5 Best Voigtlander lenses for Sony – A Complete Guide

Best Voigtlander lenses for Sony
My Voigtlander lenses

After getting great feedback from you on my article Best Voigtlander lenses for Fujifilm, I have decided to write a similar article, but this time focusing on the best Voigtlander lenses for Sony.

If you’ve read my previous article, you already know I am a BIG fan of Voigtlander lenses. I think there is a level of quality in Voigtlander lenses, that is hard to find in any other lens manufacturer. A good friend of mine owns a Sony camera and last week he asked me if I can help him find out if Voigtlander lenses will be compatible with his camera. He would really like to give Voigtlander lenses a shot, after listening to me always praising them ?.

After some research, I found out that Sony’s cameras use a Sony E-mount. Luckily Voigtlander produces some lenses that have an E-Mount, meaning a lens can directly fit onto an appropriate Sony camera – no adapter is needed in this case. In this article, I will list the 5 best Voigtlander lenses for Sony that are directly compatible. The best lens I’ve come across in a long time is the Voigtlander Nokton 40mm f/1.2 – and it is directly compatible with appropriate Sony cameras.

Some good Voigtlander lenses have a Leica M bayonet lens mount. This means that some Voigtlander lenses will not be directly compatible with a Sony camera. But fear not, as there are adaptors that allow us to mount a Leica M-mount type lens onto a Sony E-mount camera. At the end of the article, I will also list 5 lenses that I think are top-notch, but require an adapter as they have an M-mount type.

The following 2 adapters below will do the job. The first one, being the official adapter from Voigtlander, is a bit more expensive. The second one is from a third-party manufacturer and therefore much cheaper. I tried using this adapter to mount my Voigtlander 35mm M mount lens to my friend’s Sony α6600.  I was very pleasantly surprised – it worked perfectly. Nice tight fit, no wobble anywhere. Infinity focus works fine. Being able to use focus peaking makes using these lenses pretty easy.

Voigtlaender VM/E Lens Adaptor for Lenses
Best Affordable
Fotasy Pro Leica M Lens to E Mount Adapter, Leica M E Mount, FE Leica M Adapter, Compatible with Sony a7 a7R a7s II III IV a9 a7c Alpha 1 a6600 a6500 a6400 a6300 a6100 a6000 a5100 a5000 a3500 ZV-E10
Voigtlaender VM/E Lens Adaptor for Lenses
Fotasy Pro Leica M Lens to E Mount Adapter, Leica M E Mount, FE Leica M Adapter, Compatible with Sony a7 a7R a7s II III IV a9 a7c Alpha 1 a6600 a6500 a6400 a6300 a6100 a6000 a5100 a5000 a3500 ZV-E10
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$279
$13
Voigtlaender VM/E Lens Adaptor for Lenses
Voigtlaender VM/E Lens Adaptor for Lenses
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$279
Best Affordable
Fotasy Pro Leica M Lens to E Mount Adapter, Leica M E Mount, FE Leica M Adapter, Compatible with Sony a7 a7R a7s II III IV a9 a7c Alpha 1 a6600 a6500 a6400 a6300 a6100 a6000 a5100 a5000 a3500 ZV-E10
Fotasy Pro Leica M Lens to E Mount Adapter, Leica M E Mount, FE Leica M Adapter, Compatible with Sony a7 a7R a7s II III IV a9 a7c Alpha 1 a6600 a6500 a6400 a6300 a6100 a6000 a5100 a5000 a3500 ZV-E10
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$13

To help you save some time, I have decided to write an article on the topic of compatibility, where I will list all Voigtlander lenses compatible with Sony cameras. Not only that, but I will share my humble opinion on which Voigtlander lenses work best with Sony cameras.

What Sony cameras and Voigtlander lenses are directly compatible? – NO adapter needed

In order for Sony cameras to be compatible with Voigtlander lenses, we must make sure both the camera and the lens have an E-Mount.

Sony cameras with an E-Mount are the following Sony Models: Sony NEX-3, Sony NEX-5, Sony NEX-C3, Sony NEX-5N, Sony NEX-7, Sony NEX-F3, Sony NEX-5R, Sony NEX-6, Sony NEX-3N, Sony NEX-5T, Sony α3000, Sony α7, Sony α7R, Sony α5000, Sony α6000, Sony α3500, Sony α7S, Sony α5100, Sony α7 II, Sony α7R II, Sony α7S II, Sony α7S III, Sony α6300, Sony α6500, Sony α9, Sony α7R III, Sony α7 III, Sony α6400, Sony α7R IV, Sony α6600, Sony α6100, Sony α9 II, Sony α7c, Sony α QX1, Sony NEX-VG10, Sony NEX-VG20, Sony NEX-VG30, Sony NEX-VG900, Sony NEX-FS100, Sony NEX-FS700, Sony NEX-EA50, Sony PXW-FS7, Sony PXW-FS5, Sony PXW-FS7 II, Sony VENICE, Sony PXW-FS5 II, Sony PXW-FX9, Sony FX6, Sony FX3.

