Voigtländer Color-Skopar 50mm f/2.5

Voigtländer Color-Skopar 50mm f/2.5

This is one of the lenses Cosina built to revive the Voigtländer name for film rangefinder shooters, pairing a deliberately modest maximum aperture with a remarkably compact body. It arrived in 2002 to complement the Voigtländer Bessa R2, both products of Cosina, which owns the Voigtländer trade name. The thinking behind it was unusual for its time: rather than chasing speed, it offered specifications closer to a 1950s standard lens, aimed at people still shooting screw-mount and other classic rangefinder systems who wanted something modern without paying Leica prices [3]. The result is a small 50mm that balances nicely on a Leica M or a Barnack body, with enough mass that it surprises people who pick it up unmounted [2].

The optical layout uses seven elements in six groups, a slightly more complex arrangement than the five- or six-element designs common in this class. It is said this was done so the lens barrel could be kept small, though that claim is hard to verify. Build quality is a recurring talking point: finishing is good, tolerances are tight, and the barrel shows none of the sloppy paint of cheaper lenses, with everything feeling premium despite a modest price. The lens focuses by means of a focus tab and couples to the rangefinder, with a closest focus of 0.75 m. The aperture ring carries the usual f-numbers and clicks into place, but it also has intermediate half-stops between the marked values, which can make setting an exact aperture by feel a little awkward. A small screw-in metal hood and a felt-lined slip-on cap were supplied [3].

The lens was offered in more than one rangefinder mount. It was made for the M-mount, the Nikon S-mount, the original Zeiss Contax rangefinder mount, and the Leica screw mount. LeicaLensList catalogues the LTM (M39) screw-mount version, available in black, with a chrome or silver finish also seen in the used market [2]. Cosina's Color-Skopar shares only the name with the original Tessar-derived Color-Skopars built by the historical Voigtländer company decades earlier, and the two should not be confused [3].

Optical qualities

Rendering Documented opinion describes the lens as competent and fairly transparent rather than exceptional, with a modern, relatively neutral character [1][2]. Detailed information on its optics is sparse, and the lens has a somewhat mixed reputation online, with some speculation about copy variance that is now difficult to confirm [1].

Sharpness Reviewers describe it as contrasty but not as high in resolving power as one might expect from a slower lens at its wider apertures. On a digital body it is softer and a little smeary toward the edges even slightly stopped down, and the consensus is that f/4 is where it produces a properly sharp result [1].

Contrast and color On film the higher contrast and strong colors combine to give images noticeable pop, a trait reviewers found appealing [1].

Bokeh and transitions Specular highlights are reported as pleasant rather than distracting, and the out-of-focus rendering is generally considered nice, if not as characterful as faster or more exotic designs. Background quality can become busier when foliage and twigs are involved [3].

Flare resistance At least one reviewer was impressed by a near-complete absence of flare in normal use, possibly aided by the hood [1].

Distortion and vignetting The lens shows pincushion distortion that is fairly pronounced for a 50mm, though it is usually only obvious against a straight horizon. Vignetting can be heavy wide open and clears up by about f/5.6.

Aberrations Some purple fringing can appear on digital in high-contrast areas, and chromatic aberration is fairly high wide open, easing by f/4 and largely gone by f/5.6 [1][3].

History

Development and Launch The lens was part of Cosina's effort to support the rangefinder revival it had started with the Bessa cameras. Introduced in 2002 alongside the Bessa R2, it deliberately echoed a 1950s standard-lens specification, with a slow maximum aperture to match. It filled a niche for shooters of M-mount, S-mount, Contax and Leica screw-mount cameras who wanted a modern, reliably made lens without a Leica price, and it sold for roughly five hundred dollars when new.

Collector Notes The screw-mount version is relatively uncommon on the used market today and does not appear for sale often [1]. Because the lens was sold in several mounts, buyers should confirm they are getting the screw-mount (LTM) version rather than an M-mount, Nikon S or Contax example [3]. The chrome and black versions are both encountered. A few users have mentioned back-focus or focus-calibration concerns to watch for, and as with any rangefinder lens it is worth checking rangefinder coupling, glass clarity and the presence of the small original hood and cap before buying [1]. The name overlaps with the much older Voigtländer Color-Skopar lenses, so listings should be read carefully to avoid confusion with the vintage Tessar-type design [3].

Sources

• [1] 35mmc. Voigtlander 50mm f/2.5 Color-Skopar Leica Thread Mount Lens Review. https://www.35mmc.com/21/10/2018/voigtlander-50mm-f-2-5-color-skopar-lens-review/
• [2] KJ Vogelius. Voigtländer 50/2.5 Color Skopar – Review. https://gear.vogelius.se/-reviews/voigtlander-skopar-50-ltm/index.html
• [3] Richard Haw. Review: Voigtländer Color-Skopar 50mm f/2.5. https://richardhaw.com/2019/06/29/review-voigtlander-color-skopar-50mm-f-2-5/