Left to Right Voigtlander Lenses: 21/4, 25/4, 35/2.5, 50/1.5, 85/3.5
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Voigtlander SL 12/5.6, SL 15/4.5, SC 21/4, 25/4, 28/3.5, 35/2.5, 50/2.5, 50/1.5, 85/3.5 Lenses for classic Nikon / Contax Rangefinders
Left to Right Voigtlander Lenses: 21/4, 25/4, 35/2.5, 50/1.5, 85/3.5
Incredibly Cosina Voigtlander is
manufacturing NEW wide angle lenses for classic Nikon and Contax rangefinders in 2001,
over 3 decades after these cameras were discontinued. These
are LIMITED production lenses. Initially only ONE run of each is scheduled:
900 21/4's, 800 25/4's, and 700 35/2.5's. Sadly, IF they sell slowly, there
will be only ONE production run. ORDER NOW
It was early June and but it seemed like Christmas. I was opening a box of three new 21, 25, and 35 SC Voigtlander pre-production lenses. After the studio shots of the lenses, I packed up the camera bag and drove south to Long Beach for a few pics of the retired ocean liner Queen Mary and the Russian submarine now alongside her and open for tours. I can't be absolutely sure, but I may have been the only photog shooting the Mary that day with a set of the new SC lenses mounted on black motorized Nikon SP's. Grin.
Shown above is the Voigtlander SC 21/4. It shares the same outstanding optics as its Leica screw mount counterpart. The original Nikon 21/4 is a very rare and expensive lens, with only about 300 being produced. Even if you have one, the finder is mediocre. More plentiful but still hard to find is the Zeiss 21/4.5 Biogon for vintage Zeiss Contax rangefinders -- which will also fit the Nikon rangefinders. Again it has a not so great finder. Real world, the result is that most Nikon Rangefinder shooters or collectors have never shot a 21 lens. You can't shoot with something you can't find or can't afford. The vintage 25/4 Nikkor is also rare, expensive and hard to find. Cosina Voigtlander is doing a wonderful service for these classic camera owners by producing new modern affordable wide angles. No "big" camera maker would ever think of such a thing, making lenses for such a small market. Classic camera owners have Cosina's CEO Mr. Kobayashi to thank for this otherwise unbelievable turn of events. A serious photographer and collector, Mr. Kobayashi appreciates the experience of classic photography equipment and is willing to go out on a limb to produce for that market -- something no other major manufacturer is willing to do.
Shown is the SC 21/4 Voigtlander along side the classic Zeiss 21/4.5 Biogon for Contax rangefinders. New SC Skopar owners will be pleased to find that the mechanical fit and finish of these lenses is quite high in today's age of plastic. The mount is more complicated and requires quite a bit more machining than the Leica screw mount lenses. Everything about them from the focusing, aperture rings, and mounting works smoothly.
21/25/35 SC Skopar Shared Features
Modern sharp multi-coated optical designs
Mounts on vintage Nikon, Contax, and Kiev rangefinders
Rangefinder coupled and designed for index finger wheel focusing
Outside rotating aperture ring near the lens shade. Vintage Nikkor 25, 35/2.5, and 35/3.5 change f/stops by turning the aperture ring INSIDE the filter ring
Lens barrel rotates as the lens focuses, two sets of aperture makings on the barrel keep apertures easily visible
Sold with front and back caps, and a screw in lens hood. The 21 and 25 also have a brightline included.
43mm filters, unscrew the lens shade to mount and unmount the filter
The 21/4 and 25/4 are sold with superb
brightline finders included. The 25 brightline is a 1st for Voigtlander, as
the 25 finder made the last few years for the Leica screw mount version of this lens is
not a brightline design. Their views are bright and clear with
practically no distortion, making them a joy to use.
25/4 SC Skopar
35/2.5 SC Skopar, hood, and caps
The SC Skopar Wides fit Classic Contax Too !
The Voigtlander 35/2.5 mounted on a post war Zeiss Contax IIa. Nikon copied the Zeiss Contax bayonet mount and back focus, but did not use an identical rotation from close-up to infinity. The difference is generally considered negligible in wide angles, but gave focusing problems in interchanging Nikon and Contax tele lenses. Contax RF's make a sensible and lower cost wide angle companion body for Nikon Rangefinder shooters -- all 4 or 5 of them.
The 21 Voigtlander on a 1932 Zeiss Contax 1a, and the 25 Voigtlander on a 1938 Contax II.