Voigtlander lenses with an E-Mount are the following Voigtlander Models: Hyper Wide Heliar 10 mm/1:5,6; Super Wide Heliar III 15 mm/1:4,5; Nokton 21 mm/1:1,4; Color Skopar 21 mm/1:3,5; Nokton 35 mm/1:1,2; Nokton 35 mm/1:1,4; APO Lanthar 35 mm/1:2,0; Nokton 40 mm/1:1,2 SE; Nokton 40 mm/1:1,2; Heliar for Nah+ Systemadapter VM-E 40 mm/1:2,8; Nokton 50mm/1:1,2; Nokton SE 50mm/1:1.2; APO LANTHAR 50mm/1:2,0; APO Lanthar 65mm/1:2 Macro; Macro APO-LANTHAR 110mm/1:2,5

You can easily find a compatible pair, by choosing any camera and lens from the two lists above.

What are the 5 Best Voigtlander lenses for Sony? – NO adapter required

Obviously, it is hard to state what is the best Voigtlander lens without considering the price range and type of photography the lens will be used for.

But in the following paragraphs, I will share 5 Voigtlander lenses that are close to my heart. They are all different so I’m sure you will all find one, that will fit your desired photography genre.

Best Overall
Voigtlander Nokton 40mm f/1.2 Aspherical Lens for Sony E
Voigtlander Macro APO-LANTHAR 65mm F2 Aspherical Macro Lens for Sony E Mount Camera
Best Affordable
Voigtlander Super Wide-Heliar 15mm f/4.5 Lens, Black, for Sony E-Mount Cameras
Voigtlander Heliar-Hyper Wide 10mm f/5.6 Aspherical Lens for Sony E Mount Camera
Voigtlander Color-Skopar 21mm f/3.5 Aspherical Lens for Sony E-Mount
Voigtlander Nokton 40mm f/1.2 Aspherical Lens for Sony E
Voigtlander Macro APO-LANTHAR 65mm F2 Aspherical Macro Lens for Sony E Mount Camera
Voigtlander Super Wide-Heliar 15mm f/4.5 Lens, Black, for Sony E-Mount Cameras
Voigtlander Heliar-Hyper Wide 10mm f/5.6 Aspherical Lens for Sony E Mount Camera
Voigtlander Color-Skopar 21mm f/3.5 Aspherical Lens for Sony E-Mount
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$749
$849
$549
$749
Price not available
Best Overall
Voigtlander Nokton 40mm f/1.2 Aspherical Lens for Sony E
Voigtlander Nokton 40mm f/1.2 Aspherical Lens for Sony E
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$749
Voigtlander Macro APO-LANTHAR 65mm F2 Aspherical Macro Lens for Sony E Mount Camera
Voigtlander Macro APO-LANTHAR 65mm F2 Aspherical Macro Lens for Sony E Mount Camera
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$849
Best Affordable
Voigtlander Super Wide-Heliar 15mm f/4.5 Lens, Black, for Sony E-Mount Cameras
Voigtlander Super Wide-Heliar 15mm f/4.5 Lens, Black, for Sony E-Mount Cameras
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$549
Voigtlander Heliar-Hyper Wide 10mm f/5.6 Aspherical Lens for Sony E Mount Camera
Voigtlander Heliar-Hyper Wide 10mm f/5.6 Aspherical Lens for Sony E Mount Camera
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$749
Voigtlander Color-Skopar 21mm f/3.5 Aspherical Lens for Sony E-Mount
Voigtlander Color-Skopar 21mm f/3.5 Aspherical Lens for Sony E-Mount
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Price not available

Voigtlander Nokton 40mm f/1.2 Aspherical Lens for Sony E-Mount

Voigtlander Nokton 40mm f/1.2 Aspherical Lens for Sony E
  • Sharp Manual Focus Compact Lens with two Aspheric elements
  • Chipped supporting focus peaking, EXIF, 5 Axis stablization
  • Takes 58mm filters, lens hood included
  • Great Bokeh
  • First 40mm f/1.2 full frame lens

Wow, what a mind-blowing lens. This is currently the world’s fastest 40mm lens, at a very attractive price for the features that the lens has to offer. The lens is super sharp and wide open! My god what a lens, talk with any professional photographer, and they will agree, that this is one of the best lenses on the market currently. The glass itself is wonderful, producing beautiful pictures that have the feeling of the film but the sharpness and quality of digital while being blisteringly fast and compact. But the direct integration with the Sony E-Mount cameras is where the amazingness comes in. The manual focus works so well with the focus peaking, and it is so sensitive that with the intensity of the peaking lines you can tell where things start to become out of focus based on the thickness of the peaking lines. It’s immensely satisfying to see the peaking lines shift around your viewfinder with zero lag when turning the focus ring, and you can literally see the depth of field changing when you turn the aperture ring, which, by the way, is silky smooth and a joy to turn. Having the aperture and distance show up in the viewfinder through the data contacts means no need to look at the lens to set what you want and then looking through the finder – you can compose and adjust simultaneously.

