Voigtlander APO LANTHAR 90 L 90mm F3.5
A review and photo examples of the Voigtlander APO LANTHAR 90 L 90mm F3.5.
- Please see the disclaimer regarding advertising here.
- Italicized links in the text are advertisement links that take you to other sites.
Table of contents
Gallery
The photo examples were taken with EPSON R-D1.
Review
1．Overview
The Voigtlander APO LANTHAR L 90mm f/3.5 is a Voigtlander-branded L39 screw-mount telephoto lens released by Cosina in 2001.
Main specifications are as follows; details are listed in the specifications section.
- Aperture: F3.5
- Lens Construction: 6 elements in 5 groups
- Aperture Blades: 10
- Minimum Focus: 1.0m
- Leica M Rangefinder Camera Rangefinder Coupling: 1.0m
- Hood: Dedicated screw-on hood
- Lens Color Options: Silver and Black
2．Usability
The Voigtlander APO LANTHAR L 90mm f/3.5 offers just the right amount of performance for a telephoto lens, delivering sharp, crisp images in focus. As the “apo” name suggests, it’s an apochromat lens that corrects chromatic aberration in three wavelengths: red, blue, and green, resulting in minimal color bleeding.
This lens is based on Voigtlander’s early L39 screw mount and features a slim aperture of f/3.5. With a wide focus ring at the front and an aperture ring at the front of the lens, it’s easy to use. The included screw-on lens hood is deep and practical.
I used this lens when using the Epson R-D1, and its 1:1 viewfinder is extremely useful for focusing this long-focus lens. There are virtually no issues with focusing up to about 3m, but at a minimum focusing distance of 1m, the subject will shift due to parallax, which occurs when the lens and viewfinder are positioned differently. This requires the photographer to preview the shot, understand the extent of the shift, and correct it accordingly. Once you get used to it, you’ll be able to bring the subject to the intended position.
Medium telephoto lenses for rangefinder cameras are generally unpopular, and used prices for these lenses are low. Medium telephoto lenses for rangefinder cameras have a minimum focusing distance of 1m, making them inferior to lenses for close-up photography. However, some mount adapters for mirrorless cameras are equipped with auxiliary helicoids, which can make up for the lack of a minimum focusing distance.
3．Summary
In conclusion, to sum up the Voigtlander APO LANTHAR L 90mm F3.5, there are generally no issues with the focus position when using the Epson R-D1’s 1:1 viewfinder. However, the focal length is 135mm (35mm equivalent), which has a large parallax effect, making close-up photography difficult.
When using with a mirrorless camera, the shortcomings of the minimum focusing distance can be overcome by using a mount adapter equipped with an auxiliary helicoid.
Specifications, considerations, etc.
What’s interesting about this lens is that the S APO LANTHAR 85mm was released for the Nikon S mount in 2003, and while the two lenses are undoubtedly siblings, I’ve seen descriptions that claim they’re identical, with a focal length of 90mm. However, when comparing the lens construction diagrams in the lens introduction PDF distributed by Cosina, all aligned to the same size, it appears that while the construction is the same, the lens thickness is different, with the ApoLanther having a focal length of 90mm and the S ApoLanther having an 85mm focal length.
I’d like to get my hands on both and test them to see if the shooting range or image quality changes, but as mentioned above, I’ve already sold my ApoLanther 90mm, and even if I were to get new lenses, many of them are cloudy, so I haven’t yet purchased them. I’d like to test them if I have the opportunity.
The focal length of the Nikon S’s medium telephoto lenses is 85mm because the Nikon-S’s viewfinder frame uses an 85mm lens.
After the Apolanther 90mm, telephoto lenses became a focal length for SLR cameras, and no products were made for rangefinder cameras. However, in 2021, the Voigtlander APO SKOPAR 90mm was released, marking the return of the Voigtlander brand to a 90mm focal length lens for rangefinder cameras for the first time in a long time.
| Items | APO LANTHAR | S APO LANTHAR | APO SKOPAR |
| Focal length(mm) | 90 | 85 | 90 |
| Max aperture | 3.5 | ← | 2.8 |
| Min aperture | 22 | ← | ← |
| Leaf blade | 10 | ← | ← |
| Lens Construction | 6elements in 5groups | ← | 7 elements in 7groups |
| Min distance(m) | 1.0 | ← | 0.9 |
| Lens length(mm) | 90 with hood | 83.9 ← | 60 no hood |
| Max diameter(mm) | 51 | 55.8 | 53 |
| Filter Size(mm) | 39 | ← | ← |
| Hood | Special hood | ← | ← |
| Weight(g) | 260 | 262 | 250 |
| Mount | L39 | S | VM |
| Release date | 2001.02 | 2003.03 | 2021.11.30 |
| Price(Yen/No-tax) | 55,000(Silver) 58,000(Black) | 65,000(Silver) | 90,000(Silver and Black) |
Reference links
- COSINA PDF(Apo-lanthar 90mm)
- Leica lenses around the world Part 3/amazon affiliate link
Affiliate link
Update
- 2024.04.22
- 2023.10.31
Leave a Reply