Voigtlander 21mm f/1.8 Ultron Lens

NEW Voigtlander 21mm f/1.8 ULTRON M Mount

Check out the Voigtlander 21mm f/1.8 Image Discussion HERE

THE 21mm f/1.8'S ARE IN STOCK!

• Very Sharp Super Fast F/1.8 to F/22 getting great reviews

• Comparable in size to the Voigtlander 35/1.2

• About 1/5 the  price of the 21/1.4 Leica Summilux

• 13 elements in 11 groups

• 1 Aspherical element

• Close focus .5 meter

• Rangefinder focusing to .7 meter

• Weight 412 grams

• 58mm Filter size

• 10 Aperture Blades

• Size: 78.4mm long, 69mm diameter

• Fixed lens Hood

• For digital Leicas, code it like the 21/1.4 Summilux

• Manufacturer's ID BA218M

Tom Abrahamsson of Rapidwinder.com take on the New Voigtlander 21mm f/1.8 Ultron he helped design!

 

The Ultron 21mm f1.8 on my Bessa R4M. I use the top-mounted finder for convenience - but even with the slight "blocking" of the lower 1/5th of the 21 finder in the R4 - works well without it.

 

The 21mm f/1.8 M mount Ultron has been in the works for about 15 months.   It completes a rather formidable VC fast M mount line-up, 21f1.8, 28f2, 35f1,2, 50f1.1 and the 75 f1.8 - fall and winter is coming and light is getting scarce!  It is a M-mount lens - thus full frame. Size is the similar to the 35mm f1.2 - not small by any means, but then it is a f1.8 (smaller than the Summilux 21f1.4 - and 1/5 of the price). It looks bigger than it feels. Fits well in the hand. The hood adds "volume" to the look though. Light (this is a 21f1.8 after all) and very smooth with the 0.5 m close focus.   However, it is surprisingly comfortable to handhold as the barrel is straight - not tapered  Front element is slightly larger than the 35f1.2 - (58 mm versus 52 mm)

 

The aperture ring is up front and it has taken me a couple of rolls to get used to its location. With the R4M it does block the lower right hand corner a bit - but you get used to it and a quick "sweep" right gets the coverage - or simply use a 21 finder on top.  

 

Distorsion is very well controlled as is edge fall off.  According to Cosina, performance is said to be "very good" - and they have taken care to make the bokeh (the fuzzy stuff) particularly good at f1.8-f2.0.   I did shoot a lot at f1.8 (spent almost 8 hours at Narita - which gave me a chance to use it at wide-open). Also some color in Kanesawa (great garden and park - and a spectacular Modern Art Museum). 

 

Bests to Everybody,

Tom Abrahamsson

 

---

 

 

Portland, Maine. Nicely restored MGB. I shot it at f1.8 (1/2000s) just to see how well the lens handled the shallow depth of field. Focus is on the MGB emblem.

Ektar 100 @ 100.

      

 

 

The Ultron 21 f1.8 at f1.8 and closest focusing distance (0.5 m). The rangefinder cuts out at 0.7 - but my strap has a piece of tape at 0.5 m as a guide.
Narita Airport in Japan - the Terminal 1, decorated with Hokusai prints and banners.
Arista 400 Premium in Rodinal 1:60 for 11 min.

 

The big market in Kanazawa, Japan. This is our lunch place. Close focus (around 0.6 m) - focus on the nearest beer bottle. f1.8.

 

 

Travel photos and text Copyright © 2012 Tom Abrahamsson  All rights reserved.