Extremely solid and durable all-metal barrel
  • Manual focus for precise focusing
  • Maximum reproduction ratio of 1:1 at a minimum focus distance of 35 cm

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Voigtländer 65mm F2 Macro APO-Lanthar: sample gallery and user impressions

08 Aug

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Cosina says its new Voigtländer Macro APO-Lanthar 65mm F2 is one of the ‘finest’ lenses the brand has ever made. I haven’t used every Cosina/Voigtländer but can say for certain that from my brief user experience, this is one fine piece of glass.

If you’re just tuning in, the Voigtländer 65mm F2, which was first announced at CP+ 2017 along with two other primes, is a manual focus lens built specifically for Sony full frame E-mount cameras. As such, I tested it on Sony’s high resolution a7R II.

See our Voigtländer 65mm F2 Macro APO-Lanthar galleryEverything about how the 65mm handles screams precision and quality, from the all-metal housing to the drool-worthy matte black finish. Its electronic contacts mean the 65mm can communicate EXIF info with the camera; it also means you can use focus peaking and/or magnification.

Built specifically for Sony FE cameras, I found it paired nicely with the Sony a7R II.

The first thing I noticed while shooting is the long throw of the focus ring (common on macro and close-focus lenses). It turns about 300 degrees, allowing for quite a lot of focus precision. The ring itself is a little over 2 cm wide and well-indented, making it easy to grip. It also turns with a buttery smoothness that’s oh-so-satisfying.

‘Everything about how the 65mm handles screams precision and quality, from the all metal housing to the drool-worthy matte black finish.’

Apertures range from F2 – F22 and are well marked with click stops every third stop. The lens has a depth of field scale, with distance information listed in both feet and meters. The scale seems accurate (from my informal in-office testing), though I did not rely on it while out in the field.

This is about as close as the 65mm can get to a subject.

Though not a true 1:1 macro (despite having macro in its name), the 65mm offers a maximum reproduction ratio of 1:2 and a close-focus distance of 31 cm (so it can totally still be used for close-range photography). Note: when focusing at close distances, the front of the lens extends out about 4 cm.

Overall, I was pleased with the images I made using the a7R II and 65mm F2. When you nail focus, even with the aperture wide open, the results are very sharp. Voigtländer promised this lens would handle chromatic aberration well and all signs point to that being the case (Note: CA corrections are left off on all the images in the gallery). However you will experience some vignetting at F2 up through about F2.8, but by F4 it is gone. This is to be expected for this style of lens.

Electronic contacts on the lens allow it to communicate exif info with the camera. They also allow users to enjoy focus-peaking and/or magnification.

The 65mm focal length is not for everyone though. I personally found it to be a confusing field of view, leaving me unsure whether to shoot it like a 50mm or an 85mm (two focal lengths I’m use). Manual focus lenses also aren’t for all. Still, it is impossible to not appreciate something as beautiful and well-made as the Voigtländer 65mm F2 Macro APO-Lanthar.

What I like:

  • Excellent build-quality
  • Very sharp throughout aperture range
  • Focus ring turns with exceptional smoothness
  • Electronic contacts allow lens to communicate with camera

What I don’t like:

  • Focus ring hard stop at infinity end is beyond infinity (this may be an issue with our copy though)
  • 65mm field of view takes some getting used to

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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