I am now using the Voigtlander 10.5mm, 17.5mm and 42.5mm F/0.95 lenses (2 lenses purchased from RobertWhite) . I replaced the Samyang 10mm T/3.1 with a 10.5mm F/0.95 Voightlander. Fantastic lenses.
Really nice video Robert. Like you I prefer the softer, more dreamy output of the Voigtlander. I shoot Sony and and rarely am out of fully manual and manual focus. Been thinking about Noktons and Ultrons for my work as well.
Excellent comparison, thank you. I think you're very brave using manual focus lenses on a wedding shoot but I admire your professionalism and technique.
Brave? Manual focusing one mastered I the best. You have full control of your focusing and to me nothing beats that. The ability to override all this auto crap and be in control of you image making decisions.
These modern Voigtländer are so beautiful, however, I frequently use older (appr. 1930)Voigtländer lenses in compound shutter. My vintage Heliars 150mm and 240mm on my 4x5 Ebony are matchless for portraits.
stopped down to the same apertures as the Olympus lenses the voigtlander is sharper. Sharper than those two Olympus lenses he is showing. So faster and sharper. The Olympus pro lenses at f1.2 are worth mentioning. The 25mm f1.2 is possibly the most perfect 50mm equivalent lens in existence. It's flawless. But it doesn't have the character of the voigts either. So to each their own.
+robertwhitephoto thank you for the big effort you did for this session, but i wish you choose backgrounds with texture or if you shoot outdoor, where you can really see the different between the lenses, i honestly didn't notice a lot of different.
For my eye, the Voigtlander lens images were a tad more exposed than the Olympus ones, especially the one by the window. Perhaps 1/4000 sec is the limit of that Olympus model. They seemed to be too bright in general and Olympus glass was allowed to actually look pretty good in comparison.
I find that there is not much difference between the lenses when you consider the huge adjustments you can make to a photo or video via post editing. The Voightlanders are better in my opinion but that is not so important in creating a great image. It is all about what lens or equipment one is happy using. Mine is Voigtlanders and the Olympus Vintage lenses such as the Olympus Zuiko 35mm F/2, 28mm/F2.8 & 135mm F/3.5. Another great lens I use is the Samyang 10mm T/3.1 but nothing beats the Voigtlanders in low light. I am going to purchase the 10.5mm Voightlander for low light wide angle work
True...I love the 17.5, but I'm not as crazy about the 42.5. The 42.5 doesn't seem to be as sharp....so it's hard to justify the price. The 17.5 though...awesome saucesom.
Hi Robert, thanks for this. At time 11:26, the close up of the model's face, it seems to me the detail and sharpness from the Olympus was much clearer and sharper. I'm not a photographer, but did the Voigtlander blow out the image - especially on the left cheek, or could that of easily been fixed with stepping down a notch on the exposure? Thanks again. MC
It’s normal… comparing F/1.8 to 0.95… it makes no sense. A (much) larger aperture is always going to be softer, and it’s actually impressive for a 0.95. He should have compared both at 1.8.
He's taking portraits people. The better image is where the model looks more beautiful. Everyone here seems to be blinded looking at senseless detail. That's not what your customers look at. Voigtlander produced a better looking portrait overall. Better looking skin, brighter exposure to her face, less distortion. The goal isn't to capture all her pores and highlight her skin imperfections. It's not architecture.
Michael Ma, I disagree. A sharper lens is always better. I'd rather have the detail if I need it. It's easy to smooth skin in post. Are you saying the definition a good portrait lens is to not be too sharp?
that last line really got me man - you are spot on with that comment. However for me I'm not quite sold on spending the extra on the voigtlander though.
Yes he's right, so what's ur question Tean Tan ? U should also know saturation of colors tends to be better when a lenses opens, but this effect is fighting with another one that is softness. So u have to find the sweet spot between softness, saturation and definition for each lens and light conditions u are in... at least ur eye will choose this in a fraction of second..
Not so much of a "destroyer" as people like to exaggerate. Perhaps visible on screen in some scenarios, under magnification, but not so in print when seen from a viewing distance. Practically, it is irrelevant.
Olympus are optics masters. Have you seen the Our Planet documentary on Netflix? The siberian tiger scene was captured using Olympus Pro lens with the Panasonic GH5.
