First off huge thanks to Camera Quest for lending us the brand new Voigtlander 35mm f2 APO Lanthar as well as the Voigtlander 35mm F2 Ultron v2; without their support we couldn’t have gotten our hands on these two spectacular lenses.
The first thing to note is that the Ultron v2, as we will refer to if from now-on, is exactly the same optically as the previously tested and impressive Ultron v1. That test can be reviewed here. So, because we already have a very sound and understood baseline as to the performance of the Ultron V1, we didn’t get into the weeds with the Ultron V2 in that respect.
The size differences are big, but depending on use, its not a concern. The 35mm APO Lanthar is definitely a larger lens, heavier and with hood, protrudes a bit through a rangefinder OVF. The Ultron v1/v2 are much smaller and arguably better suited when packing for a small form factor. Thats not to say the 35mm APO Lanthar is large, it isn’t when compared to many other lenses, but as far as 35mm’s go yes, its rather big.
Comparing the Ultron v2 tho the previous V1 you will notice 3 main differences. First, the finish on the v2 is black paint over brass material. This makes the V2 weigh 212 grams when the v1 weighs only 185. Thats a 15% increase in weight for the v2, so its not like gonna go from light to potentially shattering your wrists. They both use the same exact hood to, and the hood weighs 19grams, not bad.
Second, the v2 comes with a more typical lens tab as soon on many Leica lenses before. This design change does come at a cost however. You loose the ribbing found on the v1 as well as its polarizing lens focus “stick” instead of a tab. For some the inclusion of a tab is all the reason they need to sell their beloved v1’s to get the v2, however we aren’t too sure. The ribbing on the v1 is actually pretty damn nice and the focus “stick” simply unscrews if its not your thing.
Third, the feel. Our copy of the Ultron v2 has a level of stiction that we aren’t used to feeling on modern lenses from Voigtlander or any manufacture at all actually. If one is to flip the lens over its very apparent the amount of grease used on the v2 has been lessened compared to the complete surplus found on the v1; but at what cost? The feel of the v1 is muuuuch smoother allowing for precise adjustments of the focus throw when compared to the v2. Is it copy variance? We were assured by Camera Quest that this is a rare occurrence and not on their other copies; we surely hope so. Mainly because this focus feel alone would completely make the v2 a “do not buy” lens for us. Oh and it focuses under .58 meters, we think thats great for mirrorless application less so for rangefinders with .7 minimum focus abilities.
Now onto the 35mm APO Lanthar! What a lens! On casual observation the center sharpness of the 35mm APO is the same-ish as the Ultron v1/v2. BUT under closer inspection they are not at all. The amount of micro-contrast and detail captured while shooting with the 35mm APO is draw dropping. The feel of the lens is much like shooting with the similarly sized Voigtlander 50mm f2 APO Lanthar which still betters the 35 APO in IQ. The 35mm APO is amazing, simply the only lens one needs when it comes to a 35mm M-mount you could use as easily on a film rangefinder as a mirrorless digital camera and know you are getting the BEST IQ your camera and skills can muster.
We decided to compare some fairly popular 35mm focal length lenses to each other, ranging from $370 to the priciest being the 35mm APO at $1,149. The list of lenses is as follow:
Leica 35mm Elmar <<<OLD from 1933!
Voigtlander 40mm f1.2 <<<One of our top 5 Voigtlanders of all time
TTArtisan 35mm f1.4 <<<Copy variance hindered. Check our previous review here!
7Artisans 35mm f1.4 WEN <<<A suburb buy
Voigtlander 35mm f2 Ultron v1 and V2 <<< The guys rock
Voigtlander 35mm f2 APO Lanthar <<<Best of the best 35mm lenses out there
All files can be dowloaded here!
Some direct samples of the rendering you will get between the Ultron v1, Ultron v2 and the 35mm APO Lanthar:
The images from the Ultron are identical to each other. There is zero difference between the two, which supports the fact they are the same optical formula and design. The 35mm APO Lanthar however doesn’t seem necessarily wider, BUT the background seems more “pushed back” something that will likely attribute to more apparent bokeh blur. We think? Not sure how to describe this condition, maybe its less distortion we are seeing? The bokeh on tiger 35mm APO Lanthar is smoother, and more “modern” though the Ultron’s do a pleasant job of providing character and modern bokeh rendering… how, we don’t know.
Between flare performance, both the cheaper Ultron V1 and v2 perform the same as the more expensive 35mm APO Lanthar; thats good news! That means you don’t sacrifice flare performance when it comes between choosing between these beautiful lenses. If we were to nit-pick we’d actually same the Ultron’s perform a little better not having a larger purple flare aberration you can clearly see below. BUT generally they perform “the same.”
Wide open comparison between the Leica 35mm Elmar, Voigtlander 40mm f1.2, TTArtisan 35mm f1.4, 7Artisans 35mm f1.4 WEN and of course the Voigtlander 35mm f2 Ultron v1 and V2 as well as the Voigtlander 35mm f2 APO Lanthar shot on the Leica SL (Type601) below.
DOWNLOAD ALL FILES HERE!
Two sample “portrait” images next:
We literally have hundreds of sample images we could post here and we will post quite a few, if you would like to see more please just reach out and we will share our mega sample link.
The 35mm APO Lanthar excels at: ultimate micro-contrast, sharpness and pleasing bokeh. The Ultron 35mm v1/v2 excels with its small size, 80% performance of the APO Lanthar, 30% less expensive, similar flare performance as the 35mm APO Lanthar. So to conclude, the 35mm APO Lanthar performs “better” than the Ultron inline with its 30% premium. With that in mind we think that if you can live with the larger size, the 35mm APO Lanthar would be our choice especially if there is a price drop of you are actually on the hunt for Leica’s new 35mm APO Summicron; the Voigtlander would surely be a worthy contender at 1/8th the cost! Plus, you can rest assured you’d never need to upgrade your 35mm lens and it can become a lifelong lens to own!
Sample Voigtlander 35mm f2 APO Lanthar images (various cameras):
Sample Voigtlander 35mm f2 Ultron v2 images from Pocholo Francisco below! Also HERE from our previous Ultron v1 review.
