Tiny Lenses: Voigtlander 90mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar SL II
The Voigtlander 90mm f/3.5 APO Lanthar is a tiny but high performance lens especially well suited to anyone looking for exceptional quality in a very compact package. It is a manual focus but fully electronic (“chipped”) lens, so it acts just like any Nikon-made lens, supporting 1/3 stop apertures and auto aperture control. It can be found in Nikon or Canon mount.
The Nikon version of the 90/3.5 has an aperture ring, and thus can also be used on Canon EOS with a mechanical lens adapter. Build quality is similar to Zeiss ZF.2 lenses. The relatively slow f/3.5 maximum aperture limits versatility compared to, say, an f/2 lens. But since top image quality begins wide open, this is easily forgiven, and the 90/3.5 can easily fit into a small pocket. It makes an excellent choice for a compact travel kit including a lens like its 40mm f/2 sibling or the Nikon 45mm f/2.8P.
I reprocessed my 2012 test with new and large crops, and images up to 24 megapixels. The lens delivers impressive results.
Voigtlander 90mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar SL II Aperture Series: Mosaic (Nikon D800)
The Voigtlander 90mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar SL II is discontinued but can be found on the used market. CameraQuest.com has some brand-new ones in Canon mount.