This is not factual, other lenses go down to F1.2, 1.4 and 1.7 Subject isolation occurs throughout these ranges, infact F0.95 is too low for some portraits. I actually think that Panasonic Leica makes better glass than both Olympus and Voigtlander (this is my opinion of course).
I agree. The Panasonic Leica Nocticron 42.5 f/1.2 is a beast. The Vogtlander 42.5 can't compete against it, especially considering the Pannyleica has auto focus and image stabilization.
Not in my opinion. The voigtlander beats them all. This is personal preference though just as in choice of camera equipment and shooting style. The lenses are the best tools for me
Voigtländer doesn't exist! The company closed its production in 1971, they went into a collective optical firm with Rollei owning the rights but when Rollei collapsed in 1982, the rights to the name was bought by Ringfoto GmbH which is a marketing firm, they own the name but has no optical knowledge and Cosina is making the lenses.
Are you using the olympus tether app? Is there a way to get the files to show immediately in capture one after taking them? I use capture one and wish they would support tethering for m43 cameras.
Second comment: the word for out of focus smoothness is a phonetic (spelled as it is pronounced) Japanese word "bokeh" and it is, tada, pronounced as it is spelled; not "bokka". Please listen to the Japanese gentleman in the end of this video: ruclips.net/video/Y0Brf2l8Ysc/видео.html
I would never use Olympus for weddings. And I have Olympus system with some best lenses. Very slow system, very unpredictable and slow autofocus, dynamic range is terrible, ISO embarrassing. Olympus perfect travel camera for me, not more.
Why would anyone deliberately choose to expose an Olympus micro four third lens at f11 when they don’t need to. At f11 he has an equivalent depth of field of f22 on full frame. Typically four third lenses perform best at f8 and below. Also, why would a professional photographer who normally promotes Olympus gear not use the faster and better quality f1.2 pro options from Olympus which are available at both 17 mm and 45mm ? All in all, a somewhat odd demonstration?
Hm, not quite. In German, the V is hard, like an F. So it's "Fohgt-len-dah". The letter that is used in German to make the English "V" sound is the "W". That's why a typical feature of a German accent is when the person says "ven" instead of "when", or "wery" instead of "very".
Olympus is a sub-par name in photography today and has been dead for quite some time... The big two, Nikon and Canon who occupy most of the market-share, make lenses that are equal to the Voigtlander in all respects. And with today's RAW editing latitude, minor differences in lenses have been rendered immaterial.... No autofocusing? ... Get real. this is simply too limiting and unworkable for today's photographic environments.
You are out of touch man. Lots and lots of working photogs using manual focus, and for video these lenses with their manual operation are much better options than those autofocus lenses.
I am now using the Voigtlander 10.5mm, 17.5mm and 42.5mm F/0.95 lenses (2 lenses purchased from
RobertWhite) . I replaced the Samyang 10mm T/3.1 with a 10.5mm F/0.95 Voightlander. Fantastic lenses.
Really nice video Robert. Like you I prefer the softer, more dreamy output of the Voigtlander. I shoot Sony and and rarely am out of fully manual and manual focus. Been thinking about Noktons and Ultrons for my work as well.
Excellent comparison, thank you. I think you're very brave using manual focus lenses on a wedding shoot but I admire your professionalism and technique.
Brave? Manual focusing one mastered I the best. You have full control of your focusing and to me nothing beats that. The ability to override all this auto crap and be in control of you image making decisions.
These modern Voigtländer are so beautiful, however, I frequently use older (appr. 1930)Voigtländer lenses in compound shutter.
My vintage Heliars 150mm and 240mm
on my 4x5 Ebony are matchless for portraits.
The Olympus lenses are very good. Voigtlander's low light performance and quality is hard to beat but overall quality there is not much in it
stopped down to the same apertures as the Olympus lenses the voigtlander is sharper. Sharper than those two Olympus lenses he is showing. So faster and sharper.
The Olympus pro lenses at f1.2 are worth mentioning. The 25mm f1.2 is possibly the most perfect 50mm equivalent lens in existence. It's flawless. But it doesn't have the character of the voigts either. So to each their own.
+robertwhitephoto thank you for the big effort you did for this session, but i wish you choose backgrounds with texture or if you shoot outdoor, where you can really see the different between the lenses, i honestly didn't notice a lot of different.
