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Author Topic: Voigtlander 40mm ultron anyone?  (Read 3733 times)

roskav

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Voigtlander 40mm ultron anyone?
« on: April 19, 2011, 11:28:12 am »

Have put one of these in front of a D700 for candid work with people in tight spaces.  I keep on forgetting that I only need to focus once for a shot!.... It's really lovely though.. it makes the camera so small and people don't mind as much.  It also forces you to think about your composition and not just try to get everything in the shot.  It hasn't come off the camera in a month.... anyone else have experience of this lens?
R
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JeanMichel

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Re: Voigtlander 40mm ultron anyone?
« Reply #1 on: April 20, 2011, 11:00:48 am »

Hi,

I to have this lens, as well as the 20 mm. I use both on a Canon 5d2. The main reason for the purchases was the size of the lenses -- quite a difference in the size of a 5d2 and the 40 VC compared to the 5d2 and the 24-105 zoom! I am used to focus with rangefinder cameras (film Leica's) so focusing either of the 40 or 20 with the regular ground glass would be iffy if not for the most useful centre focus confirmation point. I almost purchased the Canon 50 f/1.4 but the VC 40 is closer to the 35 focal length that I use most often. I tend to use my 24-105 at 24 to 35 and 105 with fewer images made at other focal lengths.
The image quality of the 40 compares favourably to images made at 35-50 with the 24-105
The image quality of the 20 is also rather good, even wide open given the kind of images that would require a wide open aperture; for really good quality the lens has to be stopped down to f/8 or f/11
If you read French, there is well thought out review at:http://www.questionsphoto.com/tag/227-voigtlander

Jean-Michel
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roskav

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Re: Voigtlander 40mm ultron anyone?
« Reply #2 on: April 21, 2011, 04:50:55 am »

Hello Jean Michel... I do like the format of that review... I used google to translate it, thanks!  There was a rating on Photozone.de that indicated that the edge sharpness of the 40mm was better than the Nikon (older) 35mm which clinched it for me.  I traded in a zeiss 50mm 1.4 which turned out to be a good move.  Even with focus confirmation (would love Nikon to make an audio signal for that)  the zeiss was hard to get right.  The Voigtlander is pretty easy to pop in to focus with just your eye's judgement.  The best thing as you say and the review you mentioned is that it is really small and light.... it really helps when you have to point a camera in to people's personal space.  None of the hefty ordinance of zooms and lens shades.  ...somewhat conversely though it becomes more rewarding to get closer to your subjects instead of grabbing more abstract shots from a distance.
Ros

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petertasker

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Re: Voigtlander 40mm ultron anyone?
« Reply #3 on: April 24, 2011, 04:32:24 pm »

I traveled for two weeks, exclusively with a Canon 5D2 and Voigtlander 40mm Ultron, no other lens, - and genuinely wanted for no other lens/focal range.  It was a compact, light, and unobtrusive combination that encouraged previsualization of the composition and produced high quality files.  Setting the manual focus range in advance also assisted the rapid capture of those fleeting moments.   Peter

Here are three Galleries where the Voigtlander 40mm Ultron was used exclusively:

http://petertasker.photoshelter.com/gallery/okinawa/G0000QsdwqtJBUkA/
http://petertasker.photoshelter.com/gallery/the-new-zealand-jewellery-show/G0000bEK3mjuD9Mg/
http://petertasker.photoshelter.com/gallery/taiwan/G0000QAOEDy.Yx.E/
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