Voigtlander 50/1.5 S Nokton Aspherical
$550 Order Here
Voigtlander Bessa R2s with deluxe Voigtlander camera strap, MiniSoftRelease, 50/1.5 Nokton Aspherical with standard lens hood
Voigtlander Nokton 50/1.5 S Aspherical, the only Aspherical 50 ever produced in Nikon Rangefinder mount. Introduced May 2003. It is only the 2nd 50 made in external mount for Nikon Rangefinder, the 1st being the legendary 50/1.1 Nikkor. Specs: Filter size 52 mm, f/stops 1.5 to 16, close focus just under 3 feet or .9 meter, 10 aperture blades, multi-coated, very smooth focusing and aperture ring, as well as very high quality machining and finish. Please note this lens is made in Nikon Rangefinder mount. Time will tell if Voigtlander produces a classic Contax Rangefinder version.
The 35/1.2 M style hood also fits the 50/1.5 S Nokton
Voigtlander S 85/3.5 APO-Lanthar
$425 Order Here
85/3.5 APO-Lanthar mounted on Nikon SP
Voigtlander 85/3.5 APO-Lanthar, the only APO tele lens ever produced in Nikon Rangefinder mount. Introduced May 2003. Note the high quality machining. Specs: Filter size 39 mm, f/stops 3.5 to 22, close focus to one meter, 10 aperture blades, multi-coated, very smooth focusing and aperture ring, as well as very high quality machining and finish. Please note this lens is made in Nikon Rangefinder mount. Time will tell if Voigtlander produces a classic Contax Rangefinder version.
The 85/3.5 will mount the Leica 12538 Vented Hood, as well as standard hood.
Ideal companions for SC Voigtlanders are the Voigtlander silicon VC meter and double accessory shoe. The VC meter is available in either silver or black. Use the Type B accessory shoe for Nikon rangefinders, the Type C shoe is needed for Contax rangefinders to clear the higher knobs. In my opinion the VC meter is easier to use, more sensitive, and more accurate than Nikon's vintage clip on meters.
October 2001 UPDATE
All 3 new SC lenses arrived at CameraQuest by October 2001. INCLUDED with the production SC Scopars are very useful focusing wheel attachments. These attach OVER the lens barrel, making them much easier to grip and focus if you prefer lens barrel focusing to the index finger focusing wheel on the camera body. The SC lenses have the same optics, but larger barrels than their Leica mount counterparts. The SC 21, 25, and 35 fit into the 12mm VL-2 case, but not into the smaller VL-1 case for the Leica mount 21/25/35C. Due to Japanese home market demand, the SC lenses are difficult to obtain. The Japanese Cosina site says the 25's are already sold out.
September 2003 UPDATE
The SC 28/3.5 and 50/2.5 has just been released, along with the SL 12/5.6 Aspherical and SL 15/4.5 Aspherical which fit Nikon, Contax (not G series), Leica M, and Leica screw mount rangefinders with the proper adapters. SEE Separate Page
For those who doubt a Rangefinder Renaissance over the last few years, take a look at these new products for classic Nikon and Zeiss Contax rangefinders (not the current G series). Back Row, left to right: Voigtlander Bessa R2C (the first and only production TTL metering Rangefinder in classic Contax mount) mounting the new metal Voigtlander 28mm finder (in my opinion the best 28mm brightline ever), the Voigtlander Bessa R2S (the first and only production TTL metering Rangefinder in classic Nikon Rangefinder mount) mounting the Voigtlander multi-coated 21/4 with Voigtlander's unique low angle 21mm viewfinder. Front Row: classic Zeiss Contax IIa mounting the multi-coated Voigtlander 35/2.5 with the metal Voigtlander 35mm brightline (in my opinion the best 35mm brightline ever), the Voigtlander SL 15/4.5, a classic Shintaro painted black Nikon SP with Voigtlander SL 12/5.6 with double accessory shoe and Voigtlander VC meter, the Voigtlander F-L adapter for SL 12 and 15 to Leica screw mount cameras, Nikon F SL accessory shoe, Voigtlander 21 and 25 brightline finders, and the multicoated Voigtlander 25/4 lens. All of these new lenses and finders are quite simply the best ever produced for the classic Nikon and Contax rangefinder cameras. Cosina's CEO Mr. Kobayashi has given classic camera fans new choices long after the original manufacturers abandoned their customers.
IF you shoot Nikon, Contax, or Kiev rangefinders, get these bargain priced Voigtlander lenses before they are discontinued and become instant collector's items!
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Revised: November 26, 2003 . Copyright © 2001-2003 Stephen Gandy. All rights reserved. This means you may NOT copy and re-use the text or the pictures in ANY other internet or printed publication of ANY kind. Information in this document is subject to change without notice. Other products and companies referred to herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies or mark holders.