For my eye, the Voigtlander lens images were a tad more exposed than the Olympus ones, especially the one by the window. Perhaps 1/4000 sec is the limit of that Olympus model. They seemed to be too bright in general and Olympus glass was allowed to actually look pretty good in comparison.
Voigtländer is lover quality, but thanks to this it gives this analog/vintage/alexa soft look.
I find that there is not much difference between the lenses when you consider the huge adjustments you can make to a photo or video via post editing. The Voightlanders are better in my opinion but that is not so important in creating a great image. It is all about what lens or equipment one is happy using. Mine is Voigtlanders and the Olympus Vintage lenses such as the Olympus Zuiko 35mm F/2, 28mm/F2.8 & 135mm F/3.5. Another great lens I use is the Samyang 10mm T/3.1 but nothing beats the Voigtlanders in low light. I am going to purchase the 10.5mm Voightlander for low light wide angle work
Voigtlander is amazing. Best "unknown" lens.
I agree
True...I love the 17.5, but I'm not as crazy about the 42.5. The 42.5 doesn't seem to be as sharp....so it's hard to justify the price. The 17.5 though...awesome saucesom.
Voigtlander does dream bokeh if you have a non studio background. Best lens for m4/3 period.
Very useful video, thank you. I was wondering what wireless flash triggers you use with Olympus. Thank you
Hi Robert, thanks for this. At time 11:26, the close up of the model's face, it seems to me the detail and sharpness from the Olympus was much clearer and sharper. I'm not a photographer, but did the Voigtlander blow out the image - especially on the left cheek, or could that of easily been fixed with stepping down a notch on the exposure? Thanks again. MC
It’s normal… comparing F/1.8 to 0.95… it makes no sense. A (much) larger aperture is always going to be softer, and it’s actually impressive for a 0.95.
He should have compared both at 1.8.
I actually find modern lenses too sharp, especially for portraiture. These are more akin to vintage lenses imo.
I wish more of the Voigtlander lenses had a focus tab.
surprising to see the Olympus captures more detail.
Test is biased. Should have compared both at 1.8.
@@jc.baptiste sigma designs oly lenses so they are very sharp but at the cost of micro contrast.
Not really, the Noktons are shot at 0.95 and bound to be somewhat softer...
12:22 - Check out the model - 'Little boys with their little toys look' - Thinks - 'well at least he's got it in his hands so he'll be happy'
Great video sir! Very thorough and fair comparison.
on the last photos the olympus looks much sharper and more detail
Because of the deeper DoF. Voigtlander lens has blurred details because its DoF at f0.95 was very thin.
He's taking portraits people. The better image is where the model looks more beautiful. Everyone here seems to be blinded looking at senseless detail. That's not what your customers look at. Voigtlander produced a better looking portrait overall. Better looking skin, brighter exposure to her face, less distortion. The goal isn't to capture all her pores and highlight her skin imperfections. It's not architecture.
LOL You are right. Capture all her pores LOL
Michael Ma, I disagree. A sharper lens is always better. I'd rather have the detail if I need it. It's easy to smooth skin in post. Are you saying the definition a good portrait lens is to not be too sharp?
I'm not here to argue with me you. It is just my preference and opinion and it suits me
that last line really got me man - you are spot on with that comment. However for me I'm not quite sold on spending the extra on the voigtlander though.
Hi,
I don't quite understand why you shoot portraits at f11, it gets worse on m4/3 lens when diffraction creeps into the lens at and above f8.
You are right. I never go above F/8. Diffraction is a destroyer of image quality
Yes he's right, so what's ur question Tean Tan ? U should also know saturation of colors tends to be better when a lenses opens, but this effect is fighting with another one that is softness. So u have to find the sweet spot between softness, saturation and definition for each lens and light conditions u are in... at least ur eye will choose this in a fraction of second..
Not so much of a "destroyer" as people like to exaggerate. Perhaps visible on screen in some scenarios, under magnification, but not so in print when seen from a viewing distance. Practically, it is irrelevant.
Dear Robert, nice review; I am wondering what app you are using. I do not know of any that shows the area that is in focus with olympus camera.
Olympus are optics masters. Have you seen the Our Planet documentary on Netflix? The siberian tiger scene was captured using Olympus Pro lens with the Panasonic GH5.
