Road to perfection : Voigtlander Ultron 75mm F1.9 SC Leica M mount

A modern, fast 75mm lens with a vintage feel in Leica M mount. This lens is only slightly heavier than the Heliar 75mm f/2.5, yet it is nearly one stop faster.

Lens Version

There are two versions of this lens. One is MC (Multi Coated) with a matte black finish and one is SC (Single Coated) with a black paint finish. The lens being reviewed is the SC version.

Lens Specifications

Mount: M-Mount (VM)

Focal length: 75 mm

Aperture: f/1.9-16

Optical construction: 7e/5g

Aperture blades: 12

Minimum focusing distance: 0.5m

Weight: 290g

Filter size: 49mm

Handling

The focus ring operates smoothly and is well damped. The aperture ring clicks with half-stop clicks. Build quality is excellent.

Lens Sharpness

On a Sony A7RII, this lens shows pretty good resolution from wide open at the center. To get corner-to-corner sharpness on the A7RII at far distance, it will require stopping down to f/4 to f/5.6. At close distance, this lens becomes softer than at portrait distance.

Voigtlander Ultron 75mm F1.9 SC on Sony A7RII

Why my lens is less sharp when focus closer?

Camera lenses are optimized for working at a specific range of magnification/focus distance. Most short telephoto lenses are optimized to work best at portrait distance, which is about 1.5 to 4 meters.

Voigtlander Ultron 75mm F1.9 SC on Sony A7RII

Vignetting

There is moderate vignetting when used wide open. Check the photo below.

Voigtlander Ultron 75mm F1.9 SC @f/1.9 on Sony A7RII

Vignetting also affects the out-of-focus highlights/bokeh. Notice the cat-eye bokeh in the top left corner of the photo below.

Voigtlander Ultron 75mm F1.9 SC @f/1.9 on Sony A7RII

Flare Resistance

Although the lens elements in the SC version are only single-coated, I don't notice flare and ghosting most of the time. The MC version will be even more resistant to flare.

Voigtlander Ultron 75mm F1.9 SC flare and ghosting

Chromatic Aberration

Lateral and axial chromatic aberration. Lateral chromatic aberration is minor at the edge of the frame. Axial chromatic aberration is present, as shown in the photo below.

Axial chromatic aberration exist as purple fringing in high contrast area

Bokeh

Slight outlining (over-corrected most of the time), cat-eye, and even swirl.

Voigtlander Ultron 75mm F1.9 SC @f/1.9 on Sony A7RII

Summary

I can't find any major weakness of this 75mm F1.9. I do confirm there is slight focus shift which might be a problem on a Leica M mount rangefinder camera. This lens is sharp while maintaining vintage out-of-focus rendering, which is a good example of a modern classic lens. With its relatively short minimum focusing distance of 0.5 meter, this lens is a versatile lens which might replace the older Voigtlander 75/1.8 or 75/2.5 as a all-purpose lens.