22Aug Voigtlander 40mm f2.0 Ultron SL-II review video
The Voigtlander 40mm f2.0 Ultron SL-II lens is sort of an odd ball. It’s manual focus with electronically controlled aperture, all metal build, and the “close-up” attachment are interesting and strange features. Over all I enjoyed this lens, but its not an item for everyone.
At $199 the Canon 40mm f2.8 could be considered a somewhat affordable and interesting option. At $500 the Voigtlander 40mm f2.0 is more expensive then the Canon 50mm f1.4 or the Sigma 30mm f1.4 and if you already own both of these lenses you’d be hard pressed to find a reason you might need something like the Voigtlander.
On the other hand if you like the idea of having an ultra small well built pancake lens with a wide aperture for your camera and find 40mm to be a good walk around focal length, this could be a great travel lens. Just remember the lens is manual focus, so if you plan to use it wide open it could be tough to keep up with fast moving objects, especially on a crop sensor body. If you want auto focus in your pancake lens you might be better off with the Canon 40mm f2.8 or the larger Canon 50mm f1.4.
The Voigtlander 40mm f2.0 Ultron SL-II is a good lens and it does what it was designed to do well. But I can see why many have never heard of it and why it’s not the most popular kid on the block. There are just so many other options at that price point that a lens like gets lost in the stack.