This lens is truly the future of digital-assisted photography. Highly recommend.

Voigtlander Macro APO-LANTHAR 65mm F2 Aspherical Macro Lens for Sony E Mount Camera

This lens is really dreamy- It is super sharp and fun to use. It’s one of those lenses that you buy when you don’t need any more lenses. It has a magical rendering when shooting into the sun. To me, it is a lens to keep by the door when you go for walks/walkabouts nearby. I probably won’t pack it very often though(it’s quite heavy) as I prefer to carry a very light camera bag, and it’s not a focal length I really need that often, but somehow it just feels more exciting than all my other lenses. Focusing is smooth and fun, and I love the aperture ring.

One thing to note is, that this is not a lens I would take into dusty or wet, or sandy environments. Though it feels like it is built solid, it does feel like it needs a bit more gentle care than my other lenses. I have noticed a tiny bit of dust making its way into the lens already, so I question how well it is sealed from the elements. The overall lens/body design seems to provide lots of cracks for dust, sand, and dirt to collect, so cleaning it is pretty challenging. Other than that it is a super fun lens and destined to be a cult classic.

Voigtlander Super Wide-Heliar 15mm f/4.5 Lens, Black, for Sony E-Mount Cameras

Voigtlander Super Wide-Heliar 15mm f/4.5 Lens, Black, for Sony E-Mount Cameras
  • Voigtlander's popular 15mm f/4.5 III Leica M-Mount now in Sony FE-Mount
  • Ultra Sharp Ultra Wide Angle Lens
  • Selective Aperture Control for clickless video shooting
  • Chipped for EXIF info
  • Manual Focus

Extremely well-made lens. The metal construction feels sturdy. The focus ring and aperture ring are very smooth and easy to operate. Clickless aperture mode is easy to activate. The lens has an internal focus design. The front glass element is convex forward so is at risk of getting damaged. I put on a 58mm filter to protect it. The metal lens hood is built into the lens but wouldn’t do a great job protecting the lens alone. The greatest part of the lens is that all of the data is transmitted to my a7 camera in real-time. The aperture is available to view when composing the shot in the viewfinder. Immediately when I turn the focus ring, the camera goes into zoom mode to focus assist. There is no lag whatsoever. This option can be disabled in the camera body if desired. The lens is sharp and appears to reproduce colors well. There are full tests of the lens online elsewhere, but for all my purposes this lens is absolutely fantastic.

For the price, it would be hard to find a better wide-angle lens that is this compact. I can literally disassemble the lens and camera and stick them in my pockets. Combined with an a7 type body, the Voigtlander 15mm Heliar iii must be one of the most compact and best ultra-wide-angle setups available.

Voigtlander Heliar-Hyper Wide 10mm f/5.6 Aspherical Lens for Sony E Mount Camera

This lens is a full-frame rectilinear 10mm. As far as I know, this is the widest lens of it’s type. The lens does suffer from a chromatic aberration in the corners and vignetting. It’s also difficult to focus as everything seems in focus no matter where the focusing ring is set. That being said, the color and sharpness are excellent, the build quality is excellent. In the included photos, one shows the shadow of my arm and the camera and tripod. This isn’t me trying to start a “Power to the Heliar!” movement. I posted this to show how easy it is to accidentally get fingers and unwanted shadows into a shot. This lens isn’t going to be for everyone, however, if you love wide-angle lenses and willing to take some time using it, I think you will love it as I do.

Voigtlander Color-Skopar 21mm f/3.5 Aspherical Lens for Sony E-Mount

This is a great little lens. The build quality is amazing – the focus ring is buttery smooth and the all-metal body is beautiful. It’s also small, so carrying it around is easy. The picture quality is phenomenal and very sharp with almost no distortion. The sunstars that come out of this thing are very nice, as well. On my a7s, having a maximum aperture of f3.5 is no problem at all. The only thing I don’t like is the focus of breathing. Still, highly recommended.

