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Friday 24 October 2014

Voigtlander 28mm f/2 between two cameras



I've recently had another opportunity to test a lens by Voigtlander. It was 28mm this time. The lens is really compact (you can see how it fits in my palm above) and fast for a wide angle lens as it is f/2. Seems like a perfect lens for a street photographer. I took it for a spin along with a Fuji X-A1 that I borrowed off my mate.




I was expecting a sharp lens and was not disappointed. Stopped down to f/2.8 it really gives satisfactory results. I was really surprised to see that this lens has very little (if any) chromatic aberrations, even when pointed directly at light sources. In the photos above you can see that I was trying really hard to get the worst lighting conditions possible, but the aberrations are at a really low level.
As usual with Voigtlander products the lens renders colour beautifully and the bokeh is pleasant to look at thanks to as many as 10 aperture blades. I would be very anxious to test that lens on FF as it would really spread its wings on a bigger sensor.
Another thing I wanted to do with this lens is compare if it works any different on two cameras by various manufacturers: Sony and Fuji.
My first impressions of the Fuji I was getting to know were not positive. The LCD display is not really easy to judge focus by (much less sharp than my Sony NEX5N's) and the camera on the whole has a much more plastic feel to it. But actually when I uploaded the photos to my computer I found out that the photos are really decent. The sensor is really efficient and similar to work with to that of my NEX5N's. Below you can see some side-by-side comparisons.



I deliberately used the same settings on both cameras and didn't process the photos much. The only difference you notice right away is the was the two sensors render colours and it seems to me that the Sony camera I've been using for the last couple of years produces photos a little tinted with yellowy green warmth, while the Fuji images are much cooler and a bit more neutral, but the difference is very slight.
Kind thatnks to the guys at infoto.pl for sending over the lens for a test. I hope I will be able to test it on FF in the future.