Voigtlander 50mm F2.2 Color-Skopar VM Lens (Leica M, Silver), BA384B

A compact and versatile lens, the silver 50mm f/2.2 Color-Skopar VM Lens from Voigtlander is a standard prime designed for M-mount rangefinder cameras. The lens's 10-bladed diaphragm and bright f/2.2 maximum aperture easily create flattering bokeh around your subject. Its optical design incorporates seven elements in six groups, including three anomalous partial dispersion glass elements, for achieving excellent optical performance and reduced chromatic aberration. Its manual focus design permits working with subjects as close as 1.6' away. An optional removable lens hood is available to shield the front lens element to minimize flare and ghosting. The hood matches the lens barrel and doesn't interfere with the rangefinder viewing window. When removed, the overall length of the lens from the filter ring to the lens mount is 30mm. A popular 39mm filter thread avails plentiful options for attaching filters.

About this lens

The lens comes in two versions, black and silver, which are both made from aluminum. The optical design uses no aspherical elements and no floating elements. The minimum focus distance is 0.5m and unlike the Leica lenses with <0.7m focusing, there is no click indicating when the lens steps into the close-focus range.

Build quality and mechanics

Every Voigtlander lens that I’ve tried in recent years has had impeccable build quality and this lens is no exception. All of the construction is metal and it feels as nice in the hand as any Leica lens. The focus and aperture rings are buttery smooth; using the focusing tab is a breeze. The lens comes with a small metal hood which screws onto the filter threads and feels very solid.

Size and handling

If the size category for the Zeiss 50 Planar is “compact,” then the category for the Voigtlander 50/2.2 is “adorable.” Only a few other M mount lenses are this size or smaller, and no other mainstream 50mm lenses are this small. The 50/2.2 balances very nicely on my M10-R; in fact, it adds almost no noticeable weight to the camera. The focusing tab is a joy to use and the aperture ring is perfectly placed.

Viewfinder blockage

An additional perk of this lens’s tiny size is there is no viewfinder blockage except for about 1% of the frame at 0.7m with the hood attached.

Minimum focus distance

Dealing with a 0.7m minimum focusing distance is a frequent frustration for me with M lenses, especially since I like to take pictures of food. When used on cameras with liveview, the Voigtlander 50/2.2’s 0.5m minimum distance significantly increases the maximum reproduction ratio.

• Full-Frame | f/2.2 to f/16
• Compact and Lightweight Prime Lens
• Manual Focus Design
• Minimum Focus Distance: 1.6'
• 10-Blade Diaphragm
• Filter Thread: 39mm

• Voigtlander 50mm f/2.2 Color-Skopar VM Lens (Leica M, Silver)
• Front Lens Cap
• Rear Lens Cap
• Lens Hood