Verdict

Voigtländer’s 28mm f2 APO-Lanthar is a very good wide-angle lens for modern mirrorless cameras from Sony, Nikon, and Leica with one major drawback: It is manual focus only. But its optical qualities are compelling: My tests showed very good resolution of fine details with minimal color aberrations, low coma, and only a slightly soft FF/FX-corner. And the lens retains good black levels even in strong contra light. Its Bokeh may not be great (as is with many very sharp wide-angle lenses) but it’s still pleasing. The only real deficiencies optically are a very strong light fall-off and visible focus breathing. Fortunately vignetting can be reduced in post-processing (albeit so far without the help from a lens profile) and focus breathing is not relevant for shooting stills. And as Cosina has put everything into a solid and finely crafted metal body which is not too big or heavy, the lens is a joy to use – just like its 35mm and 50mm f2 APO-Lanthar siblings.

Let’s put this into perspective and have a closer look at how the Voigtländer 28mm f2 APO-Lanthar compares to other lenses.

Above: Voigtländer 50mm f2 APO-Lanthar (1st generation, left), Voigtländer 28mm f2 APO-Lanthar (right)

Compared to Voigtländer 35mm f2 APO-Lanthar

Apart from the 25% longer focal length (reducing the angle-of-view from 75 degrees to 63 degrees) there are only smaller differences between both lenses: The 28mm lens produces sunstars at every aperture (except wide open) while the 35mm lens has round aperture blades at f2.0, f2.8, f5.6 and f16 producing perfectly rounded Bokeh balls (in the center) and no diffraction spikes at those apertures. The Voigtländer 35mm f2 APO-Lanthar also renders the smoother Bokeh, produces sharper close-ups, and has less coma and loCA than its shorter sibling. Its major disadvantage is that there is a position outside the FF/FX-corner where the sun causes very strong veiling glare on the 35mm f2 APO-Lanthar. But if you know this position it can normally be avoided.

For more details see my Voigtländer 35mm f2 APO-Lanthar review where it came Highly Recommended.

Compared to Sigma 28mm f1.4 Art

In 2018 the Sigma 28mm f1.4 Art was originally designed for Canon, Nikon and Sigma DSLRs, but it’s now also available for Sony E-mount and for the L-mount supported by Leica, Panasonic and Sigma. This together with the unique ability to have the lens mount changed in service makes the Art line from Sigma the most versatile in the market regarding adaptability to different camera systems. The other major advantages of the Sigma over the Voigtländer: It has autofocus, a one stop brighter focal ratio, a smoother Bokeh (at f1.4), thorough weather-sealing, and is 40% cheaper. But at a size of 83mm x 134mm and a weight of 925g the Sigma is much bigger and heavier than the Voigtländer. My testing (via FTZ-adapter on a Nikon Z7) revealed that the optical formula of the Sigma 28mm f1.4 Art is no longer up to modern designs: It needs to be stopped down to f2.0 to become very sharp in the center and has the weakest DX- and FX-corner in comparison.

For more details see my Sigma 28mm f1.4 Art review where it earned a Highly Recommended in 2019.

Voigtländer 28mm f2 APO-Lanthar final verdict

The Voigtländer 28mm f2 APO-Lanthar is a very good large aperture wide-angle lens and a worthy addition to Cosina’s acclaimed 35mm and 50mm f2 APO-Lanthar designs. But without autofocus it’s not for everyone: Shooting moving subjects is next to impossible. But if your subjects are mostly static and you know how to precisely nail focus manually then the high resolution of finest details and very good clarity of this lens can produce very pleasing shots. It also has a relatively nice Bokeh, very good resistance against flare, glare, and ghosting, and well controlled color aberrations and coma. And although the lens is pretty expensive and does not have any weather sealing its optical qualities still earns the Voigtländer 28mm f2 APO-Lanthar a recommendation – putting it at third place in a ranking of Voigtländer’s APO-Lanthar lenses.

Good points:

• Very good sharpness in the APS-C/DX image circle with excellent center.
• Only little color aberrations and coma.
• Very good resistance against flare, glare, and ghosting.
• Good (but not great) Bokeh.
• Very good build-quality.

Bad points:

• Manual focus and manual aperture operation.
• High price.
• FX-corner could be sharper.
• Very strong vignetting
• No lens profile (yet) to correct vignetting and distortions.
• Focus breathing.
• Aperture ring not de-clickable on Z-mount version.
• No weather sealing.

Check prices or buy the Voigtlander 28mm f2 APO-Lanthar at B&H or Adorama, WEX UK or Calumet.de. Buy used gear from MPB. Sell your used gear to MPB. Or why not treat yourself to a copy of my In Camera book, an official Cameralabs T-shirt or mug, or treat me to a coffee! Thanks!