Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 SL II for Pentax K Review – By Aivaras

By Aivaras

I promised to get back with more “exotic” stories from the Pentax film world, and here I am! I’d like to share my experience with the Voigtlander 40mm lens in Pentax K mount. Most of the time I’ll be talking about shooting it on film, but there will be a few bonus frames shot with the Fuji GFX medium format digital body at the end.

Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 lens versions

There are two versions of this lens, the one I own is the  “SL II’ model in PKA mount. Obviously, if there is a second version of this lens, there should be a first. The pentaxforums.com database states that the first and second versions are optically identical, and that where they differ is the build. From what I have researched they were also available in M42, Nikon F and Canon EF mount.

40mm focal range

40mm is a very interesting focal range for me. I mostly used to shoot with 50mm, but in time I began to appreciate what 40-43mm range has to offer. I never got along with 35mm – for me it’s too wide and too narrow all at the same time. I shoot 40mm just like a 50mm, but with ability to add more context into the frame.

I was introduced to this focal length range – as many fellow Pentaxians are – with the famous Pentax 43mm Limited lens. Naturally, when talking about the Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 I have to talk about the Pentax 43mm as well. They have a lot in common, while surprisingly are very different lenses. You will see some pictures of the 40mm and 43mm lenses side by side, however what you won’t see here are side by side pictures FROM those lenses – if you want to see pictures from the 43mm  – take a look here.

Why 40mm Ultron?

You might wonder why I acquired the Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 if I already have the 43mm limited? The only real answer is – because I could, and because I wanted to!

But just in case you want excuses and an artificial rationalisation of the decision (the one that I created to explain the purchase to myself) – I wanted a manual focus lens to partner with my manual focus Pentax bodies.  I just wanted this Ultron… and to be completely honest with you, there is one more slightly absurd reason: It goes very well as a compact (and good looking) set together with the Voigtländer Color-Skopar 20mm F3.5 SL II Aspherical PK…

Physical characteristics

Ok, let’s start with the nuts and bolts of the Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2. It’s made of metal, with a rubberised focus ring. It is 63mm in diameter and 24.5mm long, and weighs in at just 200g. The Pentax 43mm is 64mm by 27mm and weighs only 155g! The Pentax gives the impression that it’s more compact, but all of this comes from its “tapering” design. The Ultron has a 52mm filter ring, and its aperture is clicked, although interestingly it has half stop clicks between f2.8 and f11 whereas f2-f2.8 and f11 – f22 are full stops. Unfortunately none of my later electronic Pentax bodies show aperture information in the finder. It is the same with the Voigtländer 20mm F3.5 SL II. The 40mm is also able to focus down to a very acceptable 38cm.

There is a dedicated lens hood, and it deserves a special mention as it has been designed to keep the whole system compact. This hood makes 40mm noticeably smaller that 43mm with hood. The inner, narrower part of hood is with filter thread and in original set there had to be a close-up lens that screws into hood. I didn’t receive this close-up attachment with my lens, therefore I cant comment on how it performs…

The combination of metal and glass gives the impression of a high-quality product; the focus ring handles with precision and leaves nothing to be desired.

It’s time go get to the photos. As usual I’ll split them into “closed down” aperture and wide-open aperture.

Photos shot using a stopped down aperture:

Pentax MZ-3, Voigtländer Ultron 40mm F2 SL II, Kodak Portra 400
Pentax LX, Voigtländer Ultron 40mm F2 SL II, Kodak Portra 400
Pentax MZ-3, Voigtländer Ultron 40mm F2 SL II, Kodak Portra 400
Pentax MZ-3, Voigtländer Ultron 40mm F2 SL II, Kodak Portra 400
Pentax MZ-3, Voigtländer Ultron 40mm F2 SL II, Kodak Portra 400
Pentax MZ-3, Voigtländer Ultron 40mm F2 SL II, Kodak Portra 400
Pentax LX, Voigtländer Ultron 40mm F2 SL II, Kodak Portra 400
Pentax LX, Voigtländer Ultron 40mm F2 SL II, Kodak Portra 400
Pentax LX, Voigtländer Ultron 40mm F2 SL II, Kodak Portra 400

Photos shot wide open:

