Voigtländer 50mm F2 APO-Lanthar for Sony E-Mount $1239 Delivered @ Mainline Photographics

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  meong on 21/08/2023 - 15:05

  pretty expensive for manual lens… at this price id expect F1.2 like those crazy Voigtlanders for M43…

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    DevilsInDetails on 21/08/2023 - 15:15

    +1

    IMO you can hardly find a lens that is optically equivalent at this price. Oddly there aren't many choices for E-Mount users for a decent 50mm lens at a relatively affordable price point, that is being not as expensive as Sony's GM series.

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      Halsmich on 21/08/2023 - 15:39

      -1

      Tbh I wouldn't say that's entirely true in regards to there being not many choices. The 55 1.8 (as mentioned below) is reasonably priced, and if you're after manual like the CVs, some of the China offerings are quite good too. Mr Ding 50 1.1 ($399US), and TTArtisan 50 1.4 (~$200US) stack up quite well compared to the CV 50 1.2 for example.

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        DevilsInDetails on 21/08/2023 - 15:58

        +2

        “Optically equivalent” is the precondition here. Zeiss 55mm F1.8 is good for its sharpness and its colour rendering, but not for its CA/LoCA issues.

        For other Chinese counterparts, yes they offer very decent bargains. But again, not on par with this.

        This is a lens that allows you to adjust aperture value purely due to depth of field without the need to worry about image quality. I understand for a lot of people it’s not really worth it to fork out $1200+ but it’s there for a reason.

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        joele on 22/08/2023 - 17:07

        The 55mm 1.8 has terrible Longitudinal Chromatic Aberration that is easily visible in real life usage.. The Voigtlander is a true APO design, not comparing apples to apples, true APOs do NOT come cheap. The CV 50 1.2 is not a true APO either, the f2 is a better lens by far, IMHO.

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          Halsmich on 22/08/2023 - 17:58

          @joele: I'm aware. OP said though that there weren't many decent affordable 50mm E-mount choices, to which I disagreed (I also thought he meant in general).

          The ones I mentioned obvs aren't APOs, but still are good lenses while also being a fraction of the price. Of course, the 50 2.0 is going to be the best of the lot, but again, I'm not sure if the 2-4x jump in price translates to a 2-4x improvement in perf. I just don't think this is that much of a bargain (heck you even say you got it hundreds cheaper).

          Agree to disagree.

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          dukeGR4 on 23/08/2023 - 11:57

          @joele: laughs in Nikon 50mm F1.8S

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      dukeGR4 on 22/08/2023 - 09:31

      they are rubbish, not weather sealed. Dust will inevitably get in.

      recently sold my Nokton F1.2 for like 40% of what i paid back in 2014 lol.

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  PlushToys on 21/08/2023 - 15:33

  If you are going to take pictures of static subjects all day it might be good. Price is mediocre. Can live with a 55 1.8.

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    OzViper on 21/08/2023 - 16:01

    Proper tactile manual focus ring and the manual focus gadgets on modern cameras (like focus peaking) make manual focus an option on more than just plain static subjects these days

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  Commodore64 on 21/08/2023 - 16:27

  Would rather get the Loxia personally

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    DevilsInDetails on 21/08/2023 - 16:28

    +1

    The Loxia isn’t bad at all! Actually I prefer Loxia’s look than Voigtänder’s.

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  joele on 22/08/2023 - 17:10

  Is a wonderful true APO lens, but niche user pool.. Shame everything has gone up so much, I got it from Mainline a few years back a few hundred cheaper.

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  Dubious speculation on 24/08/2023 - 13:35

  Honestly if you were seeking the absolute best of the best image quality and didn't care about size or weight I'd choose the Sigma 40mm 1.4 over this. Non-existent CA, loca, coma etc wide open even in the corners. The MTF chart and real world performance especially for astro is the best and outperforms even Otus level glass. On sale occasionally below $1000.

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    DevilsInDetails on 24/08/2023 - 18:06

    Already have one, paid $720 on eBay last year with a nice discount.

    By weighing 1.2kg it’s too heavy for daily use, and I use my 28mm F1.4 mostly when being indecisive. And yes these two are killers for astrophotography, along with the 105mm F1.4 as well.

    Interestingly those three also have very little breathing effect. According to Sigma they just grabbed the three from their Cine line-up and made them into photography lenses without any compromises.