4.75/5 — More than 300 reviewsVoigtländer lenses: portfolio features and buying tips
A high-quality camera is a good basis for taking creative, stunning and professional photos. However, no matter how high quality the camera is, the result will not satisfy you if you combine it with poor lenses. That is why every ambitious amateur photographer, just like every professional photographer, has a small selection of different, high-quality lenses. This way, he or she is equipped in the best possible way for every field of application - no matter whether he or she wants to take wild animals, portraits, landscapes or architectural photos. For this reason, we also recommend that you buy several lenses for your camera. But which lenses are best for you? If you are one of those photographers who place a lot of value on high light intensity and who like to have creative adjustment options at their disposal, it is definitely worth taking a closer look at the Voigtländer range.
Voigtländer is a lens manufacturer that concentrates on fixed focal lengths that have manual aperture and focus adjustment. The different series are each only available for a specific camera mount. The models are characterised by the fact that they combine very good imaging performance with a fair price-performance ratio. Actually, the lenses sold under the name Voigtländer are distributed by the Japanese manufacturer Cosina. They look back on a long tradition. Just like the older lenses made in Germany, however, the current models are fixed focal lengths that do not require autofocus and are equipped with a high-quality shiny metal mount.
Special features of Voigtländer lenses
Voigtländer says of its lenses themselves that the special feature is that the optics are focused on the essentials - namely the optics. This means that some functions that are otherwise common are omitted. Through this omission, a higher precision can be achieved. All Voigtländer Classic lenses are therefore fixed focal lengths that do without autofocus. In this way, the company is able to use higher-quality materials without having to consider their respective weight - after all, no motor has to be installed to control an autofocus.
The materials used for the fixed focal lengths are extremely resilient and are suitable for everyday use as well as for use in extreme climatic conditions. The feel is highly praised by most users, both when it comes to adjusting the aperture and using the distance setting. When it comes to quality, Voigtländer does not want to make any compromises in the production of its lenses.
For this reason, a Voigtländer lens is a good choice for taking unique and unforgettable photos. It doesn't matter which focal length and speed you choose. Another special feature is that Voigtländer lenses are available for both analogue and digital camera systems.
Lenses for the E mount
The lenses with E mount combine the latest camera technology with high-precision mechanics. Without adapters, these models can be connected to the appropriate cameras. Following the Voigtländer tradition, most models cover the extreme wide-angle range. They therefore make the hearts of architecture and landscape photographers beat faster. The following wide-angle lenses from the E-series are very popular:
- Hyper Wide Heliar 5.6/10 mm
- Ultra Wide Heliar 5.6/12 mm
- Super Wide Heliar 4.5/15 mm
These lenses produce extreme image angles of 130, 121 and 110 degrees, making the aspherical wide-angle lenses perfect for wide landscape shots and attractive architectural photos. There are no elements for camera-side control with these lenses. You therefore set the working aperture as well as the focus manually on the lens. When focusing, the camera can switch automatically to magnification mode if desired. Then better accuracy is possible. The lens-relevant data such as the distance setting, the aperture and the focal length are passed on to the camera. This data can be used for image stabilisation and exposure metering.
VM lenses
With the lenses equipped with the VM bayonet, Voigtländer has fulfilled the wish of numerous photographers. These lenses can be used not only on Leica and Voigtländer rangefinder cameras, but also on many other modern digital cameras thanks to adapters. The portfolio ranges from 12 to 75 millimetres focal length in 35 mm format or for full-frame digital cameras. The focal length changes depending on the image sensor. On an APS-C sensor, for example, it increases by about 1.5.
The lens programme of VM lenses is extensive and ranges from extreme wide-angle to classic portrait focal lengths. Since the wishes of experienced photographers always play a significant role in Voigtländer product development, the company offers several lenses with identical focal lengths. For example, the 35 millimetre Nokton is available as an extremely fast 1.2 or as a still very fast 1.4 model. There is also the all-rounder with a speed of 2.5, which is suitable for many occasions. This lens selection once again shows that Voigtländer follows the philosophy of giving the photographer all the possibilities and freedom to realise the desired photos.
SL lenses
The SL collection from Voigtländer has only recently been revised to continue to meet the requirements of digital photography and the shooting sensors used for it. The final beam path was changed in this context. Now it is possible to take photos with SL lenses that leave nothing to be desired, even in the peripheral areas. In addition, a new aperture kinetics with nine blades has been integrated. The once polygonal aperture is now circular. In addition, the SL-II lenses with Nikon mount have their own CPU that can communicate with the camera electronics. The CPU sends information about the selected distance to the camera's exposure electronics. This enables even more accurate exposure and flash metering.
Light-powerful MFT lenses
Last but not least, the MFT lenses should not go unmentioned, which represent a class of their own in the Voigtländer portfolio. They were developed for MFT cameras from Panasonic and Olympus. These lenses impress with their proven quality and a sensational speed of an incredible 0.95. This means that it is still possible to take excellent, low-noise photos even in difficult lighting conditions or in semi-darkness. In addition, the ten blades create a harmonious, beautiful bokeh. Furthermore, the MFT lenses are characterised by a very short minimum distance.
Summary on the Voigtländer lenses
If you are looking for high-quality fixed focal lengths with high speed and a very good price-performance ratio, the Voigtländer models are certainly the right ones for you. However, the optics are not necessarily suitable for beginners, as aperture control and focusing must be done manually.
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