Voigtländer APO-LANTHAR 50mm f/2 Aspherical (Leica M) lens

Voigtländer APO-LANTHAR 50mm f/2.0 Aspherical (Leica M) lens

The Voigtlander Apo-Lanthar 50mm F2 offers high-end quality for Leica M cameras or, with an adapter, for other bodies.

Unusually, this lens was first released for Sony bodies and then later as an M-mount version. The lens was built from scratch and features a complex optical design, a floating lens group to maximize sharpness at different focusing distances, and several special elements. Although this was designed for a more traditional system, the size is still quite compact, making it a great companion for a rangefinder camera.

As the name suggests, this is apochromatic, meaning that chromatic aberrations are minimized, there is no distortion, and the sharpness of the image is in a class of its own. So the goal has been to achieve practically flawless image quality, so how has this been achieved?

According to Voigtländer, this is their best normal lens in terms of image quality, meaning all the challenges listed above have been overcome. If the F2 aperture is sufficient and there is no need for the Leica 50mm Apo Summicron's clever built-in lens hood, focus tab and smaller size, then the Apo Lanthar 50mm offers very close image quality at a very different price.

The same meticulousness and pursuit of perfection continues in the mechanical quality, meaning everything from the feel of focus and aperture adjustment to the clean feel in the hand is in good condition.

Made in Japan.

Specifications:

• Compatibility: Leica M-mount
• Focal length: 50mm
• Light intensity: F2 (min. F22)
• Closest focusing distance: 50cm
• Optical construction: 13 elements in 10 groups, 10 diaphragm blades
• Filter thread: 43mm
• Size: 67.8 x 58.7
• Weight: 312g

There is no lens hood in the sales package.