Pentax MZ-3, Voigtländer Ultron 40mm F2 SL II, Kodak Portra 400
Pentax MZ-3, Voigtländer Ultron 40mm F2 SL II, Kodak Portra 400
Pentax MZ-3, Voigtländer Ultron 40mm F2 SL II, Kodak Portra 400
Pentax MZ-3, Voigtländer Ultron 40mm F2 SL II, Kodak Portra 400
Pentax MZ-3, Voigtländer Ultron 40mm F2 SL II, Kodak Tri-X400
Pentax MZ-3, Voigtländer Ultron 40mm F2 SL II, Kodak Tri-X400
Pentax LX, Voigtländer Ultron 40mm F2 SL II, Kodak Portra 400
Pentax LX, Voigtländer Ultron 40mm F2 SL II, Kodak Portra 400
Pentax LX, Voigtländer Ultron 40mm F2 SL II, Kodak Portra 400
Pentax MZ-3, Voigtländer Ultron 40mm F2 SL II, Kodak Portra 400
Pentax MZ-3, Voigtländer Ultron 40mm F2 SL II, Kodak Portra 400
Pentax MZ-3, Voigtländer Ultron 40mm F2 SL II, Kodak Portra 400

“Bonus shots”. Wide open on Fuji GFX50R

Fujifilm GFX50R, Voigtländer Ultron 40mm F2 SL II
Fujifilm GFX50R, Voigtländer Ultron 40mm F2 SL II
Fujifilm GFX50R, Voigtländer Ultron 40mm F2 SL II

Comments on lens results:

I’m happy with what I get from the Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2. It could easily be the only “normal” FOV lens I own. It’s plenty sharp, has good “punchy” colour, good contrast and pleasant bokeh. However if I decided to nit-pick, I could come up with a few things. And it’s easier to nit-pick when comparing results with its natural competitor, the  Pentax 43mm limited lens.

So what are the cons when comparing the Ultron to the Limited?

  • 43mm is sharper when shooting wide open aperture. Ultron is more than acceptably sharp, but still the 43mm is noticeably better.
  • 40mm Ultron colours are on the warm side. It may be a matter of preference, but I usually colour correct most of the Ultron pictures whereas the 43mm pictures are neutral right from photo lab.
  • 43mm is more contrasty. Impossible for me to say how much, but I do notice this subtle difference.
  • Ultron has noticeable barrel distortion, the 43mm distortion is imperceptible in normal day to day use.

Pros:

  • Ultron has smoother boked compared to the 43mm.
  • A very specific aspect: the Ultron covers “digital medium format” sensors (33x44mm GFX) better than the Pentax 43mm.

And one more thing that I wanted to mention, but didn’t assign as a pro or con: The Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 has this “signature” flare thing. This big red ring that you can see partly in a few film photos and fully evident in picture taken with the Fuji GFX50R. This flare is quite easily provoked and, in my book, it’s a good thing, I take it as an advantage, it adds some “mojo” in photos. I saw those flares a lot while researching this lens and, in many pictures, photographers used them creatively (especially in portraiture). But talking about usual lens characteristics, I suppose it’s technically a weakness of the lens design.

Closing

The Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 SL II is an interesting and high quality lens with very good performance and some unique character traits.

There are many choices for “normal” field of view lenses in the Pentax range, and this lens isn’t necessarily the pinnacle of everything available. In case you’re after a narrower  lens, prefer to have the highest IQ, want to have good manual and auto focus abilities – the no brainer suggestion is to go for the Pentax 43mm limited. They even have a revised model that Pentax says comes with more modern coatings. But if you are a crazy Pentaxian like me, you will have a burning desire to try the Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2. And its worth it, I can vouch for that!

Aivaras

www.beautifulgrain.com

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About The Author

By Aivaras
enthusiast photographer, film freak, pentaxian, bokeh addict
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Comments

Bruce on Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 SL II for Pentax K Review – By Aivaras

Comment posted: 31/07/2023

It would be interesting to compare the 40 f2 Ultron with the Pentax 40 f2.8. I shoot the 40 on a MX as a compact "pocket" SLR and it does fine, though I'm going to guess the Ultron is noticeably superior.
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Aivaras replied:

Comment posted: 31/07/2023

I had never owned 40mm f2.8 due to slower aperture... Can't comment on that.

