Cosina announces an array of new Voigtlander lenses ahead of CP+ 2024
CP+ is the biggest camera event in the world and CP+ 2024 kicks off tomorrow in Tokyo with many new camera and lens announcements expected. Ahead of the event, Cosina has given us a peek at several new Voigtlander lenses scheduled to be unveiled.
The Voigtlander Nokton 75mm f/1.5 Aspherical is the first of the lenses with scheduled releases for Nikon Z, Canon RF, and Sony FE mount. Much like other Voightlander Nokton lenses, it will be entirely manual focus, but it does include electronic contacts enabling a discussion between camera and lens to aid with technical recordings such as EXIF data. Although compact and lightweight, the lens' large diameter covers the full-frame sensor and offers a wide f/1.5 aperture, which will certainly be appealing to portrait photographers.
The 75mm focal length sits right in the zone of the best portrait lenses, and when coupled with the wide f/1.5 aperture at full-frame you can expect some seriously stunning images. We all know that a shallow depth of field and bokeh isn't a necessity for a great portrait but at f/1.5 the lens will enable great fall-off and subject separation, drawing attention to only the pin-sharp focused area.
The lens is configured with 7 elements in 6 groups and a 12-blade aperture which will make the bokeh deliciously spherical. Cosina states that this lens will be perfect for 'bokeh photography', and having read the specs I can see why, but I think that this lens may also be a valid option for videographers.
The other two lenses announced by Cosina are the Voigtlander Apo-Lanthar 50mm f/3.5 VM and the Voigtlander Color-Skopar 50mm f/2.2 VM. Both of these lenses are for full-frame VM mount. Voigtlander VM mount is designed especially for Lecia M series cameras and often features among the best Leica M lenses due to its retro and manual focus nature and delivers great optical performance at a more affordable entry point for Leica M users.
The Voigtlander Apo-Lanthar 50mm f/3.5 VM 'adopts an apochromatic design that brings the axial chromatic aberration of RGB, which makes up the three primary colors of light, as close to zero as possible'.
4 types of this lens will be available, each with different focus extension structures, materials, and exterior colors. This is the first time I have seen a single lens with 4 different build options, so I will be interested to see the official reveal at CP+ and how they all differ.
The Voigtlander Color-Skopar 50mm f/2.2 VM is a lightweight and compact lens that offers excellent optical performance, and Cosina states that even at wide-open performance remains consistent.
50mm is a classic focal length and has been used on M-mount cameras by some of the greatest photographers of all time, most notably Henri Cartier-Breeson. Cosina has recently announced a super-fast 50mm f/1.0 for Sony mirrorless, which is also expected to be on display at this year's CP+.
Further information about the lenses, their release dates, and the prices will all be unveiled at CP+ 2024. We have yet to test these lenses so can only speculate after reviewing the specification sheets, but I imagine like with most Voigtlander lenses you can expect bang for your buck!
Voigtlander offers great affordable options for lenses, for more information on budget-friendly equipment see our guides to the best cheap lenses, the best budget telephoto lenses, and the best Leica alternatives.
