Cosina announces new Z Mount Voigtländer 25 mm and 50 mm lenses

Cosina has announced updated versions of its Voigtländer APO-Lanthar 35mm f/2 and 50mm f/2 Aspherical lenses. The new Mark II lenses will be released for full-frame Nikon Z Mount mirrorless cameras.

Optical design

The Mark II Voigtländer APO-Lanthar prime lenses use an apochromatic lens design. This is intended to reduce the axial chromatic aberration of red, green and blue light. The 35 mm lens is designed with 11 lens elements in nine groups. It also features a floating lens mechanism. The 50 mm lens is constructed with ten lens elements across eight groups. Both lenses include five anomalous partial dispersion glass elements and two aspherical lens elements.

Wide maximum aperture

The Mark II Voigtländer APO-Lanthar 35mm f/2 and 50mm f/2 prime lenses both feature wide maximum apertures of f/2. This should give a good low-light performance and shallow depth of field. Both lenses also have 12-bladed irises which should give a smooth, circular bokeh in the out-of-focus parts of your images.

Manual operation

The new lenses are fully manual so you will need control focus and exposure. Interestingly, the manual aperture control ring is at the front of the lens while the focus ring is at the base, closer to the camera. Both lenses also use full-metal helicoid focusing unit. Cosina says that this is processed and adjusted with high precision and high-quality grease that produces an appropriate torque. This also means you should be able to hit your focus smoothly and precisely.

Construction

The new Voigtländer APO-Lanthar 35 mm prime lens measures 2.77 inches (70.4 mm) in length and weighs 14.8 ounces (420g). This is a little heavier than the Mark I version of the lens even though both are the same length. The Mark II 50mm prime lens is 2.5 inches (64.3 mm) in length and weighs 13.7 ounces (370 g). Again, this is the same size as the previous version but a little heavier.  

What we think

The updated Voigtländer APO-Lanthar Aspherical prime lenses should deliver high-quality images. 35 mm and 50 mm are both versatile focal lengths that are ideal for a wide range of scenarios. With wide maximum apertures of f/2, both lenses should also satisfy video makers seeking shallow depth of field and good low-light performance. However, as they are manual focus only, you will need to practice your technique to ensure you hit your focus every shot. If you are looking for a new manual lens, the Voigtländer APO-Lanthar Aspherical primes are an attractive option.

Pricing and availability

Cosina says that the Mark II Voigtländer APO-Lanthar 35mm f/2 Aspherical prime lens will be available from December this year. The 50 mm lens will be released in November. Both lenses are priced at 130,000 Japanese yen which equates to around $886 at the time of writing.

Pete Tomkies
Pete Tomkies
Pete Tomkies is a freelance cinematographer and camera operator from Manchester, UK. He also produces and directs short films as Duck66 Films. Pete's latest short Once Bitten... won 15 awards and was selected for 105 film festivals around the world.

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