Fellow photographers,

I've decided to publish my first review focusing on the Voigtländer 28mm Color Skopar f2.8 SLII as the quality and the amount of data available online is insufficient and whatever information one can find on YouTube is quite misleading.

To start, I would like to say a few words about Voigtländer.

Originally founded in Vienna (Austria) in 1756, since 1999 Voigtländer is manufactured and marketed by Cosina in Japan. To put it into perspective: Zeiss was founded 90 years later and Nikon only started making lenses in 1917... In a nutshell, Voigtländer has 260 years of experience designing and producing unique optical instruments.

So Voigtländer (a German company) is made by Cosina (a Japanese company). That's fine with me, many manufacturers outsource their products and last time I've checked japanese knew a couple of things about lens design... and in this case it's a solid choice, the reason being Cosina also makes Zeiss lenses! (except the 'Otus' and 'Cine' lines). Actually if you put them side by side, the overall built quality and design is fairly similar... even the engraved aperture ring uses the same design blueprint.

Today you can acquire Voigtländer lenses for Leica, Nikon, micro 4/3 and in a few months for Sony. The Canon versions have been discontinued.

Cosina is a special company that still manufactures lenses with love and personal dedication. In this short video we can see the President of the company Mr. Kobayashi Hirofumi introducing us to the making of their exquisite Cosina - Voigtländer lenses. Unfortunately the video is in Japanese but as in photography, an image worth a thousand words...

Now back to the subject of this review. The Nikon version of the 28mm Color Skopar is a pancake lens measuring only 24,5mm in length and weighting close to nothing (180gr). Don't get me wrong, the lens has some heft when you pick it up, it's solid and feels amazing in the hands.

On the left is the previous version. The markings were exactly like in the Zeiss lenses and the focus ring was covered in rubber. The newest version has yellow markings and a metal focusing ring. In my opinion the latest version looks and feels bett… — On the left is the previous version. The markings were exactly like in the Zeiss lenses and the focus ring was covered in rubber. The newest version has yellow markings and a metal focusing ring. In my opinion the latest version looks and feels better. Performance is exactly the same in both lenses.

The Pros:

Price: The 28mm costs 530€ in Germany (the Zeiss Distagon 28mm around 1.000€). In USA it's even cheaper (B&H sells it at 480$).
Portability: As mentioned before, this is a very compact lens. For comparison purposes I would like to mention that the Nikkor 28mm f1.8G weights 330gr. The older Nikkor f2.8D comes closer at approx. 205gr. The Zeiss Distagon is in another league with 580gr. To be fair, the Voigtländer & the Zeiss are made mainly from metal while the Nikkors are mostly plastic. Pair this little gem with any camera and you can easily carry it around all day instead of your lens cap.

Made in Japan! I might be a little biased here. After all China also makes Apple iPhones & Sony Playstations... but that 'made in' still makes a difference for me.
Feeling: the lens is a joy to use. Period. There is something magical about taking the time to manually focus a lens. Specially with the Voigtländer (and Zeiss) lenses, the feeling is just... unique. It's a high quality precision instrument made with a lot of care and attention to detail. The focusing ring is perfectly damped (although it stiffens a little bit on cold weather) with a long throw of around 160 degrees for precise focus.
Exclusivity: for me it has a collectible value. Few photographers have heard of Voigtländer and this gives you instantly a reason to open a conversation. If you don't like to get attention don't buy this lens!
Sharpness & Rendition: it offers beautiful and natural colors although it tends to overexpose a little bit (1/3 of a stop). Contrast and microcontrast are at a high level although the Voigtländer misses that famous Zeiss '3D / Pop'.
Flare resistance: the 28mm has fantastic coatings with minor traces of flare when the sun is just outside the frame.
52mm front thread. like all older professional Nikkors, the diameter is common in the SLII series meaning that you can buy a set of filters and use them in all their pancakes (20mm, 28mm and 40mm). The 58mm Nokton f1.4 has a 58mm thread.

The Cons:

Manual focusing: yes, I know I also stated it is a positive thing. Let me explain myself... Today's DSLRs internal focusing screens are not made for manual lenses. Older SLRs had split prisms to assist you achieving the desired focus point. Of course you can also change your existing screen with a special one but it is an additional investment and the results aren't always the expected. That's why mirrorless and their focus peaking capabilities are ahead of DSLRs but that is a different story... Anyway, the focus confirmation dot and / or using Live View can come quite handy. Practice is key!
Size: once again, a compromise. The small size is a good thing but it also means that attaching and detaching the lens can be quite challenging. Specially because there is not enough room between the focusing ring and the aperture ring. Also, due to the minimalistic design, it's very easy to touch the front element while trying to adjust focus through the viewfinder (use a filter!). In addition, the Voigtländer attaches to my bodies really tight and I mean REALLY tight.
Metal mount: both my 'made in Cosina' lenses showed slight signs of "brassing" after half a dozen mounts. For those that don't know what brassing means, the chrome plating of the rear brass bayonet starts to wear from the friction with the camera's mounting plate, revealing the brass material underneath. This is merely an aesthetic issue but still a disappointment considering the overall high quality of the lens.

