• Home
  • Photography
    • People
    • Landscape
    • Wildlife
    • Street
  • Video Projects
  • Blog
  • About Me
  • Contact
  • Menu

Brian Cho

Video • Photography
  • Home
  • Photography
    • People
    • Landscape
    • Wildlife
    • Street
  • Video Projects
  • Blog
  • About Me
  • Contact
DSC05778.jpg

Review: Voigtlander 50mm f/2 APO-LANTHAR VM for Leica M

April 13, 2021 in Leica M, Gear Review

Contents

  1. Intro

  2. Specs

  3. Build Quality

  4. Performance

  5. Test Images

  6. Sample Images

  7. Final Thoughts


Intro

If you've been looking for budget friendly alternatives to classic Leica lenses, then Voigtlander is a brand you've probably come across. Voigtlander lenses (distributed by Japanese company Cosina) have been very popular choices for photographers looking to save a couple thousand dollars on Leica M glass. Most modern Voigtlander lenses have excellent optical and build qualities that rival Zeiss and Leica lenses. This 2021 release is no different and is quite possibly the best lens that Voigtlander has released to date. The Voigtlander 50mm f/2 APO-LANTHAR VM is finally here for the Leica M mount after appearing on the Sony FE system in 2019.


Specs

  • Focal Length: 50mm

  • Leica M Mount

  • Minimum Focus Distance: 70cm/.7m

  • Max Aperture: f/2

  • Minimum Aperture: f/16

  • Optics: 10 Elements in 8 Groups; 12 Diaphragm Blades

  • Weight: 288g

  • Dimensions (Diameter x Length) 55.6mm x 53mm / 2.2" x 2.1"

  • Filter Size: 49mm

  • Weather Proofing: None

  • Price: $999 USD on B&H Photo


View fullsize DSC05769.jpg
View fullsize DSC05775.jpg

Build Quality

This lens feels amazing to operate with. Modern Voigtlander lenses have a great build quality to them and the 50mm APO-LANTHAR is no different in this regard. The focusing ring is incredibly smooth and it creates a pleasant experience when obtaining focus on portraits. There is no focusing tab on this lens but personally I prefer a standard focusing ring on lenses of this length. Another thing to note is that this lens does not come with a lens hood. Purchasing a lens hood (Voigtlander LH-13) will cost another $129 USD.

The aperture has defined clicks and adjusts in half stops from f/2 to f/16. The markings and text on the lens barrel are a little difficult to read at times. The text is rather thin and the crimson font color they chose for the feet distance indicator is a bit too dark and might blend in with the black color of the lens barrel at times. It's a small complaint but it becomes quite noticeable how pleasant the distance indicators on the Zeiss Planar 50mm f/2 and Leica 50mm f/2 Summicron are in comparison to the Voigtlander.

In the following photos you’ll see that the Voigtlander is larger than the Leica Summicron and Zeiss Planar and the weight difference is noticeable. This isn’t enough to be cumbersome but it is something to keep in mind if you consider weight a priority when carrying your equipment around.

View fullsize Voigtlander APO-LANTHAR, Leica Summicron Type V, Zeiss Planar
Voigtlander APO-LANTHAR, Leica Summicron Type V, Zeiss Planar
View fullsize Voigtlander APO-LANTHAR, Leica Summicron
Voigtlander APO-LANTHAR, Leica Summicron

The optical design of this lens consists of 10 glass elements in 8 groups with 12 diaphragm blades which aid in bokeh quality. This lens has an APO classification in its name, indicating that the lens has an apochromatic design which drastically mitigates color fringing and chromatic aberrations. The RGB colored lines near the front element are a nice touch in tribute to its design. This overall glass construction is excellent and you can see the amazing performance of this lens in the next section.


Performance

I used the Voigtlander 50mm APO-LANTHAR f/2 on my Voigtlander Bessa R4A and my Sony A7c. I must preface that the quality of your image will be significantly better if you're shooting with a digital Leica M body since the Sony sensor is not optimized for M mount glass. However, you can see the relative difference in quality and performance when I compare the images of the APO-LANTHAR with other 50mm M lenses in the same category. Personally, I use most of my M mount lenses on my R4A and my Leica M5 and certain lens qualities aren't as pronounced on film.

View fullsize DSC05676.jpg
View fullsize Those looking for a "3D Pop" will love this lens.
Those looking for a "3D Pop" will love this lens.
View fullsize DSC05717.jpg

The first impression you will receive from this lens is that it is incredibly sharp. It definitely has a more modern rendering but the sharpness of this lens isn't overwhelming. Contrast is strong and saturation is very bold at f/2. It's hard to deny the claim others have made that this is quite honestly the best performing Voigtlander lens to date.

One important thing to note is that vignetting is quite apparent at f/2 if you're adapting this lens to other digital bodies like a Sony mirrorless camera. The vignetting is less apparent with my film photos but it's definitely more noticeable compared to the standard Leica 50mm f/2 Summicron. Distortion is quite minimal and both vignetting and distortion are easily adjusted if you apply a Lightroom correction with the Sony FE profile of this lens.

View fullsize Sony A7c & Voigtlander Adapter
Sony A7c & Voigtlander Adapter
View fullsize Minimal flaring when facing direct light
Minimal flaring when facing direct light

Test Images

True to the apochromatic design of this lens, chromatic aberration is minimal or practically non-existent. The photos below have not been corrected for chromatic aberrations within Lightroom nor have they been adjusted with a profile to correct for vignetting or distortion.

View fullsize Voigtlander APO-LANTHAR @ f/2
Voigtlander APO-LANTHAR @ f/2
View fullsize Center
Center
View fullsize Corner
Corner

If you're very strict about your preference in bokeh quality, you'll be happy to see just how beautiful the out-of-focus areas are with this lens. The rear bokeh quality of the Voigtlander has the smoothest transitions between out-of-focus elements in the image. No other 50mm f/2 lens that I tested against the Voigtlander came close to having such pleasing rear bokeh rendering. What's very odd is that objects that are in front of the focal plane have slightly distracting bokeh qualities compared to objects that are in the distance.

The images below demonstrate the difference in out-of-focus elements between the Leica Summicron (Top) and the Voigtlander APO-LANTHAR (Bottom). Click on individual images for a larger view.

View fullsize A7C-LEICA-BOKEH-WIDE.jpg
View fullsize Leica Summicron Type V
Leica Summicron Type V
View fullsize A7C-LEICA-BOKEH-F2-FRONT.jpg
View fullsize A7C-VOIGT-BOKEH-F2-WIDE.jpg
View fullsize Voigtlander APO-LANTHAR
Voigtlander APO-LANTHAR
View fullsize A7C-VOIGT-BOKEH-F2-FRONT.jpg

Notice how smooth the out of focus area is in the rear for the Voigtlander compared to the Leica but the bokeh nearest to the camera is more defined and sharp on the Voigtlander. It's not the biggest deal breaker and to be quite honest I don't think most people will notice this unless if you're pixel-peeping every out of focus element near the camera.

Both lenses have a swirly cat-eyed bokeh with the Leica having more spherical shapes to its bokeh balls.

Here are shots of the Voigtlander 50mm f/2 APO-LANTHAR at f/2 against other popular 50mm f/2 lenses:

View fullsize Voigtlander APO-LANTHAR
Voigtlander APO-LANTHAR
View fullsize Leica Summicron
Leica Summicron
View fullsize Zeiss Planar
Zeiss Planar
View fullsize Konica M-Hexanon
Konica M-Hexanon

Something interesting to note is that the Voigtlander has a slightly wider field of view than the Leica Summicron. The Zeiss Planar has the widest field of view with very little vignetting at f/2. I threw my Konica M-Hexanon 50mm f/2 in the mix as a budget choice to compare to the other popular 50mm lenses.

View fullsize Voigtlander APO-LANTHAR
Voigtlander APO-LANTHAR
View fullsize Leica Summicron
Leica Summicron
View fullsize Zeiss Planar
Zeiss Planar
View fullsize Konica M-Hexanon
Konica M-Hexanon

Test chart images at f/2 for center sharpness, corner sharpness, and levels of chromatic aberration.

View fullsize Voigtlander (Center)
Voigtlander (Center)
View fullsize Voigtlander (Corner)
Voigtlander (Corner)
View fullsize Leica (Center)
Leica (Center)
View fullsize Leica (Corner)
Leica (Corner)
View fullsize Zeiss (Center)
Zeiss (Center)
View fullsize Zeiss (Corner)
Zeiss (Corner)
View fullsize Konica (Center)
Konica (Center)
View fullsize Konica (Corner)
Konica (Corner)

My order of rankings for performance purely from this test chart is:

  1. Voigtlander APO-LANTHAR

  2. Leica Summicron

  3. Zeiss Planar

  4. Konica M-Hexanon

View fullsize DSC05766.jpg
View fullsize DSC05810.jpg

The Voigtlander had superb sharpness and consistent image performance across the frame. The Leica is a little softer on the corners, but I’d expect the corner softness to disappear on a true Leica digital camera. The Zeiss Planar has some color fringing in the corners and the Konica has obvious chromatic abberation going on the edges of the image. Overall, the Voigtlander, Zeiss, and Leica produce amazing images and the Konica holds up relatively well. However, it does speak volumes when I can instantly spot just how much cleaner the images out of the Voigtlander are.


