An Excellent "Normal" Lens Alternative for The M8 - Voigtlander Ultron 28mm f2 Review
[Please note: none of the sample images displayed here have had any digital manipulation applied]
When we take up "cropped-sensor" digital cameras with frame sizes below full 35mm format frames, most are in a situation of neeing to add wider angle lenses to our kits. The Voigtlander Ultron 28mm f2.0 is what I chose to meet my needs.
Overall I think this is an excellent lens – no, not just good, but excellent – if not surprisingly so. Optically the results please me greatly at any aperture. Mechanically it is of Leica like quality. Fit and finish are superb. The most important thing is that is a whole range of lighting and shooting types the Ultron produces beautiful images – in the tests I did and in everyday shooting – wide open and at optimal apertures.
In summary: the tonality is very nice and similar to most German lenses rather than like Japanese lenses; it has outstanding sharpness without excessive contrast – more of a Zeiss deign style than a Leica style who often uses aspherical elements to achieve amazing sharpness but at some cost of high (too high in some case?); resolution of fine detail is outstanding – even in an extremely distant horizon, fine details are rendered well; and in use it is extremely solid, precise and smooth.
Below are sample pictures and notes illustrating my comments.
I was not too surprised by the mechanical quality (yes Cosina has come a quite a long way in this regard over the years) because its weight is just 20 grams or so lighter that the Leica silver/chrome 35mm f2.0 lens, which uses brass for its whole barrel (black versions require alloy outer barrels to allow the black finish to adhere, making them a little lighter). Weight indicates strong construction and glass.
Certainly wide open at f2.0 there are occasions when there is some softness at the extreme edges. Sometimes that is because the edges may be in a different focus plane to some degree. BUT, at f2.8 most softness has gone and everything else remains excellent. At f4 it is excellent in every way.
Of course any photographer knows that the optimal “user” test of a lens’s qualities is done with the finest grain film available – even slow transparency film and examining the images on a light box under a loupe.
Why? Digital sensors add another performance dimension than can lead to misleading impressions – such as chromatic aberration. Also cropped sensors prevent us from seeing the whole image circle, necessary to judge its performance at the edges of the image.
But, for me the purpose of buying the VC Ultron 28mm lens was specifically for my M8 – the widest angle of view I use in 35mm type rangefinder photography is 35mm and when I bought my M7 the Summicron-M 35mm Asph was a justifiable purchase since it would be my “ever-day” most used lens.
But since I added the M8 to my kit, I have been missing the near 35mm focal length. Hence the search for a 28mm lens. But as a regularly used wide angle lens a maximum aperture of f2.0 was not negotiable. I want that depth of field capability – knowing that wide angle lenses have such deep depth of field characteristics. Alas though, the Leica Summicron-M 28mm was simply out of my reach. Yes, by every account it is the 28mm benchmark.
I did not want to settle for an f2.8 version(Zeiss or Leica) unless I had no choice. Then as I was about to order a Carl Zeiss f2.8 lens, I came across the Ultron 28mm – I had a choice. And I am glad I did.
My “testing” was to determine that in my shooting I would uncover any attribute/s that would detract from the final image. I was not interested in technical testing as I’d read up on this VC lens and I don’t shoot charts and such things.
These tests involved: shooting the Ultron and then the same scene with my 35mm lens at the same aperture and ISO; shooting the same scenes both lenses at every aperture to see how they comparatively improved the result; in different lighting styles – indoor, outdoor; in different lighting directions and intensity looking for flare characteristics; and a bunch of other things to look for evidence of other aberrations.
The outcomes were quite interesting – By all measures it is a terrific lens and it is NOT a “poor cousin” despite its very competitive pricing. At all apertures you can safely use this at every aperture in any scenario – there is no “killer” issue. Every matching shot taken with the VC28 and the Summicron-M 35 compared favourably (despite the fact that the Summicron-M had the optical advantage of a narrower angle of view). There was NO “look” to any image shot with both lenses that showed up the VC in a negative way at all. Mechanically the VC mounted to the M* and focused just as well as the Summicron-M. Operationally the 2 lenses functioned so alike that I was unaware of any genuinely real difference.
I found that the VC 28 resisted flare better than the Summicron-M 35 Asph! I think this may be due to Leica’s use of aspherical lens elements for some reason because I have always found it a little too contrasty and more susceptible to veiling flare. Both lenses had similar hood depths.
Certainly at f2.0 the Leica performs better than the VC and so it should. My film images with the Summicron-M 35mm asph full frame images always prove what a great lens it is. One key attribute is how well it controls softness at the edges. But, the VC is not quite to that standard, nor did I expect it to be. However, on the M8 the softness is very minor and I expect would still be quite good on full frame film.
The only "omission" the deigners made to the features is the lack of depth of field markings on the lens barrel. While obviously there is no room for nomal markings, there is plenty of room for un-lableled white lines, which any user would recognise as indicating the DOF at F2.8 and /or f2.0.
But in the end, the bike image below tells why I find this such a compelling lens, by any measure!
So putting the VC performance into perspective and still having high expectations of it since it strives to live in the legendary Leica M-mount fold, the Ultron 28mm f2.0 lens is a gem and certainly a keeper!