This is an extreme case to highlight what brassing is. My lens shows much less signs of usage but they are still present.

Aperture ring: the ring itself works perfectly with nice clicks, the problem is that unlike with the Zeiss, it lacks any system to lock the ring to its smallest aperture (f/22) in order for the camera to automatically control the aperture. If you accidentally move the selected aperture the camera will display an error message.
Sharpness in the corners at wide apertures: although in the center the Voigtländer is extremely sharp at any aperture, there are no miracles in physics. The small dimensions of the lens also mean less lens elements and with smaller diameter. Light is light. On DX cameras corner sharpness is acceptable from f/4, small compromise for what the lens has to offer. On FX that's a little more complicated. You need to stop down at least to f/5.6 to get passable corners. Extreme corners will be still quite soft at this aperture. Peak corner sharpness is achieved between f/8 & f/11. From f/16 diffraction softens everything quite a bit making it tough to choose between max. depth of field (DOF) and sharpness.

Sharpness Tests

First let's observe on how this lens is performing in the center of the frame. All photographs through the series have been shot in RAW and have no processing of any kind.

The base photo for the review was a simple snapshot from my balcony, shot with my Nikon D750 in aperture priority mode and ISO 100. A 3Legged Thing Brian CF Tripod and a remote were used to assure maximum stability. I was focusing on the 1st house in the middle of the frame using live view. Exposure was set to maximize details in the main area (I could have exposed for the sky and 'lift' the shadows in post).

Now let's examine what happens in the center of the frame at 200% magnification:

Base photograph, no post - processing applied.

At f/2.8

f/4

Slightly stopped down this little pancake is simply sensational...

f/5.6

At f/5.6 it achieves peak center resolution rivaling the best 28mm in the market.

f/8

This is the best aperture to shoot the Voigtländer all day long. Center resolution is not as high as at f/5.6 but the overall image exhibits exceptional levels of detail.

f/11

The center still holds an impressive resolution and offers an increased DoF.

f/13

The resolution at f/13 is still quite good but the overall sharpness and detail levels through the frame are quickly deteriorating. This is probably the smallest usuable aperture without getting any serious loss in quality.

f/16

Diffraction is strongly present, softening the center of the image. Although you can still get away with it if absolutely necessary, the additional DOF doesn't worth the loss in resolution. Please mind that the corners at f/16 are weaker than the ce… — Diffraction is strongly present, softening the center of the image. Although you can still get away with it if absolutely necessary, the additional DOF doesn't worth the loss in resolution. Please mind that the corners at f/16 are weaker than the center.

f/22

f/22 is a no go. I would avoid shooting at the smallest aperture as contrast, sharpness and color rendition are strongly affected.

To make it easier to understand here's a comparison between f/5.6 (left) and f/22 (right). You can click on the image to expand it.

At f/16 and below diffraction also affects the way colors are rendered. In the sample above, at f/22 the dynamic range is limited. You can see that the whites are now a sort of grey...In any case, taking a shot with a 28mm wide at f/8 focusing at 3m… — At f/16 and below diffraction also affects the way colors are rendered. In the sample above, at f/22 the dynamic range is limited. You can see that the whites are now a sort of grey...In any case, taking a shot with a 28mm wide at f/8 focusing at 3m will result on a hyperfocal distance from 1,5m to infinity. In other words, everything will be in focus!

Now let's evaluate the results in the corners & extreme corners (left). Again, these crops are magnified 200% in order to be able to see the details.

At f/2.8

As you can witness, besides the obvious vignetting there is a clear lack of sharpness and visible smearing of the corners at this aperture. If the subject is in the center of the frame and the corners lacking interest f/2.8 can still be used (e.g. S… — As you can witness, besides the obvious vignetting there is a clear lack of sharpness and visible smearing of the corners at this aperture. If the subject is in the center of the frame and the corners lacking interest f/2.8 can still be used (e.g. Street Photography).

Let's proceed with f/4

At f/4 the vignetting is visibly less. However the image quality in the corners is still very weak.

