Voigtländer Macro Apo Lanthar 125mm f/2.5 on Fuji GFX

2024-02-05

In this blog post I will share a couple of unprocessed full resolution shots taken with the Voigtländer Macro Apo Lanthar 125mm f/2.5 SL for Nikon F mount (Ai-S) on Fuji GFX 100S. Although not a comprehensive lens review, it should give some idea of the performance of this lens, and the amount of vignetting (or lack thereof) to expect on the 44 × 33 mm medium format sensor.

I 3D printed a custom lens hood for it that does not introduce vignetting on the larger image sensor of the GFX cameras.

The 90mm on the left and the 125mm on the right.

The lens was produced by Cosina from 2001 to 2007 and is available in Canon FD, Nikon Ai-S, Minolta MD, Olympus OM, Pentax PK-A/R, Contax/Zeiss CY, and M42 mounts. It features two elements of anomalous partial dispersion.

In general, the lens has great sharpness in the middle, which drops off slightly towards the periphery. However, stopped down, it is acceptably sharp across the frame. The extreme corners are not very sharp on GFX, to be expected. There is some pincushion distortion. Longitudinal chromatic aberrations are generally well corrected, and superior to the 90mm f/3.5, but still visible in some shots, and inferior to lenses such as the Leica Apo-Telyt-R 180mm f/3.4, the Fuji GF 55mm f/1.7, and the Voigtländer Macro Apo Lanthar 65mm f/2.

Bear in mind, however, that it gets some vignetting at minimum focusing distance.

Approximately 1:50 scale model of Porsche 959 at 1:1 magnification. Notice the dark corners on the bottom. GFX 100S, f/2.5.

Delicious sushi but some chromatic aberrations are visible. GFX 100S, f/2.5.

Plymouth Duster. While some slight purple fringing is still visible, this lens seems to have fewer chromatic aberrations at longer distances compared to macro distances. GFX 100S, f/2.5.

Leaves, just to give you an idea of the bokeh. GFX 100S, f/2.5.

A Galette des rois made by my friend. GFX 100S, f/16. — A *Galette des rois* made by my friend. GFX 100S, f/16.

A line scan camera. This lens is amazing for product photography. GFX 100S, f/16.

Stanford Dish trail (this dish is not the main dish, however). GFX 100S, f/5.6.