Character In the video It's great, I like it a lot $$
This is not factual, other lenses go down to F1.2, 1.4 and 1.7 Subject isolation occurs throughout these ranges, infact F0.95 is too low for some portraits. I actually think that Panasonic Leica makes better glass than both Olympus and Voigtlander (this is my opinion of course).
I agree. The Panasonic Leica Nocticron 42.5 f/1.2 is a beast. The Vogtlander 42.5 can't compete against it, especially considering the Pannyleica has auto focus and image stabilization.
Not in my opinion. The voigtlander beats them all. This is personal preference though just as in choice of camera equipment and shooting style. The lenses are the best tools for me
I prefer the Voigtlander glass. I never use F/0.95 for portraits and use the lens at around F/2-2.8
Voigtländer doesn't exist! The company closed its production in 1971, they went into a collective optical firm with Rollei owning the rights but when Rollei collapsed in 1982, the rights to the name was bought by Ringfoto GmbH which is a marketing firm, they own the name but has no optical knowledge and Cosina is making the lenses.
Going to get a lot more popular with the panasonic ibis coming out.
Are you using the olympus tether app? Is there a way to get the files to show immediately in capture one after taking them? I use capture one and wish they would support tethering for m43 cameras.
Small detail: You got the umlaut wrong in your title. It's not "Vöigtlander", it's Voigtländer.
what has the apature ring has to do with focus pulling ? lmao
Yea u have a point there
Second comment: the word for out of focus smoothness is a phonetic (spelled as it is pronounced) Japanese word "bokeh" and it is, tada, pronounced as it is spelled; not "bokka".
Please listen to the Japanese gentleman in the end of this video:
ruclips.net/video/Y0Brf2l8Ysc/видео.html
What size is that backdrop?
Pronounciation is:" Fohgtlender" (german)
I would never use Olympus for weddings. And I have Olympus system with some best lenses. Very slow system, very unpredictable and slow autofocus, dynamic range is terrible, ISO embarrassing. Olympus perfect travel camera for me, not more.
I'm very fast and accurate with manual focusing so the Voigtlanders are best for me
Troll, even though i am using Panasonic still think you are a troll
what program are you using to edit? I'm looking to break free from Adobe.
Capture One Pro!
I can’t see a difference. The Olympus lenses are an incredible bargain I guess.
Why would anyone deliberately choose to expose an Olympus micro four third lens at f11 when they don’t need to. At f11 he has an equivalent depth of field of f22 on full frame. Typically four third lenses perform best at f8 and below.
Also, why would a professional photographer who normally promotes Olympus gear not use the faster and better quality f1.2 pro options from Olympus which are available at both 17 mm and 45mm ?
All in all, a somewhat odd demonstration?
You are right, f11 = ridiculous in that situation !
Actually it's Voigtländer (not Voigtlander)! But otherwise great comparision! :D
Voigtlander is not better, I even think the last shot is better with the Olympus
she seems to get bored
But what is there to arouse her interest?
It's pronounced "Voktlander."
I believe it is actually pronounced "Fute-lenda."
Hm, not quite. In German, the V is hard, like an F. So it's "Fohgt-len-dah".
The letter that is used in German to make the English "V" sound is the "W".
That's why a typical feature of a German accent is when the person says "ven" instead of "when", or "wery" instead of "very".
Comparison is great, choice of model not so much
Exactly, so sexy that she drags all the attention to her...
but no one shoots micro 4/3 anymore as full frame mirror-less has made them obsolete.
Are you living under the rock lol, people still convert to mft from full frame and its on the rise.
Olympus is a sub-par name in photography today and has been dead for quite some time... The big two, Nikon and Canon who occupy most of the market-share, make lenses that are equal to the Voigtlander in all respects. And with today's RAW editing latitude, minor differences in lenses have been rendered immaterial.... No autofocusing? ... Get real. this is simply too limiting and unworkable for today's photographic environments.
You are out of touch man. Lots and lots of working photogs using manual focus, and for video these lenses with their manual operation are much better options than those autofocus lenses.
Really?? I guess it's 2024 now...
I do not see anything pleasing or better on Voigtlander. Both look like a cheap crap glass.
Dear Robert, nice review; I am wondering what app you are using. I do not know of any that shows the area that is in focus with olympus camera.
Capture One Pro!