For landscapes, the Voigtlander has better flare resistance, it's compact and has very nice sunstars starting at f/11.
The GM performs similarly across the field (resolution/contrast) but it's bigger and flare resistance is not as great. (Although very good)
The Sigma is another contender having similar resolution performance to both Voigt and Sony at f/5.6 but it's not as great. Flare resistance is worse than the other too...but it's very compact with AF...
...like I wrote, it's not an easy decision to pick only one.
For some, the differences of MF feel (GM seems worst, the CV best), differences in AOV and coma correction are differentiators for landscape use aside from the very relevant points you’ve mentioned.
Curious about the f8 infinite APO/Ultron comp. So thanks
The Voigtlander 35mm f/2 APO has outstanding Longitudinal (axial) chromatic aberration correction. Although I still see traces of color error at f/2.
In comparison to other lenses I'm currently testing, The Sony 35mm f/1.4 GM wide open has similar axial CA correction to the Sigma 35mm f/2 DG DN but at f/2 it does slightly better.
The Voigtlander 35mm f/2 APO does better than both lenses which is to be expected.
Here are some side by sides showing the focused area (to see purple fringing) and the de-focused area showing color error for the three lenses:
The Voigtlander 35mm f/2 APO is very well corrected for lateral CA. For this comparison below, CA correction was turned off in-camera and in-post but keep in mind that Lightroom has an automatic correction profile applied to Sony lenses that can't be turned off. (Unless covering the lens' contacts). If you are using Capture one, your result may vary.
Comparison showing:
Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM (LEFT) | Voigtlander 35mm f/2 APO (MIDDLE) | Sigma 35mm f/2 DG DN (RIGHT)
Software: Lightroom with my default landscape sharpening. All other settings set to default
PS: Vignetting and distortion were NOT corrected. All in-camera corrections turned 'off'.
___________
At 35mm on Leica M10P Center Resolution and Contrast: Voigtlander 35mm f/2 APO VM vs Voigtlander 35mm f/2 Ultron II VM
(Ignore the camera aperture settings. It's not accurate on the Leica M body)
At 35mm on Leica M10P MID-ZONE Resolution and Contrast: Voigtlander 35mm f/2 APO VM vs Voigtlander 35mm f/2 Ultron II VM
(Ignore the camera aperture settings. It's not accurate on the Leica M body)
At 35mm on Leica M10P EXTREME CORNER Resolution and Contrast: Voigtlander 35mm f/2 APO VM vs Voigtlander 35mm f/2 Ultron II VM
(Ignore the camera aperture settings. It's not accurate on the Leica M body)
At 35mm on Sony A7R IV Center Resolution and Contrast: Voigtlander 35mm f/2 APO "VM" vs Voigtlander 35mm f/2 Ultron II "VM"
PS: Some Leica M-mount lenses do not perform optimally on the Sony thicker sensor stack. (off-axis)
It's the case with the Voigtlander 35mm f/2 APO and Ultron II.
They did VE and VM design concurrently so maybe they more finely tuned each lens for its destination sensor's characteristics? The new 28/2 might be different as they intend it to serve both MILC and M cameras. It will be interesting to see if it goes that way, does well on both Leica and Sony.
Fred Miranda wrote: At 35mm on Sony A7R IV EXTREME CORNER Resolution and Contrast: Voigtlander 35mm f/2 APO "VM" vs Voigtlander 35mm f/2 Ultron II "VM"
That's very interesting.
Should the sensor stack size be part of the flange distance and therefore compensated?
How exactly can a lens be optimized for a certain sensor stack height? I assume the image plane will have a difference radius depending on the stack size.
philip_pj wrote:
They did VE and VM design concurrently so maybe they more finely tuned each lens for its destination sensor's characteristics? The new 28/2 might be different as they intend it to serve both MILC and M cameras. It will be interesting to see if it goes that way, does well on both Leica and Sony.
---------------------------------------------
keepcoding wrote:
That's very interesting.
Should the sensor stack size be part of the flange distance and therefore compensated?
How exactly can a lens be optimized for a certain sensor stack height? I assume the image plane will have a difference radius depending on the stack size.
Basically using lenses optically designed for thinner sensors like the Leica M's on a Sony body with thicker sensor stack may induce field curvature and worsen a lens astigmatism depending on the lens' exit pupil distance. Usually this ill-effect is more pronounced with fast wide angle lenses but can even happen with normal and/or short telephoto lenses. The Voigtlander 35mm and 50mm f/2 APO VM lenses do not fare well on the Sony, although do improve when stopping down. However, they never achieve the performance they were designed for even at very small apertures. Some slower lenses do not require much optical tweaking by the manufacture and that's why lenses like the 12mm f/5.6 III, 15mm /4.5 III and 21/3.5 VM, CV 50/3.5 lenses for example, perform well on both Sony and Leica.
Infinity Performance compared to Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM
This is an important comparison and I made sure to test it over and over. I am very confident I have optimal copies of both lenses. It took me 3 copies of the Voigtlander and only one for the Sony GM (luck for sure).
Both lenses are absolutely amazing in regards to resolution and contrast. The best 35mm lenses I've seen to date in this regard.
Enough talk. Let's see some crops!
Distance: Infinity
Focus: Center - Best of three @ 12.4x magnification
35mm MID-FIELD resolution/contrast comparison between Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM vs Voigtlander 35mm f/2 APO
Mid-field at f/2: Amazing performance for both lenses. Usually 35mm lenses have a mid-field dip and it's not the case here. The GM does very slightly better but the APO is wide open
Mid-field at f/2.2: The Voigtlander improves noticeable with only 1/3 stop and it's now similar to the GM. Notice how the Voigtlander renders color tonality with more separation though
Mid-field at f/2.5: Not much changes
Mid-field at f/2.8: Both lenses improve slightly
Mid-field at f/4: Another small improvement in resolution for both lenses
Mid-field at f/5.6: Some signs of diffraction on the 61MP sensor
Mid-field at f/8: Some diffraction but still very strong performance
35mm EXTREME CORNER resolution/contrast comparison between Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM vs Voigtlander 35mm f/2 APO
Extreme corner at f/2: Outstanding performance for both lenses. Even wide open, the Voigtlander 35mm f/2 APO has a small advantage capturing high frequency detail
Extreme corner at f/2.8: Nice jump for both lenses, especially for the GM and they are now similar
Extreme corner at f/4: very small improvement for both lenses. Similar performance
Extreme corner at f/5.6: No much changes. The CV 35/2 APO, slightly more crispy
Extreme corner a f/8: Both lenses diffraction. The Voigtlander slightly less so
