Voigtländer Color-Skopar 35mm f/2.5 P I

Voigtländer Color-Skopar 35mm f/2.5 P I

Among the smallest 35mm rangefinder lenses ever put into series production, the Color-Skopar 35mm f/2.5 P I is the original screw-mount "Pancake" version of an optic that Cosina Voigtländer sold in several different bodies. The same seven-element formula appeared in the M-mount Color-Skopar 35mm f/2.5 P II, the screw-mount Color-Skopar 35mm f/2.5 C with a focusing lever, and a 35mm f/2.5 SC for Nikon rangefinder mount, so a buyer chose largely on the basis of mount and handling rather than image quality [2][3]. The P I is the Leica thread-mount (M39) variant with a conventional focusing ring and aperture ring, which gives it a particularly flat, unobtrusive profile on a Bessa or screw-mount Leica body [3].

Optically the lens uses seven elements in five groups with a ten-blade diaphragm, a combination Voigtländer associated with a smooth out-of-focus rendering [1][2]. Build is all metal, as expected of a rangefinder lens of this class, and the front accepts inexpensive 39mm filters [1]. At roughly 25mm long, 55mm in diameter and about 134g it is genuinely pocketable, and it remains rangefinder-coupled despite its slim barrel [2]. With a thread mount it can be fitted to M cameras through a standard screw-to-bayonet adapter [2]. Maximum aperture of f/2.5 keeps the lens compact at the cost of low-light speed, and the close-focus limit is modest, which suits a focal length more often used for general and street work than for close-ups [1].

Care is needed not to confuse the several members of this family. CameraQuest notes that the C, P I, P II and Nikon-mount SC all share the same optics, while differing in mount, focusing control and closest focusing distance [2]. The later P II, introduced at the PMA show in Las Vegas in February 2004, adopts an M bayonet, a focusing tab and aperture handles styled after the pre-aspherical 35mm Summicron, whereas the screw-mount C is built on the 25mm f/4 barrel and carries a quick focusing lever [2][3]. The P I sits between them as the plain-barrel thread-mount pancake. A vented metal lens hood was offered separately rather than supplied with the lens [1][2].

Optical qualities

Rendering Reviewers describe the lens as a neutral, dependable performer that gives a clean, modern look rather than a strongly characterful one [3]. As a relatively slow wide-angle it is easy to correct, and it shows stable results without prominent flaws, the main limitation being that even resolution across the frame arrives only on stopping down [3].

Sharpness The centre is already crisp at f/2.5, but detail falls off toward the edges, with the deep corners weak wide open; most of the frame is very good by f/5.6 and good edge-to-edge evenness needs around f/8 [3]. A second reviewer likewise found it impressively sharp in the centre wide open, improving as it is stopped down [1].

Contrast and color Colour is strong and well separated, with a saturated, contemporary palette; micro and mid-level contrast are good rather than exceptional, leaving overall clarity slightly subdued on axis [3].

Bokeh and transitions The ten-blade diaphragm keeps blur discs round and reasonably even, and the out-of-focus rendering is decent for the class, with moderate outlining that persists somewhat on stopping down [3]. On a digital body wide open, out-of-focus highlights can show hard edges and a faintly nervous quality in the corners with busy backgrounds [1].

Flare resistance Flare is well controlled even shooting toward the sun, with only minimal, easily avoided ghosting [1][3].

Distortion and vignetting Only slight barrel distortion is present and hard to see in practice, while corner shading is noticeable wide open, roughly halved by f/4 and effectively gone by f/5.6 [3]. One reviewer testing the lens on a mirrorless body found vignetting heavier wide open and recommended stopping down for landscapes [1].

Digital use Adapted to a full-frame mirrorless sensor the lens can show smeared, darkened corners between about f/2.5 and f/4, a common trait of short rangefinder lenses caused by the steep light angle onto the sensor stack [1].

History

Development and Launch The Color-Skopar 35mm f/2.5 was part of the Cosina Voigtländer Bessa system that revived the Voigtländer name for new screw-mount and bayonet rangefinder gear from around the turn of the millennium [2]. The screw-mount Pancake and Compact versions preceded the M-mount edition, which Cosina Voigtländer introduced at PMA in February 2004 [2].

Production Evolution Across the line the optical formula was held constant at seven elements in five groups with ten aperture blades, so changes between versions were mechanical rather than optical: mount type, focusing ring versus lever versus tab, aperture ring versus handles, and slightly different close-focus limits [2][3]. The optics remain in production in Japan under later catalogue versions [3].

Special editions No major factory special editions of the screw-mount Pancake are widely documented; the notable variations are the parallel mount and ergonomic versions, namely the screw-mount C with a focusing lever, the M-mount P II, and the Nikon S-mount SC [2][3].

Collector Notes Because the C, P I, P II and SC look similar and share glass, identify a lens by its mount and controls: the P I is thread mount with a focusing ring and aperture ring, the C is thread mount with a focusing lever, and the P II is an M bayonet with a focusing tab and aperture handles [2][3]. The supplied snap-on plastic cap is flimsy and easily lost, so a filter or hood is a sensible substitute, and the dedicated vented hood is usually sold separately and worth seeking out [1][2]. On the M-mount sibling some users report a loose aperture ring; checking aperture and focus action is advisable on any used copy [1]. Published sources sometimes quote a 0.7m close-focus figure for the M-mount version, so confirm the focusing range on the specific screw-mount example in hand.

Sources

• [1] 35mmc (Theo Wiersema). Voigtländer 35mm f/2.5 Color Skopar Review. https://www.35mmc.com/23/10/2016/voigtlander-35mm-f2-5-color-skopar-review/
• [2] CameraQuest. Voigtlander Leica Mount Lenses. https://www.cameraquest.com/voigtlen.htm
• [3] KJ Vogelius. Voigtländer 35/2.5 Color Skopar Review. https://gear.vogelius.se/-reviews/voigtlander-skopar-35/index.html