Now at f/5.6

I would be relatively comfortable shooting at f/5.6 for general photography. In my opinion it has sufficient corner resolution that combined with peak center performance can deliver solid results. Remember that this is pixel peeping at 200%.

f/8

f/8 is from my point of view the aperture at witch the Voïgtlander performs at its finest. It offers a great compromise between depth of field and overall sharpness and I am extremely satisfied with the image quality this lens delivers at this apert… — f/8 is from my point of view the aperture at witch the Voïgtlander performs at its finest. It offers a great compromise between depth of field and overall sharpness and I am extremely satisfied with the image quality this lens delivers at this aperture considering its designing characteristics & limitations.

f/11

I use this aperture quite often if I need a greater DoF. Still a great performance with just a tad weaker center. In this particular photo and due to my focal point, the satellite dish post is a little sharper than at f8 but the tiles on the roof ar… — I use this aperture quite often if I need a greater DoF. Still a great performance with just a tad weaker center. In this particular photo and due to my focal point, the satellite dish post is a little sharper than at f8 but the tiles on the roof are sligthly softer.

f/13

f/13 is still useable with small compromises as there is a slight image quality degradation due to diffraction (specially the center of the frame is clearly less contrasty).

f/16

f/16 should be avoided as distraction is quite present softening the details through the frame. If maximum depth of field or a lower shutter speed are necessary I would dare to use it with the condition that a little extra sharpening would be requir… — f/16 should be avoided as distraction is quite present softening the details through the frame. If maximum depth of field or a lower shutter speed are necessary I would dare to use it with the condition that a little extra sharpening would be required in post.

f/22

There is absolutely no reason to stop down this lens to f/22. Diffraction is now imminent softening even further the image below decency levels.

The right side corners display exactly the same characteristics.

Voigtländer's headquarters have set high Quality Control processes. As a result I have an amazing copy with perfectly centered elements and homogenous performance through the whole frame.

In difficult situations with areas of extreme contrast (in this case the sun was just outside the frame) chromatic aberrations are still present but quite well controlled.

Let's have a quick look at the right corners but without going through all the aperture range this time:

f/2.8

At maximum aperture, CA, softness and ghosting are quite visible in the mountains in the background. Also the houses on the right are smudged and lacking sharpness.

f/4

By f/4 everything looks much nicer but still the corners are extremely soft. Chromatic aberrations (purple & orange fringing) are still visible but only in this very high - contrast situation were the sun is literally setting between the mountai… — By f/4 everything looks much nicer but still the corners are extremely soft. Chromatic aberrations (purple & orange fringing) are still visible but only in this very high - contrast situation were the sun is literally setting between the mountains. In this photograph and due to the sunset, there is a natural orange glow in the edge of the mountains that can be easily mistaken with CA.

f/11

At f/11 again we see a substantial improvement controlling aberrations. However this is an extreme example with the sun constantly changing position in the horizon. Corner sharpness again is as good as it gets. For Lightroom users correction takes 1… — At f/11 again we see a substantial improvement controlling aberrations. However this is an extreme example with the sun constantly changing position in the horizon. Corner sharpness again is as good as it gets. For Lightroom users correction takes 1 click.

All of my evaluations are corroborated by the lab tests conducted by the very good Polish website 'Lens Tip' (click on the MTF table below to be redirected to their review).

Peak center resolution is obtained at f5.6. Maximum corner sharpness at f8 being the latest in my opinion the most balanced aperture.

The Cons (continuation)

Sunstars: although this is a matter of personal taste, I don't particularly like the shape of the sunstars that this lens produces. They are thick and slightly blurred despite the 9 aperture blades.
Front cap: it looks nice with a chromed Voïgtlander logo on it but it feels flimsy and detaches very easily (same problem with the Zeiss ones). If you are worried about loosing it you can use a 52mm Nikon cap.

Other characteristics:

Minimum focusing distance: around 22cm, not bad.
The lens has 7 elements in 6 groups.
The Color Skopar has an aspherical element to minimize chromatic aberrations and increase sharpness using a lower number of elements.
Angle of view: 74,8°
The mount has a CPU integrated microprocessor (like the Nikon AI-S lenses) meaning that the lens will communicate with your camera providing full metering, aperture, focus distance, etc.
Hard infinity stop: like on the Zeiss, the marking on the focusing barrel are very precise!
Lens hood: it doesn't come with one but you can purchase it as an accessory (made of metal). Since I use filters 90% of the time I generally skip the hoods for ease of use.
Bokeh: the out of focus areas are quite soft at f2.8. Depending on the background, the bokeh can be a little "nervous" but that is also a matter of personal taste (click to enlarge).

Bokeh sample at f2.8. Obviously a wide angle lens will not 'melt' the background but in my eyes its pleasing and similar to other 28mm lenses.

