Voigtlander Ultron 40 mm f/2 SL II Aspherical review - Vignetting

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Voigtlander Ultron 40 mm f/2 SL II Aspherical

9 November 2010

Arkadiusz Olech

8. Vignetting

Looking at the tested lens’s parameters, taking into account its small dimensions and the fact that it is a full frame device we expected huge vignetting problems. Getting ahead of the results a bit we can say that our fears were exaggerated and the situation is not at all as tragic as we thought.

First let’s check the situation on the smaller APS-C/DX sensor.

Voigtlander Ultron 40 mm f/2 SL II Aspherical - Vignetting

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The vignetting is noticeable here only at the maximum relative aperture, where it amounts to 28% (-0.96 EV). On stopping down the aperture to f/2.8 the problem becomes negligible, decreasing to the value of 11%; by f/4.0 it disappears completely (6%).

For understandable reasons a far worse situation can be observed on full frame. The thumbnails below show it very clearly.

At the maximum relative aperture the vignetting reach a very high level of 47% (-1.84 EV). It is not a value we would like to observe but defending the Voigtlander a bit we might quote the result of the Canon EF 50 mm f/1.4 USM which by f/2.0 lost as much as 53% of light. You must admit the Voigtlander compares favourably with that lens. On stopping down to f/2.8 the vignetting decreases to the value of 31%. By f/4.0 this aberration reaches 17% and by f/5.6 it is just 12%, a value really negligible.