LensRentals compared their 40mm range of m43 lenses and came up with some surprising results. The Voigtlander 42.5mm f/0.95 was a great performer that sharpened up very quickly as it was stopped down, while the Panasonic Leica DG Macro Elmarit 45mm f/2.8 showed some worrisome sample variation, which led to disappointing results. I was surprised to see the Panasonic Leica DG Macro Elmarit 45mm f/2.8 ranked poorly because I once owned this lens and mine was great, but I might have received a good copy.
According to LensRentals m43 lenses are different than most other lenses in that they can’t be adjusted once they are assembled so a bad sample is a bad sample period. Other lenses that are produced can be tweaked at the end of the assembly line to make up for errors, but this is not the case with m43, which surprised me. It’s also interesting to see how much variance there is in these m43 lenses because it could lead to a lot of arguments on the internet. The conclusion ends up being:
Well, I learned that no matter how much I dislike Voigtlander, the company, I sure do admire Voigtlander lenses. The performance of the 42.5mm f/0.95 is spectacular. Of course, you also have to be OK with manually focusing, but still, that’s a lens worth considering.
I would have to agree with LensRentals many Voigtlander lenses are excellent lenses for the price and they do have a look to them that is often unmatched. Out of the 6 lenses tested I would pick the Voigtlander on the expensive side of things and the Panasonic f/1.7 for an inexpensive option. You can read the full review here.
Voigtlander 42.5mm f/0.95 ASPH: B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama
Panasonic 42.5mm f1.7 ASPH OIS: B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama
Olympus M. Zuiko 45mm f/1.8: B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama
Olympus M. Zuiko 45mm f/1.2 PRO: B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama
Leica DG Macro Elmarit 45mm f/2.8: B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama
Leica DG Noctitron 42.5mm f1.2 ASPH Power OIS: B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama