Voigtlander ULTRON SL 40mm F2
Compact multi-mount lens
A review and Photo example of the ULTRON 40mm F2 SL Aspherical.
Table of contents
Gallery
- The examples were taken with the SONY α900
- The examples were taken with the FUJIFILM S3Pro
Review
The review notes the following:
1.Lens Overview
The Ultron 40mm is a lens for single-lens reflex cameras (SL) released by Cosina under the Voigtlander brand in 2002.
The title of the page, “multi-mount,” comes from the fact that this lens was released in a variety of lens mounts (although the same is true for other SL lenses).
The mounts released were M42, Nikon Ai-S, Canon EF (EOS), Minolta (Sony) α, Pentax-K, Yashica Contax, Olympus OM, Minolta MD, Canon FD, etc.
Early Voigtlander SL lenses did not have electronic contacts, and the camera barrel was the same, with only the mount replaced. The aperture was a real aperture and used with manual focus. In the case of SLR cameras, the viewfinder becomes dark when the aperture is narrowed.
The minimum shooting distance is 40 cm, and the lens follows the rule of 10x focal length. Subsequent lenses were bundled with a close-up adapter to shorten the minimum shooting distance. The latest model has a revised lens barrel design that allows the lens to focus as close as 25cm.
The lens is a Gaussian type with 6 elements in 5 groups, with an aspherical lens at the rear.
Two types of bayonet lens hoods have been released: a cylindrical type (LH-40S) and a shape that looks like a hemisphere with a square cut out (LH-40D).
The lens name Ultron is based on the fact that the original ULTRON lens specifications were 50mm F2, so Cosina Voigtlander lenses ignore focal length and use the Ultron brand for lenses with an aperture of around 2.
This lens is a long-lasting lens that is still on sale today, with changes to its appearance and compatible mount.
This lens has been released repeatedly with a similar name, making it difficult to track the changes, so the specifications are summarized in a specification and comparison table.
Information was reproduced from the Cosina official website, distributed leaflets (PDF), etc. The order of release is SL, SLII, SLIIN, SLIIS or B, and the main differences are as follows.
- SL is a fully manual lens with no electronic contacts.
- SLII has an improved version with a slightly cheaper rubber knurling, a reorganized lens mount, and is compatible with Nikon Ai-S (CPU compatible) and Pentax KA mounts and comes with a dedicated close-up lens.
- SLIIN is compatible with Nikon Ai-S (CPU compatible) and Canon EOS (with electronic contacts) mounts and comes with a dedicated close-up lens.
- SLIIS or B has a completely redesigned and larger lens barrel, but the minimum shooting distance has been shortened to 0.25m with the lens alone.
2.Usage
I like the compactness and styling of the Ultron 40mm lens, and I used it with image sensors of various sizes. The focal length in 35mm format is 40mm, and for cameras with smaller sensors, it is cropped according to the sensor size. The focal lengths of the cameras I used, converted to 35mm format, are as follows:
| Model name | Manufacturer | 35mm equivalent focal length |
| SD15 | SIGMA | 68mm |
| GF1 | PANASONIC | 80mm |
| FinePix S3Pro | FUJIFILM | 60mm |
| K20D | PENTAX | 60mm |
| α900 | SONY | 40mm |
| α700 | SONY | 60mm |
I first got the M42 mount version and used it with the above camera via a mount adapter. The M42 mount only has a real aperture, but it is a very flexible mount. As of 2024, there is no problem with a real aperture when using the EVF of a mirrorless camera.
The Fujifilm FINEPIX S3Pro cannot use the M42 mount due to the flange back of the mount, so I purchased the Nikon F mount version separately.
As you can see from the results of shooting with the Sony α900 equipped with a 35mm full-size sensor, the image is well resolved even at the periphery of the photo, and the image has a three-dimensional feel. This lens can express the individuality of the sensor even with a smaller sensor.
About the lens operate, and the focus ring is narrow because the overall length of the lens is short, which makes it a little difficult to use, but once you get used to it, it won’t be a problem. The aperture ring is at the base of the lens and has a solid click feeling, so it won’t turn accidentally.
