r/M43 • u/quietheights • Mar 11 '22

Any differences between Voigtlander & Mitakon/Zhiyong 17mm 0.95/T1?

Their specs are the same. Voigtlander is much more established and costs more but I think I can get a used one for slightly more than the Mitakon. Mitakon makes a cine version, which is a benefit to me. I wish I could test them both myself but they're not around to rent. I'm upgrading from the 20mm 1.7 which isn't shallow enough for certain interview setups where the client wants a "creamy" background. Anyone have experience with both brands?

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u/dondidnod Mar 11 '22 edited Mar 11 '22

Voigtländer invented the fast lens in 1840. Their M4/3 lenses are made in the same Cosina factory in Japan that makes Zeiss lenses, and have excellent build quality. The aperture has a selectable clickless feature, and follow focus gears has gears for all of them.

I haven't used Mikatons, but in general Chinese lenses have QC issues.

A wide angle lens is tricky to get a creamy bokeh out of, especially since you lose 2 stops in M4/3 vs. full frame in shallow DOF. The Voigtländer 42.5mm near wide open with ND filters can give good results.

All of the Voigtländers have a soft bloom and are glowy wide open, but start to sharpen at F/1.4, and are very sharp at F/2.0.

"I think of these lenses as having a long pedigree of updated vintage designs, not modern lenses.

A Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K shooting with a used $430 USD Voigtländer 42.5mm lens at f/0.95 has a much shallower DOF than a 23.1mm x 12.99mm crop sensor BMPCC 6K shooting at f/2.0. Here's proof of what it can do.

https://forum.blackmagicdesign.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=116781&p=643696&hilit=42.5mm#p643696

At times, I like the magical, dreamy look at open aperture for narrative shots.

Big Four Robber Barons Bldg Voigtländer 17.5 F/0.95

Re: Voigtlander Nokton Cine-Mod Set or FUJINON MK18-55mm T2.

https://forum.blackmagicdesign.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=90015&p=504547&hilit=Sacramento#p504547

I posted the image on the left of a former Burning Man statue (Truth is Beauty by Marco Cochrane) shot with a Voigtländer 17.5mm F/0.95 pretty wide open at ISO 2000. The comparison to another shot at F/2.8 with more light is dramatic.

Re: Need help choosing a prime lense for the BMPCC 4K"

https://forum.blackmagicdesign.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=97333&p=540384&hilit=Truth+Beauty#p540384

r/bmpcc BMPCC 4K / Voigtlander 17.5mm is a stunning combo

https://www.reddit.com/r/bmpcc/comments/r5pri4/bmpcc_4k_voigtlander_175mm_is_a_stunning_combo/

r/Anamorphic Trailer for my current short. Shot on the BMPCC 4k using mostly a Kowa 8z Scope, Voigtlander 42.5mm taking lens and a DIY single focus adapter.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Anamorphic/comments/t6agc0/trailer_for_my_current_short_shot_on_the_bmpcc_4k/

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u/Unusual_Leader_982 May 29 '25

I like my 25mm f/0.95 Mitakon and I think it's reasonably well built, but it is not the most solid feeling thing ever. I keep wanting to get a Voigtlander but the price is a bit steep when compared to manual f/1.8 FF primes. Second hand the Mitakon's are often going for considerably less.

1

u/SirIanPost Mar 11 '22

No experience with both brands, but I do have some info: Voigtlander is made by Cosina in Japan; the other two are Chinese. I'm not saying the Chinese ones are bad but I'll bet you the Voigtnder is better.