Voigtländer APO-LANTHAR 35mm f/2

Voigtländer APO-LANTHAR 35mm f/2

The APO-LANTHAR 35mm f/2 brought Voigtländer's apochromatic ambitions to the 35mm focal length in the M-mount line, following the well received 50mm f/2 APO-Lanthar and aiming to be the highest performing 35mm wide angle the company had made for the system [1][2]. It was announced in February 2021 alongside a new ULTRON Vintage Line 35mm f/2 Type II, positioning the APO-Lanthar as the corrected, high resolution option rather than a character lens [3]. The design pursues apochromatic colour correction, with the manufacturer and reviewers describing very high resolution and contrast from maximum aperture, qualities that have made it a favourite among landscape, architecture and detail oriented rangefinder shooters [1][2].

The optical formula uses eleven elements in nine groups, including two double sided aspherical elements and five abnormal partial dispersion elements, with floating elements to maintain performance at close focus [1][2]. The barrel is all metal with manual focusing, and the twelve blade diaphragm is engineered so that the opening stays effectively circular at f/2, f/2.8, f/5.6 and f/16 for cleaner rendering of point light sources [1]. The lens is rangefinder coupled and focuses to 0.7 m on a rangefinder camera, while live view on mirrorless bodies allows closer focusing [1]. The compact body takes 49 mm filters and weighs about 304 g, and the native VM mount adapts readily to Sony E, Fuji X and Nikon Z bodies, including via Voigtländer's close focus adapters [1][2].

The lens is sold in M-mount in a black finish and does not carry Leica six-bit coding; there are no widely documented factory variants of the M-mount version, although Voigtländer also offers separately designed APO-Lanthar 35mm f/2 lenses in mirrorless mounts that differ optically [2]. The optional LH-13 lens hood is the matching accessory most often referenced [1].

Optical qualities

Rendering Reviewers consistently report very high resolution and strong contrast across the frame, even at f/2, on a flat field that suits landscape and architecture work [2]. Distortion and coma are well controlled, and the corrected, neutral look defines the lens rather than overt character [2].

Bokeh and transitions Out of focus rendering is regarded as adequate but not a highlight, with at least one detailed reviewer noting it is not the lens's strongest trait and is partly a matter of taste; the rounded twelve blade diaphragm helps keep highlights tidy at the click stops where it stays circular [1][2].

Aberrations Despite the apochromatic designation, longitudinal chromatic aberration correction has been judged good but not as exceptional as on the 50mm and longer Apo-Lanthar lenses, with one tester finding the M-mount sample slightly behind the E-mount version, possibly due to design or sample variation [2].

Distortion and vignetting Distortion is low, but vignetting is comparatively heavy and remains noticeable even when stopped down, which is the main drawback flagged in testing [2].

Digital use The lens resolves cleanly on high resolution full frame digital sensors and was evaluated on bodies up to the 42 to 61 megapixel range as well as on Leica M digital cameras [2].

History

Development and Launch Voigtländer, under Cosina, announced the APO-LANTHAR 35mm f/2 Aspherical VM on 15 February 2021, together with the ULTRON Vintage Line 35mm f/2 Aspherical Type II VM [3]. It was the second M-mount entry in the modern Apo-Lanthar family after the 50mm f/2, extending the apochromatic, high correction approach to a 35mm wide angle and presented as Voigtländer's best performing 35mm VM lens to that point [1][3].

Special editions No major factory special editions, military or export variants of the M-mount APO-LANTHAR 35mm f/2 are widely documented.

Collector Notes Buyers should distinguish the M-mount VM lens from the mirrorless mount APO-Lanthar 35mm lenses, which use different optical designs despite sharing the name [2]. The M-mount version lacks six-bit coding, so users relying on lens detection on Leica digital bodies may need to set the profile manually. The matching LH-13 hood is a worthwhile accessory to confirm when buying, and as a current production lens originality concerns are minimal compared with vintage glass [1].

Sources

• [1] Stephen Gandy's CameraQuest. Voigtlander 35mm f/2 APO-Lanthar M. https://shop.cameraquest.com/voigtlander-leica-mount-lenses/voigtlander-35mm-f/2-apo-lanthar-m/
• [2] phillipreeve.net (Bastian Kratzke). Review: Voigtlander VM 35mm 2.0 Apo-Lanthar. https://phillipreeve.net/blog/review-voigtlander-vm-35mm-2-0-apo-lanthar/
• [3] Leica Rumors. Announced: Voigtlander APO-LANTHAR 35mm f/2 Asph and Voigtlander ULTRON Vintage Line 35mm f/2 Asph Type II VM lenses for Leica M-mount. https://leicarumors.com/2021/02/15/announced-voigtlander-apo-lanthar-35mm-f-2-asph-and-voigtlander-ultron-vintage-line-35mm-f-2-asph-type-ii-vm-lenses-for-leica-m-mount.aspx/