Who has actually shot with the new Voightlander 21mm lens that became available just a few weeks ago? I'm curious as to how it compares with various Leica 21's. Is it better than that dog of a lens, the 21 biogon for the G2? If you just have comments about it but have never seen it, could you post those comments over on a Nikon List? ?))

Interested in first person/non anecdotal please.

Kirk

-- kirk r. tuck (kirktuck@kirktuck.com), August 23, 2001

Answers

Fishing? Or have you been reading rec.photo.equipment.35mm lately? ;-)

Godfrey

-- Godfrey DiGiorgi (ramarren@bayarea.net), August 23, 2001.

Funny you should ask. I bought one today and I am taking it to Italy for three weeks. I'll post my experience at the end of September.

I was all set to get the 25/4 Skopar, but for another $100.00 I decided to get the 21, since I already have a 28.

I ordered it from Adorama for $389.00, in case you're interested.

-- Jim Tardio (jimtardio@earthlink.net), August 23, 2001.

Tom Abrahamsson has, and reports on it at the very bottom of his review of the Bessa T, here:

http://www.cameraquest.com/VCBessaT.htm.......................

-- david kelly (dnkedit@aol.com), August 23, 2001.

I bought the 21 because it's rangefinder coupled, it got such great reviews, and I've always liked the look. If I had money to burn, I would have gotten the Leitz lens. I have enjoyed the lens. I am amazed at how saturated colors are (sometimes skies look almost polarized.) I haven't done any critical sharpness tests, nor have I used it for available light (It's f/4, remember,) but I have made some nice enlargements with the Fuji Frontier process. 8X10s cropped out of the full frame suggest that 11X14's would be great, and that's as far as I push 35mm anyway. I'm also relieved that the "football heads in the corners" distortion isn't bad. Web reproduction doesn't really allow critical assessment of a lens, but might give you some idea. Skoping a Skopar

-- Phil Stiles (Stiles@metrocast.net), August 24, 2001.

The Voigtlander 21 is a great lens! I purchased one in Nikon RF mount and it is superior to my 21 2.8 pre asph Leica lens. Edge distortion and light fall off are clearly better than the Leica lens I have. Tom Ab. rates the lens better than the 21 3.4SA with less fall off than this lens as well and without its flare problems. Basically Im selling my Leica 21 2.8 for another Voigtlander 21 that I can use in M mount, and I can use my 39mm filters on it as well! Its small, cheap and a great performer, you couldnt ask for anything more.

-- Joel Matherson (joel_2000@hotmail.com), August 24, 2001.

I got mine a month ago and so far so good. I have gone through 4 21SA's and I am convinced the Voigtlander is the buy of the year. The 21mm bright line finder that comes with the lens is reason enough to buy one; it is brighter than the standard one from Leica.

-- ray tai (razerx@netvigator.com), August 26, 2001.