5 Best Voigtlander lenses for Leica M – A Complete Guide

Best Voigtlander lenses for Leica M
My Voigtlander lenses collection with VM-mount 🙂

Ah yes, the classic Leica M mount. The mount was introduced in 1954 together with the Leica M3 camera. Impressively, It is still one of the most used lens mounts to this day. ‘M’ stands for Messsucher or rangefinder in German.

Some Voigtlander lenses come with a Leica M mount or how Voigtlander likes to call it, VM Mount – Voigtlander M mount. If you’ve read my previous articles on Voigtlander lenses, you already know I am a BIG fan of Voigtlander. I think there is a level of quality in Voigtlander lenses, that is hard to find in any other lens manufacturer.

In this article, I will list the 5 best Voigtlander lenses for Leica M mount. The best lens I’ve come across in a long time is the Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f/1.4 II. I believe it has all-around characteristics and is definitely an outlier in its price range. But it all depends on the type of photography you like to do, so make sure you read through my review of the 5 Voigtlander lenses listed below.

What Voigtlander lenses have a Leica M Mount (VM Mount)?

First of all, I would like to share a list of all Voigtlander lenses with Leica M Mount (VM mount) in case you want to go through all of them and find the best fit yourself:

Hyper Wide Heliar 10 mm/1:5.6 ; Hyper Wide Heliar 10 mm/1:5,6 ; Super Wide Heliar III 15 mm/1:4.5 ; Super Wide Heliar III 15 mm/1:4,5 ; Nokton 40 mm/1:1.4 ; Nokton 21 mm/1:1,4 ; Ultron 21 mm/1:1.8 ; Ultron 21 mm/1:1,8 ; Color Skopar 21 mm/1:3,5 ; Color Skopar 21 mm/1:3,5 ; Color Skopar P-Typ Apo Lanthar 21 mm/1:4.0 ; Color Skopar P-Typ 21 mm/1:4,0 ; Ultron 28 mm/1:2.0 ; Ultron asphärisch 28 mm/1:2,0 ; Nokton III 35 mm/1:1.2 ; Nokton III 35 mm/1:1,2 ; Nokton II SC und MC 35 mm/1:1,4 ; Nokton II 35 mm/1:1,4 ; Ultron 35 mm/1:2,0 ; Ultron 35 mm/1:2,0 ; Color Skopar Pancake II 35 mm/1:2.5 ; Ultron asphärisch II 35 mm/1:2,0 ; Color Skopar Pancake II 35 mm/1:2.5 ; APO Lanthar asphärisch 35 mm/1:2,0 ; Color Skopar P-Type II 35 mm/1:2,5 ; Nokton 40 mm/1:1.2 ; Nokton 40 mm/1:1,2 ; Nokton SC und MC 40 mm/1:1,4 ; Nokton SC und MC 40 mm/1:1,4 ; 2 Nokton 50 mm / 1:1,; Nokton 50 mm/1:1,2 ; 5 Nokton Vintage asphärisch 50 mm / 1:1,; Nokton 75 mm/1:1,5 ; Apo Lanthar 50 mm/1:2,0 ; Heliar 50 mm/1:3.5 ; Heliar 50 mm/1:3,5 ; Nokton 75 mm/1:1,5 ; Nokton 75 mm/1:1,5

Make sure that you have an appropriate adapter that can serve as a bridge between your camera’s Mount and your Voigtlander’s Leica M Mount (VM Mount).

What are the 5 Best Voigtlander lenses for Leica M?

Here I will share 5 Voigtlander lenses that have a Leica M Mount. Be aware that in order to mount these lenses on your camera you might need an adapter that can server as a bridge between your camera mount and the Leica M Mount.

Best Overall
Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f/1.4 II Multi Coated Lens for Leica M, Black
Voigtlander Heliar 75mm f/1.8 Lens - Black Chrome
Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.1 Leica M Mount Lens - Black
Best Affordable
Voigtlaender Nokton Classic Lens 40 mm / F1.4
Voigtlander Color-Skopar Pan 35mm f/2.5 Wide Angle Manual Focus Lens - Black
Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f/1.4 II Multi Coated Lens for Leica M, Black
Voigtlander Heliar 75mm f/1.8 Lens - Black Chrome
Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.1 Leica M Mount Lens - Black
Voigtlaender Nokton Classic Lens 40 mm / F1.4
Voigtlander Color-Skopar Pan 35mm f/2.5 Wide Angle Manual Focus Lens - Black
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$599
Price not available
$775
$399
$409
Best Overall
Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f/1.4 II Multi Coated Lens for Leica M, Black
Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f/1.4 II Multi Coated Lens for Leica M, Black
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$599
Voigtlander Heliar 75mm f/1.8 Lens - Black Chrome
Voigtlander Heliar 75mm f/1.8 Lens - Black Chrome
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Price not available
Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.1 Leica M Mount Lens - Black
Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.1 Leica M Mount Lens - Black
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$775
Best Affordable
Voigtlaender Nokton Classic Lens 40 mm / F1.4
Voigtlaender Nokton Classic Lens 40 mm / F1.4
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$399
Voigtlander Color-Skopar Pan 35mm f/2.5 Wide Angle Manual Focus Lens - Black
Voigtlander Color-Skopar Pan 35mm f/2.5 Wide Angle Manual Focus Lens - Black
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$409

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 have a Leica M Mount bayonet and will work great with any camera, provided you have the right adapter. 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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