As mentioned above, the minimum focusing distance is just 40cm, so I’m glad that this has been improved in successor lenses, but it’s unfortunate that the barrel of the latest lens is larger than that of the original lens, which I loved.
3.About Voigtlander SL lenses
The following seven SL lenses were released at the same time.
Except for the two lenses for mirror-up use only, the lens designs are consistent, with a black lens barrel and a silver accent on the focus ring, which is a nice combination of classic and modern.
- Ultra Wide Heliar 12mm (for mirror-up use only)
- Super Wide Heliar 15mm (for mirror-up use only)
- Ultron 40mm
- COLOR HELIAR 75mm
- APO LANTHAR 90mm
- Macro APO LANTHAR 125mm
- APO LANTHAR 180mm
Below is a list of early Voigtlander brand lenses for SLR cameras released by Cosina. The 15mm and 12mm lenses are special lenses used with the mirror up, so they are excluded from the table below.
| Items | ULTRON | COLOR HELIAR | APO LANTHAR | Macro APO LANTHAR | APO LANTHAR |
| Focal length(mm) | 40 | 75 | 90 | 125 | 180 |
| Max aperture | 2 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 4 |
| Min aperture | 16 | 22 | ← | ← | ← |
| Leaf blade | 9 | ← | ← | ← | ← |
| Lens Construction | 5群6枚 | ← | ← | 9群11枚 | 7群9枚 |
| Min distance(m) | 0.4 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.38 | 1.2 |
| Lens length(mm) | 29.5(Ais) | 40.2(Ais) | 57.6(Ais) | 88.2(Ais) | 79(Ais) |
| Max diameter(mm) | 63.5 | ← | ← | 76 | 65.6 |
| Filter Size(mm) | 52 | 49 | ← | 58 | 49 |
| Weight(g) | 255 | 250 | 390 | 690 | 485 |
| Release date | 2002.05 | 2000.07 | 2002.03 | 2001.06 | 2003.08 |
| Price(Yen/No-tax) | ¥45,000 | ¥50,000 | ¥55,000 | ¥95,000 | ¥65,000 |
Specification
| Items | Value | SL II | SL IIN | SL IIB / SL IIS |
| Focal length(mm) | 40 | ← | ← | ← |
| Max aperture | 2 | ← | ← | ← |
| Min aperture | 16 | 22 | ← | ← |
| Leaf blade | 9 | ← | ← | ← |
| Lens Construction | 6elements in 5groups | ← | ← | ← |
| Min distance(m) | 0.4 | 0.38 | 0.25 | |
| Optional close-up lens | none | none | ||
| Lens length(mm) Nikon Ai-S mount | 29.5 | 24.5 | 37.5 | |
| Max diameter(mm) | 63.5 | 63 | 63.6 | 66.3 |
| Filter Size(mm) | 52 | ← | ← | ← |
| Lens mount | Many single-lens reflex cameras such as Nikon Ai-S | Nikon Ai-S Pentax-KA | Nikon Ai-S EOS | Nikon Ai-S |
| Built-in CPU (Nikon Ai-S,EOS) | none | exist | ← | ← |
| Weight(g) | 250 | 200 | 180 | 260 |
| Lens color | Silver plus black. | Black | Black | Black with two rim colors: black and silver |
| Lens hood | bayonet hood LH-40S LH-40D | screw dome hood | ← | Round screw type hood LH-40IIS |
| etc. | – | focus ring is rubber | – | Lens barrel is larger than others |
| Release date | Year 2002 | 2007.11.17(Nikon) 2007.12(Pentax) | 2012.7.14 | 2017.9.7 |
| Price(Yen/No-tax) | Yen 45,000 | Yen 50,000 | Yen 53,000 | Yen 60,000 |
- The following is a list of early COSINA / Voigtlander brand lenses for SLR cameras. Two lenses, 15mm and 12mm, are excluded from the table below because they are special lenses that are used with the mirror up.
Reference links
Update history
- 2024.8.13
- 2024.03.28:modified article
- 2023.09.22:firest post
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