Vignetting: as expected for a lens with these characteristics, it's present from f2.8 to f8 more or less. Not a big deal and easy to correct in post. I actually end up reintroducing vignette in my photos...
Distortion: the Voigtländer exhibits extremely low levels of distortion for a wide angle lens. In addition any traces of it can be corrected with 1/2 a click using the standard Lightroom profiles.
Coma, astigmatism: coma is quite present. Specially radial coma contributes to the edges softness. Again not a big deal considering the physical size and characteristics of this pancake. Not ideal for astrophotography.
Chromatic aberrations: as we saw in the examples above, CA is controlled quite efficiently. After all this is an apochromatic lens design (aspheric element).

Conclusion

Overall I really LOVE my Voigtländer 28mm Color Skopar. It's a magical little gem that I use on special occasions and I am always impressed with the results. The Pros outweigh the Cons, the latter loose their importance once you get this little pancake in your hands. Again, the crops here were just to demonstrate this lens rendering capabilities. In real life you will never examine any photo at this amount of magnification (pixel peeping) in any normal application. However if your job / target is to produce huge prints maybe a more 'architectural' oriented lens should be considered. For everybody else, shooting with this amazing tiny lens is a rewarding and unique experience.

I would give to the Voigtländer Color Skopar f2,8/28 mm SL II an overall score of 8.5 out of 10.

Following you can see the final image processed in Lightroom (this time with the sun in the frame):

Shot at f/8 using a 35 sec exposure and a B+W ND10 filter.

Another beautiful photo rendered in a special Cosina - Voigtländer way... (f/11 ISO 100 43 sec)

Below you can find additional samples that I shot in Japan earlier this year. All photographs were processed in Lightroom & Color Efex Pro from Nik Collection. I will post more images as soon as possible to show more samples of bokeh, close focus and flaring resistance.

f/2.8 (wide open) ISO 100 3 sec. The distortion and softness on the left side is due to the hotel window.

Additional information

ps. For FX users, read this before purchasing the Voigtländer Color Skopar f3,5/20 mm SL II!

I am sorry if this is going to disappoint some of you but the 20mm is extremely soft at any "normal" aperture besides the center.

On DX the corners start to sharpen only around f/8 - f/11 as you can see below. By f16 diffraction is once again softening everything achieving a bit over decency levels. If you mainly shoot landscapes using a tripod it is still manageable but for anything else you will have to strongly rely on the available light and that practically limits the lens to midday shooting...

On FX the corners are always blurry no matter the aperture :(

Again using the MTF chart from Lens Tip (click on the picture to be redirected to the Voigtländer Color Skopar f3.5/20 mm SL II review) we observe that the 20mm is a "weaker" version of the 28mm. Center resolution is still superb but corner sharpnes… — Again using the MTF chart from Lens Tip (click on the picture to be redirected to the Voigtländer Color Skopar f3.5/20 mm SL II review) we observe that the 20mm is a "weaker" version of the 28mm. Center resolution is still superb but corner sharpness doesn't reach decency levels at any aperture in FF (30 lpmm).

As you can see, on a crop sensor the 20mm performs more or less on par with the 28mm on full frame as the extreme corners are naturally "cropped" with the 1,5 factor (actually it delivered a little worst image quality). I sold it and purchased the 28mm instead the moment I switched to FF as the results were "terrible" unless aggressively cropping.

Closing, please take my toughts on the 20mm with a pint of salt. The lens is not right for me, it simply doesn't fulfill my expectations, mainly regarding corner sharpness. For some of you, built quality, size and portability might be a priority. I am lucky to also own a Nikkor 20mm f1.8G that provides exceptional levels of detail at any aperture often surpassing my needs in terms of resolution.

There are other fantastic photographers - that I follow - that really like this lens despite its faults. One of them is Dustin Abbott (https://dustinabbott.net/). He has also posted a great real world review of this lens on YouTube.

Although all Voigtländer pancakes are very similar, the Color Skopar f3.5 /20 mm SL II (left) is actually a little longer than the 28mm at 28,8mm (vs 24,5mm) and a tad heavier 202gr (vs 180gr). The protruding metal ring is recessed in the 28mm but a… — Although all Voigtländer pancakes are very similar, the Color Skopar f3.5 /20 mm SL II (left) is actually a little longer than the 28mm at 28,8mm (vs 24,5mm) and a tad heavier 202gr (vs 180gr). The protruding metal ring is recessed in the 28mm but also shows when zooming in (It's just shorter). It's also 2/3 of a stop slower (not a big deal).

I hope you enjoyed this review. Let me know what you think and I will be more than glad to answer to any questions :)

Latest Update

Voigtländer has just discontinued the 20mm & 28mm... :(

Also they stop manufacturing them for Canon. If you wish, you can still buy them in selected stores while stock is available.

On the other hand, the company is still producing the magnificents 40mm f2 Ultron and a new version of the 58mm f1,4 Nokton. Get them while you can!