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Bruce replied:

Comment posted: 31/07/2023

I've never owned the Ultron, but think it would be interesting to compare the two if I could... always curious!

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Klaus Wirz on Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 SL II for Pentax K Review – By Aivaras

Comment posted: 06/04/2023

Hi, since I don't have an autofocus Pentax: does the 43 Ltd make sense on a manual focus camera ? I have an LX and an MX-- I´m looking for something a bit wider than my 50/1,2 and a bit narrower than my 28/3,5..... I don't find any substantial information on the question how the 43/1,9 behaves if used in manual mode. Thank you !
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Aivaras replied:

Comment posted: 06/04/2023

Hi! 43mm Ltd makes perfect sense on manual focus camera, its good at manual focusing. Only thing you'll feel is a bit "grinding" feeling from screwdriver focus gear. Its not loud, its not unpleasant, its just a bit unusual. It'l be very good companion to your MX and LX. In fact - 43mm is that good, that I started tselling my 40mm Voigtlander with intention to stay only with 43mm for manual focus and autofocus bodies. ;)

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Klaus Wirz replied:

Comment posted: 06/04/2023

Thank you, Aivaras. Your reviews are very inspiring and I appreciate the useful information.

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Paul on Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 SL II for Pentax K Review – By Aivaras

Comment posted: 05/02/2023

I'm a pentax addicted! I have the smc-m 40mm pancake and love it. Do you think the 43mm limited or the 40mm ultron is much superior?
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Aivaras replied:

Comment posted: 05/02/2023

Hi! I hadn't opportunity to shoot with M 40mm lens, but I'm pretty sure, that it's quality lens that can provide very good photos. The reason why I never reached for m 40mm it its maximum aperture of f2.8 - i'm bokeh addict, I want to have an opportunity to shoot faster, at least f2....

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Lee on Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 SL II for Pentax K Review – By Aivaras

Comment posted: 01/02/2023

In particular, I think the photographs of the tire on the chain by the water, and the barbed wire by the train tracks were far and away the best shots of the bunch. Lovely colors of this lens.
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Aivaras replied:

Comment posted: 01/02/2023

Thanks! My personal favourite is with barbed wire by the train tracks :) I provided quite a lot of photos as I wanted to show this lens in different scenarios.

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Gus on Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 SL II for Pentax K Review – By Aivaras

Comment posted: 31/01/2023

Beautiful photos, I especially like the red van framed by the railing! I have the 40mm SLIIs on my Nikon probably 85% of the time, I love the focal length and the lens is a joy to use.
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Aivaras replied:

Comment posted: 31/01/2023

Thank you, Gus!

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Jens replied:

Comment posted: 31/01/2023

Very interesting review ! When i need a focal length of 40mm with the ME /MEsuper/ P30 / Program A i use the SMC-A 35-70 f4 lens. The 40 mm is marked on this two ring zoom lens, and the image quality is very nice ! Furthermore the minimal focus distance is variable on this lens and 0,4m / 1,3 ft at 40mm focal length, very useful.

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Aivaras replied:

Comment posted: 31/01/2023

Thanks!

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brian m cox on Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 SL II for Pentax K Review – By Aivaras

Comment posted: 30/01/2023

Nice write up. I have the 20mm pancake in ef mount and is one of my favorite lenses of all time. It even has focus conformation with half shutter press. It's a great combination with the Canon 40mm pancake for walking around and exploring
Having a ultrawide 20mm and a 40mm that fits in your pocket is amazing. I've considered getting the 40mm Voigtlander but can't justify the cost with the rest of my terrible eBay habits...
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Aivaras replied:

Comment posted: 30/01/2023

Compactness plays a big role in favour of these lenses...

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Erik Brammer on Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 SL II for Pentax K Review – By Aivaras

Comment posted: 30/01/2023

I really like your photographs, Aivaras, including the natural vignetting on the GFX 50R. Owning the latter myself plus some Zeiss ZF.2 lenses, I must say that their vignetting is a lot less pleasing, much more abrupt. I think I will want to create some LCCs for Capture One to counteract it and rather add more pleasant vignetting manually in Capture One.
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Aivaras replied:

Comment posted: 30/01/2023

Thanks! Good luck in your fight with vignetting. ;)

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