This lens is great for shooting real estate, as it’s not ultra-wide so it doesn’t distort a room. It is manual focus, so you don’t need to worry about the camera refocusing when you’re changing the light between exposures. You can see your focus and iris settings on the lens rings so you don’t need to move the focus ring to see the focus distance like on most Sony lenses.

What are the 5 Best Voigtlander lenses for Sony? – E to M Mount Adapter required

Here I will share 5 Voigtlander lenses that have an M Mount. Be aware that in order to mount these lenses on your Sony camera you will require one of the adapters mentioned above.

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Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f/1.4 II Multi Coated Leica M Mount Lens – Black

When it comes to the most versatile Voigtlander lens Nokton 35mm f/1.4 II is a clear winner. It performs very well in any situation, be it landscape photography, street photography, travel photography, and even environmental portraits. It is a fast-aperture prime lens with solid build quality. The construction is all metal and super compact. The lens is pretty sharp wide open. The best thing about this lens is its size – it is super tiny and light. This makes it a perfect walk-around lens that can be utilized in practically any situation. The focus ring moves very smoothly, prooving the high german quality. The image quality is very good for this price range.

Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f/1.4 II Multi Coated Lens for Leica M, Black
  • Improved Version II MC lens with high index glass element
  • Very small compact fast Leica M lens, only 6.7oz
  • MC Multi-Coated lens gives higher contrast
  • Optional LH-6 Lens hood, 43mm filters

Voigtlander Heliar 75mm f/1.8 Lens – Black Chrome

It is one of the classic Voigtlander lenses. It is perfect for black and white (B&W) photography as it offers incredible micro-contrast. The lens produces great subject saturation and the lens itself is very sharp and open. It is the perfect “Streetsweeper” lens and therefore good for street photography.

Voigtlander Heliar 75mm f/1.8 Lens - Black Chrome
  • Product description: Voigtländer M Heliar Classic 75 mm/1.8 m lens
  • Optical design: 6 elements in 3 groups
  • Viewing angle: 33.2°
  • Diaphragm strips: 10
  • Minimum focus distance: 0.9 m

Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.1 Leica M Mount Lens – Black

This is one of the bigger lenses with a large aperture. The build is all metal and pretty heavy. It is a full-frame lens. The aperture goes all the way from 1.1 to 16, giving you a lot of control over the light passed through the aperture. The image quality out of this lens is sharp. It is a modern fast lens. One downside of this lens is, that it is undersaturated and too muted in defused light. The best feature of this camera is that it has a very silky smooth bokeh – the effect of a soft out-of-focus background that you get when shooting a subject, using a fast lens.

Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.1 Leica M Mount Lens - Black
  • It includes front & Rear Caps, Hood
  • Construction: 6 Groups/ 7 Elements
  • Filter Size: 58mm

CNokton Classic Lens 40 mm / F1.4

Like all of the Voigtlaender, this lens offers incredible precision. The color saturation of this lens is just incredible compared to other lenses in the same price range. The lens is high resolution. This lens has great all-around characteristics and it is definitely an outlier among other lenses in the same price range. This lens is very affordable and therefore perfect for somebody who wants great quality and is shopping on a budget.

Voigtlaender Nokton Classic Lens 40 mm / F1.4
  • Focal length: 40 mm
  • Focal ratio: 1 : 1.4
  • Smallest aperture: F16, field of view (diagonal): 56°, minimum focusing distance: 0.7 m
  • Multi-coated version
  • Connection: Leica M-mount bayonet

Voigtlander Color-Skopar Pan 35mm f/2.5 Wide Angle Manual Focus Lens – Black

This lens is very similar to the first lens we reviewed – Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f/1.4 II – as it is a very small lens. The barrel of the lens had a depth of field markings, which makes focusing and hyperfocal distance very easy, making landscape photographers and street photographers very happy. This lens is also very affordable and therefore making it a great option for people shopping on a budget.

Voigtlander Color-Skopar Pan 35mm f/2.5 Wide Angle Manual Focus Lens - Black
  • Product Type :Camera Lenses
  • Package Dimensions :11.2 Cm L X10.6 Cm W X8.2 Cm H
  • Package Quantity :1
  • Package Weight :0.480004Lbs

Final Thoughts

And here we are ?. All the 5 mentioned lenses will work great on Sony cameras mentioned on the list above. Again, don’t forget that a Sony E-Mount Adapter is needed in order to successfully mount the last 5 mentioned Voigtlander lenses onto a Sony camera. If I had to make a choice and recommend a Voigtlander lens that has all-around characteristics and is an outlier in its price range, I would choose Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f/1.4 II.

I hope you found my guide useful and it will help you make the right decision also for yourself. Oh, and if you have a question you are welcome to comment below or contact me through the contact form. I am always happy to exchange experiences with my fellow photography enthusiasts. Wish you tons of great photos with your new lens ?.

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