Extremely compact lens with solid all-metal construction
Wonderful manual focus feel and a clicky aperture ring
Very sharp over most of the frame at wide apertures and sharp to the edges stopped down
Excellent color and contrast
Good control of chromatic aberration
Produces pleasing sunstars
Generally good flare performance
Price
Cons
Vignetting is fairly strong at all apertures
Edges aren’t quite as sharp as stiffest competition
The 21mm f/3.5 Color-Skopar is another great entry in Voigtländer’s E-mount series of lenses. The lens is exceptionally small, yet is solidly built and has wonderful haptics. Optically, it’s a sharp lens with great color and contrast, good control of lens aberrations and a fairly reasonable price at just $699.
When compared to the Zeiss Loxia 21mm f/2.8, the Voigtländer manages to be nearly as good at half the price and half the size and weight. The Loxia is slightly sharper and has more biting contrast, but with the huge price premium and substantial size increase, I think that for most shooters, the Voigtländer is going to be the better buy between the two lenses.
It’s an excellent lens and has earned a spot in my bag.
Image Samples
Click on an image to enlarge.
Columbus before Sunrise – Sony A7 III with Voigtländer 21mm f/3.5 Color-Skopar @ f/9, 20s, ISO 100Roses for the Remembered, Hayden Run Falls – Sony A7 III with Voigtländer 21mm f/3.5 Color-Skopar @ f/16, 0.8s, ISO 100Ohio Senate – Sony A7 III with Voigtländer 21mm f/3.5 Color-Skopar @ f/9, 1/15s, ISO 1600Snowy Dawn – Sony A7 III with Voigtländer 21mm f/3.5 Color-Skopar @ f/11, 6s, ISO 100Ohio Statehouse Light – Sony A7 III with Voigtländer 21mm f/3.5 Color-Skopar @ f/3.5, f/15s, ISO 800Columbus Railroad – Sony A7 III with Voigtländer 21mm f/3.5 Color-Skopar @ f/11, 1/80s, ISO 100Columbus, OH – Sony A7 III with Voigtländer 21mm f/3.5 Color-Skopar @ f/11, 1/25s, ISO 100Morning Flags – Sony A7 III with Voigtländer 21mm f/3.5 Color-Skopar @ f/8, 15s, ISO 100Cold Morning – Sony A7 III with Voigtländer 21mm f/3.5 Color-Skopar @ f/13, 1/2s, ISO 100Winter Sunrise (note the lack of flare compared to the similar composition on the previous page) – Sony A7 III with Voigtländer 21mm f/3.5 Color-Skopar @ f/14, 1/1250s, ISO 100Snow on the Rocks – Sony A7 III with Voigtländer 21mm f/3.5 Color-Skopar @ f/16, 8s, ISO 100
If you enjoyed this review, please check out my other reviews in the Review Index
Outstanding review. If money and size were no object, would you choose the 24MM f1.4 G Master over the Color-Skopar? You’d of course lose a negligible amount of focal length but gain quite a bit of speed and auto focus.
For what I use it for, no. I use the Voigtlander for a very small ultra wide to carry with my A7III when I want to travel light (or just sometimes for the heck of it). While the 24GM is also pretty compact and likely the better lens (I haven’t tested it though), it doesn’t fit the bill for a super small lens to put in a tiny bag with a couple other super small lenses. My ‘small’ FF kit is the 21/3.5, 40/1.2 and Contax G 90/2.8. small, light and all very high quality.
Thank you, that makes sense, I may consider having a “small” kit myself. A little off topic but germane given the Color-Skopar is manual focus; I’m finding focus peaking on the A7III and A7RIII to be rather unreliable at close focus distances. AF-C is spot on but the peaking not so much. Is there a tip or trick I’m missing?
When using manual focus, peaking just gets you close. It won’t be good for critical focus at very shallow depth of field. I turn on auto magnify and focus while magnified, which easily allows me to put focus right where I want it.
Thanks for the great review. Ever tried it on A6x00? I am thinking of buying it for my A6300 as a street photography lens. Would be my first time to use manual lens on it. When it comes to focusing, does auto magnification work? Also does the EXIF information gets recorded?
Thanks for great review. This f3,5/21mm will complete my compact, lightweight and high quality four lens set with Zeiss f2,8/35mm Sonnar, Zeiss f1,8/55mm Sonnar and Sony f1,8/85mm FE.
Great review. I had one as well and moved up to an XSI. Very underrated sensors as I think both…
A lot of nostalgia. This was my first body as well. Used with Tamron 17-50 🙂
I think it is near Hillsboro.
This article got me thinking… Why does Canon make RF S lenses starting with 18mm when most full frame RF…
Great review. I shoot Nikon and may try an old Nikon D200 and see how it compares with the new…
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