Sample Images

Click on the photo to view a larger image.

View fullsize Sony A7c
Sony A7c
View fullsize Sony A7c
Sony A7c
View fullsize Sony A7c
Sony A7c
View fullsize Kodak Gold 200
Kodak Gold 200
View fullsize Kodak Gold 200
Kodak Gold 200
View fullsize Kodak Gold 200
Kodak Gold 200
View fullsize Kodak Gold 200
Kodak Gold 200
View fullsize Kodak Gold 200
Kodak Gold 200
View fullsize Kodak Gold 200
Kodak Gold 200

Final Thoughts

DSC05769.jpg

This is quite simply one of the most sophisticated Leica M mount lenses that has been released. Minimal color fringing, excellent sharpness, amazing bokeh quality, and solid build quality are all obvious signs that this lens is a must-have for any photographer looking for a Leica M mount standard prime lens.

Unfortunately I didn't have the Leica 50mm f/2 APO version to compare this lens to, but comparing a $9000 lens to a $1000 lens doesn't make much sense to me, personally. The differences in optical quality become so minute that a ~$8000 price difference is hard to justify unless if you're a purist who prefers Leica glass on Leica camera bodies. From my experience with the Voigtlander, it outperformed the Leica 50mm f/2 Summicron, Zeiss Planar 50mm f/2, and my Konica M-Hexanon 50mm f/2 in every aspect asides from the moderate vignetting. If you've come down to any of these lenses while deliberating on your next 50mm prime lens, then the difference in build quality is probably your main factor to consider.

Pros:

  • Sharpness

  • Bokeh quality

  • Near zero color fringing

  • Solid build construction

  • Well dampened focus ring

Cons:

  • Moderate vignetting at f/2

  • Slightly hard-to-read distance indicators

  • Larger than comparable 50mm f/2 M mount lenses

  • No included lens hood

Other Comments:

  • At $999 USD, the Voigtlander isn’t cheap but the Leica Summicron costs ~$2800 USD and the APO-Summicron costs ~$9000 USD. So you’re saving a significant amount of money for a lens that has image quality near the level of Leica glass.

Rating: 5/5

Providing a B&H Photo Affiliate link if you’d like to purchase the lens so I can use the funds to run my reviews. Thanks!
Voigtlander 50mm f/2 APO-LANTHAR for Leica M.

Tags: Voigtlander, Voigtlander Lens, Voigtlander 50mm f/2 APO-LANTHAR VM, Leica M, Voigtlander 50mm, APO-LANTHAR VM, Voigtlander VM Lens
Prev / Next

Blog

Welcome to my blog, where I share in-depth product reviews and insights from my personal travel experiences.


Featured Posts

Featured
May 25, 2025
Review: Sirui 40mm T1.8 Anamorphic Autofocus for Sony E
May 25, 2025
May 25, 2025
Viltrox
Apr 27, 2025
Review: Viltrox 25mm f/1.7 AIR for Sony E
Viltrox
Apr 27, 2025
Viltrox
Apr 27, 2025
Gear Review, 35mm
Dec 23, 2024
Review: Rollei 35 AF
Gear Review, 35mm
Dec 23, 2024
Gear Review, 35mm
Dec 23, 2024
Gear Review, Leica M, Sony E
Aug 4, 2022
Review: Lomography Atoll 17mm f/2.8 Art Lens for Leica M
Gear Review, Leica M, Sony E
Aug 4, 2022
Gear Review, Leica M, Sony E
Aug 4, 2022
Gear Review, Sony E
Jun 5, 2022
Review: TTArtisan 35mm f/1.4 for Sony E
Gear Review, Sony E
Jun 5, 2022
Gear Review, Sony E
Jun 5, 2022
Gear Review, Sony E
Oct 6, 2021
Review: Sony 40mm f/2.5 G for Sony FE
Gear Review, Sony E
Oct 6, 2021
Gear Review, Sony E
Oct 6, 2021
Leica M, Gear Review
Apr 13, 2021
Review: Voigtlander 50mm f/2 APO-LANTHAR VM for Leica M
Leica M, Gear Review
Apr 13, 2021
Leica M, Gear Review
Apr 13, 2021
Gear Review, Sony E
Jul 20, 2020
Review: Sigma 100-400 f/5-6.3 DG DN OS for Sony E
Gear Review, Sony E
Jul 20, 2020
Gear Review, Sony E
Jul 20, 2020