Since I work in the used department, I can borrow gear sometimes. I’m pretty much a Cosina Voigtlander fan boy. They’re best known for making an affordable line of rangefinder equipment that competes with the super high endsystem for rich people. It has the same lens mount, so you can use Leica lenses interchangeably, but they make their own line of sometimes very high quality, sometimes alternative ‘character’ type lenses.
In addition to this however, they have a small, largely unappreciated line of SLR lenses, for Canon and Nikon mounts. They call this series the SL-II series, and it includes (for Canon) a 40mm ƒ2 Ultron, a 90mm ƒ3.5 APO Lanthar, and a 20mm ƒ3.5 Color-Skopar. I own the 40mm, and I find it a wonderful companion to my 5D. It has loads of character, and ample sharpness even wide open. Plus ƒ2 is a completely respectable fast working aperture.
The 20mm is something of a strange lens (as is the 90 in some ways), it’s not fast, and has a lot of competition from excellent zoom, and prime lenses from Canon and Zeiss that are either faster or have auto focus. However what the 20mm (along with the 40) have over all the competition is size. They’re tiny! Super tiny! Normally referred to as ‘pancake’ lenses, they sit quite flat on the body. I find these ideal for my style. I prefer rangefinders for small format cameras, so when I do have to use an SLR I am usually bothered by the gargantuan (albeit excellent) zoom lenses. The 40, and the 20mm lenses can be put into a small bag, and make the 5D seem like a much smaller camera. No longer is it a burden on my shoulder, and no more do I have to worry about the huge rig slamming into things as I walk around corners.
Anyways, I was able to spend a day with the 20mm Color-Skopar, walking around the city with my girlfriend. My short review is that this lens is great! A wonderful companion to the 40mm. The performance is not as far off as some may think from the outstanding Zeiss 21mm 2.8, and at least equal to the Canon equivalents. Take a look at some of the pictures I made last Saturday.
I had a ton of fun with this lens, and because I’ve been mostly disappointed with Canon lenses that I can afford, I’ll put it on my ‘to buy’ list. There are ‘better’ lenses performance wise, but I like this one. It’s sharp, small, and different. Plus supporting the Voigtlander system is something I’m more than happy to do.
