Voigtlander 180mm stiff focus normal?

jsherman999 · 02-22-2008, 09:53 PM

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My Voigtlander 180mm arrived today, and I ran some sharpness tests indoors on a tripod. It's probably my first or second sharpest lens, maybe tied with my Viv series 1 105mm macro, and at f8, I can't see any sharpness degradation at the edges. Truly incredible.

However, the focusing ring is *extremely tight - it definitely does not have the silky smooth, easy focus of my SMC 200mm f/4.

My question - is this normal for the Voigtlander? Does it normally have a very tight/damped focusing action, or is my copy too tight?

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and · 02-23-2008, 12:04 AM

No the 180 is pretty stiff, I didnt really like the feel of it. The 125 is a lot smoother. The Pentax A* 300 is also very (too) stiff.

roentarre · 02-23-2008, 03:54 AM

Originally posted by and

No the 180 is pretty stiff, I didnt really like the feel of it. The 125 is a lot smoother. The Pentax A* 300 is also very (too) stiff.

A* 300 f2.8 is not stiff at all. Maybe A* 300 f4 is.

jsherman999 · 02-23-2008, 07:32 AM

.

Well, after playing with it more last night an this morning, I can say that the stiffness lends itself to very precise manual focusing - I don't tend to focus 'through' the POF, I can nail it spot on. So maybe that's the point - It's just that I've never owned such a stiff focusing lens before, & just wanted to make sure it's normal for this model.

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knyghtfall · 03-01-2008, 10:14 AM

I just got one recently too, and yep its stiff. The 125's just right, and the 90's slightly loose (not to mention having a jiggy barrel - i've come across two copies now with the same problem!). The tightness of the focusing must correspond to the focal length

But that being said, the sharpness + bokeh of the 3 vt lens are astounding, and mouth watering. No regrets at all in getting them!!

02-22-2008, 09:53 PM	#1
jsherman999 Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Photos: Gallery Posts: 8,237	Voigtlander 180mm stiff focus normal? . My Voigtlander 180mm arrived today, and I ran some sharpness tests indoors on a tripod. It's probably my first or second sharpest lens, maybe tied with my Viv series 1 105mm macro, and at f8, I can't see any sharpness degradation at the edges. Truly incredible. However, the focusing ring is *extremely tight - it definitely does not have the silky smooth, easy focus of my SMC 200mm f/4. My question - is this normal for the Voigtlander? Does it normally have a very tight/damped focusing action, or is my copy too tight? .

03-01-2008, 10:14 AM	#5
knyghtfall Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Singapore Photos: Gallery Posts: 348	180 mm stiffness I just got one recently too, and yep its stiff. The 125's just right, and the 90's slightly loose (not to mention having a jiggy barrel - i've come across two copies now with the same problem!). The tightness of the focusing must correspond to the focal length But that being said, the sharpness + bokeh of the 3 vt lens are astounding, and mouth watering. No regrets at all in getting them!!

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02-23-2008, 12:04 AM	#2
and Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,476	No the 180 is pretty stiff, I didnt really like the feel of it. The 125 is a lot smoother. The Pentax A* 300 is also very (too) stiff.

02-23-2008, 03:54 AM	#3
roentarre Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 11,783	Originally posted by and No the 180 is pretty stiff, I didnt really like the feel of it. The 125 is a lot smoother. The Pentax A* 300 is also very (too) stiff. A* 300 f2.8 is not stiff at all. Maybe A* 300 f4 is.

02-23-2008, 07:32 AM	#4
jsherman999 Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Photos: Gallery Posts: 8,237 Original Poster	. Well, after playing with it more last night an this morning, I can say that the stiffness lends itself to very precise manual focusing - I don't tend to focus 'through' the POF, I can nail it spot on. So maybe that's the point - It's just that I've never owned such a stiff focusing lens before, & just wanted to make sure it's normal for this model. .